ALTON College is to consider a merger with Basingstoke College of Technology to create “a larger, more resilient and efficient combined unit”.

The proposal is to create a better working environment for post-16 education in the area, with close links to Whitehill and Bordon’s Future Skills Centre, which the Basingstoke college will operate when it opens in September.

The plans promise to “enhance and develop” existing academic and vocational courses for school leavers.

The merger proposal comes as a result of a Government review of post-16 education across England “to ensure providers are financially stable in the longer term, that they are run efficiently, and are well positioned to meet the present and future needs of individual students”.

The north and mid Hampshire area is served by four sixth-form colleges (Alton College, Peter Symonds at Winchester, Queen Mary’s College at Basingstoke and the Sixth Form College Farnborough) and two general further-education colleges (Basingstoke College of Technology and Farnborough College of Technology) as well as a specialist provider at Sparsholt.

In recognising the “need to change” this area, the review concluded that a merger between Alton and Basingstoke colleges would enhance the resilience of both to the impact of increased competition. It would also, it was felt, strengthen ties across the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), supporting Basingstoke as a growth town, Whitehill and Bordon’s regeneration and its designated “step-up” status, and the development of the construction training at the Future Skills Centre in Bordon.

The north-and-mid-Hampshire-area review was one of 40 across England conducted by local steering groups, comprising principals and chairs of governors, further-eduction and sixth-form-college commissioners, local authorities, LEPs and regional schools commissioners.

The review began last autumn and concluded in January with one of the recommendations suggesting that the Alton and Basingstoke colleges “explore the opportunities that working together could realise for local students”, through a process of due diligence and examination, expected to take around 18 months.

Sara Russell, principal at Alton College said: “The recommendation is the outcome of many months of work by the steering committee.

“We are excited to be exploring the possibilities that working with the Basingstoke College of Technology and enhancing the academic and vocational curriculum provision at both sites could bring for students.

“We are currently in the first phase of investigation which includes working together on providing apprenticeships in the new Future Skills Centre at Whitehill and Bordon.”

Anthony Bravo, principal at the Basingstoke college, echoed Ms Russell’s sentiments: “There is potential for the colleges to blend and develop their respective academic and vocational offers alongside their existing provision, while maintaining their strong branding and respectively impressive campuses.

“We are already making great strides in working with Alton College on the apprenticeship programme at the new Future Skills Centre at Whitehill and Bordon.”