Fareham College has been selected as a finalist in the Association of Colleges Beacon Awards 2019/20 for the City & Guilds Award for College Engagement with Employers
The not-for-profit Association of Colleges, is the national voice for further education, sixth form, tertiary and specialist colleges in England.
Now in their landmark 25th year, the AoC’s prestigious Beacon Awards honour the best and most innovative practice among UK further education colleges.
One of eight Award categories, the City & Guilds Award for College Engagement with Employers seeks to recognise exemplary practice in the delivery of provision: responsive to the needs of employers.
Fareham College has been selected as a finalist in the City & Guilds category for an innovative initiative which seeks to ensure that the future training and skills requirements for civil engineering and construction businesses in the Solent region, and beyond, are met.
An estimated £15 billion worth of construction-based development is planned in Hampshire alone over the next five years. However, the sector is currently unable to meet the demand for skills required to deliver these economically crucial construction projects.
In response to this skills shortage, Fareham College and the Solent Civil Engineering Employer Group have worked in collaboration to design a highly innovative Civil Engineering and Groundworks Training Initiative, comprising a bespoke apprenticeship programme, workforce upskilling, and a purpose-built Civil Engineering Training Centre to deliver this specialist employer-led curriculum.
“Employability is at the heart of the Fareham College mindset. Working together with employers to directly address a recognised sector challenge, through the development of a skilled workforce, is invaluable for our students, for our employers and for the local and regional economic development as a whole” says Andrew Kaye, Principal and Chief Executive at Fareham College. “To be recognised for our efforts towards employer engagement as a finalist in the AoC Beacon Awards is an excellent achievement for the College and our partners.”
The new £4.1 million Civil Engineering Training Centre at Fareham College will have the capacity to deliver a wide range of apprenticeships and professional development courses, facilitating the ongoing success of the initiative in meeting the sector’s demands.
“The Civil Engineering Training Centre offers unique civil engineering apprenticeship programmes and professional training” explains David Richardson, Director of CETC and Construction at Fareham College. “This state-of-the-art facility is pioneering a change in the way in which construction industry training will be delivered, allowing us to provide long-term support to this important sector.”
Applications to study at the Civil Engineering Training Centre at Fareham College are now open to start training in March 2020. Applications will close on Friday 17 January 2020.
The AoC Beacon Award winners will be announced at the TES FE Awards in association with the AoC Beacon Awards national Award Ceremony in London on Friday 20th March 2020.
For more information please visit:
www.aoc.co.uk