AN Eastleigh College division has won big at a national awards ceremony.

The refrigeration and air conditioning department received highly commended Training Provider of the Year at the National ACR awards, held in Birmingham.

The awards celebrate and promote the innovations, achievements and excellence of organisations and individuals based upon their merits within the industry.

It was judged by an independent panel of experts who recognised the work the college does with partner organisations and the effort of the department to ensure the best experiences for its students.

One judge said it is “great to see a broad-based college putting itself forward in the industry.”

It comes after the department was nominated as joint finalist for the Training Initiative Award at the National ACR Awards with DCI refrigeration and student Joseph Conroy was highly commended at the ACR Trainee of the Year Awards 2014.

Refrigeration and air conditioning lecturer and assessor at the college, Shaun Creech, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have received such a prestigious award.

“We work hard to ensure that our students have a fantastic range of opportunities as part of our programmes, and it is great to know that this is recognised by the industry.

“We also ensure that we continue to grow by adapting our offering to move with industry, such as the recent addition of CO2 and hydrocarbon short courses, so we certainly hope that this success will continue.”