Category: College News

University of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent College are joining forces to help more students to upskill and realise their potential.

University and College leaders have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which commits both institutions to work together to support College students on their education journey.

University of Staffordshire Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin Jones said: “This enables us to remove barriers to education, raise the aspirations of students of all ages and address skills shortages in our area.”

“We will be working closely with Stoke-on-Trent College to map progression opportunities and ramp up the support available to students who want to take their learning to the next level.”

An example of this is the Staffordshire Nurse Pathway which helps College T-level healthcare students to build confidence by bringing them on to the University campus and giving them hands-on experience of clinical environments.

The College students also receive careers advice and guidance from University staff alongside practical experience at University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) NHS Trust. The initiative aims to help NHS England meet its growth target of an extra 2,500 nurses in the region by 2028. 

Building on the successful pilot, both institutions are committed to providing similar pathways for students undertaking computer games, law and education qualifications.

Principal and CEO of Stoke on Trent College Lisa Capper MBE said: “Our partnership with University of Staffordshire is about being joined up in terms of what courses we deliver and how that dovetails with the Local Skills Improvement Plan.”

“Supporting our young and adult learners to have greater awareness and knowledge of their options beyond Stoke on Trent College and helping them to make informed decisions about future courses and careers is key.”

Through the partnership, the college and university are committing to work together to co-design and deliver Level 3 courses in areas including Engineering and STEM, Health and Social Care and Digital and Creative Industries to provide talented college students with exciting new progression opportunities.

Other developments include Level 3 microcredentials which aim to support College learners in making informed decisions about Higher Education, Careers and Enterprise. This will help students build on the applied skills that they learn in their time at Stoke on Trent College.

University of Staffordshire Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Annabel Kiernan said: “Stoke on Trent College is achieving great things and we are hugely excited about the transformative impact that our joint working will have on people from our city and county.

“Each year at graduation we celebrate the achievements of local people of all ages and we are keen to build supported opportunities for people in Stoke and Staffordshire to upskill, reskill and realise their full potential.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

• Stoke on Trent College serves up to 8000 students a year including young people, adults and apprentices. Working with a wide range of employers in key growth areas of the economy such as Digital, Construction, Engineering, STEM and Health and Social Care and more.
• The College also work with young adults who may have a special educational or additional need.
• A wide range of flexible and distance learning is provided by the College to individuals and businesses.

For all media enquiries, please contact marketing@stokecoll.ac.uk  

With the rise in mental health problems in adults, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group has taken an important step to enhance its student support services by launching mental health support platform, TalkCampus.

According to Mind, only one in three adults with a common mental health problem are currently getting treatment in the form of talking therapies, medication or both.

To support its students across its three Colleges, the Group has launched TalkCampus, an online and global community of students who support each other through their daily struggles, all within a clinically safeguarded environment.

Sam Wright, Principal and Chief Executive at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “At the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, we want to create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for our learners. The launch of TalkCampus will enhance our current student mental health and wellbeing services, providing a platform where our students can express themselves in their own language and within their own time. What’s so great about the platform is that our students can access it 24/7, and it’s moderated by trained peer supporters, meaning it’s a safe and anonymous space where they can talk confidentially and get the support they need.”

As part of the service, the Group has chosen to add peer support which provides instant and ongoing communication, wherever a student may be.

A 2023 survey found that since using TalkCampus, 86% of students find it easier to ask for help when they need it and 79% find it easier to cope with life.

Leigh Allsopp, Strategic Lead for TalkCampus at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “The launch of TalkCampus comes at a pivotal time, as we welcome hundreds of adult learners across the district to start their academic journeys with us. Starting in or re-entering education can be an exciting experience, but it can also be incredibly daunting and TalkCampus provides a safe space where people can share their struggles with those who may be experiencing something similar, reminding them that they’re not alone. This is ideal for our adult learners whose time in College may be limited, or those who carry out their qualifications fully online, ensuring they are supported both personally and academically.”

Learners can also speak to the Group’s Student Wellbeing Officers about any problems they have in or outside of College, as well as accessing pastoral support and counselling services.

Both TalkCampus and the Group’s mental health and wellbeing services can be used by the Group’s wide range of adult learners, from degree-level students to part-time learners and those studying online courses.

Learn more about the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’s adult provision, at: www.heartofyorkshire.ac.uk/adult-learners 

To continue to deliver an excellent service to its students and stakeholders, the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group has launched a brand-new intuitive website for its three Colleges – creating an engaging and interactive user experience.

Designed to create a responsive and immersive experience for all users, the new website is mobile-friendly, has improved functionality, simplified navigation and enhanced accessibility.

With a greater emphasis on visuals, videos and 360 tours, users can immersive themselves into the state-of-the-art campuses of the Group’s three Colleges, explore its vast range of courses, meet its current and former students and learn more about College life.

