Hereward College Official Blog

Hereward Hosts Lessons for Lassies

2013-09-20T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hereward College was the venue for an unusual group of learners last weekend – over 20 guests from the Charity Dog Aid were accompanied by their canine companions. Staying at Hereward for a long weekend the group enjoyed the superb new specialist facilities and accommodation in The Lodge and also had an opportunity to swap experiences during breaks from the intensive training. The diligent dogs arrived in Coventry to receive specialist training to supports their disabled owners in every-day tasks, and eventually become qualified Assistance Dogs. The training included a range of tasks from emptying the washing machine, to carrying small shopping items and transforms the pet from “man’s best friend” to an indispensable independent living aid.

Dog Aid Chair, Sandra Fraser said: “The facilities at Hereward were second to none, and the dogs have certainly progressed well all learning a range of new skills to support their owners in independent living.”

Jon Clugston, Vice Principal added: “We are delighted to work with Dog Aid, and see Hereward supporting so many disabled individuals and their wonderful pets. The work done by this charity is incredible, and it was an amazing opportunity for us to see the training in action.”

Meanwhile Hereward is keen to welcome groups to The Lodge for residential and day activities and is open for those with and without disabilities. If you would like to find out more about this service contact Alice Davey, Business Development Manager at Hereward on 024 7642 6141 or email alice.davey@hereward.ac.uk.

Hereward College is a national, specialist, residential college of further education located in Tile Hill Lane, Coventry. The college welcomes all learners including those with special needs such as physical disabilities, communication disorders and learning difficulties. In addition to the 100+ residential learners, day disabled and non-disabled learners also attend the college. www.hereward.ac.uk

Dog Aid is a registered charity formed in 1992, that aims to empower the less able; by supplying the pet dog owner with a trainer to help give them the knowledge and skills to turn their pet dog into a qualified Assistance Dog. Dog A.I.D. is accredited by the National and International umbrella groups which uphold the high standards required for Assistance Dog training.

Paralympian Star Visits Hereward College

2013-09-18T01:15:00.002-07:00

Hereward College welcomes a visitor to launch the new lunchtime Boccia club this week. Nigel Murray, one of the most successful Paralympian’s of all time visited the college on Tuesday 17^th September 2013 to launch the new activity. The regular lunchtime club will form the basis of the Hereward Team who will be participating in events throughout the year.
Nigel Murray MBE, is a local lad born in Leamington Spa, who training in Warwick, and is Britain’s most successful Boccia player ever. His impressive medal haul includes: two gold; one silver; and one bronze medal from four Olympic Games appearances spanning a 12 year period from the year 2000 right up to the 2012 London Games. He is the fifth most successful Boccia player of all time.

Mark Harding, curriculum lead for sport at Hereward said: “It is an honour to welcome such an inspirational role model to Hereward, the response from our students has been incredible. This adds a new dimension to our impressive array of enrichment activities here at the College, and is played on the superb new sports hall floor completed in the Summer that has been specially lined for this sport.”

Student, Daisy Nash said: “The experience today has been amazing, I am definitely going to try to make the Boccia Team here at Hereward, and can’t wait to start competitions.”

Boccia is a target ball sport belonging to the same family as petanque and bowls. Boccia (pronounced 'Bot-cha') is a Paralympic sport introduced in 1984: it has no Olympic counterpart; athletes throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball onto the court with the aim of getting closest to a 'jack' ball; It is designed specifically for athletes with a disability affecting locomotor function; it is played indoors on a court similar in size to a badminton court.

Photo: Nigel Murray with Hereward students

Hereward College is a national, specialist, residential college of further education located in Tile Hill Lane, Coventry. The college welcomes all learners including those with special needs such as physical disabilities, communication disorders and learning difficulties. In addition to the 100+ residential learners, day disabled and non-disabled learners also attend the college. www.hereward.ac.uk

Matt Scores with a Brand New Sports Course

2013-07-16T03:07:00.004-07:00

Hereward College is helping a teenager with Special Educational Needs to move closer to his goal of becoming a qualified sports teacher.

