College connects to local BSF ICT

Rochdale Sixth Form College, which is scheduled to open in September, has signed a £1.5m, five year contract with Capita IT Services for a managed ICT service, and the delivery of an end to end infrastructure. It will make use of the shared infrastructure that forms part of Rochdale MBC's BSF programme, for which Capita is the supplier. This is believed to be the first managed service delivered to a sixth form college as part of a BSF programme. Julian Appleyard, the college principal, said it was "an obvious choice" to join the BSF infrastructure. He said: "Finalising the contract was a complex process, but with the expert help provided by our ICT consultants, HHES and Capita, we are now the first college in the country to take advantage of BSF shared resources and benefit from cost savings over the lifetime of the contract, which will directly support our students. As a college we are confident that entering the BSF programme will prove to have been well worth the effort." As part of the managed service, the company will provide a full time, on-site technician and access to technical specialists, along with a range of hardware and its UNIT-e student records system.