City College Norwich and UEA Deepen Collaboration to Support Skills and Inclusive Education Across Norfolk

L-R: Prof Claire Pike, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education and Experience at UEA; Jerry White, Principal and CEO, City College Norwich; Vice-Chancellor Prof David Maguire; Ed Rose, Executive Director Business Development Apprenticeships

(IN BRIEF) City College Norwich has signed the University of East Anglia’s Civic Charter, reaffirming a long-standing partnership focused on inclusive education, skills development, and civic engagement across Norfolk. The agreement reflects shared commitments to widening participation, aligning education with regional needs, and strengthening community impact, building on a relationship that has seen City College Norwich act as an Associate College of UEA since 2006. Future collaboration will include new teaching initiatives involving UEA postgraduate researchers, designed to enhance learning opportunities and progression pathways for students, with the first phase of recruitment planned for 2026.

(PRESS RELEASE) NORWICH, 23-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — City College Norwich has formally signed the University of East Anglia’s Civic Charter, reinforcing a long-standing partnership built around inclusive education, skills development, and community engagement across Norfolk. The signing reflects a shared ambition to deepen collaboration and align educational provision with the social, economic, and environmental priorities of the region.

The Civic Charter outlines UEA’s commitment to listening to local communities, widening participation, strengthening partnerships, and connecting education and research to regional needs. By signing the Charter, City College Norwich reaffirms its role as an active civic partner, working alongside UEA to support learners of all ages and contribute to place-based impact across the city and county.

The signing took place during a visit to City College Norwich by UEA Vice-Chancellor Professor David Maguire, alongside Professor Claire Pike, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education and Experience, and Professor Zoe Butterfint, whose earlier leadership in partnerships and apprenticeships played a key role in strengthening collaboration between the two institutions. The visit was hosted by City College Norwich Principal Jerry White and Assistant Principal Ed Rose, providing an opportunity to reflect on the partnership’s achievements and explore new areas of joint working.

City College Norwich has served the communities of Norwich and Norfolk since 1891 and has been an Associate College of UEA since 2006. Through this relationship, UEA acts as the validating partner for a range of higher education programmes delivered by the college, supporting high-quality degree provision within a further education environment and expanding access to higher-level learning.

Looking ahead, both organisations are developing new initiatives designed to enhance progression pathways and enrich teaching and learning. Planned activity includes innovative teaching arrangements that will enable UEA Postgraduate Research students to gain teaching experience while supporting City College Norwich learners through enhanced academic input and clearer routes into further study. Initial recruitment of participating postgraduate researchers is expected to begin in March 2026, with additional recruitment later in the year.

Media contact:
communications@uea.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of East Anglia