The Royal Anniversary Trust

2009
Aberdeen College
Delivering skills in the oil and gas industry and supporting community integration
The College provides world-class, specialised training for the oil and gas industry, both on campus and overseas, using state-of-the-art equipment, facilities and simulations. In addition, by providing both English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and vocational courses to the community, it has helped many local, non-native speakers to pursue their education or find jobs. Its work has therefore helped export UK knowledge and skills in a critical sector and also promoted community integration.
http://www.abcol.ac.uk

2009
City College Norwich
Enabling students with Aspergers Syndrome to access further education and employment
Many colleges struggle to support students with Aspergers Syndrome (AS). City College Norwich, however, has developed a unique solution. In consultation with students with AS, it has established a safe learning environment, together with the Phoenix Purple education programme, enabling students with AS to access further education. The programme is structured to minimise anxiety, develop independence and help their progress to further education and employment. The specialist staff also support students with AS who are taking mainstream courses.
http://www.ccn.ac.uk

2009
City of Sunderland College
Delivering essential skills in maths and English to the community
Since 2004, the college has enjoyed huge success in bringing essential maths and English skills to adult learners in the City of Sunderland. A flexible course design, robust recording and follow-up, online testing and imaginative marketing and delivery has seen ‘Test the City’ attract almost 11,000 enrolments in maths or English, with a success rate of 96% – well above the national average. Its approach has now been replicated in more than 100 institutions across the UK.
http://www.citysun.ac.uk

2009
Thames Valley University
Pathways to skills, employment and higher education in the hospitality industry
The hospitality industry has long suffered from a reputation for poor training and dead-end jobs. Thames Valley University is changing this. With strong support from across the industry, it delivers a structured programme of training that offers young people a clear route to further study and meaningful employment. Its Junior Chefs Academy helps students from many different backgrounds to find work with leading employers, while its degree-level programmes prepares students for positions of responsibility and leadership throughout the industry.
http://www.tvu.ac.uk

2007
City and Islington College
Creating pathways to employment and higher education in the sciences
Bucking a national trend of declining interest in science courses, the College has built on its long track record in fields such as optical dispensing and forensic science and established a thriving Centre for Applied Sciences. Staff at the Centre and the College’s sixth form facility, many of whom are recruited to the College from the relevant professions, work with employers to deliver courses that lead directly to careers in science-related fields and to increasing progression to higher education.
http://www.candi.ac.uk

2007
The City Literary Institute
A distinctive approach to speech therapy that supports and empowers people who stammer
The positioning of City Lit’s speech therapy work within a mainstream education environment is unique in the UK adult education sector. The Institute has pioneered internationally recognised methodologies as well as groundbreaking programmes for graduate speech therapists dealing with people affected by stammering and aphasia. Its courses have reached upwards of a thousand students over the past five years, opening doors to other educational opportunities and transforming lives.
http://www.citylit.ac.uk

2007
John Wheatley College
Community regeneration through innovation and partnership
The College serves a community that faces substantial challenge from economic and social disadvantage. Over several years, and with strategic vision, the College has developed its estate into a model for integrated educational and cultural resource in the community. Innovative building design linking learning space with recreational facilities has been partnered by accessible education programmes that respond imaginatively and flexibly to students’ circumstances and employment opportunities.
http://www.jwheatley.ac.uk

2007
Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College
A strategy for high aspiration, personal achievement and social benefit
Most of the College’s students come from minority communities and a background of marked social and economic disadvantage. By creating a learning environment that nurtures high expectations, engages with parents and forms proactive external relationships with universities, the College has seen greatly increased progression by its students into to higher education. The outstanding success of its graduates has in turn provided strong role models for future student intakes from the community.
http://www.jcc.ac.uk

2007
Southern Regional College
Reducing sectarianism and social exclusion through the College curriculum and community outreach
In an environment affected by a legacy of sectarianism and present challenges the College has taken an effective lead in changing attitudes and behaviours — both inside and beyond the institution — through its Good Relations Programme. A community relations course, compulsory for all first year students, is embedding values of tolerance and inclusiveness and shows a measurable improvement in the academic results of students. The College also reaches out to disadvantaged communities with relevant and accessible educational programmes.
http://www.src.ac.uk

2007
Telford College of Arts and Technology
Delivering economically important skills on employers’ premises
An acknowledged and substantial leader in employer-driven training, the College has established in depth relationships with over 800 companies and organisations to identify employer needs and implement skills programmes that are carried out in the main on their own premises. This has opened up educational opportunity and career motivation to thousands in the 16-18 age group and in an environment where many would otherwise not have considered that path.
http://www.tcat.ac.uk

