Bridgend College is a Further Education (FE) College supporting over 6,000 students and employing over 600 members of staff across its five campuses in Bridgend, Pencoed, Queens Road, Maesteg and Cardiff. Engage Training is the business focused and externally facing directorate of Bridgend College, based on Bridgend Industrial Estate.
The College offers an extensive range of courses, from Entry through to Degree level, in over 20 vocational areas with the majority delivered at our Bridgend and Pencoed Campuses. You can study the full-time BSc (Hons) in Social Work at our Queens Road Campus whilst our Maesteg Campus offers full-time Level 1 courses in Interactive Media and Exploring the Creative Arts and Media Sectors.
Our Arts Academy in Cardiff is where over 100 students study the BA (Hons) in Photographic Practice and the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design.
The College is increasingly delivering more flexible programmes of study, both in the workplace and on-line through our Engage Training team and Learndirect opportunities.
Penybont 6th Form College is a Bridgend College and Pencoed Comprehensive School partnership. The 6th form delivers the very best teaching and learning experiences and unique opportunities that both the College and the school can offer.
The College has the highest number of franchise higher education students in any FE College in Wales, with over 850 students choosing to complete their higher education course locally each year. The College is a collaborative partner of the University of South Wales and works in partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Over the last few years, we have won some prestigious awards and are so proud of everything we do here for our students and staff. Here is a list of awards and accolades we have recently been awarded:
Best Performing FE College 2016/17 – We are the best-performing* College in the whole of Wales according to a study conducted by the Welsh Government.
National Award for Excellence – Association of Colleges Beacon Award for Leadership and Governance
Apprenticeship Provider of the Year – Bridgend College wins the regional FE Week & AELP Apprenticeship Provider of the Year Award for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Sunday Times Best 100 NFP Organisations – Bridgend College placed 28th in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-for-Profit Organisations to Work For 2017 – the only FE College in Wales to be recognised in this category.
‘Double Excellent’ Estyn Inspection – The College received the rare double excellent for its current performance and its prospect for improvement. We were awarded 11 ‘Excellent’ grades and 4 ‘Good’ grades by Estyn. We are currently the only** FE College in the whole of south Wales to have a ‘Double Excellent’ report.
Tutor of the Year Medal of Excellence – Countryside Management lecturer Lyn Evans won Tutor of the Year and a Medal of Excellence from City and Guilds.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Accord – Bridgend College were the first FE College in Wales to sign the SDG Accord. We now sit among many educational organisations from around the world.
National Award for Excellence – Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award for the Development of Transferable Skills.
Pearson Awards 2016 – Bridgend College Travel & Tourism staff won the Pearson Silver Teaching Award for FE Team of the Year – one of only twelve teams in the country to do so.
*This data is from the All Qualifications study
**This information was correct at the time of publication March 2018
1928
The Bridgend Mining and Technical Institute was established with investment from the Miners’ Welfare Fund and classes were held at the Cowbridge Road site in the evenings only.
1930
The Junior Technical School was formed to provide Technical Education by day for boys aged 13 to 15.
The first intake of 50 boys were welcomed by Principal Eynon Davies, and taught by only one other member of staff, Edward Loveluck.
1945
The Senior Technical School was founded as the Junior Technical School is upgraded.
1949
Bridgend Technical College was created as further education on a full and part-time basis was consolidated. For the next ten years, the School and the College were run alongside each other.
1959
The Technical School and nearby Bridgend Boys’ Grammar School merged and together with several members of staff moved to Ewenny Road – to what is now Brynteg Comprehensive.
1975
Bridgend College of Technology was formed.
2007
Bridgend College was born and a new corporate identity sees the introduction of ‘campuses’ with reference to the four college sites
(Bridgend, Pencoed, Maesteg and Porthcawl) and the Business Centre at Queens Road.
The Board consists of a total of 20 Governors, chaired by Mr Paul Croke who was appointed as Chair of the Governing Body in October 2014. The Board meets at least 6 times during the year and work is also carried out at the various committees, namely the Audit Committee, Curriculum and Quality Committee, Finance and Estates Committee and Human Resources Committee.
There are also Search and Selection Committees which meet when required and focus on the appointments of Governors and Senior Post holders respectively. Finally, the Remuneration Committee usually meets once per year which concentrates on the objectives, pay and conditions of Senior Post holders and the Clerk.
The main role of the Governing Body is to determine the “educational character and mission of the institution and oversight of its activities”, which involves Governors focusing on the College’s broad purpose and strategic direction, nature of educational programme, pattern of courses, any special characteristics of range of subjects taught, overall ethos, admissions policy and relationship to community.
One extremely important aspect of governance involves the effective and efficient use of resources, solvency of the institution and safeguarding of assets. This involves the approval of annual estimates of income and expenditure.
| Simon Pirotte | CEO & Principal |
| Viv Buckley | Deputy Principal – Curriculum / Teaching & Learning |
| Andrew Gibbs | Vice Principal – Resources |
| Matt Williams | Director of Engage Training & WBL |
| Nerys Gimblett | Director of IT, Digital Development & Marketing Services |
| Sara Foster | Director Of Funding, Registry & Finance |
| Joe Baldwin | Director of Learner Services |
| Karen Lamprey | Director Of Quality, Standard & Skills |
| Kathryn Sweet | Director of HE |
| Elisabeth Evans | Director of FE |
| Sam Morgan | Director of People |
| Melanie Glover | Principal’s PA |
| Nicola Eyre | Clerk to the Governing Body |
Our Annual Report is a reflection on the work of 2014/2015 which has placed the College ina strong position as one of the best performing Colleges in Wales.
The gender pay gap is the difference between the average earnings of men and women. Any gap is expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings.
The Gender Pay Gap is not the same as Equal Pay. Equal Pay relates to men and women being paid equally for the same work.
