ITS STUDENTS HAVE cooked lunch for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and staff report that Gloucestershire College also does its best to treat them regally. The royal couple joined 100 guests and enjoyed a meal prepared by the college's catering students and staff last October before principal Greg Smith joined the royal party for a boat trip around the city's docklands. Overall, just 18 of the 75 public sector organisations on our list achieve a better overall rating for questions about My Team, and with Personal Growth ranked one place higher. Staff say their colleagues are fun to work with (77%, and the sixth best mid-sized score), being in their team gives them a buzz (64%, ranking eighth) and they care about each other (77%). Fun social events help encourage team bonding and the college has a budget of £15,000, which helps it fund a staff Christmas party and end-of-term summer barbecue. The Christmas event has a different theme each year, and in 2009 it was Christmas Recycled to promote a sustainability drive. Staff get 44 hours of formal training each year, at a cost of about £125 per person. Employees give Gloucestershire the ninth best score when asked if their job is good for personal growth (73%), say their work is stimulating (73%) and that they are hardly ever bored (again 73%). The training is a great benefit (60%) and the experience they gain from their job is valuable for the future (69%). People also believe they can make a valuable contribution to the success of the college (73%). The college runs sessions for all staff to improve wellbeing, monitors the hours worked and employees say they feel relatively stress-free (69%, ranking 12th) and deadlines are realistic (59%). www.gloscol.ac.uk