A college group from the county has received a new accreditation for its careers support.

South Hampshire College Group was awarded the matrix Standard accreditation, achieved through sustained delivery of high-quality careers support for prospective and current students.

Special commendation was given to the college group's commitment to positive working and effective collaboration with internal and external partners, and the commitment of managers to work towards alignment across the organisation.

READ MORE: The Hamble School shortlisted for national award

Staff and students alike were identified as being well supported, with plenty of available careers guidance that has proved impactful to students.

The matrix Standard is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG), either as their sole purpose or as part of their service offering.

This external audit required a review of South Hampshire College Group’s careers and admissions processes and procedures, feedback from students, as well as reviewing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Roger Chapman, head of the matrix service for The Growth Company, said: "This is a fantastic achievement for South Hampshire College Group and I would like to congratulate the team on their success.

READ MORE: Henry Cort move in North Whiteley set for funding decision

"We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available.

"The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas.

"With their accreditation success, South Hampshire College Group is working to provide the best possible support to their clients."

READ MORE: Inspire Learning Partnership reports rise in writing standards

Trudy McKenzie, group careers and admissions manager at South Hampshire College Group, commented: "We couldn’t have received this accreditation without the dedication and hard work of all our Admissions & Guidance Officers, Reception staff, Admissions Leads and Careers Advisers.

"This has been a real team effort and we would like to thank all those other wider staff members, stakeholders and students, who assisted by speaking to the Report Assessor.”


Building on this achievement, South Hampshire College Group’s celebrations of National Careers Week (March 3 - 8) will feature engaging activities for all students, including employer talks, in-person support from universities, CV workshops and careers drop-in sessions.