Ashford College
| Ashford College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
| , England | |
| Coordinates | 51°08′21″N 0°51′39″E / 51.139105°N 0.860804°ECoordinates: 51°08′21″N 0°51′39″E / 51.139105°N 0.860804°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Further education, higher education |
| Established | 1 August 2014 |
| Local authority | Kent County Council |
| Department for Education URN | 130728 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Principal | Victoria Copp-Crawley |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Age | 16+ |
| Website | http://www.ashford.ac.uk/ |
Ashford College is a further education college in Ashford, Kent[1] founded in August 2014. It is run by EKC Group, after it was acquired from the West Kent and Ashford College corporation.[2] Susan Bonett became Principal of the College in 2021, replacing Victoria Copp-Crawley.[3] Its campus is based at Elwick Road[4] In April 2020, Ashford College was acquired by EKC Group. [5]
The college offers full and part-time qualifications and leisure courses, from vocational BTEC and NVQ Diplomas, to Access to HE courses, Apprenticeships and Higher Education programmes. The campus has a multi-media learning resource centre, engineering workshops, photography studios and darkrooms as well as commercial hair and beauty salons offering treatments to students, staff and the general public.
In September 2017, Ashford College relocated to a new campus on Elwick Road.[6] With £26 million of investment, the 7,135m² campus accommodates over 1000 students.
A state-of-the-art recording studio was launched in June 2018, available to students and public hire. The 40-channel facility was officially opened by Eastenders star Shaun Williamson.[7]
History[edit]
Ashford College was founded in 2014 as a result of the split of K College.[8] Prior to this, the Jemmett Road campus was part of South Kent College. Following a 2008 KPMG report that recommended a merger, South Kent College joined West Kent College in April 2010 to form South & West Kent College, which traded as K College. The college campus location has changed from Jemmett Road, to Elwick Road after a new, multi-million pound campus was built.[9]
It was announced in November 2021 that Ashford College's bid for the government's Post-16 Capacity Fund had been successful.[10] The multi-million pound injection was to increase capacity by 250 students through the eventual completion of the College's 'Phase 2' development. This will see an additional wing constructed to house Information Technology, Engineering and Business classrooms alongside extended College administration facilities.
Courses[edit]
The college offers a number of full and part-time qualifications, from vocational BTEC and NVQ Diplomas, to Access to HE courses, Apprenticeships and Higher Education programmes, in subjects such as:
- Engineering and CAD
- Early Years and Health and Social Care
- Catering and Hospitality
- Information Technology
- Construction: Bricklaying, Electrical Installation, Carpentry and Joinery, Plumbing, Gas
- Music Technology
- Photography
- Art and Design, Interactive Media, Fashion and Clothing
- Motor Vehicle
- Education
- Beauty Therapy, Hair Design
- Business and Administration
- ESOL
It was announced in 2021 that the vocational T Level Qualifications would also be introduced to Ashford College with the first courses beginning in September 2022.
References[edit]
- ^ "Ashford College (official website)". Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Hadlow break-up hits two month delay due to 'complexity'". 3 April 2020.
- ^ "Ashford College - Susan Bonett". Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Ashford College Our Campuses (official website)". Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "EKC Group Welcomes Ashford College and Canterbury Spring Lane Onboard". Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ Price, Chris (12 March 2015). "New Ashford College set to go ahead after getting full-funding for £16m new home". KM. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ "https://twitter.com/ashford_college/status/1009089152145657857". Twitter. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ Price, Chris (1 August 2014). "K College had "a perfect storm" of financial and leadership issues reveal Hadlow College and East Kent College, who have formally taken over the sites". Kent Messenger. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "New college open for business". Kent Online. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "College expansion set to cater for 250 extra students". Kent Online. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
External links[edit]
 | This United Kingdom university, college or other education institution article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |