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Meet the Principal

Central Bedfordshire College Campus (Dunstable).

A message from Sarah Mortimer

Hello, I’m Sarah Mortimer, the Principal, and I’d like to welcome you to Central Bedfordshire College.

Sarah Mortimer, Acting Principal of Central Bedfordshire College.

I recently recorded a podcast with our Student Ambassador team, so to get to know me a little better, please have a listen here!

Please find below some FAQs about College in general and life at CBC.

Tuition is FREE (paid for by the Government) if you are 16-18, and for older people in certain circumstances. We may charge a small amount for incidentals such as materials.

There are many courses at many levels of difficulty and various durations to suit your needs. If you are unsure of the best route to take, our Student Services team will help you. Meanwhile, here are the answers to some of the most common questions – but please use the form at the bottom if you would like to ask us anything else.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens next?

When you contact us, you can talk to us about what sort of career you’d like to have – or what other reason you may have for wanting to learn. You might want to go into employment at the end of your time with us, move on to further study or even go on to higher education. You might even want to earn while you work, in which case an Apprenticeship could be for you.

It could be that you want to study just for the satisfaction of learning. We have a team of really skilled and knowledgeable experts who talk to people just like you every day.

College – what’s in it for me?

Government research has proved that qualifications at all levels significantly increase your earning potential. Not only that, but you are much more likely to get the job you want – even in the current economic climate.

How is College different to school?

You won’t need to wear a school uniform for a start. When you come to College, you are a student, not a pupil. That means that you will be treated like an adult and given the chance to be yourself. You will know your lecturer by their first name – no more Miss or Sir.

That’s because we know you’re here out of choice and you want to work hard and succeed. We do have something in common with school though. We will expect you to work as hard as we do in making your life a success. College will feel like the workplace – but a really great workplace where we hope you will make lots of friends.

At the same time though, we appreciate many of our students are still young and may need a little extra help and support during their time with us. So your tutors and other specialist staff will be on hand to help you with any extra assistance you may need.

I really struggled at school. Will College be different?

Yes. College is a special experience – designed for you. Whether you need to make progress in small steps or giant leaps, we can make sure you learn at the pace which suits you and puts you on the right path.

We will help you decide which difficulty level of course is right for you, and we will see what help you may need with English and Maths along the way. Just in case you are struggling with English or Maths, don’t be too concerned. There are thousands of people who started like this and have been highly successful in life after going to College. It’s just a matter of motivation.

There are no jobs – so what’s the point of going to College?

Unemployment is high – and particularly among young people – but did you ever wonder what the difference is between those with jobs and those without? The difference is skills. Businesses have to be careful about how many people they employ, it’s true. They also have to make sure those people they do take on can work well and be productive. We’re here to make sure you have the skills they want!

Can I talk to someone about my personal circumstances?

If there are things which are personal to you, and which you think may affect your decision to come to College, just ring us and we will advise you. There may be medical concerns or perhaps something in your family life which you might think will make coming to College difficult. Perhaps you have been unhappy at school and feel nervous about what College will be like.

The chances are that we can help. Just get in touch

I still have questions

Just ring the College directly on 01582 477 776 and ask to speak to Student Services – our dedicated team of friendly experts who will answer any questions and concerns you may have.