Dudley and Walsall colleges ranked among best for supporting apprenticeships and training, says report
Two colleges have been ranked among the best in the country by apprenticeship and training providers, according to a new report.
Dudley College and Walsall College were rated joint third in the league table by FE Week.
However, it was not such good news for neighbouring Sandwell College, which was placed among the bottom 20 per cent in the same table.
Dudley College was helped to its high position thanks to its high employer satisfaction score, which saw 91 per cent of employers rate it highly in meeting their training needs.
It also received a creditable learner satisfaction score – with 86 per cent of students giving the thumbs up to their learning experience at the college.
Principal Lowell Williams said: "Our high level ranking in the college league table is a great achievement as it demonstrates we're doing a top job to support the learners and employers we work with.
"It's particularly pleasing that other Black Country colleges were in the top five places on the table too, as this shows the further education system across the region is in good shape and responding to the skills challenges we face.
"This ranking is a mark of the many things we've got right at the college and is testimony to the great efforts of our staff and our learners across the board.
"But we will work tirelessly to continue to improve what we do as there's no reason we shouldn't be in first place next time the table is published."
The employer satisfaction rate was converted to a score out of four and joined with ratings for the other three areas.
Sandwell College was given a score of two on student satisfaction, three on apprenticeships and two on employment.
It gave the college an overall score of seven out of a possible 16 and put it in the bottom 40 colleges in the country.
Dudley and Walsall colleges were both ranked joint third in the country, scoring 14 out of 16, with Wolverhampton not far behind with 13.
Halesowen College was ranked towards the lower end of the list with eight.
Sandwell College spokeswoman Helen Dalloway said: "These ratings are entirely arbitrary, based on incomplete data.
"Our most recent Ofsted report, which graded the college as good, states: 'Apprenticeship provision meets much-needed demands from employers.
"The college is now very much a regional centre of excellence for dental nursing and has a long-standing customer care provision for a large national car breakdown company'.
"Apprenticeship success rates have improved year on year and were five per cent above the national average in 2015. We successfully work with a number of large employers to deliver apprenticeships and training, including the AA, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Bhandals dental group, Interserve, West Bromwich Building Society, BMW Synter and Royal Sun Alliance.
"We are proud to work with a variety of companies listed among the top 50 fastest growing in Sandwell."
Exeter College was ranked the best in the country and was the only site to score full marks across the board.
