College under fire for failed £300,000 rebrand
26 September 2014
A London college has come under fierce criticism following news that its name and branding, which has been in place for less than two years and cost nearly £300,000 to develop, could be scrapped because it is 'not recognisable as a college'.
LeSoCo, the name given to the Lewisham and Southwark colleges following their merger in 2012, has been deemed 'ambiguous' by the college in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. The college further admitted that learners 'do not identify with LeSoCo'.
UCU said that the name change was a waste of public money, and criticised the college management's handling of the rebranding exercise. The college spent £279,000 on developing the LeSoCo brand in 2012/13, and a further £9,000 in 2013/14. Governors are now considering whether to drop the LeSoCo label and formally rename the institution as Lewisham Southwark College.
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Why anyone thought LeSoCo was a good name for a college is beyond us. In our literature we have to explain that LeSoCo is a college in south London that was a result of a merger so people know what we are talking about. How did no one involved with the rebranding spot it was a terrible idea?
'This would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. It is just another example of an out of touch management wasting thousands of pounds of public money, which could be better spent on securing staff jobs and delivering education to the local community.'
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