Peterborough Regional College
Encyclopedia
Peterborough Regional College, established in 1946 as Peterborough Technical College, is a major college of further
and higher education
in Peterborough
, Cambridgeshire
. It is currently ranked in the top five per cent of colleges in the United Kingdom
.
A £120 million development will see the college move into new buildings on the site of its existing campus by 2012.
(which became Hotpoint
), Newall Engineering and Mitchell Engineering were well established. Peterborough was already an important railway centre providing a great deal of work for the populace, but with all this
industry there was no local provision for training.
In 1903 the County Technical School was set up in a small building in Broadway in the city centre with boys studying mathematics, science, technical drawing and some technological subjects. Girls studied a programme for employment in commerce. This was closed in 1926 to save money. Some technical classes did continue but were held as evening classes at Deacon's Grammar School, other schools and the Broadway building.
With the onset of the war in 1939 the major engineering firms had to expand to produce munitions and other vital military equipment. The demand for skilled men, and also now for women, escalated but there was nothing in the education or training field to cope with this demand. The industrial expansion continued but it wasn't until 1944 that the Soke of Peterborough
Education Committee established Advisory Committees for Engineering and Building and reorganised courses into the Senior Evening Institute of Commercial and Technical Students, Junior Evening Institute and Adult Institute. Classes were held all over the city but in 1946 temporary premises were erected on land in Garton End Road to provide space for engineering subjects. Pressure from local firms with education and training policies resulted in the Education Committee supporting a plan for Peterborough Technical College, initially at the Garton End Road site.
The separate Adult Education Institute became Peterborough College of Adult Education in 1970 when it moved to its own premises on Brook Street.
In 1952 the first instalment of the new, purpose built Eastfield
site opened. In the following years four more building instalments were made and the developments were the result of an almost unique collaboration between the firms of the area, the county council and the Principal and Governors of the College.
In 1982 The Tech was renamed Peterborough Regional College and in 1993 it became a
Corporation under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992
, with new branding and a range of degrees validated by leading universities.
The College offers a range of qualifications including GCSEs
, GCE
A Levels, Ordinary and Higher National Diploma
s, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
, City & Guilds
, NVQs
and professional qualifications. The College also offers courses for international students, including IELTS
English language
proficiency testing.
Computing courses for those trying to get back into employment or wishing to update skills, together with a range of literacy and numeracy classes, were previously run from the Corn Exchange Learning Centre in the city centre. The Media Centre also moved from Hightrees, adjacent to the main site on Eastfield Road, to purpose-built premises on Broadway with industry standard facilities.
In 2006, Peterborough Regional College began talks with Anglia Ruskin University
on developing a new university campus for the city. The college and the university then completed the legal contracts for the creation of a new joint venture company at a special signing ceremony at the college. The formation marked the culmination of legal negotiations and securing of funds required in order to build the new higher education centre. The joint venture company, limited by guarantee, is managed by an equal number of directors from both partner institutions who are responsible for the academic and operational running of the new centre. The new University Centre Peterborough
opened in October 2009, and now houses most of the higher education courses previously offered by the college.
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...
and higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. It is currently ranked in the top five per cent of colleges in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
A £120 million development will see the college move into new buildings on the site of its existing campus by 2012.
History
Engineering firms Peter Brotherhood and Baker Perkins relocated to Peterborough just after 1900 and by the 1930s British Thomson-HoustonBritish Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
(which became Hotpoint
Hotpoint
The Hotpoint Electric Heating Company is a British brand of domestic appliances. The brand is currently fully owned by Italy's Indesit....
), Newall Engineering and Mitchell Engineering were well established. Peterborough was already an important railway centre providing a great deal of work for the populace, but with all this
industry there was no local provision for training.
In 1903 the County Technical School was set up in a small building in Broadway in the city centre with boys studying mathematics, science, technical drawing and some technological subjects. Girls studied a programme for employment in commerce. This was closed in 1926 to save money. Some technical classes did continue but were held as evening classes at Deacon's Grammar School, other schools and the Broadway building.
