Association of Colleges (AoC) Conference the Venue for Beacon Recognition

The Association of Colleges (AoC) Conference in Birmingham was the ideal forum for recognising FE success, with the announcement of the winners of the 2005 Beacon Awards.

The winning colleges were announced just prior to the keynote address from Ruth Kelly MP, the Education Secretary, responding to the Foster Review on Further Education that had been published in the early hours of the day before. Here at FE News, you can find the complete list of winners, together with reaction to the awards and all your Further Education needs.

The Winners

The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) Award for College / School Partnerships went to North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, with The Sheffield College Highly Commended. Neath Port Talbot College was the winner for the Allied Irish Bank (AIB) Award for Teaching Excellence in Business Administration. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) Award for the Effective Use of ICT and e ““ Learning went to Pembrokeshire College, with Eccles College Highly Commended. The pair of institutions also featured in the same positions for the MENCAP / RNIB Inclusive Award for Students with Learning Disabilities.

The Basic Skills Agency Award for Innovation was awarded to the City of Sunderland College, with Tower Hamlets College achieving the mark of Highly Commended. The British Council Award for International Student Support went to Sussex Downs College, whilst Boston College was highly commended. Cardinal Newman College won the Copyright and Licensing Agency (CLA) Award for Creativity in Writing, Art or Design. The Council for Learning Resources in Colleges (CoLRiC) Award for the Effective Integration of Libraries / Learning Centres in Curriculum Delivery was given to Bournemouth and Poole College, with the College of North West London being Highly Commended. Bournemouth and Poole College were also Highly Commended (alongside Chichester College) for the City and Guilds Award for the Teaching and Assessment of Beauty Therapy, won by Fareham College.

Blackpool and the Fylde College enjoyed much success, winning the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL) Award for Innovation in Curriculum Leadership Development (with South Devon College Highly Commended) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Award for Equality and Diversity. The Education and Learning Wales (ELWa) Award for College Engagement with Employers in Wales went to College Sir Gâr. Pendleton College was awarded the Edge Beacon Award for Practical Teaching and Practical Learning.

Still More Winners

The Churches” Award for Sustainable Community Development was won by Omagh College, for which category Newcastle ““ under ““ Lyme College was Highly Commended. Newcastle saw another college (Newcastle College) enjoy success as well, with the winning of the Ufi / learndirect Award for Delivering Learning through learndirect Centres in Colleges and joining the College of North West London as Highly Commended in the LSC Award for College Engagement with Employers. Bridgewater College, the winner for this award, also picked up Highly Commended for the RM Award for Leadership in Learning, won by West Nottinghamshire College.

The award for College Engagement with Employers from the Department for Employment and Learning went to the Upper Bann Institute, with Fermanagh College picking up Highly Commended. The Protocol Professional Award for Art and Design was given to the Cleveland College of Art and Design. Lewisham College was another to enjoy multiple successes, winning the OCR Award for Partnerships in Basic Skills and being Highly Commended for the NEBOSH Award for Teaching Programmes in Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental Management (won by Deeside College). The Edexcel Award for Lifelong Learning was awarded to Hull College, with Telford College of Arts and Technology Highly Commended.

The City of Bristol College was recognised in two areas. The college won the Further Education National Consortium (FENC) Award for the Successful Use of Learning Resources (with the City of Westminster College Highly Commended). They were also Highly Commended ““ alongside the Newham College of Further Education ““ for the TES / AoC Award for Widening Participation, won by the South East Derbyshire College. Finally, the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Healthcare Award for Health and Community Care went to Cornwall College, with Plymouth College of Further Education and Blackburn College Highly Commended.

Jethro Marsh

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