Activate Learning is delighted to announce that it has received commended status for its award submission for the Jisc Award for Effective Use of Digital Technology in FE as part of the Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Awards.  

The submission was for the FE college group’s online provision, which was launched with 45 learners in 2020 prior to the pandemic and which has grown to nearly 2,000 learners today across online GCSE and Access to HE programmes.  

Activate Learning were one of five colleges to receive the commended status today, along with Heart of Worcestershire College, USP College, Education Partnership North East (EPNE) and Barnsley College.  

Activate Learning commended for online provision

Speaking about the news, Activate Learning Deputy Chief Executive Cheri Ashby said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition from the AoC for the work we’ve done to help thousands of people around the UK access education more easily.  

“We launched our online programme in 2020 to help widen participation in education and help people improve their lives and we’ve delivered on this.  

“This year we’ve achieved sector-leading results with the proportion of our online GCSE students who achieved 9-4 grades, is significantly higher than nationally with 79.1% achieving a 9-4 compared to the national 9-4 pass rate of 46.1% and 92% of our Access to HE learners successfully applying to university. 

“’At the heart of our approach to learning online is our Learning Philosophy which seeks to understand the dynamic between the brain, motivation and emotion. Through this approach, we are able to deliver highly personalised learning experiences online, drawing on both neuroscience and technology.   

“We have completely reimagined the way we deliver our programmes, putting our learners and their needs central to everything we deliver, and this has seen amazing feedback from our online students. 

Demonstrating innovation, impact and sustainability

Activate Learning’s submission was commended after it showed a high level of innovation, impact, and sustainability.  

The next stage will be on 15 November when the Beacon finalists for every category will be announced at the AoC Annual Conference.  

Speaking about the commendations, Cheri Asby said: “I would like to offer a massive congratulations to everyone that’s been commended by the AoC.  

“It’s fantastic to see all the amazing things going on across the sector and really highlights the importance and impact of Further Education.”  

To see the full list of commended colleges and learn about their work, go to the AoC website.