2005
Accrington and Rossendale College
Access and achievement in construction industry education
The college’s Construction Department has for many years delivered outstanding education and training in construction industry skills, gaining it a national reputation as a Centre of Excellence. Its partnership with employers and the diverse local community and its high-quality self-assessment system together produce consistently high student outcomes in both qualifications and jobs. The department now leads construction industry training networks regionally and nationally, and is strongly influencing national policy in the development of the qualification framework in this area of work.
http://www.accross.ac.uk

2005
Cranfield University
The Fellowship in Manufacturing Management: improving cost effectiveness for industry
This unique and innovative programme is designed for strategic-level managers with careers in manufacturing industry. Its distinctive approach is centred on accelerated development through a combination of residential study followed by twelve months of practical work-based achievement with the aim of developing talented professionals as effective change managers. The Fellowship makes a substantial impact on the careers and personal development of its alumni. It also provides significant productivity improvements to its industry partners and thereby makes a valuable contribution to the UK’s manufacturing competitiveness.
http://www.cranfieldfellowship.com

2005
The University of Edinburgh
The virtual hospital online: transforming veterinary and medical education
The university’s Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are an innovative, fully integrated, web-based learning support system for medical and veterinary education. They support two complex five-year undergraduate degree programmes and all of the subjects’ postgraduate students. Through the VLEs, staff are able to create and deliver online learning activities such as virtual ‘patients’ who require diagnosis and treatment, and manage learning resources, assessments and large quantities of course documentation. The system is a world leader in its area and will form the basis of a public health academy for the World Health Organisation.
http://www.lts.mvm.ed.ac.uk/index.asp

2005
Loreto College
Educational provision in an urban context: raising aspiration and achievement
Located in an area of inner-city deprivation, the college has used a determined, imaginative and innovative approach to recruiting, supporting and teaching students and so has overcome the challenges facing it and achieved national excellence. It now has a reputation for outstanding pass rates, very strong league table scores, high value added rates and very good levels of progression to university. The college today is a thriving establishment with increasing student numbers and a modern campus — a symbol of regeneration and hope for the future of the surrounding area.
http://www.loreto.ac.uk

2002
Deeside College - North Wales
Commercial services: training for local and national businesses
The college provides extensive customised training and development for industry and commerce. In 1997 the college established a Commercial Services Unit, initially to provide training for large and small businesses in north-east Wales. Since then, the unit has expanded to provide flexible twenty-four-hour a day training to over 35,000 employees across the UK, about 95 per cent of which is delivered in the workplace.
http://www.deeside.ac.uk

2002
John Leggott College
Science teaching: dissemination and partnership in the region
The college has developed innovative approaches to learning in order to promote enthusiasm and achievement in science. It works in partnership with schools, universities and businesses and other colleges across the country and overseas. Tutors have been involved in training workshops and the college is currently playing an important part in devising effective approaches to learning using information technology. The number of students taking science A-levels is growing and they have achieved excellent results.
http://www.leggott.ac.uk

2002
Matthew Boulton College of Further and Higher Education
Cleaning science: education and training for industry
The college has made an outstanding contribution to qualifications for cleaning staff and has helped to raise the status of this field. The college has greatly expanded its cleaning science courses and programmes in response to health and safety legislation and to industry demands for better standards and for more specialised technical training, such as the handling of hazardous substances. Local clients include NHS hospital trusts, local authorities, the police force, universities and a range of SMEs. National clients include EuroTunnel, Dublin Bus, Glaxo and a number of national airport complexes including Heathrow.
http://www.mbc.ac.uk

2000
Bridgwater College Forest School
An outdoor educational curriculum
The Forest School programme offers an imaginative approach to the teaching of a range of pupils, from pre-school children through to disadvantaged and disaffected older children and students. The Forest School uses woodland areas as its classroom and has developed its own curriculum. Hands-on activities with natural materials develop practical and intellectual skills, and notable growth in self-esteem and confidence. The school overcomes barriers to learning, leading to educational achievement and the fulfilment of potential.
http://www.bridgwater.ac.uk/forestschool

2000
Greenhead College
Curriculum enrichment for sixth-form students
The college’s enrichment programme is a national exemplar of what can be done at sixth-form level to extend students’ education and personal growth beyond their academic courses. The programme calls on students to develop self-reliance, promotes citizenship and prepares them to meet the world of work or further study with confidence and commitment. This wide-ranging programme of extra-curricular activities, introduced in 1990, enables students to develop their personal, sporting and social interests and prepares them more effectively both for higher education and future employment.
http://www.greenhead.ac.uk

