Activate Learning

Founded in 1960, and based at the current Blackbird Leys and Oxford city centre campuses, the Oxford College of Further Education offered courses to students at all levels. At one time it also had a small campus on the Cowley Road, which was used for engineering studies.[1]

At the turn of the millennium the student population was made up of 1,872 full-time and 7,533 part-time students. The College was divided into three faculties: arts, engineering services, and business and technology.

North Oxfordshire College, in Banbury, was a general further education college that served Banbury and Bicester. At the turn of the millennium, 1,115 full-time students were based at the college. There were also 3,360 part-time students. Oxford and Cherwell College On 31 July 2003, Oxford College of Further Education and North Oxfordshire College merged to become Oxford and Cherwell College.

The newly-merged college also became home to the Rycotewood Furniture Centre, which moved from Thame – where it belonged to Rycotewood College – to the Oxford city centre campus.

A new campus was opened in Bicester in 2005. This is when the college became Oxford & Cherwell Valley College (OCVC). Reading College and the Oxford & Cherwell Valley College Group In 2010 OCVC, along with the Learning Skills Network (LSN), took responsibility for running Reading College. OCVC then became the Oxford & Cherwell Valley College Group.

In 2013, the OCVC Group reorganised and restructured. The colleges in Banbury and Oxford changed their names to Banbury and Bicester College, and City of Oxford College. They now sit alongside Reading College and Bracknell and Wokingham under the new group structure.

It was created in 2003 as a result of the merger between Oxford College of Further Education, North Oxfordshire College in Banbury and Rycotewood College in Thame. Rycotewood was relocated to Oxford and the college changed to its current name in 2005 due to the new opening of a new campus in Bicester.

In 2019, Activate Learning merged with Guildford College Group including Guildford College, Merrist Wood College and Farnham College.

The group runs seven further education colleges: Banbury and Bicester College, Bracknell and Wokingham College, City of Oxford College, Farnham College, Guildford College, Merrist Wood College and Reading College.

Each college provides a variety of education and vocational training courses, primarily for the post-16 sector – school leavers and adults – though they also offer training for 14- to 16-year-olds from local schools.

Activate Learning is a lead partner in the running of UTC Reading, the university technical college for 14- to 19-year-olds, which opened September 2013. It is also the lead partner for UTC Oxfordshire, in Didcot, which opened in September 2015. Also from September 2015 Activate Learning is the sponsor of The Bicester School.

The group delivers higher education (university-level) programmes in art and design, business, care, computing, engineering, furniture, motorsports, policing and sports coaching. These programmes include HNDs, foundation degrees and honours degrees. The group also delivers the PGCE teaching and training qualification.

The foundation degree and honours degree programmes are delivered in partnership with local universities, which include Oxford Brookes University and Middlesex University.

Activate Learning runs an international study programme for students from overseas. It is currently in discussions to open schools in Saudi Arabia and China.

The business-to-business operations of the group are run by Activate Enterprise. It works with businesses to deliver workforce training including apprenticeships, NVQs and short professional courses.

Activate Learning provides training in leadership and management to regional businesses and organisations.