Up Front
South Bank UTC students excel We are so proud of all of our year 13 students at South Bank UTC and all they have overcome in the last two years on their way to securing excellent outcomes. The determination of the young people and nurturing support of the staff have enabled students to reach their potential. Our academic subjects secured an average grade of a C+ and achieved a full grade better than the statistical expectation. Those studying mathematics, biology and chemistry did particularly well, with an average grade of B. Technical outcomes remain strong, notably in BTEC business and extended certificate results in engineering. All of our students are set to go onto excellent destinations including university, apprenticeships, training and work opportunities.
It is particularly pleasing that 18% of our university leavers are going to Russel group universities and 18% to our partner university, LSBU. It’s also pleasing to know that 78% of students are going onto engineeringbased degree programmes, demonstrating the power of our specialised curriculum to help students secure their dream pathways. We are very proud of the growing number of apprenticeships secured by our leavers, especially considering how competitive it is to secure these in the current economic climate. Our leavers have secured amazing placements including Iga Dzadz, who leaves us to take up a degree apprenticeship
with Skanska. There were many outstanding personal performances including: Christian Ancu A*AB in A-levels and a distinction in BTEC engineering, Micah Salmon A*A*A and Omar Bedward AB and distinction* in BTEC engineering. We are looking forward to welcoming back a small cohort of students into our Year 14 HNC programme and look forward to seeing them grow further in the next year. I look forward to hearing stories of success and anticipate welcoming many of this year’s cohort back to the UTC in the future to inspire the next generation of young engineers.
Mayor to invest nearly £3m in Creative Enterprise Zones The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced a new investment of nearly £3m to boost his Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZ) programme. Launched by the mayor in 2018, the programme has supported artists, creative businesses and local people entering into the creative sector and securing new jobs. The innovative programme has supported artists, freelancers and small creative businesses in the capital to thrive by creating longterm affordable workspace, offering business support and helping to develop vital skills. This new investment from City Hall, which builds on the £11m already invested by the mayor, will boost existing CEZs and help bring forward a further six zones over the next two years.
Funding will support three new zones in 2021-22 and a further three in 2022-23. The mayor’s intervention comes at a time when the creative and cultural sector is rebuilding following the pandemic, which is made more difficult by the existing challenges of retaining workshops, studios and workspaces against the threat of closure and rising rents. Sadiq Khan said: “Our creative industries are critically important to the fabric of our city and will play an essential part in our economic and social recovery. “The CEZ programme has proved to be a valuable springboard for cultural
enterprises right across the city. Throughout the pandemic, it became a lifeline for creative businesses and artists, providing support for them when they needed it most. “That’s why I am investing to create six more zones. London’s cultural and creative sector is a major contributor to the economy, it can help jumpstart the recovery and bring much-needed tourismto our city. However, support must start at grassroots level, with studio spaces, training and innovation. Investing in our city has never been more important - I’m encouraging local authorities to apply for accreditation and see how a CEZ can benefit your borough.”
Whyte’s journey to Olympic silver Kye Whyte from Peckham has won Team GB’s first BMX medal at the Tokyo Olympics, claiming silver in a thrilling final. Whyte fought back from serious injury to earn his place on the Olympic podium. The rider arrived in Tokyo ranked 12th in the world, having finished fifth at the 2019 World Championships, but was unable to ride the Olympic test event in 2019 because of injury. He said: “The medal means everything to me. It’s a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s hard to get to the Olympics in the first place. To do well and get a medal, it’s special.” Dubbed the Prince of Peckham, the Londoner looked stunned as he celebrated with his family back home on a video screen at trackside. Whyte later thanked his family – including his brother Tre, who won World Championship bronze in 2014 before retiring in 2020 – and members at the Peckham BMX Club for staying up in the early hours of the morning to watch his success. “I reckon Tre might cry said Whyte. “My dad definitely did cry and my mum cried too. When I get back it will be crazy!”
New package of funding to boost youth work in London London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is investing £5 million in a package of measures that includes targeted support for youth workers in areas affected by serious violence and a programme that helps young people directly impacted by domestic abuse. The VRU, England’s first and set up by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in 2018, understands the life-changing role that youth workers have in mentoring young people and is determined to support a sector badly damaged by national cuts. Youth services have been on the frontline of public funding cuts, with figures showing that there was a 46% fall in national funding for youth services in the capital since 2011. To bolster support and help plug the gap, the VRU is investing £1.1m to provide up to 200 youth workers
with high-quality, specialist training to help them develop further skills in mentoring, safeguarding, mental health support and employment opportunities. This investment follows a pilot programme, funded by the VRU, which helped 94 youth practitioners improve leadership skills and knowledge. Alongside this, the VRU is investing £1m in a new programme to support children and young people who have witnessed a parent or family member subjected to domestic abuse. Around £1.5m will be spent on a community response to tackling
violence, while a further £1m will be earmarked to develop a parent/ carer champion network. In addition, £380,000 will go towards training for doctors and healthcare professionals to help them identify signs of domestic violence and offer earlier help to victims. Lib Peck, director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said: “The VRU is a firm champion of the life-changing work London’s youth practitioners and services do in supporting our young people at challenging times in their lives.
“We’re determined to invest in them, to help further develop their skills and knowledge so they can become even better leaders in their communities.”
Southwark BUSINESS TODAY 5
