Gloucestershire College’s new eco-friendly Prospectus
After more than 100 years, Gloucestershire College says goodbye to their printed prospectus as they know it, as part of their carbon zero journey.
The college has adapted and produced a new eco-friendly take on the traditional college printed prospectus books.
Gloucestershire College is on its journey to carbon zero by 2030, working to make futures brighter and greener; protecting the planet through education.
By whatever name you’ve known Gloucestershire College over the decades – Gloscat, Gloucestershire School of Arts and Technology, or the Cheltenham Technical College, they’ve had a prospectus since the 1920s!
The college has proudly introduced a new sustainable series of course cards, minimising printed paper waste. Their new Prospectus now comprises of a welcome info sheet and single subject-specific cards, for both further education and higher education courses.
Their previous Prospectus’ books were around 100 pages each. These new single subject-specific course cards give prospective students the opportunity to ‘pick and mix’ the information they need, without taking home additional print for information they don’t need.
Through this project they’ve greatly reduced their environmental impact. 10 years ago, they printed nearly 8 tonnes of paper annually to produce the college Prospectus’. 5 years ago, they printed nearly 5 tonnes of paper annually, creating over 4 tonnes of carbon emissions in the process.
This September, they’re pleased to have reduced that to under 150kg, creating only around 0.14 tonnes of carbon emissions in the process!
Compared to previous print quantities and processes, they’ve greatly reduced their environmental impact in the following ways:
• Saved 7400kg in paper annually. That’s more than a large African elephant, which can weigh up to 6000kg!
• Saved 743 boxes. It’s now less than 10.
• Saved 1,737,430 pages from being printed. That’s around 170 trees!
• Saved 7.35 tonnes of CO2. You’d create the same carbon footprint by flying from London to Australia back twice.
• The new printing process uses water-based pigment ink and uses around 70% less energy, as the process doesn’t rely on heat.
• They deliver the course cards to schools in electric vehicles.
• They even use eco-friendly tape to secure the boxes!
This new prospectus approach is designed to quickly cover key information about life at Gloucestershire College and showcase a huge range of courses that they offer, including apprenticeships and university level courses.
The new ‘welcome card’ gives prospective students an overview of the college, the great range of student enrichment and support and key events. The new subject-specific course cards detail qualifications for school leavers in 13 different FE areas and 7 different university level areas.
The cards are now available from Student Services at each campus and can be picked up at their up-and-coming November college open evening events.
What better way to celebrate 100 of the Prospectus than revisit them through the ages! Some things have drastically changed, some have remained very similar. They’ve rounded up some of the highlights, take a read here: Prospectuses Through the Ages | Gloucestershire College (gloscol.ac.uk)
Find out more about Gloucestershire College at www.gloscol.ac.uk
New Course Cards | Gloucestershire College (gloscol.ac.uk)
Other college related stories:
• Prospectuses Through the Ages | Gloucestershire College (gloscol.ac.uk)
• GC Zero: The Journey to Carbon Zero | Gloucestershire College (gloscol.ac.uk)
• November Open Evening | Gloucestershire College (gloscol.ac.uk)
Gloucestershire College info:
• Gloucestershire College (GC) is career-focused education provider, delivering ‘learning that works’ across three campuses in Cheltenham, Gloucester and the Forest of Dean.
• Each year Gloucestershire College welcomes around 10,000 full-time and part-time learners and employs over 800 members of staff.
• It offers a range of academic, professional and technical training programmes for school leavers, adults, access to work and employers.
• From computing and construction, to business, sport and health and social care – courses across 17 subject areas are taught in industry-standard facilities by passionate subject specialists.
• Award-winning apprenticeships, BTECs, T-levels, university-level and professional qualifications, part-time, online and short courses, with tailored support and career development for all students from start to finish.
• Discover practical courses that teach skills businesses really need, meaningful work placements and unrivalled employer connections with over 1,300 local businesses.
• GC provides bespoke training solutions to employer-partners, enabling them to fill skills gaps and build a solid talent pipeline for the future.
