, Welcome to the OPA Website
One of the major changes to the college during 2009 has been the opening of our new buildings which form an extension westwards to the main front of the college.
We occupied this building in September and are very pleased with it. It adds much needed staff office space, some small interview rooms, a brand new library and about 70 more bed spaces in largely single study accommodation. We have named this development the West Wing. Because of the sensitive nature of the college environment and also because it blends in better we have styled this extension in exactly the same style as the main front of the college and it has already begun to blend in and not look a recent addition. If you look on the main college website there is a section which gives a range of photographs of this new building development.
As I write we have almost completed the redevelopment of the workshops at the back of college and we will start occupying these from January 2010. This will provide much needed space and modern facilities for all of our agricultural, horticultural and forestry machinery students.
Whatever your politics there has been quite a lot of money spent on education in the last few years and we have benefited from this. I think now though we are entering a period of far less money but we still hope to redevelop the dairy facilities at the farm over the next couple of years.
Student numbers continue to grow in the wide range of land-based courses that we offer. This year we have over 1200 full-time students attending the college varying from those on school link programmes through to those taking degrees. Along with these numbers are large numbers of part-time courses.
The college still provides very vocational courses and all of our students need work experience provision. Although some of this can be done on the college commercial and semi-commercial units we are always in need of work experience places and we would love to hear from anybody who could offer student such experience.
Old students associations change and the OPA is no exception. With most now there tends to be less focus on magazines and annual dinners and there tends to be far more use made of social networking sites and website links. We do still have an annual old Plumptonians Association reunion and this year this will be held on the 27th of June 2010
If any year group wishes to have a reunion here at any time you would be very welcome, it just takes one person to organise it! Please continue to let Dan know of any information that would be worth posting on the message boards. We are always keen to know your news.
As always we owe a big thank you to Dan for continuing to keep the Old Plumptonians Association going and for all his efforts in keeping the website up-to-date.
Best wishes for 2010 to everyone wherever you are.
Des Lambert
Principal
President Old Plumptonians Association.
