Achievements & awards
Our recent achievements have been varied and wide ranging, and here are a few of them. As a College we have:
- achieved a 99.6% pass rate for our A-levels and a 96% pass rate for our extended diplomas in 2012
- undertaken a groundbreaking venture to run Reading College
- raised more than £3,000 for our student fund through voluntary student contributions to the Add5 scheme
- developed - and extended - a range of foundation degrees with partner universities
- baked a cake for Her Majesty The Queen's visit to the Henley summer garden party
- trained more than 1,000 apprentices last year
- celebrated international success when former OCVC apprentice Adam Bushnell won a bronze award in joinery at Worldskills 2011, the world's largest international vocational skills competition
- completed two multi-million pound building projects – the Centre for Creative Arts at Banbury, and new catering and hair and beauty facilities at Reading
- received the highest level of commendation by the Quality Assurance Agency for our management of Higher Education
- introduced eco-technology courses at Bicester which will support local eco-town development
- developed new partnerships with both the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and the National IT Partnership
- launched SweetFE, a social enterprise hub which develops enterprising initiatives and creative solutions for the further education sector
Other successes include:
- establishing a National School of Furniture in partnership with Bucks New University
- forming a partnership with CfBT Education Trust to manage Oxford Spires Academy, which opened in 2011
- receiving a 'highly commended' rating from the South East Learning and Skills Council in May 2010 for our ‘Get That Job’ programme
- a positive British Council Inspection in November 2009 which approved the continued accreditation of the College to offer English as a Foreign Language programmes
- the acquisition of the full Training Quality Standard (TQS) for excellence in employer engagement in June 2010
- a good Ofsted inspection for the College’s OLASS literacy, numeracy and employability skills programme, delivered in Oxfordshire probation offices to offenders serving sentences in the community
- being the first college in the country to sign the ‘Qualify with a Business’ (QwaB) memorandum of understanding
None of these achievements would have been possible without the foresight and support of our partners, our local communities, employers, the leadership provided by our Governors, the commitment shown by our staff, and the drive and passion of our students.
