From mindfulness sessions to getting your six to eight glasses of water a day, when it comes to healthy habits, staff at the Education Training Collective (Etc.) are hitting the mark.

The team’s efforts have been recognised with the Better Health at Work Continuing Excellence Award.

A step up from the Gold they received last year, human resources advisor, Laura Moon, said: “This is fantastic recognition of the work that has been put in, from staff across the group, to help promote healthy habits and wellbeing not just in the workplace but also in the wider community.”

For the college group, which incorporates Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy and Tees Valley Catering, it has meant a whole host of activities aimed at encouraging people to make small healthy changes.

“As a large employer in the Tees Valley, encouraging the health and wellbeing of our staff, is built in to our values and strategies,” said Laura.

Aiming to reach beyond the workplace, she added: “By raising awareness and promoting healthy habits, we hope to help share healthy messages not just with our staff but for these also to extend to family and friends.”

The group has also acted as mentor to a local secondary school in the early stages of the process.

The Better Health at Work Award recognises the efforts of employers in the North-east and Cumbria, addressing health issues within the workplace. There are five levels available, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Continuing Excellence and Maintaining Excellence. Those that reach the highest level can go on to achieve Ambassador Status.

Over the last 12 months Etc. staff have come up with innovative solutions to encourage healthy lifestyles among its employees including hydration challenges, the launch of a menopause support group, webinars, resilience training and yoga sessions.

Co-ordinated by the human resources team, ideas are gathered through the staff welfare group, reaching into every level of the business. Staff members also volunteer as health advocates, tasked with helping to spread the word.

Laura said: “Recently we tried our first No Meetings Week, a suggestion that came from our senior management team. During that week we ran a series of talks and workshops including prostate cancer and breast cancer awareness, mindfulness sessions and pension webinars to target financial wellbeing.”

Liz Elwell, Etc.’s group head of human resources said: “The health and wellbeing of our staff is a priority for us here at the Education Training Collective, never more so than during these challenging times.

“We are constantly looking for ways to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles and support mental wellbeing, so to have our efforts recognised is an incredible achievement.

“For us it is not just about creating a happier, healthier workforce and creating a positive working environment, but also recognising the important part our colleges have to play in promoting health and wellbeing and raising awareness in our communities.”

Santa’s little helpers have been helping bring gifts to children who might not have otherwise received gifts under the tree this Christmas.

Staff at Stockton Riverside College, Bede Sixth Form, NETA Training and The Skills Academy, dressed as elves as part of their annual Elf Yourself celebrations, collecting toys and gifts for Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas.

“Elf Yourself is a popular event at Stockton Riverside College,” said apprenticeship compliance manager and chair of the staff association, Nikki Thurston. “This year we invited colleagues from our sister colleges to get involved.”

With some staff currently working from home, she said: “We didn’t have quite the number of elves that we usually have on site, but staff were incredibly generous and we collected more gifts than ever.”

The team from health, childcare, education, creative and digital made cash donations, raising £200, and staff headed out to stock up on Christmas gifts.

The department’s programme area leader, Kelly Johnson, said: “I think that we are all aware that during lockdowns money has been tight for a lot of families. We wanted to buy toys and gifts to help people in the local community. It is important that we recognise how fortunate we are.”

Staff members also made donations directly to the charity online.

Handing over the goodies to Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas driver George Headley, Nikki said: “Staff generously donated gifts of all shapes and sizes, and there was more for the older children this year too. People often just think about donating gifts for the under 10s, but there were lots of gifts for the teenagers as well.”

Cash for Kids’ Aimee Littlefair said: “The support we receive every year is overwhelming and we couldn’t complete our mission without the support of the local community. We can’t thank the colleges enough for joining our Mission and helping make Christmas magical for thousands of local children living in the North East.”

Efforts to help transform the fortunes of a Tees Valley college and its community have been recognised with two national awards.

The titles recognise the Education Training Collective’s (Etc.) commitment to building aspirations and opportunities in Redcar following the merger of Stockton Riverside College and Redcar and Cleveland College.

