Uxbridge College students in mortar boards and gowns graced the stage as they collected their university-level awards at their formal graduation.

The students celebrated their Higher National Certificates (HNCs) and Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) at the ceremony at Brunel University on Wednesday November 6.

They graduated in business, computing and engineering subjects at higher education level, which means they have studied at undergraduate level.

Laraine Smith, Principal of Uxbridge College, said: “It is a huge achievement to succeed at this level and I am extremely proud of all our graduates.

“Higher Education qualifications such as these are seen by some employers as being just as good as degrees – and in some cases, more useful to their businesses. This is because they want people with practical skills and experience, as well as a strong theoretical background, which is exactly what you get when you do an HNC or HND at Uxbridge College.

“Many of our graduates also go on to enter degrees in the third or fourth year on the back of the achievements at college, which is a real testimony to the value of these qualifications.”

The graduates received their certificates and diplomas from Steven Cochran, Chair of Governors at Uxbridge College, who also congratulated them on their achievements.

Around 50% of the college’s HND graduates each year go straight into the third year of an Honours degree, or the fourth in the case of sandwich courses. The rest may continue working, often in a new role at a senior or management level.

Awards were presented for the following qualifications: BTEC HNC Level 4 Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering; and the BTEC HND Level 5 Diploma in the following subjects: Business; Computing & Games Development; Computing & Systems Development, and Electrical/Electronic Engineering.

Among this year’s graduates were: Zainab Massah, 23, of Isleworth, is going into the third year of a Business degree at Bucks New University after achieving an HND in Business. She said: “I really enjoyed my time at Uxbridge College, it was a great experience, the teachers were really helpful and I am very pleased to be going into a degree in the third year.”

Kamran Gohar, 30, of West Drayton, will be studying Business Management at Glyndwr University, going into the third year of an Honours programme.

Alexander Smith, 22, of Hayes , achieved an HND in Computing and Games Development and is planning to study Software Development in 2014.