Etc. works with new Teesworks Skills Academy to help local people secure jobs
The Education Training Collective (Etc.) is delighted to be working with the new Teesworks Skills Academy to ensure local people have the right skills to fill the jobs being created on the development site.
Teesworks Skills Academy Manager Graeme Wood
The group, which incorporates Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, NETA Training, Bede Sixth Form and The Skills Academy, has been selected as the delivery partner for the academy, leading a consortium which also comprises Darlington, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool Colleges, Teesside University and the Learning Curve Group.
The academy will also work with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council who will use their community-based training and employment hubs to help train local people and enable them to access jobs.
Staff and students at the Education Training Collective (Etc.) have been sharing an insight into college life with a virtual visit from Ofsted.
Phil Cook, Chief Executive and Group Principal
With routine Ofsted inspections suspended due to the pandemic, inspectors have been carrying out interim visits to help learners, parents, employers and government understand how providers are currently meeting the needs of learners and apprentices.
During the two-day Etc. visit, inspectors heard how the group, which incorporates Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training and The Skills Academy, has found ways to adapt to the changing circumstances, while ensuring welfare and safety remain a priority.
In a report published today, inspectors said: “Employers and other partner organisations are positive about senior leaders’ response to the challenges of the pandemic. They believe that relationships with college staff are at least as strong now as they were at the start of COVID 19 restrictions. Many partner organisations are optimistic about future collaboration to address local skills gaps.”
Inspectors met with Etc. leaders, managers, staff and learners from across the group in a series of online meetings. They heard how college leaders believed they had been able to “respond successfully to the challenges posed” and that the colleges had been “able to move swiftly into alternative ways of working, including online meetings and remote learning”.
As a result of those moves, student attendance and engagement has been positive, with staff feeding back that learners’ attendance at online sessions during the pandemic did not decline. Staff have gone on to develop their teaching practice to enable them to deliver remote learning sessions and identify when and where face-to-face learning is most essential.
Continuing to build on this new way of working, the report stated: “Teachers have adapted their timetables in response to the different demands of learners’ programmes.”
Chief Executive and Group Principal Phil Cook said: “We were happy to share with Ofsted our experiences of what has undoubtedly been an unprecedented period of challenge for all education providers.
“It is testament to the hard work and dedication of our whole team, including our students, to have inspectors recognise the enormous effort that has gone into ensuring learning has been disrupted as little as possible across the Etc. We have been amazed by the resilience and adaptability shown by all.”
Chairman of the Etc. Governing Board Mark White said: “The response of our leaders, staff and learners to the challenges COVID 19 has posed has been phenomenal. We are proud to see that the Ofsted report released today reflects this.”
Education Training Collective accredited to the matrix standard
The Education Training Collective (Etc.) has been given the official stamp of approval for its work raising students’ aspirations and awareness of potential careers ahead.
The group which incorporates Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training and The Skills Academy, has been accredited to the matrix Standard.
Matrix is an international quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice and guidance to support individuals in their choice of career, learning, work or life goals.
The group was particularly praised for its swift and effective use of online platforms during the Covid 19 lockdown period to ensure young people could access the information they needed to support them in achieving their own career aspirations.
“Being able to offer the best advice and guidance we possibly can is a priority for us all as a college group,” said Etc. Group Director of Marketing, Erika Marshall. “For us this means always offering clear, accurate and impartial information that is best for the individual. We are proud to once again have our commitment and efforts recognised by matrix.”
Following a three day remote assessment, assessors fed back that information, advice and guidance (IAG) is “clearly visible” across all stages of the learner journey throughout the group.
In a glowing report they recognised the resources offered to schools to assist in Year 11 transition, with young people and parents encouraged to use the facilities of the group for independent advice and guidance.
The assessors said: “The aims of the IAG service are to offer advice that recruits people on the right course, to remove barriers to learning and to provide advice and support for students to progress.”
This is carried out through a range of services including school visits, careers events, workshops, tutorials, enrichment activities, one-to-one interviews as well as open events, taster sessions and student services drop-ins.
The report stated, in addition: “When a learner ends their study, they are included in the sustained destination monitoring that takes place, during which they are offered further IAG and regular contact to ensure they have sustained their onward destination.”
Highlighting strengths the assessors said: “There is an inspirational and consistent leadership for IAG across the group. Staff are directed to look at aspirations and life readiness rather than focus solely on courses and jobs.”
They said: “The result is that staff feel clear that learners should be at the heart of their work and that challenging societal barriers in localities is a key feature of their support.”
Group Director of Marketing Erika said: “Our responsibility is not just to deliver courses and training but to ensure that we are giving all of our students and learners the guidance to achieve the best possible outcomes for their future careers.”
Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company said: “We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With their accreditation success, the Education Training Collective is working to provide the best possible support to their clients.”
The Education Training Collective (Etc.) Prince’s Trust staff have been named Silver Award winners at a UK celebration of teaching dubbed “the Oscars” of the education world.