Matt Jarvis (21) is one of the first students to enrol on a brand new Sports Diploma Course at Hereward College in Tile Hill. Matt has been studying at Hereward since 2011 - stepping up to the new Level 3 course after successfully gaining the Level 2 sport qualification which included a work placement at Atherstone Leisure Centre.

Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Matt has thrived at Hereward where students are taught in small groups with an emphasis on individual support. He said: “I am delighted to be returning to Hereward for another year. Hereward has boosted my confidence and independence, and I am looking forward to study at Level 3. The new course will give me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of Sport along with gaining even more experience in the Sports Industry with another amazing work placement. Beyond level 3, I can now set my sights on University and perhaps one day of reaching my goal of working as a sports teacher.”

Matt is particularly passionate about football and will soon be a fully-fledged FA official - opening the door for him to referee matches up to and including semi-professional level. He already referees adults and children’s weekend matches across the city.

Course leader Mark Harding said: “We have a few places remaining on our sports courses this year, and are sure that this new course will be a real hit with youngsters keen to progress into employment.”
For further details of Hereward College’s 2013 courses contact 024 7642 6173 or val.mckeever@hereward.ac.uk

HEREWARD FESTIVAL

2013-06-18T03:43:00.001-07:00

Hereward College launches its annual festival this week held to celebrate the successes and achievements of the students over the past year.

The fortnight long event is launched on the 17^th June with the private view of the visual art exhibition. On display will be work from learners of all levels from art and design, photography, graphics and media. Alongside this, is an exhibition of an in house art competition that Level 3 art and design students, Chris Samuel and James Batchelor have organised as part of their extended diploma course. The students have managed to receive sponsorship from Asda, Tesco, WH Smith, Cult Pens, who have donated prizes and Compton Verney staff are kindly judging the competition. Also during this week, there will be various performances of dance, drama and music. The pieces performed have been created and practice over the past year and will form part of their assessment work as well as showing off their skills to other students and staff.

Saturday sees the evening of the annual prom. This year the theme is ‘Black and White’. Students will enjoy getting glammed up for this fun evening event.

The second week of events begins with a sport related theme on Monday 24^th June. All students across the College will be invited to have a go on different types of sports, led by sports students and sports professionals that have been delivering different sports throughout the year. The day will culminate with a traditional sports day with fun activities such as three legged races, egg and spoon races and many more.

Tuesday 25^th June is Enterprise Day. Students will have the choice of either a ‘Subway’ challenge, whereby students are asked to design and market a new type of ‘Subway’ sandwich, or a fashion enterprise project whereby students set up their own fashion label and design and market a fashion garment. Both projects will have a focus on business and enterprise. Students will work in teams to try to come up with the best ideas with prizes for the winners.

Weds 26th June is Party in the Park day at Hereward College. There will be a real festival feel to the day with a BBQ and lots of live music, dance and drama performances and some of Herewards own Covent Garden style street performers. The visual arts exhibition will still be up for people to view, along with screenings of different performances from the year. Hereward Radio will be making its debut, broadcasting live at times throughout the day and the art competition winners will be announced. There will also be a karaoke and stalls ran by students and local crafts people.

The Festival will come to its conclusion on Thursday when the ‘Celebrating Success Ceremony’ will be held. This whole college event will celebrate all the successes of the year. Students will highlight the events of the year and some of the students who are leaving will talk inspirationally about their journey at Hereward, what they have learnt and what the future holds for them now. There will also be pieces delivered from performance students.

Corrine Maclean, Subject Leader for Visual Arts and Media at the College said,

“The following fortnight is going to be a very busy but very enjoyable one. Members of our local community have been invited to join us at many of the events which will provide our students with the opportunity to showcase their considerable successes and achievments from the past year.”

Hereward College to Host “Living Independently” Seminar for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Users

2013-05-20T05:54:00.003-07:00


Hereward Student using AAC equipment

1Voice will be offering a free seminar for users of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) on 22nd June, between 11 am – 3 pm, at Hereward College. The seminar will be held by AAC users with the purpose of explaining how they manage to live independently.

