Wiltshire College & University Centre
| Wiltshire College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , | |
| Information | |
| Type | Further education |
| Established | 2002 |
| Principal | Amanda Burnside |
| Staff | 750 |
| Gender | both |
| Age | 16+ |
| Enrollment | 10,000+ (full-time, part-time & University Level) |
| Website | http://www.wiltshire.ac.uk |
Wiltshire College is a tertiary college of education founded in 2002 by the merger of Chippenham Technical College, Lackham College and Trowbridge College.[1] Consolidation was completed with the merger of Salisbury College, which commenced in January 2008. The college has over 3000 full-time students and 300 teaching staff.[2]
The college's most recent OfSTED report, in June 2015, assessed it as good.[3]
Locations
- Wiltshire College Chippenham was founded as North Wilts College of Further Education and later changed its name to Chippenham Technical College, and again to Chippenham College in 1993.[1] It offers a wide range of vocational courses and qualifications, specialising in engineering, commerce and construction trades. Its buildings are in Cocklebury Road, close to the town centre and railway station, and were rebuilt on the existing site in 2015 at a cost of £21 million.[4] There are workshops for motor vehicle, engineering and construction trades, as well as hair and beauty studios, art studios, and a sports science lab.
- Wiltshire College Lackham is based close to Lacock and opened in 1946 as a purely agricultural college.[5] It has a 400-acre (1.6 km2) working farm to allow students hands-on experience of the rural economy, and also hosts a Museum of Agriculture and Rural Life.[5] The college offers a number of extramural courses to non-students and also has a full programme of public events throughout the year, such as flower shows, equestrian, and related events. Following the 2001 UK foot and mouth disease outbreak which limited access to many UK farms, a "Virtual Farm" was opened in 2004 to provide continued education should access to the college farm be restricted again in the future.[6] The college holds an annual Lambing Weekend where local children can see at first hand lambs being born.[7]
- Wiltshire College Trowbridge, in College Road, offers a wide range of vocational courses for school-leavers, and is associated with the Arc Theatre.
- Wiltshire College Salisbury was formed in 1992 as the merger of the College of Art & Design and the Technology College.[8] Situated in Southampton Road, it offers degree courses in association with Bournemouth University and vocational courses for school leavers. A-level courses for sixth-form students were also offered at the site until 2013 when the provision was withdrawn.[9] However Salisbury Sixth Form College opened at the Southampton Road campus in 2014, and is expected to relocate to its own site by September 2016.
- Castle Combe, at the Castle Combe Circuit near Chippenham, is the home of Wiltshire College's 6,500 square foot motorsport centre.[10] The centre was the first circuit-based motorsport engineering centre in the UK, and has two classrooms, six car workshops, an engine workshop and a machining workshop. It provides motorsport engineering courses ranging from the BTEC Level 2 Diploma to a Level 6 BSc Honours Degree from the University of Bath.
Wiltshire College also has learning centres in other Wiltshire settlements, including:
- Bemerton Heath, a northwestern suburb of Salisbury
- Corsham
- Devizes
- Warminster
Courses
The Chippenham and Trowbridge divisions offer a similar range of courses to various levels including NVQ, BTEC and C&G in a wide range of subjects: Administration, Art and Design, Beauty Therapy, Business, Catering, Childcare, Computing, Construction, Engineering & Motor Vehicle, Hairdressing, Health & Social Care, Media, Performing Arts, Public Services, Sport, and Travel & Tourism. Photography is offered as a BTEC course at Trowbridge only.[2]
Lackham campus tends to specialise in its traditional curriculum, offering courses in Agriculture, Animal Care, Animal Management, Countryside & Environment, Countryside Management, Farm Mechanisation, Floristry, Horse Care/Management, Horticulture, Land & Environment, Land Based Technology, Motorsport Engineering and Sport. A pre-entry course for the Army is also offered.[2]
Salisbury division offers vocational courses leading to BTEC & C&G qualifications in Art & Design, Beauty Therapy, Business, Catering & Hospitality, Working with Children & Young People, IT at Work, ICT, Construction (including specialisms in Bricklaying, Carpentry & Joinery, Electrotechnical Technology, Painting & Decorating and Plumbing), Hairdressing, Health & Social Care, Motor Vehicle Maintenance, Media, Popular Music & Music Technology, Performing Arts, Public Service, Skills for Work & Life, Sport & Exercise Science, and Travel & Tourism.
Alumni
- Jamie Cullum – singer/songwriter
- Lizzie Greenwood-Hughes – television presenter
- Lewis Haldane – former professional football player
- Aaron Moores – British Paralympic swimmer
References
- ^ a b "The Chippenham, Lackham and Trowbridge Colleges (Dissolution) Order 2000" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ a b c Full-time Prospectus 2008/09. 2008.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "OFSTED Report, 2015" (PDF). Ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
- ^ Lawton, Andrew (10 November 2015). "New £21m Wiltshire College campus in Chippenham opens". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Wiltshire College Lackham celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2006". Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ "Cyber Cows and Virtual Sheep at Lackham Farm". Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ "Lambing in Lackham". Retrieved 2008-03-20.
- ^ "Salisbury College". The Independent. London. 2007-07-27. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- ^ "BBC News - Wiltshire College students offered A-level places elsewhere". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
- ^ http://www.wiltshire-college-motorsport.co.uk/about_us.asp