BMet and Woodbourne Group launch two-year partnership in Birmingham’s Knowledge Quarter
Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) has partnered with Woodbourne Group to deliver a new two-year programme creating real opportunities for young people through the Shaping Future Places Skills Compact.
The programme is based within Birmingham’s Knowledge Quarter, part of the East Birmingham and North Solihull Levelling Up Corridor – an area of high unemployment and significant deprivation.
Students will now be connected directly to major developments within the £4bn Birmingham Knowledge Quarter including the recently launched Birmingham BioCity – the city’s first purpose built CL2 life science campus, where new labs, businesses and jobs will be created.
The initiative supports the Mayor of the West Midlands’ priorities for jobs, skills and inclusive growth, ensuring more young people can access high-quality opportunities linked to the region’s key development sites.
The partnership is a defined two-year programme, running from May 2026 to May 2028, with clear commitments on both sides to deliver real experiences, sustained engagement and measurable outcomes for students.
Through the programme, students will take part in live briefs, work experience, site visits and industry-led sessions that move learning beyond the classroom and into real working environments. They will meet the people doing the jobs, see developments first-hand and begin to understand where they fit within the future of the city.
Suzie Branch-Haddow, Vice Principal External Development at BMet, said:
“We are really excited by this partnership and the opportunities it creates for our students. By connecting learning directly to developments within the Knowledge Quarter, we give our students a real sense of place and purpose, moving beyond aspiration and into action. This collaboration provides access to real projects, live environments, and the people shaping the future of the city. I am particularly pleased that we have developed specific live projects tailored for our Foundation Learning students with additional learning needs or Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), ensuring they too benefit from these unique opportunities.”
The programme will prioritise students from widening participation backgrounds, including those with additional learning needs, ensuring that opportunity is accessible and inclusive.
Woodbourne Group will support the programme through an annual £1,500 student prize fund, alongside guest workshops and access to live construction environments. BMet will embed these opportunities into the curriculum, ensuring they form part of a coherent student journey.
Tani Dulay, Chief Executive of Woodbourne Group, said:
Birmingham Knowledge Quarter will now link students directly to live developments, real work environments and clear pathways into employment. This will turn investment into outcomes that matter at a city level. BKQ is about strengthening Birmingham’s economic base, not just delivering new space. This partnership helps ensure that growth is inclusive and that the city’s young, diversified and talented are part of Birmingham’s future.”
Woodbourne Group are a lead partner in the Birmingham Knowledge Quarter. Its pipeline exceeds £1bn and includes the recently launched £90m Birmingham BioCity, a purpose built life sciences facility within the Knowledge Quarter. The Group is also working with Hines on a £400m investment programme referenced at the UK Investment Summit by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Woodbourne Group is also actively making private equity investments alongside its development activity.
BMet offers over 130 vocational courses alongside apprenticeships, A Levels and university-level programmes, designed to support progression into employment and higher education. Find out more at www.bmet.ac.uk.