Communication is a skill that is learned and developed by everyone and can be continuously improved. However, for children with speech, language and/or communication needs, the daily struggle to communicate means they could be shut out of everyday life.

AAC covers all forms of communication, other than oral speech, including facial expressions or gestures, symbols and pictures, or writing. People with severe speech or language problems rely on AAC to supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional. Special augmentative aids, such as picture and symbol communication boards and electronic devices, are available to help people express themselves. This may increase social interaction, school performance, and feelings of self-worth.

1Voice is a charitable organisation for people with speech impediments who use AAC, which takes a family and social perspective on communication and recognises the great need for adult role models to inspire children and families alike. 1Voice promotes families supporting each other to overcome the isolation that being unable to communicate can bring. They offer network and support for children and families using communication aids.

During the event, participants will get the opportunity to learn about managing their finances, practical and interpersonal skills, managing personal assistants and active safeguarding. Participants will also receive tips and ideas about using AAC and will get the opportunity to participate in question and answer sessions about living independently with the 1Voice representatives.

The event is supported by Hereward College, an all-inclusive FE College in Coventry with specialist provision for students with diverse and complex support requirements. Hereward was selected by 1Voice to host the seminar due to its expertise in Speech and Language Therapy and because many students at Hereward are AAC users. The College puts a high value on developing independence skills which enable its students to become active members of society.

Patrick Bates, ex-student at Hereward College and attendee at previous 1Voice events said:

“I would definitely recommend the 1Voice events to anyone who is using AAC equipment, regardless of age. Their expertise is truly valuable.”

The event is free, but pre-booking is essential. If you’d like to attend please contact Julie Atkinson on Julie.atkinson2@nhs.net or 07773 639281 to register.

Students from Hereward to demonstrate their “Employ Ability”

2013-05-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

Students from Hereward College will join with other young disabled people from Coventry, Warwick and Milton Keynes to showcase their talents at a special ‘Employ Ability’ event at Rugby Centre on 22 May, between 10:30 am – 2:00 pm.

The event, which has been organised and managed by the students themselves, brings together employers, educators and young people with disabilities to showcase their skills and talents along with examples of how employers are successfully working with them.

Hereward College, Warwickshire College in Coventry, Roundoak School in Daventry and Slated Row School in Milton Keynes have formed a cluster group in response to the government green paper on supporting young people with disabilities. The group has worked with the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) on a project to focus on developing more effective ways to help disabled young people into work, which is culminating in the “Employ Ability” showcase.

The event includes workshops and presentations from employment support organisations and businesses including National Grid and BT. These will help employers understand and appreciate the business and wider benefits of employing young people with disabilities, as well as find out what support is available to help make it happen. Educators will be able to see how to establish relationships with employers that can really make a difference in supporting students into work.

Students will also be showcasing their creative talents in a drama piece and flash mob performance. Attendees will get the opportunity to interact with the actors during a forum theatre performance.

Mike Shaw, Vice Principal of Quality and Curriculum at Hereward College said “Every young person has the right to aspire to the very best for their future and every employer wants the best for their business. That’s why this event is so important to bring together stakeholders, employers and our learners, to showcase their skills and aspirations and the work we do to support them in education."

“There is still much work to do to make employability a reality especially for disabled people, but we hope that everyone at the event will be inspired by seeing what can be achieved.”

The Hereward Art Prize 2013 - Competition for Hereward Staff and Students

2013-05-14T07:52:00.002-07:00

Do you want to take part in an exciting opportunity to showcase your talent? Want a chance to free your creative juices and see your hard work on display?

Well then the Hereward Art Prize is the perfect opportunity for you. We want to see your best work, and what more it’s free to enter! If you’ve got a lovely piece of artwork that’s been hanging around doing nothing or even a media or performance piece that you can’t wait to showcase, then send it to us. What’s more there will be prizes for three winners!