The teaching team has been recognised for their hard work and commitment helping to change young people’s lives.
Among those announced silver title winners in the Pearson National Teaching Awards, the Etc.’s head of department, Gillian Hutchinson, said: “This is fantastic recognition for the team and the work that they do.”
Working with those who may have become disengaged with education or somehow lost their direction along the way, the Etc.’s Prince’s Trust team helps young people to get back on track.
“It’s not always easy and the challenges can be huge,” said Gillian. “But there’s no greater reward than seeing the young people develop new skills, grow their inner confidence and accomplish things that often even surprise themselves.”
With hundreds of Prince’s Trust students moving successfully into employment, further education or training, Gillian said: “For the team it is far more than just a job, giving their time, enthusiasm and commitment to every young person in an effort to help them to achieve.”
Delivering courses at locations across the region, including Stockton Riverside College and Redcar and Cleveland College, the Etc. is one of the largest delivery providers of The Prince’s Trust programmes in England.
They have worked with thousands of young people, with many facing significant challenges in their personal lives.
Selected to receive a Silver Award, the team is now in the running for one of just 14 Gold Awards with the winners to be announced at a televised BBC UK ceremony later this year.
The Pearson National Teaching Awards is an annual celebration of exceptional teachers, recognising the life-changing impact exceptional teachers, teaching assistants, head teachers and lecturers can have on young people’s lives. This year marks the celebration’s 22nd year.
Rod Bristow, President of Pearson UK, said: Congratulations to all of our Silver Award winners for their commitment, dedication and passion for their work.
“It is so important to recognise and celebrate teachers, teaching assistants and lecturers for the impact they have on our young people.”
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “My warmest congratulations go to all this year’s Silver Award winners. They should be proud to receive this recognition of their commitment to the profession, and the outstanding education and guidance they provide for their students.”
Meet the three new governors joining the Etc. board
The Education Training Collective (Etc.) has appointed three new members to its governing board.
Each bringing with them a wealth of unique skills and experience, all have a shared ambition to help the group, and most importantly its students, to achieve further success.
Director of Children’s Services with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Martin Gray, now joins the Etc. corporation board along with Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust’s School Games Organiser for Middlesbrough, Anne Vickers, and with extensive experience in school improvement, most recently as chief advisor at Stockton Borough Council, Vanessa Housley.
Martin Gray
Anne Vickers
Vanessa Housley
Martin, as Director of Children’s Services for Stockton, has worked with the colleges that make up the Education Training Collective for many years. He said: “My belief is that in my professional capacity, my responsibility is not simply to run and deliver services, but to ensure we play our full role in supporting and sustaining young people in achieving their own success – something I feel is echoed throughout Etc.”
He added: “I am excited by the opportunities for closer working professionally, but also personally.”
Anne has more than 40 years of experience working in education, mainly as a PE teacher, and she is a driving force when it comes to promoting physical activity. Since retiring as Assistant Head Teacher from Teesside High School, her current role with the Youth Sport Trust and Sport England sees her working with the Tees Valley School Games partnership, planning, organising and delivering a range of inclusive competitions, festivals and leadership courses. She is also a trustee of the Sir William Turner Foundation Trust.
She said: “Having taught for as long as I have, I feel I have gained a great deal of experience and knowledge and I would like to share that working alongside similar minded colleagues who have education at the heart of what they do. I want to continue to help to make a difference to young people.”
Vanessa, whose career has spanned primary, secondary, community and adult education, working in the UK, Australia and the Seychelles, said: “For me, becoming a governor is an opportunity to support young people to achieve their potential so that they can lead safe, happy, healthy, economically independent and fulfilled lives. Of particular interest is maximising the potential of our vulnerable and disadvantaged students.
She added: “I very much look forward to applying my knowledge, skills and experience to support Etc. to celebrate even more future success.”
Chairman of the Etc. governing board Mark White OBE DL said: “It takes a wide range of people, each with a unique skill set, to make up an effective governing board and we believe we have achieved that at the Education Training Collective.
“We are thrilled to now welcome Martin, Anne and Vanessa, to the team and the additional expertise and invaluable experience that each will bring.”
Colleges explore innovative new ways to teach our students
Face-to-face learning may have temporarily been put on hold at colleges across the UK but that doesn’t mean that teaching has stopped.
Across Etc. we have been exploring innovative new ways to reach our students. And for those more practical subjects that involves being a bit more unconventional with our thinking.
Hair and Media Makeup student Karen and her family
“It’s meant a lot of changes,” said Stockton Riverside College’s musical theatre lecturer and creative director, Sara Durkin. “But we are already finding that our students are rising to the challenge.”
This week would have seen casting auditions at the college for their big summer show, Legally Blonde. But instead of letting all that preparation go to waste, students have been creating “self tape” auditions and sending them in remotely.
