THE city's two biggest colleges are planning to merge to establish a new regional institute for at least 12,000 students.

City College Brighton and Hove and Northbrook College have revealed proposals to create The Greater Brighton and Sussex Institute of Arts and Technology.

The reorganised colleges could merge as early as the 2017/18 academic year following a public consultation process rolling into the autumn.

The proposed new institution would have capacity for approximately 12,000 students, including 16 to 18 year-olds, adults, and undergraduates, alongside 800 apprenticeships, generating an income of £40 million.

Both institutions would retain their current campuses in Brighton, Worthing and Shoreham but would be managed by one governing body and executive team.

Nick Juba, CEO of City College, told The Argus the proposals have been discussed by the two boards of governors for more than six months and are “primarily about protecting local delivery of education and local campuses, and this is the best way we can do that.”

He said part of the motivation for the plan was to secure the “long term sustainability and viability” for the colleges in face of possible government cuts to public services.

When asked by The Argus about potential job losses, Mr Juba said: “This is a strategy designed for growth, not for a reduction in our size, we have to go through a full formal consultation and the details will come out in the long term” and he assured the process would be “open and transparent”.

He was also hopeful the new institution could grow the number of students they can take on but at the present the numbers are set by the combined capacities of Northbrook and City College.

City College also remains committed to move ahead with plans redeveloping the Pelham Tower campus in Pelham Street, Brighton.

Plans also remain in place for the new £9 million construction centre set to be built at the college’s East Campus in Wilson Avenue, Whitehawk.

Julie Nerney, chairwoman of governors at City College, said: “Our aim is to ensure a better alignment between the supply of skills and demand from the local labour market.

“The institute will focus its activity on supporting local people into local employment."

As part of the scheme plans are in place to create the Greater Brighton Workforce Development Company which aims to be a “one stop shop” for employers in the region.