College launches University Centre Truro & Penwith to start new era

With new developments in Nursing, Health, Care and Sport, the new South West Institute of Technology (SWIoT) building at Truro and the soon to be opened Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) and Health Skills Centre at Bodmin, Truro and Penwith College’s University level courses are moving forward into a new era, while still focussed on the excellence of its education and links to excellent local careers.

This is emphasised further still by its latest project, Cornwall Space and Aerospace Technology Training (CSATT), that is working with this developing sector in Cornwall supplying University level training and support while developing University level courses and higher level apprenticeships that will train and develop a Cornish workforce for the future.

Truro College opened in 1993 and in 2008 merged with Penwith College to become Truro and Penwith College (T&PC). The College has grown in size and reputation and is now a popular choice for people in Cornwall who wish to study Higher Education (HE) at University level in Cornwall. 13 years on, the college has embraced the new University level environment and now offers over 50 courses including Higher Level Apprenticeships, Foundation Degrees, degree ‘honours progression’ course, teacher training graduate and postgraduate programmes and our first full three yeardegree programme in Applied Sport and Health Science approved by the University of Plymouth.

At Penwith Campus, the College is delivering its first degree-progression course in Human Behavioural Studies. The college now works in partnership with Pearson, developing Higher National Certificates and Diplomas in STEM subjects and has a new partnership with the University of Greenwich running new courses in Nursing and health; the Nursing Associate FdSc, Operating Department Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship and a full Nursing Degree Apprenticeship under development.

In the last 15 years the College’s university level courses have been reviewed three times by the Quality Assurance agency (responsible for audit of Higher Education quality) often with commendations on good practice.  The University of Plymouth has reviewed University approved programmes twice, again with many commendations.  In 2016/17 the College was awarded Gold Standard Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) a national measure of higher education quality.

More importantly, our University level students have high levels of student satisfaction recorded on the National Student Survey (over 90% in two of the last three years).  The majority of the College’s students are Cornwall based but there is an exciting mix of school and college leavers and mature learners (ranging from 21 to 60 plus!). The ethos is to provide higher skilled employment for the people of Cornwall and so we have the entry grades that are designed to allow mature students and retraining adults the opportunity to progress to higher education.

The newly unveiled ‘University Centre Truro and Penwith’ signposts the College’s achievements on university level programmes and sets the scene for future generations.  It will have locations at Truro College, Penwith College and in Bodmin to support University learning throughout