Bridgend College has been ranked in the top 25 ‘Best Large Companies to Work For in the UK’, being placed at number 22 in the Best Companies list, announced last Friday.
The College is the only educational institution to make the top 25 list, also achieving number 8 in the ‘Best Companies to Work for in Wales’ category and ranked at number 3 in the UK within the ‘Education and Training’ category.
Despite an incredibly challenging couple of years for the sector and country as a whole, the College has committed to providing excellent support and care to its fantastic staff, who have gone above and beyond to ensure that students have received the best possible educational experiences.
Earlier this year, the College also achieved gold status in the Mind Workplace Wellbeing Index for 2021/22; the only education provider in the UK to achieve gold, and one of just three organisations in Wales. The index recognises the College’s commitment to embedding mental health into both policy and practice.
The College continues to invest in wellbeing support for its staff with initiatives including its menopause cafe, staff choir and dedicated staff wellbeing spaces. Staff wellbeing advocates work across the organisation offering a familiar and supportive face to staff and have also undertaken Mental Health First Aid training to ensure that they have the tools and understanding needed to help.
Principal and Chief Executive of Bridgend College, Simon Pirotte OBE said:
“I am incredibly proud of the sustained journey of success the College has been on; achieving excellence is special, but maintaining it and improving takes commitment and dedication from incredible staff, governors and partners who create an inclusive and caring environment. This recognition just reaffirms the fantastic findings highlighted in our HMI Estyn inspection report, which was published in July.
Our strategic plan outlines our ambition to be recognised as a top 10 ‘Best Company’ and I am proud of the progress we continue to make towards this goal.”
Principal and Chief Executive of Bridgend College, Simon Pirotte OBE
Head of Human Resources at Bridgend College, Catherine Luff said:
“The College is a great place to work and we strive to have a person-centred approach in all that we do. We want our people to feel that they belong and that they can be authentic, in an environment which is supportive and enables them to be all that they can be.
This excellent recognition demonstrates the important progress that we are making together and highlights the college as a leading employer of choice in the UK.”
Head of Human Resources at Bridgend College, Catherine Luff