Derby College Joins Prestigious Microsoft Programme

Derby College has been chosen by IT giants Microsoft as one of the first globally to become a Showcase College.

This is a new global education programme launched by Microsoft and is an extension to the company’s global network of institutions using technology to improve teaching and learning.

Showcase schools and colleges are supported by the company to focus on personalised learning for students through the use of one-to-one devices and Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, Skype, Minecraft and more. They also share ideas and are given the opportunity to host educational events.

Derby College Director of IT Ian McCormick said: “We are honoured to be chosen to be part of this prestigious programme.

“As a Microsoft Showcase College, we will benefit from billions of pounds of research and knowledge that we would never usually have access to.

“Every PC user in the world has Microsoft tools, and every job that young people apply for will require them to use Word, PowerPoint and Excel so embedding these systems as well as digital skills and capabilities into our teaching and learning is vital for all our students.”

Tina Jones, UK Education Engagement Manager at Microsoft, added: “We recently held a two-day session for our Showcase Schools and Colleges which was a tremendous success.

“It was an amazing opportunity for our team to share updates on Accessibility, STEM, Apprenticeships, Azure and plan together for the future as well as learning from these amazing institutions on how they have achieved such inspirational digital transformation in their school or college.”