Sara said: “This is increasingly what would happen in industry and so it makes sense for our students to develop these skills.”
What’s more, with theatres having closed their doors, students have been able to make the most of specialist masterclasses posted online by some of the West End’s top performers.
Kelly Coupland
Capturing evidence of their work through videos and pictures is rapidly becoming the norm for students. At Redcar and Cleveland College, programme area lead for sport, public services and the service industries, Kelly Coupland, said the work they are seeing is outstanding.
She said: “Both students and staff are being forced to think outside of the box and they aren’t letting us down.”
For subjects like beauty and hairdressing the answers to remote learning aren’t always obvious, particularly taking into account social distancing, but Kelly said it seems immediate family are rapidly becoming the focus of these learners’ attention.
Dormanstown mum-of-three and hair and media makeup student Karen, 36, has been practising the likes of body art and tanning on her daughters, while husband Lee got to model some makeup techniques and contouring.
She said: “The tutors at the College have been amazing, encouraging us to do what we can. At the moment it is about keeping our techniques fresh. In our house my college work has become more of an activity for all the family. My daughters are asking, what do we need to do today? And they are enjoying being involved.”
Sam Beel
For Redcar’s course leader for digital and IT, Sam Beel, it’s proven a time for her students to flex their technological know-how. Delivering and sharing presentations online, she said some learners are actually showing more confidence than ever.
She said: “Because they are at home in their own surroundings it’s like they are that bit more comfortable.”
As a teacher and staff governor, she said, it has been heartening to see the students so openly engage. She added: “It has really shown that they want to learn.”
That’s certainly the case for film production students at Stockton Riverside College who should have been out on location, shooting scenes for their final projects this week.
Student Conrad, 18, said: “It does feel quite surreal working from home but you have to keep in the mind-set that you are still in college and you’ve still got work to do.”
While shooting has been put on hold, he said there are new assignments and, of course, a whole new set of challenges to overcome.
Lecturer Kelly Fairhurst said: “All former plans have had to be set aside but that doesn’t mean that learning stops.”
In fact, lessons for students, and teachers alike, now automatically incorporate key skills such as adapting to change, overcoming challenges and finding a new approach.
Thankfully Kelly said: “We are all in it together and that makes the difference.”
Offering students a fresh spark of inspiration
With his sights set on a career as a welder, Aaron knows where he is headed.
Determined to develop the core skills he needs, including English and maths, he said: “You have to realise when you need to shape up.”
He is one of 14 pupils currently accessing Northfield School & Sports College’s inclusion base. Part of his motivation has come from a new alternate training programme being delivered in partnership with the Education Training Collective (Etc.).
The scheme offers the students who, for a whole host of reasons, no longer follow the school’s mainstream curriculum, the chance to try their hand at different vocational skills in a college or training environment.
For Aaron and his classmates that has included the choice of having a go, one day a week, at some basic engineering skills at Stockton’s NETA Training or hair and beauty sessions at The Skills Academy.
It was during the NETA workshops that the 15-year-old first tried welding. He said: “It seemed okay and not too stressful.” And as it turns out, he was pretty good at it too.
“This is why we created the programme,” said Etc.’s 14 to 16 Manager, Tracey Laycock. “It’s about offering our skills, expertise and facilities to help motivate and re-engage these young people.”
The bespoke programme at Northfield, builds on the school’s existing provision which in itself is helping to reduce the need for permanent exclusions.
Deputy Head Teacher, Gary Ankers, said: “We have had an inclusion base here for many years which is pretty rare in a secondary school. While it is not all about those with challenging behaviour, there are students accessing the provision who would have otherwise been at risk of permanent exclusion.”
He explained by removing the pressure of working to a full mainstream curriculum, the students can focus on developing core skills such as English, maths, IT and science. The addition of the bespoke Etc. programme has opened up further vocational sessions in subjects they wouldn’t typically be able to access.
The college group also provides a year-long personal development programme through The Prince’s Trust, delivered one day a week at The Skills Academy.
Northfield student Jay, 15, recognises the difference it could make to his future. With ambitions to one day become an architect, he said: “Things like NETA and The Prince’s Trust are stepping stones for us. At NETA we get to learn practical skills and then the Prince’s Trust is about working in a team, communicating and helping you develop as a person.”
Future pipefitter Bailey, 15, said: “It gives you a starting point, trying something different.” While 14-year-old Chay added: “It’s getting us ready for a working environment.”
Aiming to equip all of their students with the best skill set to maximise their future life chances, Northfield’s Deputy Head Teacher Gary said: “While GCSE grades are very important, they will never be the be all and the end all for all students and this programme is designed to reflect that. There are other skills our students need to develop, including ‘softer’ skills such as resilience and teamwork, and that is what we are doing here.”
For more details about Etc.’s bespoke alternative 14 to 16 provision which can be delivered in schools email: Tracey.Laycock@stockton.ac.uk
