HEART of Worcestershire College has been awarded a silver rating under a new Government grading system which recognises excellent teaching and learning.
The college, which has campuses in Worcester, Redditch and Bromsgrove, was awarded the second highest rating under the Teaching Excellence Framework.
In their findings, inspectors highlighted the high proportion of students who move straight into employment after completing their courses at the college.
The college was also praised for giving students the knowledge and skills employers look for in new recruits.
Peter Robinson, Assistant Principal for Higher Education and Standards at HoW College, said: “The College is delighted to obtain this recognition of the quality of our work, which, based on this system, is higher than most national universities, whilst our fees continue to remain lower to encourage those on lower incomes or who need greater flexibility to study higher education.
“The review has accurately identified strengths that we feel represent the uniqueness of our offer and the culture of support and challenge across our higher education and professional courses portfolio.
“The review and award demonstrate that more of our students succeed in their higher education studies than at other higher education providers in the County and nationally; with a significantly high percentage of our students progressing to employment, as a result of our focus on employability and the development of these skills within our courses.
“In particular, the review found that in three years’ worth of surveys students always speak highly of our teaching, the academic support and feedback they get on their work, leading to very high, above sector averages of student satisfaction.”