All three of the Group’s Colleges – Castleford College, Selby College and Wakefield College – have an area on the new website which been designed with new and prospective students in mind, offering them an easy and engaging way to find a course which suits them, as well as the progression routes and career opportunities available.

Users can simply choose what course they are interested in from the Group’s range of A Levels, T Levels, Vocational Courses, Apprenticeships, Higher Education, Adult Learning and Professional Courses, and apply in one streamlined process.

Sam Wright, Principal and Chief Executive at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “Creating an excellent experience for our students and stakeholders is a key priority for us at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group and our online presence plays a key role in this. As part of our website redevelopment project, our aim was to create something which would embody the Group’s values and bring our vision a to life in a more captivating way, enabling prospective students to truly understand what it’s like to be a student at one of our Colleges, as well as for employers to see first-hand how we can work with them to enhance their business. We hope our new website will also create a sense of place and familiarity for our existing students where they can keep up to date with the latest information and news.”

Current students will be able to explore the website to learn about all aspects of College life including term dates, enrichment, exams, events, student support and wellbeing, the Students’ Union and the latest College news.

Prospective students and parents can also find all the information they need about starting College, such as what different course types and levels mean, how to apply, financial support, transport and more. They can also browse through the College’s various prospectuses, register for Open Events and hear from previous students regarding their experience at their chosen College.

The websites also have dedicated spaces for employers and schools, ensuring easy access to the latest content and news of interest to them.

Alongside the Group’s Marketing Department, the website has been designed by qlue, a creative and website agency which has over 15 years’ experience in developing tailored web solutions for the Further Education sector.

Suzie Doherty, Head of Marketing & Admissions said about the project: “The way in which we interact online is constantly evolving, so it was incredibly important to us that our new websites have a modern and mobile friendly design which creates an immersive experience for our users, whilst being accessible for all. For prospective students, visiting one of our College websites is usually the first interaction they have with us, so we wanted to ensure they could easily navigate across the site to find a course and apply, as well as find all the additional information they may need.”

The Group has coincided the launch of its new website with its brand-new School Leaver Prospectuses for 2025-2026, with its School Liaison Team delivering presentations to Year 11s across the region in the coming months.

The Group’s brand-new website is now live at: www.heartofyorkshire.ac.uk

Mike Ward, a Carpentry and Joinery lecturer at Cambria’s Bersham Road site in Wrexham, has spent years designing and building furniture, planters, sheds and more for educators across the area.

This time it was the turn of The Rofft School in Marford, which has a unique outdoor learning environment for the Explorer Nursery and Reception and Resource Provision thanks to the talented tutor and his students.

Mike has created a classroom complete with seating, a gazebo, shelter, a reading den, stage, activity boards for the learning support unit (LSU) and an array of timber facilities welcomed by staff and children.

“These are some of the most recent additions and we also built several items last year, including wigwams, fences and a shed, so this was stage two of the project,” he said.

“It was a pleasure to be able to help as outdoor learning is so important – I’m glad they like it and hope the children enjoy their lessons in this new space.”

Teacher Emma Roberts thanked Mike and the college for their help over the years.

“The children, staff and parents at The Rofft School are delighted with the support we have received from Coleg Cambria in helping us develop our outdoor learning environments,” said Emma.

“They have completely transformed them and literally brought the children’s ideas to life!”

She added: “Without their support we would not have been able to provide the large-scale structures that the children asked for and now use daily.

“We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to tap into the skills of the fantastic tutors and students at Coleg Cambria, we now have a fabulous provision for the children to develop a wide range of literacy, numeracy and topic-based skills.

“We hope to continue the partnership to further enhance the outdoor learning environments across our Progression Step departments, which will also give their learners the opportunity to use the skills they’ve learned in college in a real environment – they have been able to make a huge difference in the community.”

The Rofft School’s next project will be a kitchen garden, and Mike and the team are already busy making planters and coming up with fresh ideas for the space.

Visit www.cambria.ac.uk for more news and information from Coleg Cambria.

For more on The Rofft School, visit the website: Home | The Rofft School.

The Bigger Boat Challenge – referencing the 1975 movie hit, Jaws – could be the toughest yet for Karl Jackson and his Coleg Cambria colleagues.

Taking place over two days from Friday October 25, the 12-strong team from the college’s Bersham Road site in Wrexham will kayak around two lakes and hike a 22-kilometre route across Gwynedd and Powys in aid of Dementia UK.

“Every year we try and come up with unique, adrenaline-fuelled activities that will test our limits while, more importantly, raising as much money as we can for incredible causes,” he said.

“This one will see us battle the elements, cover many kilometres on foot and take to the water in kayaks on two of North Wales’s biggest lakes.

