Fareham College has been awarded Gold in recognition of the importance it places on investing in its employees.

The accolade was received following a very positive 'Investors in People' review. Fareham College is now in the top five per cent of IiP organisations in the UK.

AngeIa Hinton, Executive Director of Human Resources, commented "achieving the Gold award is a fantastic outcome for all the staff at the College". She went on to say: 'It is great to hear comments that staff feel that working at Fareham College is like being part of a big family. It is the professionalism, attitude and approach of our staff that ensures we constantly work towards providing the best for our students." She added: 'We are looking forward to continuously building on our current good practice.'

In order to be recognised as an Investor in People, the standard requirement was to achieve the basic 39 criteria. Fareham College decided to aim for 'Gold Standard' and so needed to achieve a further 126 additional criteria. The College surpassed this requirement and achieved 190 out of a possible 196.

Some of the key attributes highlighted within the report included that all staff wanted the College to become an 'Outstanding' organisation recognised for its performance and quality by all the communities and stakeholders that it serves. The report goes on to say that there is also a strong sense of social responsibility which permeates through all aspects of the College's operation.

Among those staff that were spoken to, there was a huge sense of pride in the College and a commitment to its success. Comments included: 'We are learning all the time here. It isn't just about courses. We learn from each other.'

John Telfer, Managing Director of IBP, the organisation that manages Investors in People in London and the South East, commented: 'In achieving Gold status, they have proved themselves to be amongst the best Investors in People organisations in the country. I hope that news of their success will encourage others in the education sector to follow their example and use the Investors in People framework to help realise their business goals and ambitions.'