Two adult learning centres have joined forces to counteract funding cuts in education.

Hillcroft College in Surbiton and Richmond Adult Community College (RACC) have formed an adult learning federation by partnering up together.

The federation should allow both colleges to offer more in their curriculums and provide more resources to adult students.

The centres will continue to keep control of their own assets.

The partnership was approved by the Skills Funding Agency last month.

Sue Carter, Hillcroft College head and federation vice principal, said: “This is an exciting development for our students. The federation will help continue and extend our important and unique mission.

“We are really pleased to be developing a partnership with RACC, an organisation which shares our passion for working with disadvantaged learners.”

Gabe Flint, federation principal and principal of RACC, said the partnership would create “supported pathways to employment, enterprise and citizenship”.

She added: “We are very excited to be working with Hillcroft, a college that has such a strong track record of improving life chances and tackling disadvantage through education and training.”