THE Careers Team at Middlesbrough College Group are celebrating after winning a top national award.

The College won The Careers & Enterprise Company Award for Excellence in Careers and Enterprise at this year’s Association of College’s Beacon Awards.

Attracting hundreds of applications from all over the country each year, the Beacon Awards are the most prestigious awards in further education and have been running for 29 years.

The awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice in further education colleges and demonstrate the far-reaching impact of colleges on their students and the communities they serve.

Middlesbrough College clinched their award for its careers provision in digital, linking employers with the provision to develop employment ready skills and opportunities.

During the award assessment process, the College’s Careers Team and staff from the College’s industry-standard digital faculty MC Digital demonstrated how they had implemented the provision across the whole college group and how it is being developed further. College governors, leaders, staff, students and parents spoke to the awards assessment team to show the impact of the careers service in preparing students for their next steps.

Aimey Adamson, Vice Principal: Students and Communications at Middlesbrough College Group, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won such a prestigious award.

“Middlesbrough College Group strives to help our students achieve their aspirations, whether that is in academic study or in the world of work, and this is recognition of how successful our Careers Team have been in assisting students to map out their futures.

“It is a richly deserved accolade for the team, whose expertise and hard work is so important to the College and our students.”

Mark White, Chair of AoC’s Charitable Trust said: “The AoC Beacon Awards showcase exactly why colleges are so important to every community and why people value them.

“This award recognises examples of excellent practical teaching and learning. The work of Middlesbrough College Group shows how important colleges are in providing students with the necessary skills for the real world.”

The winners of this year’s Beacon Awards were announced during Colleges Week, an annual celebration of the work colleges are doing across the country. This year’s theme was ‘influencing, engaging and celebrating’, with a look ahead to the upcoming mayoral and general elections.