City College Norwich picks up AoC President Award

City College Norwich was celebrating yesterday after picking up this year’s prestigious President Award at the AoC Beacon Awards ceremony in London.

Paralympic gold medalist Giles Long, president of the Association of Colleges Charitable Trust, selected the college from the 23 AoC Beacon Award winners for its outstanding example of achievement in further education.

“The AoC Beacon Awards bring the superb work of UK Colleges into the limelight, providing the recognition they deserve. As a former FE student myself, I fully support the AoC and the Beacon Awards and would like to extend my congratulations to all winners. I was especially impressed with City College Norwich’s RUGroom facilities, which widen access to a group that can otherwise not have the same access to education opportunities as others. City College Norwich is a worthy winner of this year’s President’s Award,” said Mr Long.

The announcement was made as FE Minister Siôn Simon presented all the winning colleges with AoC Beacon Awards, which recognise significant success in providing further education.

Mr Simon said: “I’m delighted to present the AoC Beacon Awards to these colleges, which have demonstrated exemplary practice in the FE sector. They are leading the way in further education, showcasing innovative approaches to both teaching and learning and providing successful models that can be rolled out across all colleges in the UK”

“The Awards highlight the achievements of the further education sector across areas such as inclusion, technology and creating employer partnerships, demonstrating its adaptability in responding to the needs of students and the demands of businesses and local communities.”

The AoC Beacon Awards recently celebrated fifteen years of rewarding outstanding teaching and learning in further education colleges, with awards that acknowledge achievements in a variety of categories. These include Promoting Equality and Diversity, Engagement with Employers and Lifelong Learning. All of which aim to recognise the talents of staff at all levels in the FE college sector, and celebrate excellence and innovation.

The Chair of the AoC Beacon Awards, Dame Patricia Morgan-Webb, commented: “The AoC now has a fifteen year record of recognising and rewarding excellence in the sector. Whilst the winners this year are located all around the UK, from Stevenson College Edinburgh to South Devon College, what they all have in common are key traits.

“Beacon winners blaze the way in finding new ways of doing things, contribute to social justice and are instrumental in local and regional economic generation. The AoC Beacon Awards Steering Group and I are delighted to reward this contribution to our communities and our economy through the presentation of these awards.”