Newcastle College is a division of NCG, one of the largest education, training and employability organisations in the UK.

[7] It was widely reported that college management had ejected the inspection team from the premises, and that some inspectors were offered counselling as a result of the process.

With a turnover of more than £155 million, NCG is one of the largest education, training and employability organisations in the UK.

[18] In November 2005, the Times Educational Supplement reported that lecturers who rebelled, "against new contracts, were defeated after they faced losing their jobs.

[20] Shortly after redundancies were announced, The Guardian reported that NCG's chief executive, Dame Jackie Fisher, "enjoyed a pay rise, including bonus and retention payment, of almost £73,000.

"[20] However, the report mentions a spokeswoman's defence of the pay rise, pointing out "that Fisher is responsible for three divisions with an annual turnover of £152m in 2009-10.

"[20] Also in 2011, allegations of workplace bullying were made against college management and reported on the BBC's regional Inside Out programme in January 2012.

[21][22] NCG responded that “it takes any allegation of bullying extremely seriously and has a clear and transparent process for dealing with staff concerns.

[28] The main campus is situated at Rye Hill, close to Newcastle city centre, and there are four satellite sites belonging to the College's School of Engineering.

Work started on the construction of a new Sixth Form college at the Rye Hill campus in August 2011.

[34] Former students from the Performance Academy include Joe McElderry and Perrie Edwards from Little Mix who won The X-Factor in 2009 and 2011 respectively.

[36] Opened September in 2011, the 20,000 sq ft centre provides skills training to employers within the renewable energies sector and to young people in the region.

The £5 million site has on-site overhead lines, switching, crossings, telecommunications, multiple P-way set ups and electronic PLC testing and monitoring equipment.

[clarification needed] The college previously offered foundation degrees validated by universities, including Leeds Metropolitan, Northumbria, and Sunderland.