Whether it’s cutting down on electricity use, car sharing, or swap shops, thinking green is fast becoming part of the ethos at the Education Training Collective (Etc.).

Now the group of Teesside colleges has seen its efforts recognised with a silver award from the Investors in the Environment (iiE) and recertification from Carbon Neutral Britain for the second year running.

“As a college group working with thousands of people every year, we made a decision to lead by example when it comes to reducing our environmental impact,” said director of marketing and sustainability lead, Erika Marshall.

“What started out as small steps such as reducing the number of plastic bottles in our fridges and swapping single-use plastic cutlery for more sustainable options has grown to a whole group approach.”

For the Etc., which comprises Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College, Stockton Riverside College and The Skills Academy, greener thinking led to the creation of a Green Initiatives Group, made up of more than 30 volunteers from across the college sites.

“By working together and sharing ideas the initiatives have just become bigger and more ambitious,” said Erika.

Efforts to reduce the group’s collective carbon footprint have included increasing recycling, reduced general waste and energy consumption, along with clothing, book and gift swaps and the introduction of a car share scheme.

Now with the iiE Green Award in their sights, the colleges are increasingly turning their attention to ways students and staff can reduce their carbon emissions both in the classroom and at home.

Erika said: “By spreading the word and making more sustainable choices a part of college life we hope to spread the word, through friends and family, to our wider communities.

“Making more sustainable choices is not just good for the environment but also can be beneficial to households facing the challenges of the cost of living and fuel crises.”

Jo Holmes, managing director of environmental sustainability consultancy, Genee Consulting Ltd, said: “During their iiE membership over the past year, Etc. have made some really positive strides when tackling the impact of transport on their overall sustainability, as well as commendable work towards managing their waste.

“Through their excellent communications and campaigns, they have been able to integrate sustainability into the day-to-day of the organisation and we’ve loved seeing their progress. We’re positive that 2023 will see Etc. reach green iiE accreditation.”

Apprenticeships have always, rightly, been celebrated for the on-the-job training they provide, but also for their unique potential for equipping apprentices with ‘Skills for Life’.

At the Education Training Collective (Etc.) our colleges are situated in Teesside, where trades such as welding, manufacturing and engineering did literally provide skills for life – that was their basis. The apprentice would start on a pathway and continue on that route, either in the same role or progressing through levels – often until they reached retirement.

Since those days, other sectors, job roles and industries have recognised the benefits, using those same methodologies to create new apprenticeships – in industries such as creative, digital and media – this has resulted in a variety of on-the-job training that is richer than ever before, not just for our youngsters but for adults too.

In the last decade, apprenticeships have experienced something of a roller-coaster, spiking in terms of popularity, going from being the ‘in’ careers pathway, falling out of favour and then back again – often with overt alignment with other programmes, such as traineeships, and ‘return to work’ schemes. And that’s not to mention the jolt that pandemic lockdowns have served up.

As reported in FE Week (January 2023), according to provisional in-year Department for Education data apprenticeship starts in England dropped by six percent in the first quarter of 2022/23 and are three percent down on the same period in 2019, pre-pandemic.

But, as National Apprenticeship Week draws to a close, should this be reason for despondency, on a journey that we have already likened to a rollercoaster? I would like to think not. The same data shows that take up of higher apprenticeships has continued to grow, at our colleges we have witnessed students moving on to higher apprenticeship programmes that they could never have imagined a few years ago.

Today, T Levels are the new skills ‘kid on the block’ but far from working in competition with an apprenticeship, the reality could be that they work alongside, offering the employer a more holistic approach to skills for the future, and the learner a broader scope of post-secondary choice than ever before.

As is always the case when a new learning route is introduced, there is a lot to unpick and understand, but with T Levels having been on the roll-out across the UK since 2020, they are now becoming more embedded, and a solid part of the curriculum offer.

For employers, T Levels should not be a distraction from an apprenticeship, rather they are complementary. Each offers their own benefits to both the learner and employer – right learner, right employer, right course.

At Stockton Riverside College – part of the Etc. – we believe in apprenticeships and we champion our employers and communities to recognise the role that an apprentice plays in society and the workplace; it is this recognition and understanding that is the fundamental difference between a student leaving education with just the bare essentials and one who flourishes, completing their apprenticeship ready to be part of the workforce of the future. I can think of so many examples where the learner has thrived and as a result, the employer has seen their business positively impacted.

When we think about ‘Skills for Life’, we’re not just considering those learnt in the classroom, but those honed in the workplace – traditional practical skills in a chosen trade or discipline and a real understanding of what it means to be in the world of work. Surely these, combined, either as part of a T Level, a mixture of classroom-based learning with work experience or an apprenticeship, are what make up the perfect blend when it comes to building skills for life!

The Education Training Collective (Etc.) today announced that Stuart Blackett will be taking the reins as the college group’s Chairman of the Board.

The chief financial officer at Railpen will be joined by Dot Smith, as the newly appointed Vice Chair.

