North East college among the best in the country

Gateshead College continues to be the top performing further education college in the North East and one of the best in the country, according to new national figures.

The Department for Education’s School and College Performance Tables in England, place Gateshead College 4th in the country for the progress made by their 16-18-year-old students completing level 3 vocational programmes.

The progress measures also revealed that regionally their students achieve much higher grades than at other local colleges, improving both their job and university prospects.

Students achieved an average grade of “Distinction+”– the sixth highest in the country – for ‘applied general’ qualifications, which prepare young people for work in a sector.

At the more skilled ‘Tech Levels’, learners also performed well achieving average grades rated as ‘distinction’, putting Gateshead College the 9th highest in the FE sector.

Judith Doyle, principal and CEO at Gateshead College, said: “These statistics continue to demonstrate the strength of our teaching staff, the high quality of our vocational and technical training and our absolute focus on each individual student.

“We can show parents, students and employers that Gateshead College is the place to study vocational qualifications, make the best progress and achieve higher grades than elsewhere to allow them to secure a better university place or a better quality job.”

Gateshead College, she said, invests great effort in strong partnerships with employers to ensure the college provides a dynamic curriculum that adapts to the changing needs of businesses and the regional economy.