Cornwall College is a very large general further education college with seven campuses in Cornwall. In March 2015 the college merged with Bicton College, a medium-sized, land-based college in East Devon. The college offers courses in all subject areas, including an extensive land-based curriculum reflecting the rural economy of the region it serves. In 2014, the college was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work in skills development across the region’s rural economy. Despite its image to visitors as an idyllic rural retreat, Cornwall’s economy is weak enough to be one of only two regions in the UK to have poverty-related grants from the European Union. The local economy is characterised by low household incomes, low skill levels and high rates of seasonal unemployment. The small and widely dispersed communities do not have strong public transport links which can make access to education and training difficult.