Bedford College has a rich history as part of our Baptist family.
In 1942 at the Annual Assembly of the Baptist Union of NSW, approval was given to provide £532 in order to set up a Business College to meet Australia’s great emerging social needs due to the devastation of families during World War II. Women especially needed essential job skills to join the rapidly changing workforce so they could provide for their families. The Baptist Union, now Baptist Churches NSW & ACT, donated all the funds necessary to start this initiative to support women to find independence, employment and success.
On 17 September the following year, the College was incorporated and in 1944 the College commenced its first year in the ‘Assembly Hall’ in Central Baptist Church in George Street, Sydney.
And now, 80 years later, Beford College maintains this strong desire to “to equip people with vocational skills, education and training for lives serving the community, foundered in a Christian worldview”. Some 1,800 students have graduated from Bedford College over the past ten years.
Originally specialising in business and management, Bedford has expanded over the years and now offers courses in business, leadership and management, early childhood education and care, school age education and care, education support, health and aged care, and community services.
In June 2023, Bedford College appointed a new CEO, Rev Steve Dixon.
Once the Youth Minister at Gymea Baptist Church for 9 years, Steve Dixon became Team Leader for Baptist Youth Ministry at the Baptist Churches NSW & ACT in 2011. In this role Steve supported and resourced more than 350 Baptist Churches across NSW and ACT in the areas of youth and young adult ministry. This included the development of resources, training, local networks, events, conferences and support of youth and young adult pastors.
Steve says he was drawn to Bedford for three reasons, their values and mission, his belief that education is transformative and the opportunity to shape the future of this influential organisation.
“We will not depart from our values, and we will not depart from our purpose,” states Steve, “we were born out of a deep faith conviction, and this will be how we will both make decisions and deliver our training as we go forward.”
Bedford is committed to assisting individuals of all backgrounds and cultures to work and learn in harmony. “We have a strong faith-filled heritage, and our future will be no different,” says Steve, “I believe in the future of Bedford. I believe in what Bedford can become.”
To find out more about what Bedford could offer you, visit their website: https://www.bedford.edu.au/
