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Craven College Celebrates 200 Years!

Published 28 November
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In 2025 Craven College is marking their bicentennial anniversary of providing quality education to the local community with a year of events and celebrations culminating in an end of year gala. 

200 year celebration

Starting life as Skipton Mechanics Institute in 1825, Craven College has been a prominent part of the educational history of Skipton, leading to its current position in Aireville Campus, The Auction Mart, The Aviation Academy at Leeds Bradford Airport, Evolve at Ripon, and apprenticeships delivered in Scarborough. 

The celebration, entitled “200 Voices” will weave together the history, development, and achievements of Craven College through the years, alongside current curriculum and students showcasing special projects to celebrate this momentous year. 

Anita Lall, Principal and CEO of Craven College said “The College has a long and rich heritage in delivering high quality education and training in at the heart of Skipton and the wider Craven communities. Our heritage as a technical and vocational college has continued to remain at the core of what we do, and this is something that I am extremely proud of.  

“200 years ago, we were helping to improve the life chances of the working adult population teaching subjects such as writing, arithmetic, grammar, and Latin. Nowadays, we cover a huge range of subjects, but we are still very much focused on unlocking potential and changing lives.  

“Knowing where we have come from and understanding the reason why the College was started, helps to keep us inspired and motivated to continue this legacy into the future – hopefully for another 200 years!” 

Craven College can trace its origin back to Skipton Mechanics’ Institute, originally founded in 1825. In 1894, the Science & Art School in Skipton opened to great acclaim. In 1954 the Skipton Art School and Technical Institution became Craven Institute for Further Education, with the College being renamed in 1974 to The Craven College of Adult Education. The Aireville Campus was developed adjacent to The Skipton Academy in 1989. 

Tyro Training was established as the business arm of Craven College in 2003, with The Aviation Academy joining in 2005 and Evolve in 2015. The purpose-built Animal Management Centre was developed in 2018, with the latest addition to the College, Craven Equine, opening in state-of-the-art premises in 2022.  

Today across all campuses the College continues to provide education to the community in the form of a diverse range of vocational further education, T-levels, apprenticeships, adult and community education and higher education. 

Craven College would love to hear from anyone connected to the College throughout the years, whether as a student, staff, or anyone with a story to tell. Anyone who would like to share their memories and become a part of the College’s incredible journey should email rbarratt@craven-college.ac.uk to tell their story. 

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