Association of Colleges

Mission Statement 

To advance the education of members of the public over the age of 16 years.

History

The AoC Charitable Trust was set up in 1994. Since its establishment, it has supported several successful programmes: 

1993-1996 – Esmée Fairbairn Charitable Trust project – Creating Connections
1996-2007 – Work Shadowing Scheme
2001-2002 – International Churchill Society Award for Fine Art Painting

Current programmes

The Trust currently administers:

1994 to date – AoC Beacon Awards
1996, 2000 to date – AoC Gold Awards
2011-2012 (pilot) - International Mentoring Programme.  This links UK College staff to their African peers.  Its origins lie in the voluntary work that has been carried out in the last decade by serving and retired College staff, working with and supporting colleagues in leadership and management roles in African vocational institutions.

Today the AoC Beacon Awards and AoC Gold Awards are as strong as ever, attracting support from sponsors and Colleges alike. The AoC Charitable Trust has recently completed research into the capabilities evidenced in the winning and highly commended Colleges of the AoC Beacon Awards, the outcome of which can be found in the "Celebrating Colleges" section of this site.

Open to all Colleges in the UK

The AoC Charitable Trust programmes are open to all Colleges in the UK. Membership of AoC is not necessary to apply for either of these programmes. We therefore welcome applications from all Colleges in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Trustees and representatives
The AoC Charitable Trust is overseen by a group of Trust representatives who are listed below:

• Shahida Aslam, Operations Manager, Helena Kennedy Foundation - Trustee
• John Bingham, Chair of the AoC – Trustee
• Dame Pat Bacon, Chair of the AoC Beacon Awards
• Peter Brophy, AoC Director of Finance – Trustee
• Martin Doel, AoC Chief Executive - Trustee
• Louise Duffy, AoC Charitable Trust Officer
• David Forrester, Governor of City & Islington College – Trustee
• Simon Francis, Campaigns & Communications Consultant - Trustee
• Ami Hartigan, AoC Finance Assistant
• Nathan Lucas, AoC HR Director and Company Secretary 
• Maggive Galliers, AoC President
• John Mountford, AoC International Director
• Jane Samuels, Projects and Operations Manager at Edge - Trustee  
• Wes Streeting, Director 'Education for All', Stonewall - Trustee
• Alice Thiagaraj, Manager of AoC Charitable Trust – Trustee 

Contact us

To contact the AoC Charitable Trust Team with a general enquiry, please email us.

If you have a specific enquiry, please contact:

Alice Thiagaraj regarding the AoC Beacon Awards
Louise Duffy regarding the AoC Gold Awards
John Mountford regarding the International Mentoring Programme

Alternatively, please phone 020 7034 9900.