Truro & Penwith College

The College you see today was formed in 2008, when Truro College merged with Penwith College in Penzance. Truro College opened in 1993 with the aim of providing education and training to the city and its surrounding areas. Soon, these ‘surrounding areas’ expanded to encompass most of Cornwall, as increasing numbers of students were attracted by our reputation and results. From an initial 2,770 students in 1993, learner numbers increased to around 13,900 students in 2008.

Before the merger, Penwith College was a small tertiary college serving the area from Land’s End to Hayle and Camborne. It was decided in 2006 that Penwith should be merged with Truro College; a process completed in 2008. In the five years that followed, £30million was spent on redeveloping the site, student numbers more than doubled, and results across all levels rose dramatically to match those of Truro College.

Truro and Penwith College now offers a wide number of courses across many qualification types and levels, from traditionally ‘academic’ A Levels and Degrees to Apprenticeships, vocational courses and business training. The happiness of our students shows in their results, which place us in the top 4% of colleges in England. Our Academies, focusing on a range of specialisms from medical and academic to surfing and tennis, provide learners with an outlet for their talents outside formal studies. We’ve even got two public restaurants, offering top-quality food prepared by our own cookery students.

Building on the best individual traditions of both centres, the merged Truro and Penwith College has a local and national reputation as an institution which is lively, innovative, demands high standards of its learners, but is also caring and supportive of individuals.