A CITY college is ploughing more than £140 million into a mission to help its 20,000 students get jobs.

New College Nottingham has ripped up its curriculum and structure in a move believed to be the first of its kind in the country.

Instead of traditional departments or faculties, the college will be split into 16 'academies', which will be backed by major employers.

The college has worked with the council to look at the key industries in the city and modelled the academies on these.

It is hoped it could lead to students working on major projects such as the tram extension, the A453 widening and the development of an energy park.

The move is the brainchild of Amarjit Basi, who took over as principal last summer.

He said: "We are directing our curriculum to what we feel are the areas in the city which are ripe for development. This is vital for the future of our students and the city."

Research released today by training provider LearnDirect showed 88 per cent of city employers rate workplace skills as a top priority, while 37 per cent of job seekers felt let down by the education system as it did not prepare them for the jobs market.

The college hopes its new plans will change that. It looked at the city council's growth plan, which identified the industries that are likely to be most influential in the future.

City council deputy leader Graham Chapman said: "Nottingham has a huge number of graduates but what we also need are more people with vocational qualifications going into the city's growing industries."

• FULL STORY: College to pioneer £141m plan to give students real skills