The Etc. was named winner in the Not for Profit and Community Impact categories at The Institute for Turnaround (IFT) Awards 2021 where Robert Griffiths, who was instrumental in the turnaround projects, collected the coveted prizes on behalf of the group.

Jason Faulkner, Redcar & Cleveland College Principal, said: “This is a college for the community and that is very important to the team here, it was something the team sought to achieve from day one, so to be recognised for community impact, on a national scale, is really quite special and quite incredible.”

Jason explained a merger of the colleges in 2018 brought with it the chance to ensure accessible training opportunities in Redcar, developing skills and increased ambition for a community experiencing a challenging time in its history.

The college has worked closely with local schools, employers and the local and combined authorities, to ensure it is delivering the skills that are most needed. Results have included the creation of a decommissioning academy to match jobs created by the clean-up of the former SSI site, and the development of skills programmes that will align with the demands of emerging local sectors.

A partnership with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, the Sir William Turner Foundation, local football clubs and the Football Foundation, has also seen the build of a new 3G all-weather football pitch at the college, proving an asset to both students and grassroots sport in the area.

Jason said: “More young people and adults are being trained and re-trained to take on jobs needed in the local area. The future for people growing up and living in the Redcar area is now brighter than it has been since 2015 when the steelworks closed. We are extremely proud of all that has been achieved at the college and the impact this is now having on the wider community.”

With 10 awards up for grabs, the annual IFT Awards celebrate the best of business turnaround, recognising contributions towards turnaround, transformation and restructuring.

Councillor Mary Lanigan, Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, added: “The merger of Redcar and Cleveland College has produced a huge improvement in what is on offer to young people in our borough. From being on the brink of closure to providing quality education where people live has been a hugely impressive transformation.

“Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council works closely with the college to support this ongoing improvement and we are proud of what the college has achieved in providing a better chance in life for people in all of our communities.”

Colleges and training providers across the Tees Valley have come together to secure £2.955m funding to help meet local training and skills needs, and help get people into work.

The investment from the Department for Education Strategic Development Fund will see the establishment of new facilities and the development and delivery of new training programmes, with each provider focusing on projects to cater for specific sector demands and plug emerging skills gaps.

Leading the initial bid for the Tees Valley colleges, group vice principal for business, innovation and partnerships at the Education Training Collective (Etc.), Gary Potts said: “This is further evidence of the clear and demonstrable impact we can have on the Tees Valley when the colleges and training providers across the region work together.

“Our collaborative efforts will see us servicing the needs of local employers and supporting people with the skills and training they need to access local jobs.”

The funding pot has been divided between Darlington College, Hartlepool College of Further Education, Learning Curve Group, Middlesbrough College Group, NETA Training, Redcar and Cleveland College and Stockton Riverside College.

Introduced as part of the DfE’s Skills for Jobs white paper, the Strategic Development Fund encourages colleges and training providers to work together, alongside employers and other partners, to respond to local skills priorities.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen added: “It’s great to see that our colleges have worked together to secure this funding. This cash will target the sectors that need it the most and help create a skilled workforce ready to secure the good-quality, well paid jobs we’re creating across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool.”

The investment will see Darlington College focus on professional business services and advanced manufacturing, Hartlepool College of Further Education, on construction and civil engineering; Learning Curve Group, digital, Middlesbrough College will focus on engineering and NETA Training on scaffolding, rigging and lifting.

Redcar and Cleveland College will develop sector skills in clean energy technologies and decommissioning, and Stockton Riverside College further developing logistics, shipping and rail. The fund will also enable further investment in boosting the delivery of the highly successful Teesworks Skills Academy.

Etc. vice principal Gary said: “The funds will be spent on premises, facilities, equipment and the development of new programmes of study, all to support key Tees Valley sectors, the roles available within those sectors and the skills and training needed to support them.

“This is about building skills for the immediate and short term, as well as building capacity for the longer term.”