One of the UK’s largest colleges, City of Bristol College is recognised as a leading educator providing high quality teaching and promoting overall personal development. The institute, renowned for its work with adults, young people and employers, has a mission of “achieving potential and creating prosperity” among students and the community. It offers a range of tailored courses that train students to successfully enter either further higher education or the jobs market equipped with industry-specific skills. These approaches have made it a popular choice among employers.

City of Bristol College hosts 8 faculties that offer more than 1,000 full-time, part-time and evening courses across four campuses – College Green Centre, Ashley Down Centre, Soundwell Centre, and South Bristol Skills Academy. This makes it the educator with the widest choice of programmes in England’s South West. Home to 30,000 students, City of Bristol College also provides a popular foundation degree programme in partnership with leading institutes across the country, such as University of West England (UWE), University of Plymouth, Bath Spa University and University of Bristol. This is an attractive option for international students who receive the necessary academic, English language and soft skills training to help them secure seats at some of Britain’s finest universities.

Pic: City of Bristol College

Head of International Business at City of Bristol College, Kath Tudor, tells Asian Correspondent: “All our lecturers are professionally trained with expertise and links to their relevant industries. This increases our students’ employability as they develop contacts that they receive during their training.”

Employers find that graduates from the College are industry-trained and add value to their business. Providing a vast array of bespoke programmes designed to meet employer needs, the City of Bristol College is educated students in professional knowledge and development for career success. High profile training contracts with top companies such as Airbus, NHS, HSBC, DAF Trucks and Porsche cars, and an 84% satisfaction rate among employers (2007 Employer Satisfaction Survey), have secured the College a spot as one of the best-value colleges in the country with a high return on investment.

“Our students choose us because we have a very good reputation in employability,” Kath says. “We not only prepare students in academics but also train them in soft skills. We understand the market and with 20 years experience in teaching international students, we know how to create a supportive environment, with a classroom-based personal interaction among students and teachers. We train students to be more analytical, encouraging independent participation and presentation skills. These are essential skills to securing a seat in university.”

Academics
The College offers a range of full-time, part-time, and evening courses, along with the availability of training packages for employers. A selection of programmes on offer is outlined below:

Business and Management: These courses include specialisations in Business Management and Business Studies, offered at Ashley Down centre campus and the College Green Centre campus. Students can choose their qualification level from HNC, Foundation Degree, BTEC Diploma and BTEC Extended Diploma to suit their requirements.

Computing and Information Technology: Courses include Computing & IT, General Computing, Networking & PC Maintenance, and Programming.  Specialisations are available in IT (Software Development), Forensic Computing (leading to BTEC Extended Diploma); IT (leading to Diploma); and Computing and Information Technology (Foundation Degree) among others. These courses are spread across the College’s 4 campuses.

Creative Arts & Media: Students interested in Art & Design, Fashion & Clothing, Graphic Design and Media Production can study at one of the College’s many programmes to gain industry-specific skills. Several courses in Music (Music; Music Production; Music Technology), Performance (Dance Theatre Performance; Performing Arts – Acting; Theatre Media Performance) and Photography (including Professional Photography) are also available to offer a choice to students.

Ashley Down campus, City of Bristol College

Life in Bristol
“There is always something to do in Bristol,” says Kath. “There is always a lot going on for every interest. The city has a proud heritage with beautiful architecture and cultural programmes and draws in national and international theatre groups. Boasting some of Britain’s best nightlife, Bristol is also home to some of the country’s biggest shopping centres. In spite of all this activity, Bristol still remains a safe city, making it a popular choice among international students.”

City of Bristol College is home to a diverse community of students who participate in a range of activities to maximise their UK experience. Student support teams are available to help international students adapt to a foreign environment, with advice on a range of topics from choosing the right course, finding suitable accommodation to help on personal matters. This helps Asian students integrate into the British culture and find their footing to get the most from student life.

Student Event Teams are integral to campus life at the College, organising parties, trips, road shows and other activities to create truly memorable student days.

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City of Bristol College