Milton Keynes College Group Impact Report 2024/25 by Milton Keynes College

Impact Report 2024/25

Milton Keynes College students volunteering at the Buckinghamshire Canal Society on College in the Community Day 2025.

Foreword

Sally Alexander CEO and Group Principal

Welcome to our Community Impact Report for 2025.

As a civic anchor institution in Milton Keynes, we are deeply committed to social impact and prioritise building partnerships that foster a sense of pride, belonging and support for all, contributing to Fairer Futures for the community. As we look back on the exciting projects and opportunities delivered this year, we reaffirm our commitment to making our College Group a welcoming environment where all learners and staff feel they belong.

This year we gained our White Ribbon Accreditation as we pledged to work towards ending men’s violence towards women and girls. From wellness walks to interactive workshops and talks, providing opportunities for our students to discuss health-related and social issues helps our student population to feel engaged and empowered. We have solidified our commitment to prioritising the wellbeing of all our learners and colleagues by signing the Association of Colleges’ Charters on Mental Health and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. From STEMx to Tea and Tech, we have launched a series of exciting

initiatives that make a meaningful impact on communities in the fastchanging world, inclusive of all ages, genders and social backgrounds.

At Milton Keynes College Group, working continuously in partnership with our local communities remains one of our key priorities. Our third College in the Community Day on 2nd April was once again a great success. Our students and staff engaged in over 50 activities across Milton Keynes and Bletchley, rolling up their sleeves and giving back to the community. Right across the city from MK University Hospital to Moorland Primary School and YMCA Milton Keynes, our colleagues and students have once again done us proud.

We have had many exciting projects happening across our prison education network, including an exhibition at HMP Wakefield on the employability theme of “Next Generation – from handcuffs to handshakes” and our partnership with KMT Training to support trainee teachers in gaining valuable experiences through visits to our prison sites, under the groundbreaking initiative “Prison as a Place of Learning.” Our prison learners have also been extremely well

represented at the Koestler Awards, where our learners were awarded a total of 511 different awards across all our 30 sites, demonstrating the immense artistic talent enrolled in our courses.

We are committed to delivering Fairer Futures, not only for our learners and wider communities, but also for our environment. We were proud to launch our Climate Action Plan this January, detailing a practical roadmap for driving positive environmental change across the College Group in the face of the climate emergency. Likewise, launching our Green Skills Centre in October allowed us to expand our provision of green skills to meet local need with lots of input from our partners already working in the sector.

I would like to extend a big thank you to all our colleagues, learners, employers and partners – we couldn’t have done this without you. To continue delivering Fairer Futures for our communities, we must work together to bring about tangible and long-lasting impact.

Our Impact Aims

Drive aspirational, innovative and student-focussed educational experiences that have a positive impact on social mobility.

Deliver the skills employers need by developing meaningful partnerships to grow our influence and create opportunities.

Achieve and maintain financial and operational sustainability that contributes to economic growth.

Promote and live fairness, equality, diversity and inclusion to build a fairer society to live and work in.

May 2024

Impact Highlights

Association of Colleges Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter is signed by Milton Keynes College Group.

September 2024

STEMx launched at the Red Bull Technology Campus.

August 2024

Koestler Awards participated in by our prison learners who enjoy great success, winning 500+ awards.

October 2024

Green Skills Centre opens to provide three new green skills courses to upskill professionals.

October 2024

Association of Colleges Mental Health Charter is signed by Milton Keynes College Group.

January 2025

Climate Action Plan is launched, providing the College Group with a roadmap to a more sustainable future.

November 2024

White Ribbon Accreditation achieved by Milton Keynes College Group, formalising our commitment to ending men’s violence against women and girls.

April 2025

College in the Community Day celebrated for the third year in a row, with our students and staff volunteering in the community across Milton Keynes and Bletchley.

Aim One

We drive aspirational, innovative and student-focussed educational experiences that have a positive impact on social mobility.

At MK College Group, we strive to make sure that all our learners feel supported in achieving their goals and safe among their peers. In 2024 we gained our White Ribbon Accreditation, as we pledged to work towards ending men’s violence against women with White Ribbon UK, the leading charity tackling this vital issue. In addition to this, we are part of the Research Centre for Protecting Women Online with the Open University. We also welcomed AJ Bouchada as our newest Governor in October. Her journey from student at the College to Governor emphasises the power of following your passion and inspiring others.

This year brought exciting new opportunities for our campus learners, as a group of our Beauty and Catering students embarked on a learning journey in Thailand thanks to funding from the Turing Grant. With a themed menu at the Brasserie following their return, the students got to put their newly gained skills to use.

7,730+

learners across the Chaffron Way and Bletchley campuses.

Former student

230

436

UCAS applications were supported by MK College. 75% had received at least one university offer by early February 2025.

students have progressed to a Level 3 qualification with us since 2020, who had previously achieved an Entry Level or Level 1 qualification.

202

apprentice completions between January 2024 and January 2025.

AJ Bouchada starts as governor

Read more, scan the QR code

Beauty and Catering students travelled to Bangkok, Thailand on a learning trip.

