Business Awards sponsors South Devon College on a mission to inspire its community

South Devon College is on a mission to inspire the community through learning. The College has come a long way since the days of Torquay Tech, but their purpose hasn’t changed – it's here to provide opportunities and change lives through the development of skills. By doing this, the college aims to make the naturally inspiring home of Torbay a more prosperous place to work and live.

The College welcomes 10,000 students through our doors each year – a quarter of whom are our 16-18-year-old students – the lifeblood of the community and Torbay's future workforce. South Devon College also welcomes around 2,000 adult learners per year, supporting changes in careers and the development of specialist skills that local employers desperately need.

Around 700 students are enrolled in degree-level study at South Devon College's University Centre, which provides employment-focused study programmes taught by expert staff in a supportive environment.

So, what’s on offer at the College?

You’ll find the main campus in the heart of Torbay, on Long Road in Paignton. The main Vantage Point building always surprises visitors – it’s a large, bright and spacious building with a whole host of facilities, from a variety of eateries serving quality locally-sourced food options, Inspirations, our professional hair and beauty salon which is open to the public, and Horizons, our very own, commercially-run restaurant which provides a fantastic experience to students in catering and hospitality of a real working environment.

The Hi-Tech & Digital Centre is the newest addition to the Paignton campus. Opened in 2019, this £17 million building houses specialist digital and engineering training facilities including the Photonics suite that supports the local Hi-Tech Cluster’s training needs and an immersive esports facility.

Opposite Vantage Point, the distinctive University Centre building stands as a testament to our commitment to providing access to double TEF Gold standard university-level study right here in Torbay. In 2019, South Devon College was granted its own foundation degree awarding powers, which means it can deliver and award degrees independently, as well as alongside trusted university partners The University of Plymouth.

Across the road is the Sports Centre, home to the latest generation all-weather 3G pitch, changing rooms, community room, teaching space and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) pitch.

Further afield, the South Devon College Marine Academy is nestled on the banks of the River Dart, part of Premier Marina’s new development, providing much-needed specialist skills to the marine sector. An RYA-approved training centre, the Marine Academy meets the training needs of the local marine sector.

If any of this sounds surprising, why not come and see for yourself? For local businesses, there has never been a better time to engage with the College and see what it can offer you.

Colleges are the heart of the skills revolution and the Levelling Up agenda. South Devon College is currently working with the local business community to develop and deliver professional training across the Bay’s core growth sectors, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Over the coming weeks and months, the college will be launching a suite of fully funded courses for people living in Torbay, all with the aim of giving local people the skills they need to forge a successful career locally.

Laurence Frewin, Principal and CEO at South Devon College, commented: “This is such an exciting time for Further Education.

South Devon College is at the forefront of developing the technical skills needed to grow our local economy, providing a skilled workforce and creating employment for the local community, both now and in the future.

“We feel privileged to be able to support local businesses to develop the skills they need to grow. We’re keen to broaden our reach in the business community through these exciting new initiatives.

“If you haven’t been to the College recently, I’d encourage you to get in touch and arrange a visit – there’s nothing the team here at the College loves more than surprising visitors with the facilities and opportunities for learning on offer right here in Torbay.

"Celebrating success is at the heart of all we do and we’re exceptionally proud to be sponsoring the Inspiring Employer of the Year. Good luck to all those who have been shortlisted - we look forward to meeting you at the awards!"