Skills
Speak out and make a difference
Stuart Lawrence’s inspiring message to students Educator and motivational speaker, Stuart Lawrence, has spoken to students and staff at London South East Colleges - highlighting the importance of ‘speaking out’ and making a difference.
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tuart is the younger brother of Stephen Lawrence, who was tragically murdered in a racist attack in south London in 1993. He is dedicated to working with young people; encouraging them to reach their full potential and transform their life chances. The virtual event, part of the College’s Landmark Lecture series, was hosted by Director of Diversity at the Association of Colleges and the ETF, Jeff Greenidge. Stuart spoke to the audience about his background and life experiences, as well as sharing insight to his new book ‘Silence is not an Option: You Can Impact the World for Change’. He said: “We are all unique but each of us has the ability to use our brains to reflect on the things we’ve done in the past. We can judge for ourselves whether they are good things or bad things and we can all make changes - to ourselves and influence others to change too. “Always question what you hear people say, particularly when you think they have said or done something wrong. Learn to challenge using the power of the ‘five whys’ - ask five questions why and each one will lead you to why someone believes and says the things they do. Eventually you get to the truth and maybe they do too.”
London South East Colleges has partnered with L&Q, a charitable housing association, and submitted plans to redevelop its campus in Greenwich (Plumstead). The proposals will create a new state-of-the-art facility, alongside a significant number of new and affordable homes.
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he proposals mark an exciting new chapter in the College’s history. The campus currently offers around 300 career-focused courses for young people and adults, of all interests and abilities. Pathways include apprenticeships, traineeships and vocational as well as degree-level courses, professional qualifications and adult and community learning. The plans for the site, submitted to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, include the development of a state-of-the art, sustainable building on the existing site. This will enable the College to provide a modern, flexible and inspiring teaching and learning environment. It will improve the breadth and depth of its curriculum offer, generating new skills development, training and employment opportunities for local people.
Dr Sam Parrett OBE, Group Principal and Chief Executive of London & South East Education Group says: “We are delighted to have submitted plans to redevelop our Greenwich Campus. This work will enable us to create training facilities which are fit for the future, helping the local economy and community by providing skills and opportunities for generations to come.
Chair of London South East Colleges, Stephen Howlett CBE, DL welcomed the speakers and audience to the event. He said: “We are hugely grateful to Stuart and to Jeff for joining us today. This event is particularly timely in terms of the social and economic impact of Covid-19 and indeed our own educational group’s focus on equality, diversity and inclusion.
“London South East Colleges is proud of the history it has in Greenwich. We know that education has a profoundly positive impact on people’s lives, supporting social mobility and economic growth.
For more information visit www.LSEC.ac.uk
training pathways to enable them to realise their potential. “We look forward to progressing our work with L&Q and being part of such positive change in Greenwich.” Vicky Savage, London Managing Director at L&Q said: “We’re so excited to have submitted our plans for the redevelopment of the Greenwich Campus on Plumstead Road. “London South East Colleges and L&Q both share deep roots in Greenwich, and a core value to work with local communities - whether by improving educational outcomes, or by building great homes and neighbourhoods where people can afford to live. We’ve worked closely with the Royal Borough’s planning officers on these proposals and hope that members will support us at committee.”
The plans will also see the delivery of 294 high-quality new homes, half of which will be affordable housing (with a mix of shared ownership and affordable rent). Importantly, the scheme will provide 63 three-bed homes, providing much needed family sized housing.
Host Jeff Greenidge led the Q&A session, which followed Stuart’s talk, and offered reflective closing remarks. He said: “Stuart’s words today were very powerful as well as truly inspirational. I know the students hearing them will have listened carefully and challenged themselves, thought deeper and looked beyond the blurred lines that can cloud our judgements. It was a fabulous presentation and I for one feel very privileged to have watched and listened too. Thank you very much Stuart.”
“Stuart’s talk resonated strongly with all our students and staff and I am sure that his words will inspire many of us to consider what more we can do personally to help improve the world in which we live.”
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Plans submitted for new college campus in Greenwich
“As our communities recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, we need to ensure people have access to high quality and relevant
❛❛The plans will also see the delivery of 294 high-quality new homes, half of which will be affordable housing (with a mix of shared ownership and affordable rent). Importantly, the scheme will provide 63 three-bed homes, providing much needed family sized housing.
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London South East Colleges and L&Q expect to learn the outcome of the planning application later this year, and plan to open the new campus by September 2025.
Visit www.LSEC.ac.uk to find out more.