2000
Lauder College
Employment and Enterprise Centres: services for unemployed people
The college has achieved outstanding results in getting people into jobs - thereby tackling social and economic exclusion in some of Scotland’s most deprived communities. Since 1993, the college has progressively established a network of Enterprise and Employment Centres in fourteen locations across Scotland. These centres, which are unique in Scotland, work in partnership with the Employment Service, local enterprise companies, councils and employers to offer integrated, innovative and client-centred services which promote sustainable employability.
http://www.lauder.ac.uk/goto/article.cfm/code-000353.L.1

1998
Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies
Education and training for the hospitality and tourism industries
The partnership between the college and the hospitality and tourism industries imparts realism and relevance throughout an unparalleled range of programmes for new students and for retraining existing industry staff. Industry speakers are used in teaching; employers and professionals take part in assessments in college and in the workplace and provide ‘real life’ case studies, with 1500 placements annually. Five fully equipped restaurants, a fully equipped fitness centre, and both a visitor information and an affiliated outdoor pursuit centre provide ‘state of the art’ training environments.
http://www.bcftcs.ac.uk

1998
Hills Road Sixth Form College
Upgrading facilities, teaching and community provision
The college has achieved outstanding academic results since being removed from local authority control in 1983. Adopting a dynamic and visionary approach, and with the support of public and private-sector funds, the college now provides high-quality education in first-class accommodation for an expanded body of some 1500 full-time sixth formers and 1500 part-time adult students. It also provides an important local resource: serving as the base for two city orchestras; accommodating exhibition space for students and local professional artists; and with a national-level sports centre that attracts a wide cross-section of the general public including those with disabilities.
http://www.hrsfc.ac.uk

1998
University of Wales, Lampeter
Accreditation and up-skilling of workers from the voluntary sector
The university’s Certificate in Interpersonal Skills is making a leading contribution to the development of professional skills in the voluntary sector. Acceptance on the modular distance-learning course is based on meeting the minimum of six months' experience in a caring role, rather than on formal qualifications. The course upgrades volunteers' skills, understanding and professional expertise as it brings together theoretical and practical approaches to key interpersonal skills including negotiation, problem solving and dealing with aggression. An Advanced Certificate course has now been introduced, as well as a degree in Voluntary Sector Studies.
http://www.volstudy.ac.uk

1998
Middlesex University
Materials for technology teaching in schools
Middlesex University’s Technology Education Centre designs, manufactures and supplies innovative resources for more than half the secondary schools in the UK and exports to countries around the world. The centre has pioneered the introduction of ‘smart’ materials and has made new products and processes available in the classroom at low cost. Its extensive product range gives pupils ‘hands-on’ access to the latest modern technologies, while university students and staff gain the opportunity to enter the 'real world' of design and production.
http://www.lle.mdx.ac.uk/research/mutec

1998
Mid-Kent College of Higher and Further Education
The Frontline Service: training in customer service
Educationally, the Frontline Service offers a model programme of personal development for students, including those who have previously underachieved, and enables them to gain an important national qualification. The Frontline Service is now a highly trained customer service team run on a semi-commercial basis, which provides invaluable support and assistance, experience and practical advice for any event, resulting in considerable demand from national organisations and major companies as well as from local community organisations and businesses.
http://www.midkent.ac.uk

1998
Plymouth College of Further Education
Outreach centres for retraining and lifelong learning
The service is centred on the need of the adult learner to receive flexible training at convenient places and times. With the growth of over forty rural outreach centres, as well as centres in inner-city areas, employers' premises and in people's homes, the main focus of the training is on acquiring and updating employment skills and on access to lifelong learning. Courses provide a combination of high-quality training material with on-demand tutorial support, and new initiatives are being taken forward to take advantage of the internet and to keep at the forefront of outreach training.
http://www.pcfe.ac.uk

1996
The Sheffield College
Braille skills accreditation: providing a new and recognised qualification
The college had developed a unique course that makes Braille teaching an academic discipline in its own right. Braille teaching is thus shifting from the traditional charity-based approach to a position in the mainstream of education. It is an excellent and well thought out educational initiative successfully seizing its opportunity to meet the very specific needs of the blind.
http://my.sheffcol.ac.uk

1996
The Open University
Teacher training: opening up careers through part-time distance learning
The Open University devised Europe’s largest initiative for teacher training based on part-time distance learning. It recognised a large reservoir of able 30-45 year olds who welcomed a change of career into teaching. They were particularly interested in maths and science, subjects which are facing national shortage of teachers. This innovative approach with a strong emphasis on IT skills and close partnerships with schools nominated by the students for their teaching practice has earned the Open University worldwide recognition.
http://www.open.ac.uk/education-and-languages/about-the-faculty/index.cfm

