Association of Colleges

 

 

 

 

Submitting your Application
The application should be in two parts: the completed application form is Part 1 of the application. Part 2 is the specification and description of the project which should not include any information to directly identify the College.

Part 1
The completed application form (Part 1) includes the College name and contact details for the project and a statement from the Principal/Chief Executive that the AoC Beacon criteria are met by the project. The College name and contact details should appear only on the application form which will be retained by the Beacon Awards office when the submissions are sent off to the assessors. Once the shortlist has been agreed, the Manager will provide the assessors with the College’s contact details so that they can arrange site visits.

Part 2
The main part (Part 2) of the submission should be no more than 3,000 words and explicitly demonstrates how the project meets the sponsor’s criteria for the award. The submission should include the following:

• The project summary
• Aims/objectives of the project
• How the project meets the sponsor's criteria
• Project management including its development and quality assurance
• Outcomes and benefit to learners
• How key features of the project have/would benefit other Colleges

The section on the outcomes and benefits to learners should include data on enrolments, retention and achievement and learner testimonials/case studies.

Partnerships
Many submissions will need to refer to College partnerships with local authorities, schools, employers etc. Where these organisations are not area/region specific you need not anonymise the partner. For example, if you are working in partnership with your local Tescos or have a partnership with a St Michael’s Primary school then you can refer to them by name. If however you have a partnership with, for example, Levenshulme High School or Liverpool
Football Club – an organisation which could mean the College is easily identifiable – then you
should refer to them as a local secondary school or a local premiership football club.

Where you wish to include letters from your partners as part of your evidence from beneficiaries, you are requested to conceal the address on the letterhead if it could identify the College and any direct reference to the College by name within the body of the letter. Please ensure that you remove these from a copy of the letter so that the assessors can still see the original if they request to do so on a site visit.

Previously shortlisted Colleges
Shortlisted Colleges are eligible to re-apply for the same award. No College which has previously won an AoC Beacon Award will be eligible for consideration a second time for the same Award within a period of three years from the previous successful application.

Apply
The completed application form (Part 1) and FOUR COMPLETE COPIES of Part 2 i.e. the details of the project with suitable supporting evidence, must be submitted. These are sent to the three assessors assigned to the Award and the other set is retained by the Awards office.

Do not send in original samples of evidence from beneficiaries, students’ course work, letters of support etc. The AoC Beacon Awards office cannot accept any liability if these items are lost or damaged.

AoC Beacon Awards 2013/2014 application form