Prestigious ‘FE College of the Year’ award win for Nelson and Colne College

Nelson and Colne College has been named as the FE College of the Year in the prestigious Educate North Awards 2019.

Held at the Hilton in Deansgate in Manchester, principal Amanda Melton, vice principal Alison Rushton, chair of the board of corporation Stephen Barnes and college governor Phil Wilkinson collected the coveted accolade in front of 400 guests.

The Educate North Awards celebrates, recognises and shares best practice and excellence in the education sector and the honour recognised Nelson and Colne College’s outstanding performance in the areas of teaching, student experience, innovation and economic impact.

Nelson and Colne College beat eight other colleges in the category with the judges commenting that NCC “has fantastic growth and excellent pass rates” and “that Nelson and Colne College provide strong apprenticeships which is detailed with their persuasive case”.

The prize caps off a fantastic 12 months for Nelson and Colne College, which has seen it retain its status as the number one college in the country for 16-18 learner achievement and 16-18 timely apprenticeship achievement.

NCC is also the number one college in Lancashire for A Levels and vocational studies, based on progress scores, and number one and two nationally for GCSE Mathematics and English, respectively, based on the same measure.

Principal Amanda Melton said: “I’m extremely proud of this award and I would like to thank colleagues at Nelson and Colne College, Accrington and Rossendale College and Lancashire Adult Learning for their contribution towards achieving the accolade – it is richly deserved and we are a very special college.

“I know that we are seen within the sector as one of the leading colleges in the country, backed up by our position as the number one college in the country for 16-18 learner achievement and apprenticeship achievement, but it is fantastic to be recognised in this way.

“Through our rigorous approach to quality, our dedication in supporting our students to exceed their potential, and our collaborative approach towards teaching and learning and employer engagement, we never stand still and the college will continue to progress.

“And following our successful merger with Accrington and Rossendale College in November 2018, I am also confident we will achieve the vision of becoming a combined force for greater opportunities that delivers sustained success for young people and learners right across East Lancashire and beyond.”

Nelson and Colne College is the number one college in Lancashire for both student satisfaction and employer satisfaction, based on the latest FE Choices survey.

For more information about Nelson and Colne College contact 01282 440272 or visit www.nelson.ac.uk