Highlands College is a further and higher college in Jersey

Jersey

Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...

 in the Channel Islands

Channel Islands

The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...

. It has 860 full-time and over 4,000 part-time and adult students. Highlands is a Partner College of the University of Plymouth

University of Plymouth

Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...

 (The University of Plymouth Colleges network

The University of Plymouth Colleges network

The University of Plymouth Colleges network is a partnership between the University of Plymouth and local colleges to deliver a range of higher education courses in Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, as well as the Channel Islands. The network began in 1989 with the Polytechnic South...

). The Principal is Professor Eddy Sallis OBE, The Co-Principal is Dr James Job.

The College is situated on a campus in St. Saviour

Saint Saviour, Jersey

-Notable sites:*Highlands College*De La Salle College*St. Michael's Preparatory School*Hautlieu School*Grainville Cricket Ground*Grainville School*Jersey Evening Post offices and printing works-External links:**...

 on the site of a former French Jesuit training school Notre Dame de Bon Secours that was established in Jersey in 1894 on the site known as Highlands. The school trained sailors for the French navy but when the Jesuits were denied permission by anti-clerical laws to continue teaching, the school was moved to Jersey from Brest

Brest, France

Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...

. The Jesuit period finished after World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and the site was purchased by another French group The Brothers of Christian Instruction

Brothers of Christian Instruction

The Brothers of Christian Instruction also known as the De la Mennais Brothers is a Christian educational organization founded in 1819 by Gabriel Deshayes and Jean-Marie de la Mennais for the instruction of youth. Their aim remains that of their Founder :"to educate the young and to make Jesus...

 from Ploërmel

Ploërmel

Ploërmel is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-Character of the town:It is a growing and developing community with a thriving economy and a lively atmosphere. The town is modern rather than romantically mediaeval, but it is clean and attractive and offers a...

 in Brittany who set up a missionary school. During the second world war Jersey was occupied by the Germans

Occupation of the Channel Islands

The Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi Germany for much of World War II, from 30 June 1940 until the liberation on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands are two British Crown dependencies and include the bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey as well as the smaller islands of Alderney and Sark...

 and the site from 1941 was used to house 180 occupying forces. It returned to its previous use in 1945.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the States of Jersey

States of Jersey

The States of Jersey is the parliament and government of Jersey.The Assembly of the States of Jersey has exercised legislative powers since 1771, when law-making power was transferred from the Royal Court of Jersey....

 established a College of Further Education in a number of different buildings in Saint Helier

Saint Helier

Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...

, the capital of Jersey. The college taught mainly craft skills such as construction, catering, motor vehicle and secretarial courses. In 1970 the demand for missionaries had fallen away and the Brothers of Christian instruction sold the Highlands site to the States of Jersey. In 1972 the States established Highlands College and over a period moved all further education to the campus that was also occupied by the Education Department. Extensive rebuilding has taken place on the campus to create excellent facilities in a wide range of vocational disciplines.

The main feature of the college is its Great Hall

Great Hall

Great Hall may refer to* Great hall, the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or large manor house* Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen Square, Beijing* Great Hall of the University of Sydney, Australia* Cooper_Union#The_Great_Hall, New York...

. This is the former chapel built by the Jesuits and features a magnificent hammer beam room and stained glass windows. The college has hosted The Queen

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

, the Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales

Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...

, The UK Lord Chancellor

Lord Chancellor

The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...

 and other distinguished guests in the Hall.

The curriculum portfolio of Highlands College includes childcare, art and design, construction, engineering, business and management studies, finance studies, media, hairdressing and beauty therapy, catering, travel and tourism, foundation studies, IT and health care as well as an Access to Higher Education programme. It offers degree programmes in IT, social science, construction management, architectural technology, public services and art and design.

Since 1998 the college has invested heavily in quality self-improvement process that was originally led by Dr Terry Melia CBE the former Senior Chief HMI and former Chief Inspector of the UK Further Education Funding Council. His 2004 report found that the leadership and management of the college were outstanding and he benchmarked the college against the best colleges in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.