All pieces are that entered into the competition will be displayed in the exhibition that will take place during the Hereward Festival in the last two weeks of term. You can enter as an individual or as a group and share the prize!

There are 3 categories:

Entry Level
Level 1 and 2
Level 3 and staff

There are five levels of criteria for any work submitted:

Photographic and Digital art-No bigger than A3
3D-No bigger than 50cm by 50cm
Painting and drawing-No bigger than A3
Media and Performance-No longer than 3 minutes
Textiles-No bigger than A3

To enter you must pick up an application form James Bachelor or Chris Samuel in the art department, room 28 , and this must be handed in along with your piece. Work can be dropped off to Anouska (art technician – room 28 art department) a week before the deadline. The judging will take place on the 17th of June.

If you need to talk with us about anything please contact us: HerewardArtPrize@hereward.ac.uk

Rules for the competition

Your work needs to be mounted or framed or ready to display..
Your work must meet the criteria.
Anything offensive will not be allowed to enter.
Only one piece per person/group is to be submitted.
You must fill and hand in the application form with your work.

The deadline is the 10^thof June, so get your creative juices flowing!

Celebrating success – Curriculum April 2013

2013-05-13T06:27:00.004-07:00

Visual Arts

· 2 students from the visual arts department have designed and implemented an arts competition for all staff and students in the college. Participants are encouraged to produce a piece of art work and the competition will run as part of the Hereward Festival

Sports

· Staff and students from the department successfully hosted the regional ability counts football tournament at the college on Friday 26^th April. 20 Hereward students took part in the event as competitors, organisers, timekeepers, officials (Matt Jarvis referee). 6 other colleges from the region attended the event, which was a huge success.

Performance & Music

· The Band music competition is gathering pace and students from the music department are busily preparing for the event with independent rehearsals and gig preparation.

· Students from the dance department are involved in supported an LSIS employability awareness day. The students will be performing a flash mob dance as part of the day which has been jointly organised by staff and students from Hereward along with other schools and colleges in the region.

· The Arts Award is up and running for this term which involves 6 students gaining valuable life and employment skills via all arts forms. This is being led by Zoe Hopkins with a view to being rolled out to more students from September. The arts award has strengthened our links with key partners such as The Warwick Arts Centre.

Employability

· Employability Stats – 5 students during the month of April have undertaken a successful external work experience placement – Notable Corey Scott had a very successful placement at the Coventry Council House Electoral services. Corey has received excellent feedback from the placement including a glowing report from an external training company that attended the council house whilst Corey was on placement.

· To date there have been 37 successful external placements with more planned in the summer term.

· External placements - S: drive, Allusers, Work experience photographs 2012-13

· 16 students applied and were successful at interview for roles at the forthcoming ‘The Band’ competition. Students gained valuable employability skills and experiences as part of this process.

Business & ICT

· The young enterprise group led by Una Moore and Ingrid terry have won 2 awards for their enterprise work this year. The group attended a regional awards ceremony on Wednesday 24^th April at Coventry University.

· A group of students from the department have won a national competition for their project relating to the money for life scheme. At the final they were joined by 5 other regional finalists runners up, two representatives from the team have also been invited to London to compete for the UK People’s Prize. – Fantastic achievement

Functional Skills Department

The online Functional Skills tests have begun and we had a number of passes at Level 1 & 2 for English and Maths. Successful learners this time were: David Williams, Nick Brennan, Martin Bamber, James Batchelor, Nathan Grainger, Timi Sosan, James Stewart, Alex Nemar, Chris Cotton (x2), Oliver Baskaran, Robbie Fleming, Alex Sutton, Cameron Wood, Jacob Jones. Well done everyone!

Entry level programmes

· Jon Gaulton and James Rowlatt from the Entry level 3 Skills for Working life Horticulture and Floristry course have been offered a day work placement at Ryton Gardens with Andrea Jones who has been teaching the course one day per week. They will be going over to Ryton Gardens on 13^thMay where they will be designing the growing beds at the entrance to the gardens. This will also give them the opportunity to gain an extra qualification through Ryton Gardens at level 1. This will be a huge achievement for them.