1996
Middlesex University
Learning in the workplace: off-campus learning, training and research for commerce, industry and public services
Middlesex University's National Centre for Work Based Learning Partnerships has firmly established itself as Britain’s foremost developer of systems and techniques to support learning in the workplace. It takes its techniques to people in their workplace and draws their working experience into an academic context where it can be rigorously tested so that credits, leading to formal qualifications can be awarded. The applicability of the training leads to degrees or diplomas in many different disciplines, and the strength of this centre is that it is able to tailor courses to fit employers’ and employees’ needs.
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/www/ncwblp

1996
Greenhead Sixth Form College
Performance monitoring to realise student potential
Thanks to well-researched and simple methods of assessing and monitoring student performance in order to realise an individual’s full potential, this sixth-form college transformed itself from a position below national norms to one where its exam results match those of highly selective schools. It is an exemplar of how coherent work devoted to creating a college ethos involving students and parents as well as staff can produce greatly improved examination results.
http://www.greenhead.ac.uk

1996
Carlisle College
Educational access throughout life
This college has set out to provide Basic Skills such as reading, writing and using information technology to those who may have held back from further education before. Students are reached via the mobile learning centre, personal tutors and new technologies of CD-ROM, video conferencing and the Internet. The Opening More Doors approach attracts parents with literacy problems and their children, students with special needs as well as children deemed 'at risk'. It’s an exemplary way forward towards the provision of life-long learning.
http://www.carlisle.ac.uk

1994
Aberdeen College
Training courses relating to explosion risk
The college pioneered courses for safety management specifically designed for the off-shore industry. The project has laid the foundations for the first nationally certificated courses under the auspices of the Electrical Installation Engineering Industry Training Organisation. They are essential in installing, maintaining and inspecting electrical equipment in potentially explosive and hazardous areas.
http://www.abcol.ac.uk

1994
Burton upon Trent Technical College
Anglo-French collaboration: vocational training for the polymer industry
Reflecting the urgent need for vocational education in frequently changing production technology, the college introduced a training course specialising in the rubber and plastics industry. By sharing the facilities the college provides technical staff for the industry located close-by. A formal twinning of Staffordshire and Roche-sur-Mer has resulted in French investment in the East Staffordshire area as well as common curriculum topics in British and French schools.
http://www.burton-college.ac.uk

1994
Chippenham College
Using work experience as a basis for National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs)
The college (now part of Wiltshire College) applied the Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) to provide a fast and approved method of obtaining vocational qualifications. While young people often acquire NVQs as part of their training, the experience of older employees goes unrecognised officially. APL was initially offered to HM Armed Services, as many serving in the armed forces have no opportunity to go on outside training courses but nevertheless acquire experience relevant to NVQs.
http://www.wiltscoll.ac.uk

1994
Croydon College
The successful development of flexible learning workshops
Flexible learning workshops promote the concept of life-long learning - offering a wide range of people the opportunity to study at a time and pace that suits their own lifestyle. The emphasis is on providing a service for the individual through resource-based learning, and includes a learning support programme to respond to the particular needs of a student. This represented an exemplary programme on a large scale to help individual student match their different learning speeds and needs with the demands and time-constraints of courses and examinations.
http://www.croydon.ac.uk

1994
City & Islington College
Widening access and progression to higher education
Three initiatives have been fused to encourage disadvantaged groups into higher education and to teach them to make the most of their abilities. Access concentrates on study skills for under 25s, whilst the Mentor Programme combats the lack of role models for black students. The Connect Scheme aims to overcome obstacles in higher education admissions procedures that deter young people who are underachieving due to social or educational disadvantages.
http://www.candi.ac.uk

1994
University of Lancaster
Broadening the opportunities for those with special needs
This programme ensures that students with physical disabilities or learning difficulties have full access to higher education. Students can take advantage of special arrangements facilities tailored to each individual throughout their student career. The university offers a wide range of services including a Special Needs Office which co-ordinates personal care and support, electronic reading devices for speech impaired students as well as accessible accommodation.
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/disabilities/index.htm

1994
University of Plymouth
Widening access to education in a scattered rural community
The university has developed a unique scheme for the local delivery of university programmes in areas where access to higher education institution is not always easy. In a collaboration with 17 local partner colleges in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, over 40 programmes from Higher National Certificate to BA and BSc Degrees are offered to students in the South-West.
http://www.plym.ac.uk