Calderdale College wins national award

The college, which has supported more than 29,000 companies to upskill their staff and enabled employees to gain over 89,000 qualifications, received the Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award for College Engagement with Employers, sponsored by AoC.

The awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges. They reward colleges that go above and beyond in providing high-quality technical and professional education. Award winners must also offer something exceptional to students and the wider community.

The college work with employers has included successful delivery of a number of externally funded projects worth over £100 million, including the Workplace Learning programme, which covered the whole of the North of England, as well as a skills service, on behalf of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. The college also works with the local Chamber of Commerce, and the Federation of Small Businesses.

Judges described the college’s practice as ‘innovative’ and ‘highly effective’ in meeting the needs of employers. They also said the programme would be very useful to other colleges.

John Rees, Principal and Chief Executive of Calderdale College, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Calderdale College have gained national recognition for our work with employers in Calderdale, across the Leeds City Region and beyond. Through both our apprenticeship work and a variety of other employer-facing skills projects, we have been able to respond effectively to employer needs on a large scale.”