Engineering Apprentices, studying for their degree at Newbury College, in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University, have scooped outstanding results with six attaining first-class honours and four attaining upper second-class Degrees.
This is the second year that the College has been offering Degree level qualification and the second year of 100% achievement. The outstanding achievement is a great reflection of the hard work and dedication of the students and staff and provides a strong foundation for the degree standard provision available within the University Centre Newbury (UCN) from September 2020.
Tim Coole, Course Leader, commented "This year has shown the second cohort of students who have achieved outstanding results and shows the quality and the range of projects completed by the students throughout the year and excellent dedication they have to their studies" he continued This success follows on from the very successful first year of the degree run at Newbury College and is encouraging the development of the University Centre opening in September 2020. This year has seen a significant increase in the student numbers in the final year of the Engineering degree programme and adds to the success of this programme moving forward."
Jo Houghton, Director of Business and Partnerships, added We are delighted with the standard of work reflected in these excellent results for the degree students. As UCN progresses, we are confident that this standard will continue to provide the community with highly skilled, highly qualified professionals.
The University Centre Newbury will provide degrees and higher-level qualifications in the key sectors of digital technology, business & finance, engineering, health & social care and construction.
The first students of the University Centre will begin their studies in dedicated facilities within the College building in September 2020, before moving into the iconic new building once it is completed.
To find out more about higher-level study options, visit www.newbury-college.ac.uk/higher
Newbury College has been awarded £1.75m from the Local Growth Fund, towards the development of the University Centre Newbury (UCN). Additional funds for the £5.5m project will be drawn from the College and investment from supporting partners and will bring a state-of-the-art, digitally integrated, zero carbon, higher education facility to West Berkshire.
Research by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (TVBLEP) and consultation with local employers across the region, identified critical skill shortages of employees with high-level skills, particularly in Digital Technologies, Engineering, Business & Finance, Health, Social Care & Education and Construction.
The UCN is supported by foundation partnerships with local businesses including Vodafone, Roc Technologies, Xtrac and Sovereign Housing and aims to address the needs of local employers and ensure training is relevant and specific, not only for new employees, but also to increase the opportunities to upskill existing staff and help businesses utilise their Apprenticeship Levy payments more effectively.
Director of Business & Partnerships, Dr Jo Houghton said, We are delighted to have received the funding and support of the TVBLEP and excited that the Planning Application has been submitted. The University Centre Newbury brings a wealth of opportunity for businesses to meet their workforce requirements to engage and upskill in digital technologies, and provides a fantastic opportunity for students of all ages to achieve a higher level of training locally.
Newbury College has already formed strong relationships with local businesses in the engineering sector, including AWE and Xtrac, enhanced by the opening of the Engineering Solutions Lab in 2017 and the subsequent strength of the Degree programmes in Engineering, which is already expanding to Postgraduate level from September 2019, in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University.
The Careers not Courses campaign, recently launched by Newbury College, marks an open conversation between business and education and designs a curriculum that meets the skills demand of the local community, building and equipping a digital-first workforce with a logical progression from further education into higher education (HE).
UCN provides a solution for the community that sees an expansion of the current HE provision enabling opportunities for young talent to remain in the area and study university-level qualifications alongside their chosen career.
Built to new zero-carbon standards, UCN will be environmentally sustainable. The Centre incorporates digital technologies that enable students the option to study flexibly such as, real-time remote classroom access and blended learning options. Labs will be equipped with the hardware and software that facilitate the delivery of key digital technology including big data, software development, cyber security and cloud computing.
Key partners including, Buckinghamshire New University, QA Ltd, and The Open University, have been specifically chosen for their expertise to support the delivery of a centre of excellence for the development of higher skills.
West Berkshire Council, the Rt Hon Richard Benyon MP, Kennet School and Park House School have also provided strong support for University Centre Newbury.
The first intake for the University Centre Newbury will be September 2020. To find out more about higher-level study options, visit www.newbury-college.ac.uk