With the onset of the war in 1939 the major engineering firms had to expand to produce munitions and other vital military equipment. The demand for skilled men, and also now for women, escalated but there was nothing in the education or training field to cope with this demand. The industrial expansion continued but it wasn't until 1944 that the Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough
The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire...
Education Committee established Advisory Committees for Engineering and Building and reorganised courses into the Senior Evening Institute of Commercial and Technical Students, Junior Evening Institute and Adult Institute. Classes were held all over the city but in 1946 temporary premises were erected on land in Garton End Road to provide space for engineering subjects. Pressure from local firms with education and training policies resulted in the Education Committee supporting a plan for Peterborough Technical College, initially at the Garton End Road site.
The separate Adult Education Institute became Peterborough College of Adult Education in 1970 when it moved to its own premises on Brook Street.
In 1952 the first instalment of the new, purpose built Eastfield
Eastfield, Peterborough
Eastfield is a residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes it comprises the main part of Peterborough East ward. As of 2001 this has a resident population of 8,424...
site opened. In the following years four more building instalments were made and the developments were the result of an almost unique collaboration between the firms of the area, the county council and the Principal and Governors of the College.
In 1982 The Tech was renamed Peterborough Regional College and in 1993 it became a
Corporation under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992
Further and Higher Education Act 1992
The Further and Higher Education Acts 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of further education and higher education within the United Kingdom. The most visible result was to allow thirty-five polytechnics to become universities. In addition the Act created bodies to fund higher...
, with new branding and a range of degrees validated by leading universities.
Today
Peterborough Regional College now welcomes through its gates around 3,500 full time and 12,000 part time students, encompassing the widest range of courses in the Greater Peterborough area. The College has long experience of providing full and part time courses, with a degree programme being started in 1993.The College offers a range of qualifications including GCSEs
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
, GCE
General Certificate of Education
The General Certificate of Education or GCE is an academic qualification that examination boards in the United Kingdom and a few of the Commonwealth countries, notably Sri Lanka, confer to students. The GCE traditionally comprised two levels: the Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level...
A Levels, Ordinary and Higher National Diploma
Higher National Diploma
A Higher National Diploma is a higher education qualification in the United Kingdom. This qualification can be used to gain entry into universities, and is considered equivalent to the first or second year of a university degree course....
s, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
, City & Guilds
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
, NVQs
National Vocational Qualification
National Vocational Qualifications are work based awards in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are achieved through assessment and training. In Scotland they are known as Scottish Vocational Qualification ....
and professional qualifications. The College also offers courses for international students, including IELTS
IELTS
IELTS , or 'International English Language Testing System', is an international standardised test of English language proficiency. It is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council and IDP Education Pty Ltd, and was established in 1989.There are two versions of...
English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
proficiency testing.
Computing courses for those trying to get back into employment or wishing to update skills, together with a range of literacy and numeracy classes, were previously run from the Corn Exchange Learning Centre in the city centre. The Media Centre also moved from Hightrees, adjacent to the main site on Eastfield Road, to purpose-built premises on Broadway with industry standard facilities.
In 2006, Peterborough Regional College began talks with Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University is one of the largest universities in Eastern England, United Kingdom, with a total student population of around 30,000.-History:...
on developing a new university campus for the city. The college and the university then completed the legal contracts for the creation of a new joint venture company at a special signing ceremony at the college. The formation marked the culmination of legal negotiations and securing of funds required in order to build the new higher education centre. The joint venture company, limited by guarantee, is managed by an equal number of directors from both partner institutions who are responsible for the academic and operational running of the new centre. The new University Centre Peterborough
University Centre Peterborough
University Centre Peterborough is a small higher education institution located in Peterborough in the United Kingdom. It is formally part of Peterborough Regional College with degrees awarded by Anglia Ruskin University...
opened in October 2009, and now houses most of the higher education courses previously offered by the college.