“The team and I are training hard already but I’m sure as always the weather and route we are taking will throw up a few surprises!”

This is the latest in a series of adventures led by Karl; in recent years he and fellow Cambria staff have completed the Skye is the Limit Challenge, the Welsh Three Peaks and the Crazy 7 for Stepping Stones North Wales and collected more than £1,000 for Menstrual Health Project (MHP) by completing the Cairngorm 4000s, a three-day hike across 4,000ft+ mountains in Scotland’s eastern highlands.

He and lecturer Paul Standring also conquered the four-day Freezing Fingers expedition in bleak, wintry conditions over the Rhinogydd mountain range in Snowdonia.

This time, the Cambria cohort will begin at the tip of Bala Lake before paddling in teams of two for more than 6km. They will then walk to Lake Vyrnwy, including a 700m woodland ascent over difficult terrain.

After camping for the night, the pairs will return to their kayaks for another paddle, this time around the perimeter of the lake in extremely cold and windy conditions, which will take up to three hours.

“We are fortunate to always receive so much support for our charity escapades, and I’m sure this time will be no different,” said Karl.

“It’s going to be cold, wet, incredibly windy and risky at times, but we will be well prepared and ready to take on whatever comes our way.

“We are doing this for Dementia UK, an incredible organisation that does so much good for people all over the country – thank you in advance for helping us to help them.”

Dementia UK is the specialist dementia nursing charity that is there for the whole family. Its nurses – known as ‘Admiral Nurses’ – provide free, specialist advice, support and understanding to anyone affected by the condition, whenever it is needed.

Every day, Admiral Nurses help people affected by dementia have the best life possible for as long as possible. They are there when people need them most, providing health advice, offering compassionate emotional, and psychological support.

Joanna Sullivan, Head of Community Fundraising, Events and Innovation at Dementia UK, said: “We are so grateful to Karl and his colleagues at Coleg Cambria for taking on this inspiring challenge for Dementia UK.

“One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime – either by caring for someone with the condition, developing it ourselves, or both. It can be exhausting and overwhelming, not only for the person with dementia, but also for the people caring for them, and their wider family and friends.

“Thanks to the hard work of our amazing fundraisers like Karl and his colleagues, more families than ever will be able to access the life-changing support offered by our Admiral Nurses.”

Visit Home – Dementia UK for more on the charity.

To sponsor The Bigger Boat Challenge, visit www.justgiving.com/page/karl-jackson-1726470628182

United Colleges Group (UCG) are delighted to announce that one of its students has been awarded a Medallion for Excellence at WorldSkills Lyon 2024.

Mark Kiss, from College of North West London (CNWL), part of UCG, reached the world standard mark of 700 points in his Web Technologies category to win the prestigious medallion after four days of gruelling competition from September 10-15.

The 19-year-old was selected to compete alongside 30 other Team UK members across skills disciplines including cyber security, renewable energy, digital construction, cooking, hairdressing and painting and decorating.

And Mark and his team-mates certainly didn’t disappoint! By demonstrating their world-class skills on the global stage and delivering a strong response to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s message to rebuild Britain, they were recognised as among the most skilled young people in the world by leading global industry experts.

More than 1,500 young people from 69 countries competed in 62 different skills at WorldSkills Lyon, with the event attracting around 250,000 spectators.

WorldSkills UK, a four nations partnership between education, industry and UK governments, uses the insight it gains from participating in the international WorldSkills Competition to embed world-class training standards across the UK.

Pearson, the world’s lifelong learning company is the official partner of Team UK for WorldSkills Lyon 2024.

Stephen Davis, Group Principal and CEO, United Colleges Group, said: “United Colleges Group takes great pride in Mark’s incredible performance at WorldSkills 2024 – his achievements during the past year are fantastic and have now been recognised on a global stage.

“Mark’s hard work and aspirations are proving to be an inspiration to students across our college and we are sure more success will follow in the years ahead.”

Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Skills, said: “As we close this incredible WorldSkills competition, I want to congratulate everyone involved. You’ve all showcased exceptional skill, dedication, and creativity, proving that the future is in capable hands.

“Everyone competing in WorldSkills has demonstrated their potential as future leaders and innovators. We want to support everyone across the country to access opportunity, no matter who they are or where they’re from.

“A big thank you to the judges, mentors, and organisers. Your efforts make this all possible. Let’s continue to put skills at the heart of our vision for Britain.”

Ben Blackledge, Chief Executive, WorldSkills UK said: “This is a fantastic result for the team and the UK as a whole.

“High-quality skills development is crucial to growing the economy, and Team UK’s medal-winning performance in front of a global audience sends a strong message that the UK is a world-class place to invest, develop talent and create jobs.”