Customer services provided to students at City of Wolverhampton College have earned the organisation a national quality accreditation.
The college has been re-awarded matrix Standard Accreditation, first given in 2016, following an assessment which looked at the provision of information, advice and guidance relating to careers, finance, travel and study opportunities, as well as access to counselling services and study support.
The matrix Standard is a quality standard for organisations to assess and measure their advice and support systems which support people in their choice of career, learning, work and life goals.
The assessor praised the college’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic saying: “[The] Student Hub anticipated well the need for a lockdown and from early February began remote counselling and careers appointments using Teams. Students appeared to react well to this, and the service has continued to be used very well.”
They added: “Against the trend the college’s recruitment is up for full and part-time courses from last year. This can be attributed to the dedicated team which has continued to build up very good working relationships with schools, and perhaps most importantly each student has a named contact at the college to discuss any issues with before they enrol. This continues into enrolment.”
The assessment report highlighted the positive work the college is doing to ensure students choose the right course for their future career, the ways it inspires students to progress to higher education or university qualifications, the support provided for those with mental health or personal problems, how it monitors student absence and attendance, and the links it has with external agencies and organisations working with the homeless, unemployed and refugees and asylum seekers.
Rose Urkovskis, Head of Student Entitlement at the college said: “City of Wolverhampton College are thrilled to have retained their Matrix standard.
“During our annual assessment it was noted that key improvements continue to be made with another successful year for the college.
“Recruitment is above last year despite the challenges of recent months recognising how the team have responded positively to new ways of working and adapting our services.”
