More Choice, More Opportunity
Courses at the College are delivered across five locations
throughout Bedfordshire and we are able to offer you far more
qualifications and study options than you would find at school. We
understand that when it comes to learning, everybody is different –
some people thrive under the pressure of exams whilst others are
far more comfortable with coursework assessments that are spread
throughout the year. That is exactly why Bedford College provides a
range of academic and vocational courses.
In addition to traditional A-Level courses,
which enables you to study a number of subject combinations, you
could choose to specialise in a specific vocational area and gain a
BTEC qualification which is favoured by employers and, if you’ve
set your sights on university, can attract up to 420 UCAS points
(the equivalent of 3 A-Levels).
If you choose to study at Bedford College,
you’ll be joining many students who have achieved sensational
results. In 2009/10 our 16-18 success rate was 86%, putting us in
the top 4.3% of college’s in England. Our overall success rate was
85%, placing us in the top 7.7% of English colleges.
We achieved ‘Grade 1 Outstanding’ in our
latest Ofsted inspection, which proves why we are one of the best
providers of post-16 education in the country.
Studying with us can give you the best
opportunity for an outstanding future. We are so confident that our
courses will help you reach your full potential that we guarantee
your success. With all the expert tuition and excellent support
services you will receive you can look forward to having every
opportunity to shine and getting great grades on results day.
Many tutors are industry experts in their
particular field and have close links with companies across the
region. This means that you can benefit from employers coming in to
teach on courses, such as the airline Monarch who are involved in
the Level 3 Diploma in Travel & Tourism. This employer
involvement gives Bedford College students the encouragement they
need to apply for industry jobs.
If you want to get you’re a career off to a
flying start, make sure that you build relationships with industry
contacts. As well as employers coming in to teach on courses, we
also have excellent links with local companies to organise site
visits and work experience, along with trips across the UK and
abroad. Here at Bedford College we will encourage you to enter
national and regional competitions, all of which help you develop
skills that make you more employable. A few of the organisations we
work with include ASHE, Asda, Bedford Athletic Rugby Club, Bedford
Borough Council, Champneys, HSBC, John Lewis, Marshall Aerospace,
NHS, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, SDC Construction,
Vauxhall Motors, Woodland Trust and Worcester Bosch.
Do you expect to achieve 5 GCSEs at grade
A*-B? Would you like to study a full-time Level 3 (A-Level or
equivalent) course? Are you in Year 11 at school?
If you answered “yes” to any of these
questions you could be eligible to receive a £1,000 Bursary for
Educational Excellence (BEE). If you qualify you will receive £500
spread over three instalments each year for two years. To find out
more call us on 01234 291000 or visit our fees page.
Many of Bedford College’s students agree that
one of the best things about studying here is that you are given
the independence to study in your own style but at the same time
you are given all the support and encouragement you need to help
you succeed.
Whichever department you join, you will be
welcomed into a small, close-knit and supportive community where
you will get to know your tutors and make lots of new friends.
As soon as you enrol at Bedford College, you
will be assigned a Personal Tutor who will give you continual
one-to-one support throughout your College career. Our
professionally trained tutors ensure that you will always have the
opportunity to discuss your College work face-to-face, through
regular meetings. Your tutor is there to answer your questions, to
motivate and encourage you and to always offer support and guidance
with your personal development and career planning.
You will also have access to Moodle, which is
our internal website and virtual learning environment for students.
This is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and means that you
can access course materials, library files, personal files, your
College email account and keep in touch with your tutor outside the
classroom.
In addition, our Student
Services team have been rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and
awarded the Matrix Standard which proves that our professional
advice and guidance is of the highest quality.
Here at Bedford College we can offer you some
of the best resources and facilities around. Many recreate
realistic working environments, giving you a better idea of what to
expect in your career such as: a modern arts centre,
construction workshops, training restaurant,
hair and beauty salon open to the
public, a dedicated vehicle centre, a specialist gas and plumbing
technology centre, and even a full sized aeroplane for aerospace
students to work on.
Bedford College also has a dedicated Sixth
Form Centre for A-Level study and all College students can use the
newly refurbished, well equipped
Learning Resources Centre.
Here at Bedford College, we believe that the
only way is up. Many of our courses have options from Level 1 right
through to higher education programmes so you can really progress.
If you successfully complete and pass your course, including any
additional qualifications and Functional Skills, you will be
guaranteed a place of the next/higher level programme.
In addition, we will encourage you to fulfil your potential when
you are ready to leave us. This could be moving on to higher
education or into full-time employment. In 2009/10, 59% of our
full-time students continued in education, including progressing on
to university, and 23% went into paid work or Apprenticeships.