Oaklands College

We are a large further education college in Hertfordshire with campuses in Welwyn Garden City and St. Albans, and a further training provision in Borehamwood.

Achieving an overall 'Good' in our Ofsted inspection, we are proud to successfully provide for 10,000 students and look forward to welcoming you.

We offer around 1,500 full and part-time courses to nearly 10,000 students, who come from Hertfordshire and further afield. Our courses range from vocational courses with strong links to employers through to elite sports, the arts and a wide variety of A Levels. We are also nationally recognised for our outstanding provision for students with mild and severe learning difficulties.

Here you will be able to choose from a wide range of courses, both part-time and full-time, including Arts, Media, Publishing, Health, Public Services, Construction, Horticulture, Equine, Beauty, Music and Forensic Science, to name a few.

We also run our own work-based learning programmes, with close links to local employers, and offer Apprenticeships and Entry to Employment.

Oaklands College offers student accommodation to students on specialist landbased courses and those within sports academies. We aim to ensure that all students experience a safe community environment close to the campus. Some of the things we do for our students include:

• Staff available 7-days a week during term time
• Daily cleaning & maintenance of the student accommodation, as well as offering support with various aspects of semi-independent living i.e. using the washing machines
• Providing pastoral care, support and individual welfare checks
• Offering information and advice to students on various subjects
• Implementing a varied Enrichment programme to encourage engagement and develop new skills

Award winning facilities set within acres of wide open countryside The St Albans Campus officially opened the doors to its new Discovery Centre and Sports Zone in March 2013. This stunning new facility has already secured recognition from the Royal Institute of British Architects, a body that aims to recognise buildings that set the standard for great architecture in the UK. This facility provides state of the art specialist workshops and design studios, a large indoor multi-sports hall, gym and virtual learning environment. The sports hall ranks as one of the largest in the county and is supported by brand new floodlit artificial pitches with public viewing spaces meaning all year round accessibility and capacity to support elite sport development. 

The new Hospitality and Catering facilities, The Stables Restaurant, opened in September 2013 and are now the only training kitchens of their type available in this part of Hertfordshire, capable of delivering courses up to the VRQ Level 3 in Professional Cookery as well as BTEC Level 3 in Hospitality. 

To continue developing the College's facilities the college has created a masterplan for the further re-development of the St. Albans campus. The funding of the re-development is dependent on the receipt of planning permission for residential development on part of the St. Albans campus. The College, in conjunction with Taylor Wimpey, submitted a planning application in October 2013 for house building and for new teaching and administration buildings ;together with new student accommodation

Albans Campus offers state-of-the-art facilities in a rural setting, with great transport links to St Albans and Hatfield

Welwyn Garden City Campus is located close to the town centre, with easy access to shops and rail links to Stevenage, Letchworth and London King's Cross.

Oaklands College is present in The Hub at the Council Offices in St Albans