Area Focus: Coventry - Mid Warks - North Warks - South Warks - Rugby
College group completes 200th project for The Prince’s Trust increase their confidence and develop new skills in a safe and inspiring environment. In some instances, the programme is the first step for young people to explore their full potential. “We look forward to celebrating many more milestones in the future.”
Coventry College’s ESOL team recognised at the House of Lords
Through the programme, WCG has supported thousands of young people to gain the skills to gain future employment, with some of the staff now running the Team programme previously having been participants. Team 200 young people were invited to the celebration ceremony to receive their certificates in recognition of completion of the programme.
A college group is celebrating a major milestone after completing its 200th project for The Prince’s Trust in Warwickshire.
A group of tutors and students from Coventry College have been recognised at the House of Lords for their contribution to the community.
WCG (Warwickshire College Group) is the largest provider of programmes for The Prince’s Trust in England and delivers the Team programme in Leamington Spa, Rugby and Nuneaton.
Team members from the College’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) course recently won Highly Commended in the Volunteering Team of the Year at the Good for ME Good for FE Awards.
It has been delivering the Team programmes for more than 15 years and a ceremony was held at Warwick Trident College to recognise the completion of its 200th group.
Good for ME Good for FE is a national campaign where colleges across the country unite to encourage staff and students to volunteer and fundraise in their communities. Coventry College ESOL tutor, Fatima Reszczynski, led a group from the College’s ESOL course down to London to collect their award from Baroness Morgan of Cotes in the House of Lords. The award comes after Fatima supported around 18 of Coventry College’s ESOL students to litter pick in Coventry’s War Memorial Park, where they collected 10 bags of rubbish in one session – which also saw the team raise more than £200 for The British Inspiration Trust (BRIT) in support of the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 16 to 25 in the process. Collections were also made for Coventry Food Bank, which saw more than 200 items donated to those in need. Fatima has been an ESOL Lecturer at Coventry College for a decade, and for the past eight years has supported up to 120 students every year with volunteering and fundraising opportunities. She said: “Colleges such as the one in Coventry are at the heart of their communities and have a key part to play in providing support, both academically and to those in need, so it was really pleasing for the team to be recognised in this way. “All of the students who I teach are required to contribute around 20 hours of work experience alongside their English studies, which isn’t easy when you’re trying to learn a new language, so our role as tutors has been about helping our students to break down barriers not just with the language, but to employment too. “The visit to the House of Lords was a brilliant occasion – you could feel the history in the walls – and hopefully it has inspired some of our students to aim high in their future careers.”
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Chris Gately and Casey Frampton, who lead The Prince’s Trust programme for WCG in Warwickshire, were presented with a special award to commemorate the double century milestone. Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, and Rachel Edwards, Head of Delivery
Partnerships and Volunteering at The Prince’s Trust, presented WCG with the award. Tim, who is the King’s representative in the county, said: “This is a great achievement from WCG, and offering our local young people the chance to reach their potential through the Prince’s Trust has been a huge success. “WCG has fully embraced the support of The Prince’s Trust, and to be the biggest deliverers of Team in the UK is fantastic.” Rachel Edwards, Head of Delivery Partnerships & Volunteering at The Prince’s Trust, added: “Congratulations to Warwickshire College Group. It is a huge milestone to reach the 200th Prince’s Trust Team programme. “Young people are currently facing multiple challenges, however the Team programme offers them the opportunity to
Team is a free 12-week programme which aims to build confidence of its participants and help them to develop new practical skills. Casey Frampton, Prince's Trust Programme Coordinator Coventry & Warwickshire for WCG, added: “Reaching this major milestone gave us time to reflect on the impact of the Team programme and the thousands of young people we have been able to support in Warwickshire. “Not only has the programme had a transformative impact on its participants, it has also facilitated the support of hundreds of community projects across our region. “We would like to congratulate Team 200 on completing the programme and here’s to the next 200 teams.” Find out more about The Prince’s Trust and programmes available through WCG by visiting https://wcg.ac.uk/page/25/ princes-trust
Employers rewarded for advocacy to the armed forces community Four organisations have been recognised for their support of the armed forces community with a top level Ministry of Defence award. As part of the Ministry of Defence’s employer engagement work in Warwickshire, four organisations from the Coventry and Warwickshire area – Cadent Gas Limited, CODA Security, Orbit Group Limited and Severn Trent Water Limited – received the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award in recognition of their exceptional level of support to the armed forces community. Employers must show a high level of advocacy to be eligible for the Gold Award through their efforts under the Armed Forces Covenant, a pledge to the nation to remove barriers for the armed forces community. Once employers have signed the covenant, they are then able to benefit from a range of options including partnering with military units, recruiting from the armed forces community, working with the tri-service Cadet units and networking with like-minded organisations and key supporters of defence. Those that have signed the Armed Forces Covenant are then eligible to progress up
the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, starting with Bronze (intent to support), Silver (active support) and at the highest level, the ERS Gold Award accolade, available to employers who advocate for the wider armed forces community within their workforce, and communities. To win a Gold Award, organisations must provide ten extra days’ paid leave for reservists, and have supportive HR policies in place for veterans, reserves, and Cadet force adult volunteers, as well as spouses and partners of those serving in the armed forces.
Organisations must also advocate the benefits of supporting the armed forces community by encouraging others to sign the Armed Forces Covenant, and engage in the Employer Recognition Scheme. To find out more about the Armed Forces Covenant and how your business can support the forces community, visit www.wmrfca.org or contact Catherine Suckling, Regional Employer Engagement Director for the Coventry and Warwickshire region on wm-reed3@rfca.mod.uk
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