Basingstoke College of Technology celebrates double awards success

By Giles Gwinnett

22 November 2023

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Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) is a leading further education College that offers full and part-time advanced technical and vocational qualifications plus apprenticeships, higher education, professional and leisure courses. It enables students to progress to university, employment or an apprenticeship. Credit: BCoT

Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) has been named as a double finalist at this year's Association of Colleges' (AoC) Beacon Awards - in the NOCN Group Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Careers & Enterprise Company Award for Excellence in Careers and Enterprise.

In the last year BCoT has introduced a number of initiatives across its services.

It has made a £100,000 investment to develop the Haven, which is now open and is a dedicated space providing a calm environment where free counselling and support can be accessed during the college day.

In addition, over 1,000 students have used virtual reality programmes to refine their interview techniques and manage interview anxiety as well as enhance their social skills such as listening and presenting, improving their self-awareness and confidence.

"We believe education leads to better life chances, but it isn’t just the courses we provide that give our students the best opportunities," said Anthony Bravo, principal and chief executive of BCoT, said.

"We believe in a holistic approach to further education and strive to provide the best pastoral support for students during their time with us, and careers advice that will help our students go on to do whatever they choose.

"We are delighted for this special recognition from the AOC Beacon Awards, which is a testament to the dedication and passion of our teachers and support teams as well as the hard work of our students."

Mark White CBE DL, the chair of AoC’s charitable trust, added: "The AoC Beacon Awards showcase exactly why colleges are so important to every community and why people value them.

"These awards recognise the critical role undertaken by boards, governors and governance professionals developing capacity for sustained improvement in the quality of provision for students."

The University Centre Basingstoke and the Green Energy Centre have also both been launched to boost employment and career prospects in the area.

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By Giles Gwinnett

Giles Gwinnett is a writer at The Business Magazine. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and covered a vast array of topics at a range of media settings - in print and online. After his NCTJ newspaper training, he became a reporter in Hampshire before moving to a news agency in Gloucestershire. In recent years, he has been covering the financial markets along with company news for an investor-focused web portal. His many interests include politics, energy and the environment. He lives in Dorset.