Our ambition, mission and values

Our ambition

Association of Colleges ambition is to be a highly respected and influential membership body, able to provide expert advice and support to help colleges succeed.

Our mission

Or mission is to champion and support colleges by enhancing their reputation, leading thinking on policy, influencing decision-makers, providing advice, sharing good practice and offering networking and peer support opportunities.

Our values

Unsurprisingly, our values reflect a strong passion for colleges and their students, as well as an ambition to empower staff to deliver the best possible services to our members. At our core, we are:

Member-focussed

Our member colleges are at the heart of everything we do. They are why we exist. We respond to the diversity of our members’ aims and needs and also play a leadership role.

Collaborative

We work collaboratively to strengthen our impact. We do this both within and across our internal teams, with members and externally with a wide range of organisations and groups.

Ambitious

We are ambitious for our members, for better investment in colleges and for an environment in which colleges can thrive. We strive for ambitious outcomes for college students and the employers they work with.

Accountable

We foster a culture of accountability and trust in which every member of staff takes ownership for the performance of the whole organisation and members know what we are doing.

Knowledgeable

We continuously develop our knowledge and expertise to ensure that we remain credible as a reliable source of intelligence and advice. We rely on evidence and sector expertise to inform our points of view and our actions.

Inclusive

We celebrate, value and actively promote fairness, respect, equality, diversity and inclusion. We strive for a better, fairer society in which everyone can succeed.