College named apprenticeship provider of the year

Plumpton College is delighted to have been announced as the ‘Agriculture, Environmental & Animal Care Apprenticeship Provider of the Year’ at the FE Week & AELP Apprenticeship Awards 2024.

Open to employers and providers across the UK, the awards celebrate excellence in apprenticeship delivery. The awards took place at the Annual Apprenticeship Conference Gala Dinner in Birmingham last night and is the result of a highly competitive selection process; a record 380 nominations across 20 categories and just 21 winners. This is the second year in a row that the college has been nationally recognised for its apprenticeship provision having been a winner at last year’s awards for the work supporting the butchery industry. 

Plumpton College is the leading land and environment college for the South East, working with employers from across the country providing their apprentices with a dynamic and immersive learning experience. Apprenticeships are delivered by trainers with extensive and up to date industry experience utilising outstanding teaching and learning facilities which include a commercial farm and vineyard, horticulture visitor attraction and animal management centre.

Programmes are designed to provide apprentices with a level of practical and theoretical teaching that far exceeds the requirements of their apprenticeship with additional enrichment and skills training available to further enhance their learning experience and personal development. This includes a dedicated maths and English functional skills and additional learning support departments and extra sessions on subjects such as sustainability, entrepreneurship and equality and diversity available to apprentices.

The number of apprentices trained by the college has grown consistently year on year, more than doubling in the last four years, with an exceptional achievement rate of 96% in the last year. Head of Business Services Dan Karlsson comments:

“For a college of our size to win in consecutive years across two different categories is a huge achievement and a real validation of our apprenticeship offer. The majority of our apprenticeships fall under this route, providing us with a fabulous opportunity to highlight our best in class practices across many different standards.  Our success is driven by our whole-college commitment to maintaining collaborative partnerships with employers and the industries we represent to ensure apprentices receive an outstanding and immersive learning experience. The land-based industries are critical to the future prosperity of our country and the college has a key role in supporting them in recruiting and training their current and future workforce in the skills that are so desperately in demand.”

The college was proud to open its new hub for business knowledge exchange and transfer ‘The Agri-Food Centre’ last year to facilitate greater links with the sector it serves. The college now hosts key events for organisations such as Wine GB and NFU, as well as organising roundtables for businesses in industries like Butchery and Bakery and conferences including the Future of Farming Conference being held for the second time this Spring.

There has never been a better time to consider a career in the land and environment sector. The college has its next Open Event on 16^th March 2024, 9am – 12pm, visit to find your future career.