Curious about what makes this college special? The City of Oxford College has a rich history and a commitment to education. Let’s step inside and discover its story.
The City of Oxford College stands as a beacon of further education in Oxford. It has two main campuses. One is in the city centre. The other is the Technology Campus in Blackbird Leys.
Once known as Oxford and Cherwell Valley College OCVC the college changed its name in 2013. This happened when the OCVC Group became Activate Learning Group. The City of Oxford College offers diverse programs. These include vocational training A-Levels apprenticeships and higher education. They also provide leisure and adult learning opportunities. Unemployed people can also find programs to help them return to work.
Founded in 1960 the Oxford College of Further Education was located at the Blackbird Leys and Oxford City Centre campuses. It offered courses to students of all levels. By the millennium it had almost 2000 full-time students and over 7500 part-time students. The college was divided into arts engineering services and business and technology faculties.
In 2003 the Oxford College of Further Education merged with North Oxfordshire College. It then became Oxford and Cherwell College. The Rycotewood Furniture Centre also joined. It moved from Thame to the Oxford City Centre campus. Rycotewood College had been founded in the 1930s.
A new campus opened in Bicester in 2005. At this point the college became Oxford & Cherwell Valley College OCVC. In 2010 OCVC took over Reading College. The college became the Oxford & Cherwell Valley College Group.
In 2013 the OCVC Group restructured. It became Activate Learning. The Oxford and Banbury colleges were renamed City of Oxford College and Banbury and Bicester College.
The City of Oxford College offers a range of full-time subjects. These include art and design brickwork business and enterprise and caring and health. You can also study catering and hospitality construction electrical engineering and foundation studies. Further options are furniture hair and beauty joinery media and motor vehicles. Music painting and decorating performing arts plumbing sport travel and tourism and uniformed public services are available too.
Construction electrical motor vehicle and ICT courses are taught at the Technology Campus in Blackbird Leys. The sixth-form centre offers over 10 A-level subjects. Higher education programs are delivered across the Activate Learning group. The City of Oxford College shares buildings with the French Business School EM Normandie.
Part-time study can be professional or for leisure. Subjects with qualifications include accounting business catering hair and beauty and ICT. First aid teaching and training security sport and skills for life are also options. Subjects without qualifications focus on creative arts and woodworking.
The college provides apprenticeship training across many vocational subjects. A Get That Job program is available for unemployed people. It offers free training courses and help with CV writing and interview skills.
The City Centre campus has on-site facilities. These include furniture workshops hair and beauty salons a restaurant and studios for music performing arts and creative media. The salons and restaurants are open to the public. The Rycotewood Furniture Centre is a specialist centre on campus. The Technology Campus in Blackbird Leys offers courses in construction motor vehicles and electrical installation.
The National School of Furniture is a partnership between Rycotewood Furniture Centre and Bucks New University. It offers furniture training from Level 1 to Level 8. Rycotewood College was established in 1938.
The City of Oxford College celebrated the 50th anniversary of its city-centre campus in 2024. The college has empowered individuals and shaped futures for generations. It continues to play a significant role in the local community. The City of Oxford College is a testament to the transformative power of education.