Colleges Week 2026: Skills for all

Every day, colleges equip people from all walks of life with the education, training, and skills they need to succeed. From young people starting out, to adults retraining, and apprentices learning in the workplace, colleges open doors and create opportunities.

That’s why in 2026, our Colleges Week theme was skills for all, with a focus on a different group of learners each day.

• On Monday, as part of our Adult Learning Pays campaign we celebrated adult learners returning to education, from career changers to lifelong learners, and the power of flexible, community-focused learning.
• On Tuesday, we shone a spotlight on the young people who are gaining vocational and academic skills, building confidence and working towards their futures.
• On Wednesday, we focused on apprentices of all ages who are bringing skills to life in the workplace alongside learning in the classroom, as well as the employers who support them.
• On Thursday, we showcased the higher education learners gaining technical and academic qualifications at level 4 and above, and the colleges delivering these local, flexible, and career-focused courses.
• On Friday, we rounded up with your college community, emphasising relationships and partnerships both within colleges and the world beyond the gates.

Each day of the week we pulled together a round up of activity taking place across colleges, the Association of Colleges, and a look ahead to the following day.

View our daily summaries

Beacon Award winners for 2025/26

On Tuesday 3 March we announced our Beacon Award winners for 2025/26 at a special event in parliament.

Find out more information on the Beacon Award 2025/26 winners.

Competition winner

The winner of the competition has been announced as Heart of Worcestershire College. 

We would like to thank all participants for their contributions, which are greatly appreciated. Please find more information in the video below from Jenny Arrowsmith, Partner at Irwin Mitchell.

Contact us

Communications Team – comms@aoc.co.uk

Public Affairs Team – public_affairs@aoc.co.uk