Harrogate College meets local firms to fix skills gap

More than 30 businesses from across the Harrogate district attended the first Employers’ Network at Harrogate College to help shape the future workforce.

The college invited local businesses to the launch event today. Businesses from the likes of health and social care, hospitality and manufacturing all turned up to explain their needs.

Harrogate College will now use the information it has gathered to alter its existing courses and create new courses to fit that demand.

Principal Danny Wild told the Stray Ferret:

“It’s gone really well. The idea of the employer network is to find the key skill gaps that local businesses have.

“We want people leaving the college to have the right skills to get jobs. We also want to help those employers looking to grow.”

“This is the start of the Employers’ Network. It has an infinite timeline as businesses grow and change.”

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Kit Lacey, director at eDub Services, attended and added:

“We are a growing business in a niche market in converting classic cars to electric. One of our biggest struggles we find, as we want to grow, is recruiting.

“When the industry is brand new it is difficult so getting in at the grassroots level with the college is a good first step for us.”

Mike Kaye, managing director at Energy Oasis, also said:

“I have come here because I really want Harrogate College to be at the forefront of renewable technologies.

“I want them to be able to develop a curriculum that will facilitate the young people in Harrogate, to be able to get secure jobs in the green environment.”

Harrogate College holds free taster sessions for adults

Harrogate College is to host free taster sessions for adults in November.

Dubbed the “Have a Go Fortnight”, the sessions will be held as part of a Festival of Learning.

Run between November 1 and 12, the events aim to inspire adults to take up learning and get a  taste of the college’s curriculum areas.

The sessions come as Luminate Education Group, which runs the college, was given £17 million from West Yorkshire Combined Authority to improve adult skills.

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The taster events at the college will include hairdressing, still life drawing, soundscapes film and animation, ceramics and print and computer software interior designs. 

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, which is on Hornbeam Park, said: 

“Adult education has been one of the hardest hit sectors following the pandemic. Therefore, we’re committed to working with adults in our community to provide life-changing opportunities through quality education, which is tailored to meet the needs of our local employers.

“Over two weeks, we’re inviting adults aged 19 and over to come into college to discover our range of diverse subjects as part of an employer-led curriculum. Our nurturing and inclusive environment will allow adults to find their spark by learning something new, enhancing employability and improving wellbeing.”

To find out more about the sessions, visit the Harrogate College website.

Free event kicks off three-week Harrogate district climate festival

A free six-hour event on Hornbeam Park tomorrow will kick-off the first ever Harrogate district Climate Action Festival.

The three-week festival, which encourages local people to reduce climate damage, is being held in the run-up to the COP26 global climate change conference in Glasgow .

Thirty-two exhibitors will be at Harrogate College from 10am to 4pm for a day of demonstrations, discussions and activities. There will be live music on two stages, as well as vegetarian and vegan food.

Visitors can drop in whenever they like and see a model, energy efficient passive house that has been built on site and learn about how their homes and businesses can become more environmentally friendly.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, partnerships and development lead at the college, said the event would be a family-friendly way of engaging people in climate action.

She added there were plans for the festival to become an annual event.

The festival will be launched by the Mayor of Harrogate and there will also be speeches by Andy Shepherd, professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds and Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough.

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Harrogate College works with local firms to skill future staff

Harrogate College is to work with local firms to make sure its courses provide the skills they need.

The college has created what it calls an Employers’ Network.

The aim of the network is to hear from local businesses about the skills they need and then tailor its courses to provide them.

The college said the food and drink manufacturing industry could be one of the first areas to be tackled.

Local businesses that are currently involved: include Techbuyer, Energy Oasis, and AurumGold Ltd.

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Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said:

“This is an opportunity for employers to influence the content of our courses so that they get the skilled employees they need coming through”

The network aims to benefit businesses and students.

Firms will benefit from the creation of bespoke courses tailored for the businesses involved while students will take courses better suited to help them find jobs.

Holly Hansen-Maughan, performance and projects coordinator at Harrogate College, said other benefits included reducing the time and resources businesses would need to spend on training, and combatting current and future skill gaps within businesses by giving students the tools needed to fill the gaps.

The launch event will be on October 21 and local businesses can attend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eco-house to be built in two days at Harrogate climate festival

An eco-friendly house is set to be built in just two days at this year’s Harrogate District Climate Action Festival.

The home will be one of the main features at the festival, which will be held at Harrogate College next month.

Pure Haus, a Leeds-based company that builds eco-friendly homes, said the home will demonstrate passive house principles, which means it requires very little energy and results in near zero carbon homes.

The design and construction principles include high insulation, airtightness and high performance windows.

Kevin Pratt, director of the company, said designing and building such houses helps to reduce carbon emissions and reach climate targets.

He added he hoped the ‘show pod’, which will be brought in on a crane lorry and put together in two or three days, would give an insight into how homes can be built on eco-friendly principles.

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The festival, which takes place from October 1 until October 21, is being coordinated by the Harrogate District Climate Change Coalition.

It will include a range of guest speakers, including Professor Andy Shepherd, who is professor of earth observation at the University of Leeds, and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones.

No booking is required and attendance is free.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, said:

“We are proud to be hosting the launch day for this festival as its aims align perfectly with the college’s commitment to sustainability and a greener future.”

Harrogate College: ‘Consider hospitality as a career’

All week, the Stray Ferret has been reporting on the reasons behind the jobs crisis facing hospitality venues in Harrogate — from low pay, to high housing costs and Brexit.

Harrogate BID recently organised a meeting with Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, HBC, Harrogate College, and figures in the town’s hospitality industry to discuss how to encourage more people to look at hospitality as a real career option.

Danny Wild, principal of Harrogate College, told the Stray Ferret that employers struggling to find staff should contact the college who will ask current students if they are interested in a role.

