Corporate Vision December 2017

46 CORPORATE VISION / December 2017 , Open Study College is one of the UK’s leading distance learning providers. As a family-run business, it’s taken a lot of hard work, determination and enthusiasm to reach their tenth anniversary back in August 2017. During this time, over 60,000 students have studied with themand improved their career prospects. Working withmultiple awarding bodies such as CACHE, AAT and Active IQ, Open Study College offer over 450 courses, meaning students are sure to find something that suits them. The Home of Distance Learning Open Study College was founded in 2007 by Mark Rutter, on the belief that education should be available to anyone. His goal was to provide affordable, high-quality courses, which remains at the heart of the company today. The college puts students at the heart of everything they do, supporting them with award-winning tutor support and first-class customer service. What makes Open Study College different? Open Study College pride themselves on delivering what their students want: flexible learning with high-quality qualifications, award-winning tutor support and great extras. Their courses allow learners to study at their own pace, from the comfort of their own home, without the pressure of timetables or deadlines - a truly flexible way to learn. The college has grown at an impressive rate, and proven that students can trust them to deliver exceptional quality courses and support. Over the last year, the business has received some notable award wins, including: • ELearning COO of the Year & Best Online Education Platform – Corporate Vision Magazine’s Businesswomen Awards • Further Education College of the Year 2017 - Education Awards • Outstanding Business of the Year & Outstanding Business Person of the Year (Samantha Rutter) - Solihull Chamber of Commerce Awards • Excellence in Distance Learning – Corporate LiveWire’s Innovation and Excellence Awards 2018 The team at Open Study College are dedicated to listening to, and acting upon, a constant stream of student feedback, which influences how they tackle new projects. Feedback is gathered from regular student progression reviews and annual customer surveys, to gauge their opinions of Open Study College. The feedback helps build a bigger picture of what the business is doing right, and identify areas for improvement. Open Study College students are also invited to leave public feedback on Trust Pilot, on which they currently have a rating of 5 stars out of 5! “Humbled and delighted” When asked how she felt about receiving the two awards, Samantha Rutter, COO of Open Study College, said – “I’m both humbled and delighted to be named eLearning COO of the Year. I’m passionate about providing the best leadership possible by recognising that I have a great team around me who not only develops me personally, but also helps Open Study College to attain its goals. This recognition is a huge honour for the college and to receive it as we celebrate our tenth year in operation, shows how far we have come. It also adds that pressure to spur us on to develop even further, to maintain that forward momentum and drive the company into the next decade.” What are the challenges that Open Study College face? The Education and Training industry is growing at an exponential rate, and is constantly exploring ways to innovate. The biggest challenge for Open Study College isn’t just keeping up with the industry trends, but staying ahead of them and setting the standards for other distance learning providers to follow. The 1712CV10 team at Open Study College fully embrace this challenge, going above and beyond to understand the latest innovations in the industry. “The great thing is that the team are open to changing the way that they do things, and we encourage our developers to experiment with new and emerging technologies.” – Samantha Rutter What is the internal culture at Open Study College? The senior management team at Open Study College recognise the value of the people who work for them, and are keen to invest in their development. Regular employee feedback surveys are conducted anonymously, allowing their employees to feedback without the fear of any repercussions. What does the future hold for Open Study College? Open Study College have a strong plan for growth over the next few years. One particularly exciting plan with a student focus involves expanding the course range to include higher qualifications, allowing students to study at levels 4, 5 and 6. The college also plans to expand their