MP praises College

The Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, Bill Rammell, guest speaker at Wakefield College’s Graduation Ceremony this year, paid tribute to the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of College staff and students.

Sisters Adele and Tracy Morley, who graduated having completed the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) level 4 course

He said, “Here at Wakefield College you offer individuals the opportunity to make a lasting and positive change to their lives. Studying at a Higher Education level is one of the best investments anyone can make for their future. To succeed we all need to make lifelong learning a lifelong endeavour and in the Further Education sector we are developing leaders, workers and business people of the future, across a diverse range of sectors.”

He added that Wakefield College had a long tradition of providing high quality teaching and learning, enabling people of all ages, background and nationalities to obtain degrees. “Over 10 percent of Higher Education students are taking their degrees at colleges like this, and I congratulate all the students graduating today on their achievement. The dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of the students, and staff, is to be celebrated and I wish them all the very best of luck for the future, and the success that they deserve.”

Mr Rammell said that to study at a higher level it was helpful to have achieved good A level results. He then described the College’s A level results this year, where the average pass rate of 97.4% was well above the national average, as ‘phenomenal’. He praised the College in supporting young people as they entered adulthood and on the role they were playing in the educational regeneration of the district.

A procession of College staff, Governors, guests and graduates, headed by the Mayor of Wakefield, Councillor Darran Travis, paraded along Wood Street, braving the high winds on one of the most important days in the College Calendar, to the City’s Cathedral.

This year in excess of 400 students achieved a Higher Education qualification including Higher National Diplomas, Higher National Certificates, Foundation Degrees and Degrees in a number of areas including Education, Computing, Personnel, Building Studies, Childhood Studies, Care, Sports Studies, Music, Engineering, Business & Management, Travel & Tourism, Catering, Multimedia, Theatre, Marketing, Art & Design and Accounting. Many have gone on to do top-up degrees at universities across the country.

Amongst this year’s graduates were sisters Adele and Tracy Morley, both from Wakefield, who graduated having completed the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) level 4 course. Tracy works at the College within the directorate of Planning and Development.

Links

Graduation Day 2006 in Photos
Video of the 2006 Graduation Ceremony

ENDS