Two of Walsall’s colleges are to merge, creating a new centre of learning for the community.

The College of Continuing Education will join Walsall Community College to become Walsall Adult and Community College. The move will see around 30 workers at Walsall Community College become council employees.

They will join the 240 staff at the College of Continuing Education.

For the time being, both colleges will continue to operate from their existing bases – the College of Continuing Education in Hawbush Road and the Community College, from the Manor Farm School campus.

Plans for their long-term future, and whether both sites will one day be brought under one roof, have not yet been revealed.

The new college will launch a joint curriculum, with a new range of courses coming on stream for the academic year 2009 – 2010.

The merger is being funded by the Learning and Skills Council. The new college will retain the funding the two now get from the LSC, which is in the region of £3 million a year.

It is hoped to launch the new college in the Autumn.

Students come from across the Black Country to both colleges and bosses say the move will offer a wider variety of learning opportunities.

It is the latest development to be announced in the ongoing transformation of educational facilities in Walsall.

Walsall College is being moved to a new base in Littleton Street West from its old home in St Paul’s Street.

The £38 million building project is expected to be completed next year.

Meanwhile, secondary schools in Walsall are waiting to hear if they will get a chunk of £300 million funding from the Government’s Building Schools for the Future scheme, which will see some get rebuilt and equipped with first class facilities.