KENDAL College has smashes the national benchmark for pass rates on courses it delivers for the third year in a row.

Students aged 16-18 achieved a success rate of 88 per cent - way above the national average of 80 per cent - while apprentices also secured an 88 per cent success rate, clocking in 16 per cent higher than the national average.

For the third consecutive year, female apprentice college leavers have again outperformed their male counterparts with a success rate of 84 per cent compared to 82 per cent.

Demand for apprentices at the college is at an all time high following the opening of a new engineering facility in 2014.

The college has also recently invested in new facilities in science and animal care and is currently constructing six new art studios to its creative arts campus, which are due to open at the end of the year.

Graham Wilkinson, Principal at Kendal College, said: “We are proud that our student success rates are consistently in the top ten per cent for Further Education Colleges throughout the UK. We’ve invested heavily in some brand new buildings and facilities over the last 12 months to ensure that our students have access to not only the best teachers but also to a state-of-the- art learning environment with industry standard equipment."