Catering and Beauty students travel to Thailand

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Aim One

We drive aspirational, innovative and student-focussed educational experiences that have a positive impact on social mobility.

The Skills Academy’s second year in action saw increased numbers of learners, who had the opportunity to learn from experts and organisations both at the College and external sites.

We have focussed on expanding our work in the community, from launching Tea and Tech in June 2024 to help individuals improve their digital skills, to encouraging our staff and learners to volunteer in the community on our third annual College in the Community Day.

Delivering education in 30 prisons across England and engaging with 18,000 prisoners annually, MK College Group believes in the power of rehabilitation through education. HMP Fosse Way approaches its second year in operation this May, and in December 2024 HMP Isle of Wight saw ten learners graduating with the Open University courses. It has been a hugely successful year for learners in our prisons, who have taken part in the 2024 Koestler Awards and Koestler Arts’ annual exhibition at the Southbank Centre.

students enrolled in the Skills Academy for the 2024/25 academic year.

Apprenticeship graduates at their graduation ceremony in February 2025

Digital skills initiative

Tea and Tech launched in June

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Skills Academy students participated the Action 4 Youth Big Challenge

Aim Two

We deliver the skills employers need by developing meaningful partnerships to grow our influence and create opportunities.

The 24/25 academic year has seen the launch of several exciting initiatives with both new and longstanding partners, strengthening the core relationships that drive MK College Group’s mission to address skills shortages and close the skills gap in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. This year, Milton Keynes College Group was a headline sponsor of the Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards, with the theme being “Bridging the Gap: Skills & Learning for Our Future Workforce.”

To promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) studies to school-goers, we have joined forces with Oracle Red Bull Racing to create STEMx, a new initiative that promotes STEM-focussed careers, striving for greater diversity and inclusion of people from underrepresented communities.

Achieved for seventh year, building on digital learning specialisms.

34 colleagues are Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts (MIEE) – the second highest figure in the UK.

Learn more about STEMx

With the College represented on the Board of Bletchley Pathfinders, we have been involved in a series of initiatives aimed at improving the ways our health and care services work together by supporting a wide range of community engagement projects. 581

students aged 9-14 have participated in the STEMx learning programme between December 2024 and April 2025. 780

KMT Training Partnership in Prisons

is the peak of our apprenticeship numbers in the past year.

Students attended #GirlsWill ‘Into the World of F1’ event

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Aim Two

We deliver the skills employers need by developing meaningful partnerships to grow our influence and create opportunities.

We partnered with six other colleges in the region under the South East Midlands Inter College Competitions (SEMICC) group to host a series of challenges, designed to encourage students to develop their skills outside the classroom. Winning the Green Futures Challenge and being recognised at the Business Skills Competition have inspired and empowered our learners, giving them the opportunity to connect with employers and present their ideas. We were also delighted to receive two awards at the MK STEM Awards for Education Excellence and a Student Superstar (FE) award for HND Digital Technologies student Cristian Munteanu.

We were proud to participate in the High Sheriff Symposium on School Inclusion and Crime Prevention – a vital one-day event that brought together local educators, law enforcement, and community leaders to tackle the critical issues affecting young people today. With a shared belief that learning can transform lives, MK College Group partnered with KMT Training to support trainee teachers in gaining valuable experiences through visits to our prison sites across Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, under the initiative “Prison as a Place of Learning.”

Design student’s design artwork for Thames Valley Police’s campaign

STEMx team at the launch event

Business students impressed the panel at the SEMICC Business Skills Competition

CEO Sleepout in November 2024 to raise funds for YMCA and other homelessness charities

Sally Alexander and Nicholas Mann, following the announcement of Milton Keynes College Group being the headline sponsor of Milton Keynes Business Achievement Awards

Graphic

to tackle antisocial behaviour

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Aim Three

We achieve and maintain financial and operational sustainability that contributes to economic growth.

We are pleased we can continue to increase our capacity with the funding provided by Milton Keynes City Council, who have approved a significant investment of £6.1m for expansion to accommodate a rapidly growing student population. Funds will also be used for energy efficiency upgrades to enable the College to meet the city’s sustainability goals and bring costs down.

We understand that growth must be in partnership with our planet. In 2025 we launched our Climate Action Plan which outlines our key aims for reducing our environmental impacts by 2030. It is the result of a consultation with our staff, students, governors and community partners which identified the climate ambitions most important for the College Group.

In line with our ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, we were awarded funding from Milton Keynes City Council’s Carbon Offset Fund to support the replacement of gas boilers at our Bletchley campus for air source heat pumps. We also began to collect baseline data for each climate aim to set tangible targets and track progress to 2030.

Climate Action Plan

MK College Group launches new Climate Action Plan

Read the story, scan the QR code. awarded from the Council’s Carbon Offset Fund.

£819,000 additional Green Skills programmes offered with the launch of the Green Skills Centre.

5 Climate Ambitions and 10 Climate Aims established as part of our Climate Action Plan. activities completed by our learners and staff members as part of the Planet Earth Games.

100+

Green Skills Centre launched at Chaffron Way

Aim Three

We achieve and maintain financial and operational sustainability that contributes to economic growth.

