South Staffordshire College’s Rodbaston Campus has achieved recognition of its Environmental Management Systems with ISO 14001 certification awarded by the internationally recognised standard setting body.

The college is now in an elite group with just a few Universities which have achieved the ISO 14001 accreditation and is believed to be the first Further Education College in England and Wales to do so.

Described by Corporate Development Director Norman Houston as “a massive milestone and a real accolade” the campus success in reaching the required standards is all the more significant given the size and scale of the Rodbaston site.

South Staffordshire\’s land and construction based courses are located at Rodbaston. In total there are about 160 hectares of rural Staffordshire with almost 1900 students engaged on FE and HE courses which also cover Fisheries, Horticulture, Agriculture, Animal Care and Equestrian activities.

Project team leader has been Mark Philips, Environmental & Sustainability Manager and under his guidance the programme has been successfully managed through six stages; preparation, application, pre-audit assessment, audit, registration and certification. In future there will be a process of continual assessment with annual reviews to ensure that standards are maintained.

Inside the college there has been invaluable help from the ESCT (Environmental Sustainability Champions Team) drawn from a cross section of staff that covers all levels and all areas from academic through to estates. The group works tirelessly to promote and raise environmental issues throughout the college.

ISO 14001 is a demanding and wide-ranging standard which covers a multitude of related activities such as compliance with environmental laws and regulations, environmental auditing, life-cycle assessment, labelling, waste and recycling and risk management. Above all it requires that a robust and comprehensive management system is in place.

Mark Philips and his team can be justifiably proud of their efforts as South Staffordshire College is of its newly-acquired credentials. South Staffordshire College’s Rodbaston Campus has achieved recognition of its Environmental Management Systems with ISO 14001 certification awarded by the internationally recognised standard setting body.

The college is now in an elite group with just a few Universities which have achieved the ISO 14001 accreditation and is believed to be the first Further Education College in England and Wales to do so.

Described by Corporate Development Director Norman Houston as “a massive milestone and a real accolade” the campus success in reaching the required standards is all the more significant given the size and scale of the Rodbaston site.

South Staffordshire\’s land and construction based courses are located at Rodbaston. In total there are about 160 hectares of rural Staffordshire with almost 1900 students engaged on FE and HE courses which also cover Fisheries, Horticulture, Agriculture, Animal Care and Equestrian activities.

Project team leader has been Mark Philips, Environmental & Sustainability Manager and under his guidance the programme has been successfully managed through six stages; preparation, application, pre-audit assessment, audit, registration and certification. In future there will be a process of continual assessment with annual reviews to ensure that standards are maintained.

Inside the college there has been invaluable help from the ESCT (Environmental Sustainability Champions Team) drawn from a cross section of staff that covers all levels and all areas from academic through to estates. The group works tirelessly to promote and raise environmental issues throughout the college.

ISO 14001 is a demanding and wide-ranging standard which covers a multitude of related activities such as compliance with environmental laws and regulations, environmental auditing, life-cycle assessment, labelling, waste and recycling and risk management. Above all it requires that a robust and comprehensive management system is in place.

Mark Philips and his team can be justifiably proud of their efforts as South Staffordshire College is of its newly-acquired credentials.