Shuttleworth College students celebrated the
end of a very successful year since merging with Bedford College by
joining an combined Achievements Ceremony.
A packed Bedford Corn Exchange heard how the
merger has become a model for how to integrate two very different
Colleges and improve the standards and services of both.
“The staff at Shuttleworth have brought a new
dimension to our work and their enthusiasm has seen their student
success rates rocket in just one year,” said Principal and Chief
Executive Ian Pryce.
In the last year The Mansion House at Shuttleworth
has been relaunched as a quality conference and weddings venue and,
with the support of the Shuttleworth Trust, the Equine training
facilities have been extended at the land-based learning
campus.
School links
Together with the Bedford Charity, Bedford
College is one of the sponsors of the Bedford Academy which is one
of the few secondary schools in the UK to be awarded millions of
pounds for a new building project. More than 900 pupils from upper
schools in Bedford and Central Beds, attend vocational courses at
the Colleges.
Business boost
Working closely with local employers to help
ensure students have the right skills for employment is key to the
contribution the College makes to the local economy. “We are
an engine for growth for the local economy,” said Principal and
Chief Executive Ian Pryce, “We want Bedford and Shuttleworth
College to be a badge of honour on the CVs of students when they
apply for employment.”
The support by local businesses, hundreds of
whom work with the College, was demonstrated by the commercial
sponsorship of the prizes at the Achievements Ceremony.
Inspirational Speaker
Guest speaker at the Achievements Ceremony on
Thursday 25th November was Bedford Borough Council award winner,
John Barnes.
John has become a regular in the Transplant
Games having been given a new heart ten years ago - an anniversary
which coincided with the latest College celebrations. “John
has some lessons for us in overcoming adversity and pushing
yourself to achieve greater things,” said Ian.
Special presentation
Among the students who won an award was the
late Gary Townsend who sadly died after achieving his CPCAB
Introduction to Counselling. His sister Verity collected his award
on his behalf.
Higher Education
A wide range of Higher Education, or degree
level learning courses are run at Bedford College, many of them in
conjunction with the University of Bedfordshire. Students complete
the first two years of Foundation Degrees at the College campus
before moving on to university but before they leave, they take
part in the Achievements Ceremony in their university gowns adding
a “Higher” level of excitement to the occasion.
“I would like to thank the University of
Bedfordshire for allowed our students to wear their degree wear at
our ceremony,”added Ian.
Shuttleworth Director Mike Johnston said at
the end of the evening: “We have so much to celebrate at
Shuttleworth among our staff and students.”