Farnborough College of Technology is a large mixed economy college located in the North Hampshire Borough of Rushmoor. Rushmoor serves the needs of two distinct communities centred on Aldershot and Farnborough. The college is also the local provider for Hart District (Fleet) and Surrey Heath. With an annual turnover of approximately £21m it is one of the largest colleges in Hampshire. Significantly, approximately thirty per cent of College income derives from Higher Education direct funding, with programmes that include undergraduate and Masters Degrees and a few PhDs.

The curriculum covers all programme areas including Engineering, with a particular focus on aeronautical and manufacturing,Building, Finance, Management, Media, Environmental Science, Business Administration, Leisure and Tourism, Catering, Hairstyling, Beauty Therapy, IT, Public Services, Childcare, Computing, Sports Performance and Art & Design.

There are also Programmes for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities.

Basic Skills programmes have become a priority and feature as a main plank of Community Based provision, alongside IT and Learndirect.

The college sees itself unashamedly as a work / industry related provider. Provision clearly extends right across the board, but vocational and technical education and training remain an obvious strength for both Further and Higher Education courses. Another strength lies in the college’s ability to bridge Further Education and Higher Education and enable progression for students.

Farnborough has a long history in the field of aviation. The School of Engineering has grown from its long established contacts with the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), with many of its apprentices and engineers being trained at the college. This long tradition continues with modern programmes reflecting the current aviation and manufacturing industry. The course provision enable access to the curriculum from level 1, basic entry with progression to level 4 higher education.

The range of courses also support the aeronautical and aerospace manufacturing apprenticeship frameworks at NVQ level 2 and level 3 through our apprenticeship group, Training Enterprise, who will manage the learner through the framework on behalf of employers.