Together the pair are looking forward to the opportunities ahead and leading the group to further success. Stuart said: “It is an exciting time to be a part of the college group, and to be here in the Tees Valley where there is so much potential.”

A financial and strategic leader with a passion for the area and a strong belief in the value of education, dad-of-two Stuart is looking forward to the job ahead.

Surrounded by what he describes as “a really great board of governors”, and following in the footsteps of current chairman, Mark White OBE DL, Stuart said: “Etc. is an important organisation with a great responsibility. We are building on a strong foundation and that’s a great time to do anything.”

With its roots in Teesside, the Education Training Collective is made up of Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy and Tees Valley Catering.

Inspired from the moment he first walked through the door, Stuart said: “To have the opportunity to learn in a college like ours must be fantastic. When I look back to my own school days and those draughty prefab classrooms, it is like a different world, and I am proud to now be a part of it.”

A dad of two boys, 13 and 11, Stuart said his focus in recent years has increasingly sharpened on education and the opportunities available to young people. As a part of the college group’s governing board, that has rapidly become a priority.

He said: “It’s not only about the 16 to 21-year-olds. There are people with so many diverse skills and backgrounds, of all ages, from different walks of life. We need to provide opportunities for as many of those people as we can, and we have an incredible platform here to achieve that.”

Working with Railpen for 21 years, a governor at Red House School, and former vice chairman of the Railway Housing Association in Darlington, Stuart said: “Every organisation I have worked for or with has a strong purpose. Here at the Etc. we are providing people with opportunities, perhaps the most important being a chance to change their life.”

And he believes there’s much more to look forward to.

He said: “New developments across the college group reflect the changing landscape of our economy and position us well for exciting opportunities ahead. We are seeing a generation with a different skills demand and the college group is well placed to facilitate that.”

Joining the Etc. as a governor, alongside a host of other commitments, as well as the demands of a young family, Stuart explained: “The ethos of the organisation, the staff, and what we are here to do, really resonates with me.”

Looking to his fellow board members and colleagues across the group, he said: “Being surrounded by fantastic people has made my role as governor, and now the transition to chairman, so much easier.

“I didn’t set out to become chair of the board, but what an honour!”

There are so many reasons why Grant Glendinning is looking forward to taking the lead at the Education Training Collective (Etc.).

An established leader in the sector, he has watched with interest not only the growth and achievement of the college group, which comprises Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training Group, Redcar and Cleveland College, Stockton Riverside College and the Skills Academy, but also the transformation of the Tees Valley’s industrial landscape.

Now appointed to be chief executive and group principal, Grant said: “This is a high performing college group situated in an area with so much future potential. I can’t wait to get started.”

Grant, who is the current executive principal for NCG North, will join Etc. after the summer, taking the reins from Phil Cook who has led the college group since 2013.

Since his arrival, Phil has overseen the transformation of the college, initially Stockton Riverside College and Bede Sixth Form College, then NETA and more recently Redcar and Cleveland College.

Phil said of his time at Etc.: “I believe passionately in high quality local colleges for local people and I think that’s what we’ve delivered. I’ve been fortunate to have worked with so many amazing people, who are totally committed to their students and their local communities, and it’s been a privilege to do so, and something that I will cherish. However, it’s now time for me to move on, to new challenges, and I do so with the assurance that we have a committed and incredibly able set of governors, who I believe have made an excellent appointment in Grant. I know that Etc.’s journey is far from over and that there is much more to come.”

Looking forward to continuing that journey, Grant, who is originally from Hartlepool, said the transformational nature of the area was part of the role’s appeal.

Plus, having left the area as a teen for university and going on to a career in teaching, leadership and management working in Eastern Europe, London and the North-west, he said, for him, this feels like a return home.

Still with family in Billingham and Hartlepool, he said: “Growing up in Teesside, it was a very different place, it felt like industry had had its day and that continued for decades. To see the repurposing of the Tees Valley with strong economic and political leadership is fantastic. It is a really transformative story.”

While Grant describes his return to Teesside as “a happy coincidence”, he said the thought of now being able to work in the area and add value and impact was a real draw.

Driven by a passion for further education and helping get young people and adults into meaningful jobs, he said: “It is an incredibly exciting time for the Tees Valley, not only when you think about Teesworks and the cradle of clean energy the area might become, but also the future vision for town centres in Stockton, Redcar, Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool, the opportunities for global inward investment that the freeport is going to bring.

“We could be looking at something akin to a boomtown for Teesside. What a fantastic time to join Etc. and be a part of all that.”

Mark White OBE DL, Chair at Etc., said: “As you would expect, recruiting a new chief executive and group principal for our group was always going to be a robust and rigorous process. Phil Cook has had such significant impact – for which the board is incredibly grateful – and his leadership has transformed this group to such an extent that we needed someone with the skillset and background to be able to pick up the baton and run with it.

“I am delighted that Grant has been appointed to the role and I know that the board is very much looking forward to working with him when he joins.”