The launch of the Green Skills Centre in October marked an important milestone in our curriculum delivery. Green skills are essential for the transition to a low-carbon future and to support sustainable economic growth. The Centre will be a one-stop shop for developing these skills, starting with Level 3 awards in the installation of solar panels, electric vehicle charging points and electrical energy storage.

A culture of sustainability was further embedded across the College Group with the appointment of a Student Sustainability Officer in December 2024. Alongside an emerging student action group and engaged staff committee, they helped to launch a new Student Climate Newsletter and supported the College Group’s participation in the FE Planet Earth Games competition.

These activities mark our continued efforts towards maintaining financial and operational sustainability in the face of a growing student population and a changing climate.

MK College hosts SEMICC’s Green Future Challenge

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Students at the second-hand clothing sale at Bletchley

Cool Food Pro: Commis Chef food waste workshop

Sustainability Lead Lauren Gallyot speaking with students

MK College Engineering students volunteering at the canal restoration project at Canal Society

Wildlife photography competition’s winning photo by Emmy Whitaker

Aim Four

We promote and live fairness, equality, diversity and inclusion to build a fairer society to live and work in.

The demographic of Milton Keynes and at the College Group is changing. We were proud to sign the Association of Colleges’ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Charter in May 2024, making a public commitment to the communities we serve, and ensuring these values are reflected in our work with our colleagues and learners.

Our Student Commissioners for Racial Justice (SCRJ) work with stakeholders from the College Group and our wider communities to develop recommendations for action to tackle racial injustice. The findings of SCRJ’s annual student experience survey were that our learners feel safe, supported and inspired – a result that delights us as it reflects our College value of belonging and our commitment to creating a space where all learners can thrive.

Our five employee networks, Cultural Diversity, Disability, LGBTQ, Women’s and Men’s, continue to support our staff by amplifying their voices and building stronger peer-to-peer support, with similar student networks providing students a space to similarly get together and discuss important issues. We were pleased to be one of the few colleges that publish our Gender & Ethnicity Pay Gap Report and we did this 11 months ahead of deadline.

98.8%

of students progress onto a positive destination of employment or further study.

£5,000

budget for the Student Executive Committee – providing opportunities for personal growth, including training, societies and competitions.

600+

students have been provided with over 4,000 mental health support sessions from Arthur Ellis at the College since 2020.

1,330

students currently supported with a bursary.

£624,000

awarded in bursary payments to learners so far in the 2024/25 academic year.

MK College group signs

AoC’s ED&I Charter

Aim Four

We promote and live fairness, equality, diversity and inclusion to build a fairer society to live and work in.

To help everyone feel safe and welcome on campus, we have offered training and workshops on topics such as menopause, grief and hate crime, along with sessions focussed on improving local life, including the Bletchley Visions 2025 workshop with Milton Keynes City Council. We have also hosted a series of pop-ups to ensure student access to information and services, including iCaSH sessions on healthy relationships and consent.

Our learners’ mental health remains a priority – we commission Arthur Ellis Mental Health to provide therapeutic support to our students through both face-to-face and online sessions. Healthy and Enriched sessions at the College include student-led projects such as performing songs in British Sign Language, creating a college anthem and “Postcards of Happiness” for local communities, and fundraising over £800 for Willen Hospice through bake sales and wellness walks.

In December 2024, HMP Wakefield hosted an exhibition on the theme “Next Generation – from handcuffs to handshakes.” The event allowed our prison learners to showcase their written poetry, artwork, music and street food, and for Fashion & Textiles learners to present their sustainability projects, igniting the creativity of the community at HMP Wakefield and the ambition to make positive change.

Learn more about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Milton Keynes College Group

Our High Sheriff College Champions, High Sheriff Kurshida Mirza and our Campus Manager Louise Frizelle visiting the Houses of Parliament with students from MK College

ESOL/Maths lecturer Sam Abiola, a student and Peter Bakare in a workshop led by Peter in association with MK Act on White Ribbon Day

Inclusive Learning students delivered Christmas Appeal donations to MK Food Bank

Designs of Fashion & Textiles learners at HMP Wakefield’s “Next Generation – from handcuffs to handshakes” exhibition

Community Impact In Action

College in the Community Day - 2nd April 2025

1,100+ staff and student volunteers.

£133,000+

Social value created through volunteering, donations and fundraising. community activities delivered in Milton Keynes.

1,000

“Postcards of Kindness” designed, written and distributed across our local communities.

#WeAreMK

Postcards of Kindness designed by learners from a range of courses as part of the Personal Development curriculum.

Find our more about the day here

#WeAreMK

Images from the College in the Community Day on 2nd April 2025. Over 1,100 learners and staff supporting more than 50 projects across a range of charities and community organisations in Milton Keynes. Find our more about the day here

#WeAreMK

Find our more about the day here

We Deliver Fairer Futures.

“I just wanted to thank you all for letting us be part of such a wonderful day. Our children have enjoyed the attention and engagement so much. Your college and students are a real credit to you.”

Angela Garner, Head Teacher at Moorland Primary School