Argyll College has come 'top of the class' - receiving two prestigious quality management awards. The College, which only opened in January of this year, has already enrolled over 900 students on a range of courses.

Deputy Minster for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Nicol Stephen MSP praised staff and management at the College today (Monday 25th September) as he presented them with the Investors in People (IiP) award and the Scottish Quality Management System (SQMS) at the institution's Dunstaffnage Learning Centre, near Oban.

The IiP recognition, an award which promotes the development of staff and skills, is the 100th to be awarded by Argyll and the Islands Enterprise (AIE), part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) network. The HIE network has had tremendous success in the delivery of IiP with over 700 recognitions, accounting for 35 per cent of the Scottish total.

SQMS was introduced in 1993 to help organisations involved in education and training. It is a comprehensive management system that can be used to measure and improve the quality of training provided.

The awards mark another stage in the rapid development of Argyll College, a partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) project. The College is a unique experiment in distance learning and provides the infrastructure for study while buying all its courses from other colleges. There are 8 learning centres across Argyll and the Islands, with outlets on Tiree, Fionnaphort and Tobermory on the Island of Mull, Dunoon, Rothesay, Campbletown, Dunstaffnage and Bowmore on Islay. Each centre has a 'learning centre manager' who is on hand to help students at all stages, from course selection onwards.

Argyll College project director, Michael Breslin said: "Achieving IiP status and the SQMS is the culmination of a great deal of hard work by directors and staff and marks the start of another period of development for Argyll College, bringing further and higher education closer to the population of Argyll and the Islands.

"These awards are a tribute to the quality systems and procedures within the college, all of which are aimed at ensuring the students have the best possible learning experience."

Ken Abernethy, chief executive of AIE said: "It is wonderful that AIE has awarded its 100th IiP, highlighting the investment being made by organisations in Argyll and the Islands in the development of staff and skills.

"Argyll College is a very deserving recipient of that 100th IiP recognition and the SQMS, having achieved considerable success in a very short time."