THE principal of Kidderminster College has denied it is facing financial trouble after announcing ambitious merger plans.

Andy Dobson said the college was doing “very well” and was “financially stable” despite wanting to team up with other colleges or education institutions.

He explained the merger proposal would help increase the impact the college had locally and allow it to offer more courses and apprenticeships.

“We’re a very small college, “ he said. “We are financially stable and we make a profit.

“We do what we do well but for a college of this size there are things we can’t do that we would like to be able to do.

“If we’re part of a bigger organisation it will enable us to broaden the range of what we do and keep the quality up.

“If we’re able to join up with bigger organisations then the chances are we can create bigger opportunities.

“The Government constantly wants you to do a bit more with a bit less and that’s hard when you’re small. We’re not in trouble and we’re not looking for a rescue.”

He added the move would not lead to job losses, adding job security would be “better in the long term” if it was part of a larger organisation.

“I don’t want to be making cuts,” Mr Dobson said. “I’ve got really good staff and I want to keep the mall in work.

“What we want to get out of it is the opportunity to be able to do more than we currently do to meet the needs of the community. We want to make a contribution to the economy of Wyre Forest.

“We could carry on as we are but we would like to explore the option of having a bigger impact.”

He said as well as a recent extension on the Market Street site, he also wanted to improve the IT facility for the students.

Organisations interested in merging with the college have until the end of October to submit their proposals.

David Cory, chairman of the college’s governors, said: “This is an exciting time for Kidderminster College. We are good at what we do and merging with the right merger partner - or partners - will help us be even better.”

Mr Dobson added a number of organisations had already shown interest and they were hoping to make a choice by the end of the year.