It also says the college offers courses that develop the skills of hospitality staff so they can view their job as a long-term career.

He said:

“It is our responsibility to support the sector at this key time by helping to provide the skilled employees they require.

“The college is supporting the hospitality sector by working with lots of local businesses who are coming to us to help promote or fill their vacancies and look at bespoke training packages.

“And we are actively encouraging employers to speak to the college directly about staffing shortages to see how we can help by, for example, enabling our current students to work part-time or take up apprenticeships.

“For anyone interested in customer service training, meanwhile, we would urge them to contact us so we can signpost them towards the most appropriate solution.

“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all so we always aim to discuss what each employer needs and then offer a solution that works best for them, whether it be a one-day customer service course, an apprenticeship or ways to develop their own management skills.”

Read our series on the jobs crisis: 

 

Businesses helped post-Brexit by new Harrogate training centre

A new training centre opened in Harrogate yesterday to help businesses and staff better equip themselves for the economy post-Brexit and post-covid.

The Yorkshire education provider, Luminate Education Group, set up The Yorkshire Centre for Training and Development to help businesses navigate the upcoming economic challenges.

Operating out of Harrogate College on Hornbeam Park, as well as at sites in Leeds and Keighley, the centre will work with businesses to offer bespoke training packages.

The team of teachers will offer a range of compliance, professional development and redundancy support courses.

Luminate Education Group includes, amongst others, Harrogate College , Leeds City College and Keighley College.

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The director, Lee Pryor, said:

“With the ever-changing economic climate, we recognise businesses’ need to adapt their employees’ skills, to ensure a successful post-Brexit and post-covid transition.

“Our service will start with a complimentary skills planning session to understand the business, so that we can effectively identify its training needs, and match these to a budget.

“We will be offering in-person as well as virtual sessions that fit around the organisation’s schedule. We will then develop a bespoke training solution that meets those needs.”

He added businesses from a range of sectors, including social care and hospitality, could come to the centre for support.

Free courses for furloughed and unemployed in Harrogate

Harrogate College is offering 50 free courses to people who have been made redundant, are unemployed or on furlough.

The college, which is based at Hornbeam Park, announced the move yesterday to help the district’s economic recovery.

Topics include media marketing, accounting, interior design and counselling. Courses begin in January.

The college said the courses had been chosen in line with local employer demands and would boost job prospects.

Figures published yesterday showed the number of people claiming out of work benefits in the Harrogate district in November was 3,625. This was a slight rise on the previous month’s figure of 3,595.

Danny Wild, principal at Harrogate College, said:

“We appreciate how challenging this year has been for many. We’re dedicated to supporting people to up-skill and re-skill, enabling them to progress in current jobs or return to work following the increase in furlough job losses across the district.

“We hope to give those who have been most affected an opportunity to take control of their future and work towards something to be proud of.”

The courses will be held online and face-to-face with some of the students going into college to use its facilities. The college has said all sessions will be run in line with covid guidelines.

To find out more about the courses on offer, click here.

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Harrogate College welcomes government skills boost

The principal of Harrogate College has welcomed the government’s announcement that it will pay for adults to retrain and study at further education colleges.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced this morning the government will fund adults who do not have Level 3, or equivalent qualifications such as A-Levels, to study at a college course in England from April 2021. It will be funded via the £2.5bn national skills fund.

Harrogate College at Hornbeam Park offers a range of Level 3 qualifications in subjects including construction and healthcare. Principal Danny Wild told the Stray Ferret that the measures will help boost the local labour market post-covid.

He said:

“It’s really, really positive news thats going to allow the workforce to keep pace with the changing labour market. That’s only going to help productivity and employment opportunities across North Yorkshire.”

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Currently, the government will only pay adults up to the age of 23 to study what they deem to be essential courses, such as English and Maths.

However, the Prime Minister said this morning he wants to see a “radical change” in how the country trains people as it recovers from coronavirus. The Labour Party said the funding would not reverse the impact of “a decade of cuts”.

Mr Wild said sectors in Harrogate including construction, digital, science, and healthcare will all benefit from the increased skills funding.

He added:

“The skillset people need to work in these sectors they didn’t need 10 years ago. People need an opportunity to upskill or retrain and this is what these measures will help with.”

BTEC results delay an ‘unnecessary obstacle’, says Harrogate College principal

Harrogate College’s principal has described a decision to pull BTEC results as an “unnecessary obstacle” for schools and colleges.

Danny Wild, principal at the college, said the college has been able to offer those students who decided to stay with them a place ahead of the results being released and support those heading to university.

It comes as Pearsons, the exam body, decided to pulled its results for the qualification late last night in order to re-grade them in line with A-levels and GCSEs.

Both exams are now being graded via school-based assessments following a U-turn by the government.

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Pearsons has since apologised for the uncertainty that the decision, which is expected to affect 450,000 pupils across the UK, will cause.

Mr Wild said he has not received any further communication from Pearsons today, but added that the college would continue to support its students.

He said:

“It’s an unnecessary obstacle for schools and colleges to have to navigate and it’s massively distressing for students.

“We have continued to communicate with our students and support them.”

He added that those who did a BTEC at GCSE and were coming to the college would continue through the enrolment process ahead of the results being released.

Those who did the qualification equivalent to A-level and are staying on at the college would do the same. But those who are leaving for university will still receive support from the college in areas such as UCAS applications.

The move comes as students across Harrogate received their GCSE results today.

Having not sat exams, the grades awarded were based on centre assessments. So far, there has been much less controversy over the results than last week, which saw more than a third of centre-assessed results in the Harrogate district downgraded by the government’s algorithm.

The process has since been reversed and assessed grades reinstated – but it has left many students still uncertain over their university places.