· Both year one and year two of the skills for working life and independence course will be given work experience at Ryton Gardens for a day again with Andrea and will be building a clay oven. They will be given a day pass for the summer holiday to go back and make pizzas using the oven. Andrea is keen to get the press involved in this as she feels that it has been her most successful project working with the students this year and would like to showcase what the student have been doing. She would like for Siobhan Mason or/and Katie Howell to be involved in the photo shoot.

· Two entry one learners from the Personal Progress course made it through to gain a position for The Band day. Richard Hines will be working as a catering assistant and Liam Clarke as an MC. This is a huge achievement for them both.

· On Wednesday 1^st May Personal Progress students had a sports morning where they took part in various games which they had been learning and practicing their skills for over the academic year with the physiotherapy department. All students received a medal for taking part.

· Personal Progress group 4 went to watch Allen Marston practicing his gymnastics. Students went with Hannah Bradley, Elise McDowell and Rachel Holtom. Students enjoyed the evening and AJ’s parents were really happy to see his peers showing support for him.

· Josie Shingler, Mouaz Mohammed, Richard Hines and Prasant Patel have been given the opportunity to visit a school and have a look and a go at rebound therapy.

A Smashing News for Hereward College with a Funding Boost from Charity Lottery

2013-03-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

The students at Hereward College and wider community are celebrating with a funding boost thanks to players of a charity lottery.

Hereward College was awarded £5,654 by People’s Postcode Trust, a grant-giving charity, funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

The money has been used to install new outdoor tennis nets and posts, and to buy indoor short tennis nets and rackets for the College to support both students and the local community to play more sport. This is part of an on-going investment programme at the College to increase sporting opportunities and encourage more community use of the site.

Andy Commander, Hereward’s Curriculum Head said;
“We are absolutely thrilled over by the generosity of the People’s Postcode Trust, and of course the ticket-buying public. We are delighted to be installing in more high quality equipment at Hereward. This adds to a huge list of recent investment at the College to broaden opportunities for students and the local community.”

People’s Postcode Lottery is Britain’s charity lottery. Players play with their postcodes to win cash prizes while raising money for good causes. As a charity lottery, £2 from every monthly lottery ticket charities and community initiatives across England, Scotland and Wales, including People’s Postcode Trust. People’s Postcode Lottery believes in supporting local communities so the money raised by players in each country, stays in that country.

Students from Hereward step up to the Challenge and set their sights on national award success

2013-03-22T09:02:00.001-07:00

A team of 18 to 19 year olds from Coventry is in the running for a prestigious national award after impressing judges in the first round of the Lloyds TSB Money for Life Challenge, a competition designed to inspire better money management skills.

The team of students from Hereward College, a residential and day student college catering for those with disabilities, is now gearing up to go to the English final at the Tower of London on 18 April 2013 where they will showcase their Money for Life Challenge project called Savvy Savers. Since becoming one of 250 projects in the UK to receive a £500 grant in December, the young people have put their project into action as money saving experts by re-launching a credit union collection point within the college to help students save money and learn about the benefits of doing so. The group realised that a lot of college attendees were not in control of their own finances and did not save money in any form, so as well as the credit collection point they set up money management workshops for those with more complex learning disabilities and their carers. The workshops helped students and carers understand the benefits of saving money and the team created a range of resources designed to make saving money a lot easier.

Martin Berisford, 19, from Savvy Savers says: “As someone with autism and anxiety disorders, this project was a test of how far I have come in the last few years. I have proved to myself that I do have the skills to go forward in life to become ‘employable’. The most important part for me was seeing people around the college and community enjoying our workshops.”

Savvy Savers will be joining a shortlist of five England teams whose inspiring money management projects are having a positive impact on their local communities and friends.

The team’s sponsor, Ingrid Terry a Business Facilitator at Hereward College says: “This has been a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop new and exciting skills in communication and team work. Leadership, drive and motivation by the Project Leader has been highly commendable. As the main aim and progression of our students is ‘employment’, the skills demonstrated within this project demonstrate employability.”

