A MAJOR examination board has commended Swindon College for the excellence of its work in providing expertise in key skills. Now the college is set to feature in a teaching guide produced by exam board Edexcel.

The London-based organisation has written to college principal Mike Hopkins asking for his agreement for the college's teaching materials in key skills to be used as national examples of good practice.

Pat Room, key skills co-ordinator at the college, said: "This recognition of the quality of our teaching materials reflects on all out tutors who have worked very hard to develop key skills teaching.

"At the college we decided that individual tutors know what is relevant in their areas and we encourage them to produce material that is meaningful to their own subjects."

The development of key skills is part of a government initiative to ensure that all students gain those skills necessary in areas such as numeracy, literacy and communications, to be ready for the workplace when they leave education.