This has been a tough year, but despite the problems that exist
it has also been one of our most successful. Cutbacks in the
funding for adult education meant our overall student numbers
dropped slightly to 16,500, but still one in ten Bedfordians enrol
each year - a staggering statistic.
Against the national trend the College continued to grow its
full-time student numbers, with nearly 5,000 16-18 year olds on our
books compared to an average of about 250 in most school sixth
forms.
In addition we have greatly expanded the number of apprentices
we train for local employers, won additional funding for exceeding
our targets for adult students, and perhaps even more impressive in
the current climate we increased our income from employers in every
curriculum area and overall by more than 20%.
In addition to impressive student recruitment we have continued
to improve our learning environment at Bedford and Shuttleworth,
generating £5 million in cash from our core operation for
investment in our buildings and equipment.
Our 1964 workshop block, Brundtland Building, has been
transformed into one of the most energy-efficient retro-fitted
buildings in the country, within a whisker of achieving the BREEAM
excellent standard usually only achieved by a few new buildings. We
also comprehensively refurbished our Learning Resources Centre and
developed a much more attractive entrance from the town bridge in
keeping with our conservation-area frontage.
Successful years rarely happen by accident. Success is always a
result of shared ambition and partnership working.
A word about our staff, who are exceptional. Further Education
becomes part of who you are, and it is about caring deeply for your
community, your colleagues, your college and your students - all of
our staff live and breathe our values and deserve all the success
they have generated. They do that with great humility and great
professionalism and I would like to thank them for doing such an
excellent job.
I hope you enjoy reading all about the College's success
within our Annual Review website.
