Park Lane College Leeds was the largest further education

Further education

Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...

 college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 in Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, 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...

, and provided further, higher and adult education to over 45,000 students. It operated out of over 40 sites across Leeds. On 1 April 2009 Park Lane College merged with Leeds Thomas Danby

Leeds Thomas Danby

Leeds Thomas Danby was a further education college in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England offering courses for 16-18 year-olds and adults. The college was named after the first Mayor of Leeds, Captain Thomas Danby of Farnley...

 and the Leeds College of Technology

Leeds College of Technology

Leeds College of Technology was a further education college in Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. With a strong technical bias, the College supported the computing, engineering, social care and transport industries...

 to form the new Leeds City College

Leeds City College

Leeds City College is the largest Further education establishment in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, with around 57,000 students, 2,300 staff and an annual turnover of £78 million. It officially opened on 1 April 2009...

. The three main Park Lane sites are now known as the Park Lane Campus, Horsforth Campus and Keighley Campus of the new college.

History

Park Lane College was established in 1966, to provide commercial, secretarial and general education for the citizens of Leeds. In 1992, the College was incorporated and inherited control of the local education authority's dispersed, community-based provision. In 1998, it merged with Airedale and Wharfedale College, which became the Park Lane College Leeds Horsforth Centre.

On 1 August 2007, Park Lane College Leeds merged with Keighley College to form the new 'Park Lane College Keighley' taking the total number of students at Park Lane to approximately 45,000.

Sites

Park Lane College had three main campuses in the Leeds City Centre, Horsforth and Keighley, and operated out of over 40 other sites across Leeds.

In September 2004, Park Lane opened a new 7 storey extension at the City Centre Site. The award-winning design has an environmental focus and created an additional 60 classrooms on the College's main site. The College also launched a number of other new facilities and departments including the Creative Arts Academy, Hair & Beauty Therapy, the Animal Centre, the A Level Academy, and the PLCL Business School; it continued this trend with a new School for Entrepreneurship, Financial Services Skills Academy, and new Music and Construction provision.

Figures

The College budget totalled over £43 million. The total number of students at Park Lane was approximately 45,000 for the academic year 2006/7. Partnerships and community organisations enabled the College to meet the needs of socially excluded and other disadvantaged groups. Extensive basic skills provision formed a key element in the College's response to social inclusion.

The College signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with Leeds Metropolitan University

Leeds Metropolitan University

Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...

 in November 2004, and after this time developed over 21 foundation degrees in subjects such as Animal Health & Welfare, Contemporary Music Production and e-Technology.

Awards

The Government named Park Lane a Beacon College in 1999 for its outstanding performance, making it one of the first ten Colleges to be recognised as a centre of excellence. The Ofsted

Office for Standards in Education

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....

 inspection from 2002 rated the College so highly that it reinforced its position as one of the top Colleges in UK. The College later received the Charter Mark

Charter Mark

The Customer Service Excellence, is an accreditation for organisations and an independent validation of achievement.-History:...

 standard, Customer First, Investors in People

Investors in People

Launched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....

 Award, Investors in Diversity Award, Matrix Award, and an excellent Ofsted report in June 2006.

Employers and business

Park Lane met regularly with employers from industries covered by courses and had links with over 2,500 companies. Relationships included Leeds Rugby, Bradford City Football Club, Radio Aire, Halifax Building Society, Asda, and the Yorkshire Post Newspapers.

External links

• Leeds City College website
• Park Lane College Leeds Ofsted
  Office for Standards in Education
  The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
  
  reports