South Devon College proud to support and celebrate local business success at awards

South Devon College is a £38 million Further and Higher Education college based in

Torbay, supporting between 8,000 and 10,000 learners each year. Around 70 per

cent of those learners live locally, with the rest coming from Teignbridge and South

Hams.

The College covers the full range of education within a single institution. Learners

can start with school-age programmes, move through technical and vocational

training, progress into professional qualifications and go on to degree-level study, all

without leaving South Devon. For many people in Torbay, this matters. Not everyone

can relocate for education, and not everyone should have to. The College creates

clear, accessible pathways that keep opportunity local and allow people to build

careers while staying connected to their families and communities.

As an anchor institution for Torbay and South Devon, the College plays a direct role

in the long-term economic health of the region. It supports young people at the start

of their working lives, adults looking to retrain or change direction, and employers

trying to grow their workforce from within the community. Skills shortages and

productivity gaps affect South Devon in specific ways, and the College is structured

to respond to local need rather than national averages.

The University Centre holds TEF Gold overall, with Gold also awarded for Student

Experience and Student Outcomes. One of only three colleges in England to achieve

this, the University Centre offers higher-level study in a setting that is connected to

the regional economy. The College has held Foundation Degree Awarding Powers

since 2019. Ofsted rates the College as Good overall, with Outstanding awarded for

its Education Programmes for Young People, including its High School, and for

Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development and High Needs provision. These

ratings reflect consistent performance across a wide range of learners and

circumstances.

Training is built around the sectors South Devon depends on. Construction, health,

care and nursing, electronics and photonics, advanced manufacturing, engineering,

marine industries, tourism and hospitality are all areas of active provision. They

reflect the real composition of the local economy and the genuine pressures

employers in the area face when trying to recruit and retain skilled staff.

Courses are developed and regularly reviewed in partnership with employers, which

means what is taught in the classroom reflects what businesses need on the ground.

This approach has allowed the College to build a national reputation for specialist

expertise and quality in several of these fields, attracting recognition well beyond the

region. For local businesses, it means training that is relevant, current and shaped in

part by people who understand their industry.

The College works with national, regional and local partners to widen access to

training and retraining. This includes supporting people who are returning to

education after a gap, those moving between sectors, and those facing barriers that

might otherwise put further study out of reach. Widening access is not a secondary

concern. It is central to the College’s role in the region, and to the argument that

economic growth must include the people already living here.

South Devon faces the same pressures as many coastal and rural economies: an

ageing workforce in key sectors, limited inward investment, and recruitment

challenges that affect public services as much as private businesses. The College’s

work does not solve these problems alone, but it addresses them in a sustained and

practical way, year after year, across thousands of individual learners.

South Devon College is where the region’s workforce is being built. That work is

happening now, locally, and its impact is visible across businesses, households and

public services throughout Torbay and South Devon.