CLA proudly supports the annual AoC Beacon Awards July 23, 2020 By Rebecca Owen Creations abound in the everyday life of a college, and colleges play a vital role in supporting the creative industries and promoting their importance to the UK economy. Knowing how to responsibly source and use material protected by copyright and recognise intellectual property rights are also crucial life and work skills. We want to recognise and celebrate colleges who nurture and support creativity through the promotion and understanding of intellectual property. The brand-new award is an opportunity for colleges to showcase what they do well, and to share exceptional practice across the sector for the benefit of all students. Exceptional practice is often easy to overlook – it hides in the everyday work that a college conducts, in the daily grind and the day-in, day-out tasks. But this all culminates in a special and extraordinary impact on students. So we encourage you to take a deep breath, consider everything you do well – no matter how small it seems! – and be part of this fantastic celebration of the FE sector. Julie Murray, Education Account Manager: We are thrilled to sponsor an AoC Beacon Award, and we’re so excited to see the best practice conducted by colleges. From writing, technologies and through to the visual arts, staff and students in every corner of the college will be using and also generating ideas. We welcome entries from colleges that equip their community to use and protect these creations responsibly. The AoC Beacon Awards are known for their rigor and represent a hallmark of good practice and innovative impact in the FE sector. Past entrants have been keen to underline the positive and transformative effect applying has had on the college community’s practice, development and evaluation, while winners and those highly commended have reported the elated buzz that reverberates in every corner of the college. The recent paper from the Independent Commission on the College of the Future has made clear there’s never been a better or more important time to promote and share the good work of colleges. We believe the Excellence in Supporting Creativity Award reflects the aims outlined by the commission, and as Geoff Barton aptly puts it in the same paper, to empower students so that ‘when they step out into the wider world they do so with confidence’. Adjustments have been made to the entry documentation and process to accommodate COVID measures, and you can find out more from the Beacon Awards site and Guide for Applicants.