On the day of the English final of the Money for Life Challenge, the lucky teams will present their projects to a panel of judges and the winning team will then go on to the UK Grand Final in London on 23 May. If Savvy Savers is crowned national winner they will also receive £1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and £50 shopping vouchers for each team member.

Sarah Porretta, Head of the Money for Life Programme at Lloyds Banking Group, said: “The Money for Life Challenge is a great way of empowering young people to manage their money well through supporting others with the exact same skills. Now in its second year, the calibre of the projects never ceases to impress and what’s most striking is the creativity and passion shown by the young people in bringing their original idea to life to make a real difference in their communities.

“We look forward to hearing all about Savvy Savers project at the England final and wish them all the best of luck.”

The winning team at the Grand Final on 23 May will win £2,500 for a charity of their choice, £100 of shopping vouchers for each member and a Lloyds Banking Group mentor. There will also be an overall People’s Prize winner selected by guests at the event.

Money for Life Challenge is part of the Money for Life programme, a unique partnership between Lloyds Banking Group and further education sector partners in the four nations of the UK, including The National Skills Academy for Financial Services and Toynbee Hall in England. The competition aims to find the most successful and innovative ways to improve the money management skills of learners, their friends, families and communities. Team members are between 16 and 24 years old and in further education, work based learning or adult community learning.

The additional England finalists are: Bella’s Budget Boutique, an online guide to become fashion savvy; Culture on a Shoestring, an online magazine for Lancashire communities to find free or low cost cultural activities to do in their area; and, Ignite, a guide to promoting money management to young musicians and Act on Money, who devised a theatre play to address money management issues amongst the homeless community.

Hereward College Enjoy Day at St.Georges Park

2013-03-21T08:52:00.001-07:00

Students from Hereward College in Coventry enjoyed an inspirational day at St George’s Park last week as they became the 100th College to sign up to Team 19 – the national college football programme now taking place in over a third of colleges in England.

To celebrate this impressive milestone, Hereward travelled to the new home of English Football and kicked off the day with a tour of the brand new facilities. This included the immaculate Wembley replica pitch, the full-sized indoor 3G pitch, the boot room where they learned that Steven Gerrard still cleans his own boots.
After refuelling in one of the four purpose built pitch side pavilions, students made their way to the David Beckham pitch where they were given the opportunity to quiz our esteemed panel: Karl Lines (CEO ECFA), Brian Goodwin (National Football Development Project Manager), and Alison and Ryan (Team 19 National Student Management Team members) about life working in football.

After this came the most anticipated part of the day – playing football at St George’s Park! Supported by our student volunteers, Ryan and Alison, Karl Lines lead the session where students showed off their skills.

During a much needed break from playing, Hereward were presented with a plaque to mark the celebration as well as a wall banner to display at their college.

College Prinipal, Sheila Fleming, was there to accept the award and commented : “All the students, and staff, really enjoyed the day and were very enthusiastic about playing football and enjoying the facilities. At times I thought I would struggle to get everyone off the pitch to go home!
"I would also say the Team 19 staff were also very committed and enthusiastic about the visit and were really keen to celebrate Hereward being the 100th college to join such a great project.”

Head of Sport, Mark Harding added: “The day was an excellent opportunity for the students of Hereward College to experience the brand new FA facility.
"Team 19 has allowed Football at Hereward to expand and develop, and following this amazing trip we hope the numbers taking part in Football will increase further at the college.
"During the day, our students were also able to quiz staff members at St George's Park and hopefully consider routes into Sport for themselves after College life.”

On the back of the trip, the college are hoping to set up a Student Management Team to run the league with support from staff.

Students from Hereward College talk about Chair4Life

2013-03-21T06:43:00.001-07:00

Chair for Life is a new wheelchair designed for young people. The chair, has a seat which goes up and down, enabling disabled children to be at the same height as their friends.

