City of Bristol College signed a strategic alliance with Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) this week, enabling the College to deliver the awarding body's qualifications and support for students.

The three year strategic alliance will give the college access to OCR’s qualifications, training and support in the form of verifiers and moderators, learning materials, and account managers, as well as additional services, at a specially negotiated rate.

Mark Dawe, Chief Executive of OCR said: "We are delighted to enter into this partnership with City of Bristol College and to support colleges to offer the best qualifications and resources to meet the needs of their students. In these challenging economic times, colleges will be looking for ways to continue to deliver the excellent education they offer despite reduced funding. By joining forces in this way, we can help them to achieve their goal."

Keith Elliott, Principal at City of Bristol College, said: "When working with awarding bodies, it is vital that the value-added services we receive help to further improve the experience of our learners and enable them to achieve their full potential. We are very pleased to be working with OCR to help our students gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen career or progress to further study."