Bedford College has been granted membership of the Chartered Institution for Further Education, under its Royal Charter.
Principal and Chief Executive of Bedford College, Ian Pryce CBE says:
“We are delighted and proud to take our place among so many exceptional organisations. We want to work with others to raise the profile of the further education sector, promote its professionalism and raise standards further to give everyone in our community a better future and help individuals and employers achieve their ambition. The Royal Charter and the creation of the Institution is the most visible signal of the national importance of further education since incorporation in 1993. We look forward to helping increase the awareness of the force for good that is further education.”
Bedford College can trace its history back to 1892 with the creation of Bedford Training College for Teachers. Since then there have been several additions and changes to the provision, including the acquisition of Shuttleworth College and Bedford Training Group, and a 2017 merger with Tresham College. All of these changes have served to strengthen and widen the educational provision of what is now The Bedford College Group, which serves almost twenty thousand students and apprentices each year.
In 2008 Bedford College became the first general FE college to be awarded the 5 Star European Quality Mark (EFQM), as well as winning the National Award for Leadership. In 2011 the College won the TES Leadership Award, and in 2017 the Bedfordshire business community voted Bedford College the best large organisation in the county of Bedfordshire.
The process of applying for Membership of the Chartered Institution for Further Education actually helped Bedford College to bring people together and the success of the application is seen as a success for the whole organisation and has had a hugely positive impact on staff.
Ian Pryce added:
As a Chartered provider we feel part of a very special set of institutions, committed not to being boastful but to promoting the whole sector and the work it does. The Charter gives the sector a profile and independence it has not had before and creates a space for us to be independent-minded.
Dan Wright, CEO and Secretary of the Chartered Institution for Further Education said:
“Bedford College is a shining example of excellence in further education and we are delighted to welcome the College as a new Member of the Chartered Institution for Further Education. We look forward to working together to promote and elevate the sector as a whole.”
