'Dedication and hard work’ pay off for City College Peterborough at TES Awards
The college was a finalist in the Specialist Provider of the Year category at the prestigious TES FE Awards, which finished with a glittering ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane on Friday night.
The awards celebrate the people and teams “who continue to make a significant contribution to improving the skill levels of young people and adult learners”.
“It is wonderful that the dedication, hard work and innovation of all our staff and students has been recognised by this highly respected organisation,” said college principal Pat Carrington.
“Although unfortunately we didn’t win on this occasion it is still a big feather in our cap.”
It is the second time the college has been recognised in the event, having been shortlisted for another award last year.
The nomination for Specialist Provider of the Year covered two areas of the college - the Access Champions and Day Opportunities.
The Access Champions was formed in 2015 by a group of young people from the college to teach young disabled people the skills to assess the accessibility of organisations and services.
The aim is simple - empower people with disabilities and difficulties to use their unique experience of being in the world to help identify how to make provision more accessible for others.
Now in its fourth year, the group are well on their way to being fully sustainable and learner led and are currently participating in a charity climb up Mount Snowdon.
The second part of the nomination was the college’s Day Opportunities provision. It is Peterborough’s largest local day support provider and specialist, supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism and complex needs to live life to their fullest.
Supported people across the city have access to four hubs:
The drop-in centre at Brook Street where daily activities take place.
441 Lincoln Rd, which houses the employability team who assist on job applications and job coaching, as well as two enterprises - Royce Rolls, a thriving catering company and The Laundry Basket, both of which are led by supported people.
The Industrial Hub, which is based in Hampton, where pallets are donated and then recycled into items such as kindling, planters, seasonal boxes and much more.
The Kingfisher Centre, based in Bretton, which supports people of all ages with complex needs, many who require one-on-one assistance.
If you would like to find out about courses offered at the college or more about the supported enterprises, please visit www.citycollegepeterborough.ac.uk