The Association of Colleges (AoC) has revealed the theme of this year’s Colleges Week will be “Your Future, Your Choice” highlighting the ability of colleges as a highly affordable route to FE and HE qualifications.

Colleges Week takes place across the UK annually with this year’s event running from 8th-15th November. Now in its third year, the aim is to make this one even more successful than the last.

Ben Verinder, Communications Director at the AoC said the event would showcase the social and economic contribution of colleges to UK life.

He said key stakeholders, the media and national and local influencers would also come together to highlight how college training is helping Britain's businesses bridge the skills gap.

"Colleges Week is a fantastic showcase for the work that colleges, their
staff and students are doing,” he explained.

With a wealth of national and local initiatives being planned, Colleges
Week is grouped into 4 key areas:

1.       Affordable excellence for higher education
New research reveals that colleges provide high quality higher education
at a fraction of the cost of university tuition fees, as well as
offering all the other activities and support young people need for a
well-rounded student life.

2.       The top choice for young people
With more people than ever before actively choosing to further their
education at college, the week will look at hot to convince people it is the right environment for them. Colleges will take part in social media surveys asking students why college was
their top choice through the use of video and polls conducted via Facebook
and YouTube.

3.       Centres of sporting success
Nurturing individual talent is what college is all about, and when it
comes to helping students realise their sporting ambitions, colleges
have been proving to be centres of excellence. Colleges Week
will see Britain's biggest sports day – a fundraiser across the UK.


4.       Training for business growth
In today's competitive economic climate, big businesses are turning to
colleges to help them stay ahead by keeping staff training up to date,
but uptake among SMEs is relatively low.
 Business events will be shown as an excellent way to reach out to employers to demonstrate how colleges can help them bridge skills gaps in an affordable, flexible way.