Cardiff and Vale College a finalist in the 2022-23 Beacon Awards

Cardiff and Vale College has made it through as a finalist in the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Awards.

Known as the ‘College Oscars’, the Beacon Awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges each year. The College has been shortlisted in the AoC Award for Excellence in Governance category.

CAVC has recently transformed its governing body, not only to increase the equality and diversity of its board, but also to actively headhunt among the local community. This included a setting up a Community Board which was noted as a sector-leading practice by the 2020 Economic and Social Research Council’s Further Education Governance project.

Further changes to encourage a wider range of Governors include flexible meeting times, having different levels of Governors to encourage people with different time commitments to join the Board, and changing the regularity of meetings to reflect change in real time. 

Cardiff and Vale College Principal Sharon James said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Beacon Award for Excellence in Governance. 

“At CAVC we operate in some of the most vibrant and diverse communities in Wales. We see ourselves as being at the heart of the communities we serve and to support that we have worked to ensure that our Governing Body reflects the equality and diversity of those communities.”

Mark White OBE DL, Chair of AoC’s Charitable Trust said: “The AoC Beacon Awards showcase exactly why colleges are so important to every community and why people value them. This award recognises the critical role undertaken by boards, governors and governance professionals developing capacity for sustained improvement in the quality of provision for students.”

The AoC Beacon Award Winners will be announced in Spring 2023.