A college group’s efforts to bolster greener habits have been recognised with a national award and green accreditation for the second year running.

The Education Training Collective (Etc.) has been named winner of the Investors in the Environment’s Sustainability Influencer Award. The title highlights not only their own commitment to change but also a drive to encourage others to do the same.

“Our commitment to sustainability and the environment has been a priority across our campuses in recent years,” said the group’s director of marketing and business engagement, Erika Marshall.

“The environment is something that we know truly matters to our learners. Our aim is to provide a platform to not only learn about sustainability but also provide opportunities to carry out those actions in a practical way.”

The iiE national sustainability awards celebrate the green achievements of small to medium-sized enterprises and larger businesses and organisations around the UK who are working to reduce their resource use, support nature, influence change and make a positive social impact.

Also achieving iiE Green accreditation for the second consecutive year, the highest possible standard, the Etc. is committed to improving sustainability across its campuses and reducing their carbon footprint.

The group incorporates Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, Bede Sixth Form College, The Skills Academy, NETA Training and Innersummit.

Working with thousands of learners, together the colleges and training providers have implemented a host of green measures to promote positive change.

Projects have included the creation of a Green Initiatives Group, a team of like-minded individuals from across the organisation working together to create and deliver new ideas.

Carbon literacy workshops have been delivered to staff to help spread the word along with an increased focus on sustainability embedded into lessons.

The creation of a thrift exchange, gift swap and a staff car share scheme are just some of the ways individuals are being urged to make a change and think about their environmental impact.

The college group has also made significant improvements to the environmental performance of its central operations along with larger-scale developments such as the launch of its Clean Energy Education Hub and Retrofit Academy at Redcar and Cleveland College, focusing on skills for the low carbon energy and construction industries.

Working with Carbon Neutral Britain, Etc. has been certified carbon neutral for three years.

Etc. chief executive and group principal Grant Glendinning said: “We are incredibly proud to see the group recognised nationally for its work to make sustainability a priority and find ways to share this with our learners, staff and communities.

“The Green Initiatives Group, along with many other staff and students, have worked hard to find new and innovative ways to reduce their carbon emissions both in the classroom and at home.”

Investors in the Environment (iiE) is a national environmental accreditation scheme designed to help organisations reduce their impact on the environment and get recognition for their progress.

Antony Gough, national lead at iiE, said: “This year’s competition was tougher than ever, showcasing the extraordinary efforts of our members. Their dedication is further reflected in the record-breaking number of accreditations, award entries, and the sizeable impacts we’ve achieved together.”

From fairground work to catering, human resource management to studying a professional doctorate, Adele Currie knows career paths often take a varied route.

Now, joining the Education Training Collective as the group director of human resources and people development, she’s ready to put her own mixed bag of professional experiences to good use and hit the ground running.

Passionate about learning and people development, her story is the epitome of what we do here. With the move into education, she is looking forward to developing further knowledge and skills, with a willingness to learn, and all the benefits fresh eyes can bring.

While new to the sector, Adele has 30 years of experience in human resources and human resource management, bringing a wealth of experience to the role, along with a drive to give the greatest “people experience” to Etc. colleagues at every stage of their career.

She said: “That starts from first attracting people to the organisation, all the way through their career, up until retirement or the decision to move on. I want every stage of the employee cycle to be a fantastic experience.”

Just weeks into the role, she explained: “I have had the most incredible welcome.

“The generosity of spirit everyone I have met has shown me is amazing. Everyone has been so generous with their time, their experience, guidance, support and friendship.”

It is something that truly matters to Adele who is a keen advocate of coaching and mentoring and is even doing a professional doctorate on the subject.

When she completes the qualification, she’ll officially have the title of Dr Currie, something she never would have expected when she started work straight from school.

“My formative years were spent in a deprived area and while I wasn’t written off, I wasn’t expected to reach doctoral level,” she said.

Early jobs included catering and bar work before moving to Brighton where she worked on the fairgrounds. Doing everything from dishing out the candyfloss to working on the dodgems, it certainly prepared her for the demands of a real day’s graft.

“It was hard work and long hours,” she said. “Plus, it was seasonal work.”

It all adds to a rich mix of skills that has brought Adele to where she is today. Moving back to Sunderland at 21, she set up her own catering business and worked in call centres. It was there she fell into training management and HR.

“I started doing some CIPD courses and then challenged myself to do an HNC,” she said. “When someone said I could top that up to a degree with one more year of study I couldn’t believe it, I had thought I had missed the boat by not going to university first time round.”

Since then, education has remained a constant in Adele’s life who achieved a degree, her master’s, she is a Chartered Fellow member of the CIPD and now is working towards that professional doctorate and the prestigious doctor title.

“My education hasn’t been a traditional route, but it just goes to show there are so many different routes you can take,” she said.

Spending the last 18 years working in human resources in social housing, Adele explained: “I feel passionately about coaching as a method of enhancing people’s capabilities, skills, confidence and strategic thinking.”

And just like working in social housing, she feels that working in further education shares a similar synergy.

She said: “For me, giving people options is fantastic, it broadens horizons and offers wonderful experiences.

“From a hearts and minds perspective it is ultimately about helping to set people up for success in life.”