A HAMPSHIRE college has scored top marks after being selected as a finalist in prestigious education awards.

Fareham College are now in the running to win the City and Guilds Award for College Engagement with Employers in this year’s Association of Colleges (AoC) Awards.

Now in their 25th year, the AoC’s prestigious Beacon Awards honour the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges.

The award holds an initiative which seeks to ensure the future training and skills requirements for civil engineering and construction businesses in the Solent region and beyond are met.

Andrew Kaye, Principal and Chief Executive at Fareham College, said: “Employability is at the heart of the Fareham College mindset.

"Working together with employers to directly address a recognised sector challenge, through the development of a skilled workforce, is invaluable for our students, for our employers and for the local and regional economic development as a whole.

“To be recognised for our efforts towards employer engagement as a finalist in the AoC Beacon Awards is an excellent achievement for the college and our partners.”

An estimated £15 billion worth of construction-based development is planned in Hampshire alone over the next five years, but the sector is unable to meet the demand for skills required to deliver these construction projects.

In response to this skills shortage, Fareham College and the Solent Civil Engineering Employer Group have worked in collaboration to design a civil engineering and groundworks training initiative, which includes an apprenticeship programme, workforce upskilling, and a purpose-built civil engineering training centre.

David Richardson, director of CETC and Construction at Fareham College, said: “This state-of-the-art facility is pioneering a change in the way in which construction industry training will be delivered."

The AoC Beacon Award winners will be announced in London on Friday March 20 2020.