Preston North End enter new training agreement

Championship side Preston North End (PNE) have entered a new training agreement with Preston’s College.

The deal will enhance the club’s Level two and Level three training programmes, offered by their Community and Education Trust, for the 2016/17 academic year.

Graeme Atkinson, the former PNE midfielder who clocked up more than 85 games with the Lilywhites from 1994 to 1998, will continue to lead the course.

Delivered at Deepdale Stadium in Preston, the programmes will offer school leavers the option to continue their further education in a professional football club setting while still gaining a recognised qualification.

Preston North End’s head of community, Andy Haythornthwaite, said: “We’re delighted to have Preston’s College as a key partner so that we can continue to deliver our unique and bespoke programmes.

“Due to the number of people involved in our course, we are able to provide a much more holistic approach to teaching and learning and our partnership with Preston’s College means we are able to share each other’s resources to the benefits of our students.”

He continued: “Students that study with us gain a real first-hand experience of life inside a professional football club.

“This experience can be the difference between moving onto higher education and or a profession.”

The principal and chief executive of Preston’s College, Dr Lis Smith, said she believes the new partnership is an example of education and sport working together to effectively provide young people with “a quality education experience in a unique training environment”.

She added: “Both Preston’s College and Preston North End each play a vital role for young people in the local community.”

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