Middlesbrough College is enjoying one of its most successful starts to an academic year with a record number of students beginning courses.
A total of 5,138 full-time students aged 16 to 18 have enrolled on courses, an all-time record for the College and the first time that it has achieved over 5,000 new starters.
Demand has also been huge for places at the College’s new £12m state of the art TTE training centre, which opened in September.
All available places within the Engineering Department at the centre and the College were filled in the space of just two days, demonstrating the huge appetite for learning STEM skills.
The new TTE centre, which has replaced the former TTE Centre in South Bank, will train over 300 full-time students, 300 apprentices and 500 adults each year.
Places are also filling up fast on the College’s courses for adult learners, which include learning on site and distance learning.
The news comes as the College gears up for two special open events this week and next week.
Middlesbrough College Group CEO and principal Zoe Lewis said: “We are absolutely delighted that so many students are choosing to study with us this year – it is a fantastic achievement and a real tribute to the hard work and dedication of our brilliant teaching and support staff and the results they are achieving.
“We’ve also been bowled over by the response to the new TTE Centre and the engineering courses we’re offering there – our only regret is that we cannot offer even more places to students who want to come here.
“Our mission as a College is to help everyone to aim high and achieve excellence and we will be working hard over the coming academic year to ensure that each and every one of our students gets the teaching and support they need to pursue their ambitions and achieve their goals.”
The record enrolment comes on the back of sustained high achievement by the College and its students.
The College saw more students than ever secure high A-level grades and secure places with leading universities.
Results for vocational programmes saw another high with more than 55% of students who completed a two-year BTEC vocational qualification achieving Distinction grades with many looking to go on and study at university as software developers, nurses, social workers and engineers.
Middlesbrough College has also trebled the number of students studying T-Level programmes, which combine in-class learning with extended practical work experience in the form of 45-day work placement.
The exam successes of the summer came in the wake of a glowing Ofsted inspection report in March.
Inspectors from the independent education watchdog rated the College as ‘Outstanding’ – the highest grade possible – in six out of eight areas of inspection with the other two areas rated ‘Good’.
Ofsted particularly praised the strength of Middlesbrough College’s skills provision, the personal development achieved by students and their behaviour and attitudes and the leadership and management of the College, saying that “learners and apprentices benefit from highly welcoming, inclusive and supportive learning and training environments”.
And in February, the College’s Student Services and Careers Team won a top national award, securing The Careers & Enterprise Company Award for Excellence in Careers and Enterprise at this year’s Association of College’s Beacon Awards.
The team clinched the title for outstanding careers provision in digital, linking employers with the provision to develop employment-ready skills and opportunities.
Zoe Lewis said: “It has been a year of real achievement so far, but we will not be resting on our laurels – these successes are helping to spur us on even further and provide even more students with great learning and training experiences.”
People can find out for themselves what Middlesbrough College Group has to offer at a series of free open events. The next open event is Wednesday 9th October from 5pm – 7.30pm, followed by Saturday 9th November from 9.30am – 12noon.
