Bexhill College has been recognised as one of the country’s top accountancy training providers, at the recent AAT annual awards held in Solihull.
Whilst being a finalist for an AAT Training Provider Award is an achievement in itself, having now clinched the top prize for the ‘Small Provider of the Year’ category, the College can rightly claim to be the premier provider for accountancy training courses in the local area.
The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is the professional body for accounting technicians and bookkeepers. As the largest awarding organisation of accountancy qualifications in the UK, in excess of 70,000 people are studying towards AAT qualifications at any given time. The majority of AAT students learn through its network of affiliated training providers, such as Bexhill College.
The AAT considered a range of criteria when judging the competing providers. They were particularly impressed with the College’s collaboration with local accountancy firms, which has led to exceptional work-related learning opportunities for their students. The judging panel also took in account how the college has fostered a supportive and inclusive learning environment, in addition to introducing innovative learning resources to support students to pass their assessments.
Toby Carpenter teaches the accounting courses at the college, and he was naturally pleased with the award:
“Winning the AAT Training Provider Award is incredibly rewarding. It’s a recognition of the hard work, expertise, and commitment shown by the staff and students at the college. I feel very proud knowing that our efforts have been acknowledged by receiving such a prestigious award from our professional body.”
Ashdon Hudson Smith is currently studying the Level 3 Diploma in Accounting and isn’t surprised the college claimed the top prize. He stated:
“The college provides an inclusive learning environment. I was given the opportunity to pivot towards a different career aspiration. I had previously studied health and social care, so accounting was not a natural progression route. However, the college supported me by providing me with resources over the summer break so that I could prepare for the start of the Level 3 course when I returned in September. Our teacher, Toby is very innovative, and he has created a You Tube channel, containing videos which are very easy to access and helpful in supporting our studies.”
Nicola Garstang, Head of Section for Accounting attended the exclusive gala dinner at voco® St. John’s, Solihull, where the awards were announced. In her acceptance speech she stated:
“I would like to thank the AAT for recognising the work we do as a college to support our accounting students. I would personally like to thank Toby Carpenter our accounting teacher and a valued member of my team. Toby’s dedication to his students is both commendable and inspirational. His academic support, pastoral care and professional insights enable our students to flourish under his guidance.
I would also like to thank our support staff including those who work in our exams department, our IT support team, our work placement coordinators and our study support staff who perform vital roles which contribute towards our students being able to succeed on their study programmes.
Finally, I would like to thank the local accountancy firms who provide their time to deliver work-related learning projects to enable our students to develop those important employability skills.”
