The Somerset Chamber of Commerce’s 19th annual Somerset Business Awards, sponsored by Albert Goodman, saw Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) crowned Large Business of the Year at a glittering ceremony held at Weston-super-Mare’s Winter Gardens last week.
The largest and most prestigious awards in Somerset are a highlight of the local business calendar and recognise the achievements of Somerset’s highly vibrant and varied business community. Among stiff competition, BTC stood out as an outstanding, £62m business with a clear vision, a common culture and a strong ethos across campuses in Taunton, Bridgwater and Cannington, where it sits at front and centre of skills development for the South West region, addressing identified workforce needs through training programmes that are innovative, employer-led, and highly effective.
Opportunities for BTC’s learners are exceptional, whether in healthcare, civil nuclear, engineering, construction, food and drink or digital. In the space of just nine years, BTC has become the UK’s top apprenticeship training provider across numerous industry sectors, with 3,000 apprentices currently on roll. It has recently been awarded not only a national Association of Colleges Beacon Award for supporting its most vulnerable students into rewarding and productive work, but also the highest possible honour within the education sector – the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – for its unparalleled achievement in gaining the consent of both the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) and its university partner (University of the West of England) to deliver much needed Nursing degrees locally, opening up a wealth of opportunity for those working in the healthcare sector.
Award sponsors, law firm Stephens Scown, were ‘blown away’ by BTC’s culture of positivity and commitment to the community it serves, praising the breadth and depth of its offer and the unique partnerships it has forged with employers large and small.
Accepting the award, BTC’s Principal and CEO, Andy Berry, said:
“Words cannot express how delighted I am to receive this award on behalf of all the staff at BTC who work tirelessly to transform lives. Our role in the community is to unlock potential and enable everyone to benefit from the huge success story that Somerset has become, and we see our work with employers as absolutely fundamental to this aim. On behalf of all my staff, I would like to thank the judges at Stephens Scown and the Somerset Chamber for this award, and to add my own congratulations to every finalist and award winner here tonight.”
