Higher education (HE) students from Fareham College, part of the newly formed South Hampshire College Group, have come together for the Class of 2023’s official Higher Education Graduation ceremony.
The ceremony at Fareham College saw HE students and their families enjoy a light drinks reception before joining faculty members in the college’s 120-seat theatre.
Vice Principal Ben Sheridan welcomed guests and opened the ceremony, followed by Robert Hind, Curriculum Area Manager for Higher Education, who conferred the awards. The event ended with a speech from South Hampshire College Group’s Executive Director of Business and Civic Partnerships, Anousha Ottley before students were invited to mark the occasion by having their official portraits taken.
Marking a triumphant end to the academic year, the event comes at a particularly important time for South Hampshire College Group, which officially merged on 1st August 2023.
The Group – which serves an estimated 11,900 students across the Solent region – aims to provide a financially strong, responsive, and ambitious Higher Education programme for those seeking alternative pathways to university.
The HE programmes, which are held at Fareham College, are designed to support progression from a Level 3 or T Level course to a complete undergraduate qualification.
Teaching staff ensure excellence in practice by using industry-leading technology and collaborating with university partners and recognised employers, while students benefit from smaller class sizes, lower tuition fees, and flexible study options, making it a more accessible option for many.
Additionally, students in certain study programmes are supported to enter the second or third year of complementary courses at partner universities, including Southampton Solent University, allowing them to “top up” their qualifications and enrich their learning further.
From this, many of the Group’s alumni have gone on to pursue Master’s degrees or PhDs, a direct result of the outstanding teaching and personalised support offered to all students.
Ben Sheridan, Vice Principal of Fareham College, said:
“The achievement of a qualification at Level 4 or higher is the product of significant hard work and dedication. This event allows our graduates to celebrate their achievements, gathered among friends, family and lecturers. All of our graduates can be immensely proud of their success, and we wish them the best of luck for their next chapter.”
Robert Hind, Curriculum Area Manager for Higher Education at Fareham College, said:
“Our Higher Education graduation ceremony is the highlight of the year for me as it’s our chance to celebrate the considerable achievements of our HE students.
“Fareham College offers a wide range of HE courses which give students who would struggle to access a course at university the chance to study in their local community and gain qualifications to help them move to the next stage in their lives.
Many of the students who graduated this year have overcome considerable challenges in their personal and professional lives to gain their qualification and we are very proud that the supportive environment we offer at Fareham has played a part in that success.”
To find out more about Higher Education courses with Fareham College, please visit: fareham.ac.uk/university-level-courses/
Students from across the newly formed South Hampshire College Group (comprising Fareham College, Eastleigh College and City College Southampton) have achieved a very successful set of results in their Level 3 courses with many of these students choosing to progress to university as their next step.
This summer’s results saw many highlights among the College Group’s academic performance, including a 98% pass rate for students on T Level courses and a 96% pass rate for students on Level 3 qualifications. The group has seen a number of success stories as students prepare to embark on their next steps beyond college.
Nate Stevenson has just completed a T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development at Fareham College, in which they successfully achieved a distinction grade. Nate will now progress to a Level 4 course in Professional Creative Enterprise, which is also at Fareham College and starts later this year. Nate commented: “The T Level is extremely useful for my chosen career, a lot of courses give you the knowledge but the good thing about T Levels are that they give you both the knowledge and the experience to better equip you for your next steps.”
Andrew Kaye, Chief Executive Officer of South Hampshire College Group, said: “The achievement of a Level 3 qualification is one of the most important milestones in a student’s educational journey and can open up many doors for their future career. All the students collecting their results today across South Hampshire College Group should be immensely proud of what they have achieved. We wish all our students the very best of luck for their results and next steps in their educational journey or early career.”
Ashley Martin, Director of Student Experience and Transition at South Hampshire College Group, said: “We are exceptionally proud of the achievements of all our students. The outstanding pass rate across the group is testament to the dedication of students, teaching teams and industry-led facilities, all of which foster a positive learning environment for individuals to excel.”
Professional and technical Level 3 courses present a dynamic alternative to A Levels, offering valuable work placements and industry experience alongside that can propel a student into their future career or higher education study. T Levels incorporate a strong emphasis on work experience, offering a minimum of 315 hours, or 45 days, of on-the-job training. Both Level 3 and T Level programmes are two years in length, the same as A Levels, and both are accredited on the UCAS tariff for entry to university.
To find out more about Level 3 courses and South Hampshire College Group, visit www.shcg.ac.uk.
To learn more about T Levels, please click here.
We are delighted to announce the successful merger of City College Southampton, Eastleigh College and Fareham College which, as of Tuesday 1 August 2023, has become South Hampshire College Group (SHCG).
This merger received a positive endorsement from students, parents, staff and local employers in the public consultation and a recommendation for the go-ahead from the Department for Education (DfE).
Students, apprentices and businesses from across South Hampshire will benefit from a financially strong, responsive and ambitious Further Education organisation; with the vision, resources and expertise to best support the evolving and growing skills demands in the region.
Whilst our group name has changed to South Hampshire College Group, the individual campus names remain unchanged and will retain their important links to local communities.
The newly-appointed CEO of South Hampshire College Group, Andrew Kaye, said: “It’s an exciting new start and will bring many benefits to our students and staff, businesses and local communities.
“We will pool all our resources and expertise to enhance the range and quality of courses in this region. We also look forward to delivering enhanced pathways into higher levels of study and work; increasing the supply of skills; meeting employers’ needs and supporting our region’s economy to grow.
“Our ambition is to create a new and vibrant college, better able to meet the economic and social mobility challenges that the region faces.”
Chair of the new Board of Governors at South Hampshire College Group, Sandra Prail, said: “We are tremendously excited to be at the helm of the new SHCG and our Board members look forward to contributing their expertise and skills from many industry sectors into the new venture.
“I’m positive the students attending courses at our new college will flourish, grow in confidence and ultimately make a real tangible contribution to the local workforce and economy with their skill sets.”
Our new group website is currently under development: www.shcg.ac.uk (new window)
