AoC Beacon Awards 2024/25 winners announced

The winners of the prestigious Association of Colleges Beacon Awards 2024/25 have been revealed at a ceremony in Westminster.

The awards highlight pioneering practice among UK further education (FE) colleges, with initiatives ranging from cutting reoffending through adult learning to utilising AI to streamline workload and reducing carbon emissions and enhancing environmental responsibility.

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges said: "This year’s Beacon Awards show the profound impact colleges have on students, their communities and the economy. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to every college that put forward applications this year.

“The programmes and initiatives submitted have been nothing short of exemplary and show how vital colleges are, as anchor institutions, in delivering the growth and opportunities the government is aiming for.”

Minister for Skills Jacqui Smith said: “As a former college teacher, I have seen first-hand the transformative effect that education colleges provide to transform the lives of young people.

“They are at the heart of our mission to break down the barriers to opportunity and create the skills we need to grow the economy as part of our Plan for Change.

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the winners of this year’s Beacon Awards. From mental health support to building a sustainable future, these colleges have done incredible work to help our young people achieve and thrive.”

Full list of winners

EKC Group – AoC Award for Widening Participation

EKC Group has established an adult learning centre adjacent to an open prison, providing training to inmates. Over the past five years, the centre has offered courses in Built Environment, Technology/ICT, Job Club/Employability, Rail Engineering, and Hospitality. It aims to equip prisoners with skills for employment upon release, supported by the Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme. So far it has achieved a 97.2% success rate in 2023-24 and now boasts one of the lowest reoffending rates in England.

Bradford College – The Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in ESOL (English for speakers of other languages)

The college’s ESOL provision has been developed through partnership working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, to include learning and development structured around Shakespeare’s work. The programme includes learning about performance and technical production, dance, costume, history and culture. The pinnacle of the project is the college’s ESOL Shakespeare production, which in 2023/24 was Romeo and Juliet, with 37 students treading the boards in the final production.

Waltham Forest College – The Careers & Enterprise Company Award for Excellence in Careers and Enterprise

Waltham Forest’s innovative career guidance program has transformed how they prepare students for the job market through targeted support, industry partnerships, and curriculum alignment. Funded primarily through their Learner Services budget, the program includes termly Industry Breakfast Collaboration events with over 30 employers, offering personalized career advice, mentorship, and hands-on experience. Sector-specific workshops and webinars further enhance employability skills. The project exemplifies their leadership in career education and dedication to providing sustainable career opportunities for all learners.

Salford City College – The City & Guilds Award for College Engagement with Employers

Salford City’s “Industry Partners – Workforce of Tomorrow” programme started as strategic employer engagement within the apprenticeship provision and evolved into a key element of curriculum design across the college group, aligned with the Local Skills Improvement Plan. It includes a range of interventions across all disciplines, employer curriculum boards, staff audits, and industry placements. Impact is evaluated and drives further development, creating a talent pool of learners ready to tackle skills shortages. Employer relationships inform and co-design the curriculum, ensuring high-quality engagement and innovation in the workplace.

Walsall College – The Edge Award for Excellence in Real World Learning

Walsall College’s Future Flames Productions (FFP) is a unique college-based commercial production company in the UK that provides creative media students with real-world experience in producing high-quality video content. Revenue from client commissions funds students' academic and personal development, including trips and coursework needs. Since its launch in 2021, FFP has produced over 100 films for various clients, addressing important social issues. This initiative has led to increased student progression to higher education, and more students pursuing freelance work and self-employment in the media industry. FFP continues to grow by offering work experience opportunities for creative industries students and expanding its client base.

City College Plymouth – The Jisc Award for Effective Use of Digital Technology in FE

City College Plymouth’s project leverages Google’s no-code development tools to create complex App solutions that enhance productivity and reduce workload through AI. Using Google AppSheet, the team developed a comprehensive quality of education app in just four weeks, a task that typically takes two to three months. The app streamlines processes for lesson observations, peer reviews, resource reviews, and deep dives, significantly reducing report completion times. It supports usage across all educational locations and subcontractors, utilizing embedded AI to identify and notify individualised support needs and broader thematic training plans. This includes pre-populating self-assessment plans with identified best practices and areas for improvement, resulting in substantial time savings and more efficient quality assurance processes.

Salford City College – The NOCN Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Salford City College’s #WELLSTUDENT focuses on early intervention and prevention, encouraging learners to take ownership of their own wellbeing, developing resilience and in turn reducing the strain on specialist therapeutic, pastoral and safeguarding staff in the college, allowing them to deal with more serious mental health concerns. The programme has four distinct categories, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual and all students are encouraged to participate in activities they feel best meet their needs at any given time. Accompanied by a resilience-based, levelled tutorial programme, #WELLSTUDENT builds a resilient cohort of who are proactive in the care of their mental health at college and beyond.

Wirral Met College – The RCU Award for Support for Students

Wirral Met College recognised the growing demand for independent living skills training among high needs students and addressed sensory processing differences and anxiety. They consulted external experts to develop a trauma-informed approach and reviewed their curriculum and specialist high needs provision. This led to the creation of high-specification, accessible training rooms designed to support sensory regulation and independent living aspirations. Alongside staff training, they developed a sensory regulation curriculum empowering students to manage their neurodiverse needs. The programme strengthened the learner voice, with students actively involved in designing the facilities and establishing the Neurodiversity Council to drive further positive change for all students.

South-West College – The Sustainable Energy First Award for Education for Sustainable Development

South-West College’s Climate Action Campaign is a multifaceted initiative aimed at integrating sustainability into every aspect of the college's operations. Central to this campaign are the Net Zero Action Plan and Sustainability Action Plan, guiding efforts to reduce carbon emissions and enhance environmental stewardship. Key elements include climate stripes on Ladies GAA jerseys, free carbon literacy training for staff and students, biodiversity enhancement projects, and urban gardening promotions. The college also tracks energy usage and carbon emissions and promotes electric vehicles with free EV charging stations. The campaign highlights South-West College’s dedication to sustainability and its broad impact on students, staff, and the community, serving as a model for climate action in educational institutions.