The Renfrew Group who specialise in motorbikes were asked by the NHS to come up with the design prototype which is hoped to go into full production.

The design firm from Leicester, which has worked on Rolls Royce, Aston Martin and Triumph motorbikes has recently unviled their latest creation at Hereward College where students have advised the designers about the chair design and functionality.

Some comments from students were:

"Sometimes I don't get noticed and I have to shout really loud in order to get people's attention. With this chair, because the seat goes up and down, it's an advantage."

"You're at the same hight with other people so you don't feel intimidated by people standing over you."

Employers to engage students at Herewad’s Celebration Brunch

2013-03-06T06:12:00.001-08:00

Hereward College will be organising its annual employability event on 13March 2013 with the purpose of creating and nurturing business relationships between its students and regional employers.

After very successful events in previous years, Business Studies students have decided to take leadership this year and organise the “Hereward Celebration Brunch” where several businesses will be networking with students and presenting employment opportunities.

Katy Saunders, a business student at Hereward and one of the organisers of the event, said: "We are excited to prepare and hold this event again. We have been organising it and working towards this date since September and have really enjoyed the preparation and are looking forward to sharing our work and successes with local business, it should be a great morning for all".

The event will allow learners to have access to a selection of career paths in different industry sectors and to encourage greater employer engagement with the college students in the future by showing visitors to the college what Hereward has to offer.

Organisations will get the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of employing people with disabilities. Ex-students from Hereward College have been invited to talk about the success they’ve enjoyed in their career once finishing college and the impact that Hereward has had in their lives. This will not only allow employers to see the potential of Hereward’s students but also to provide inspiration to current students.

The event is connected with the college’s strategic objective to develop links with industry and local employers in order in order to generate more external work placements and work experience opportunities for its students.

Hereward Celebrates the National Careers Week

2013-03-06T06:04:00.001-08:00

National Careers Week (NCW) is a celebration of careers guidance and opportunities across the UK from 4th - 8th March 2013. The event is run annually in order to encourage education providers to bring together students, career advisers and local employers and provide careers activities.

Students from Hereward will be provided with resources to plan for, find, and pursue employment during the week as the College is aiming to equip it students with the skills and confidence they need to build enduring careers and realise their full potential.

Hereward will be supported throughout the week by The Employment Support Service (TESS), a service which helps disabled people in obtaining suitable employment and also assists local employers who are willing to provide disabled people with the opportunity to work.

Remploy Recruitment has partnered with Hereward College during the Careers Week and will talk to students about how they can support them in gaining employment once they finish college. The organisation supports people with disabilities to find sustainable employment, in a wide range of roles with mainstream employers. It works closely with local employers in order to make sure that the abilities that employers are looking for are in-line with what disabled people can offer.

Paul Sykes, Development Manager at Remploy said: “We will visit Hereward College to meet with some students and give them a greater idea of Remploy and the ongoing support we offer to help people find and retain sustainable employment. It is great to see Hereward College recognises the importance of employability skills and hopefully this is the start of a closer relationship between Hereward and Remploy”.

Students will also have the opportunity to participate in workshops organised by the college’s Employability and Careers Unit and HR Department, where they will receive CV building and Interview Tips.

Tilly Absalom, Employability Skills Developer at Hereward College said: “Hereward College is proud to have developed strong links with local organisations which in turns allows our students to engage and aspire to a variety of jobs in the workplace.”

According to the Labour Force Survey[1], disabled people remain significantly less likely to be in employment than non-disabled people The College will be working with local businesses over the next couple of months to demonstrate how students with disabilities can be as effective as non-disabled in employment when given the right opportunity. Students from Hereward will also be organising a brunch networking event with local employers on 13^th March, focussing on their achievements and how that relates to them becoming more employable. On May 22^nd another event will take place where any business who may wish to attend can come along and learn about the myths behind disabilities and hear from large and small organisations that have taken on disabled people and how it has empowered their business.

[1]http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/disability-statistics-and-research/disability-facts-and-figures.php#imp

National Careers Week

2013-02-28T08:39:00.001-08:00