Community learning leaders from across Stoke-on-Trent have come together to collaborate and help shape adult and community learning delivered by Stoke on Trent College.
Hosted in the award-winning Hammersley restaurant on the Cauldon campus, partners from the Shaw Trust, the Department for Work & Pensions, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Thrive at Five, NHS and Talking Therapies came together to meet the college’s new Community Learning team and to discuss ways they can work together going forward.
The forum is part of a larger piece of working at Stoke on Trent College to expand their outward facing approach to adult and community learning.
As part of the event, visitors were given a tour of the ESOL department before heading to the recently opened Health & Social Care Ward, an industry standard facility providing learners with the opportunity to learn in a realistic hospital ward environment. Guests also enjoyed festive treats produced by Catering and Hospitality students.
As part of the session, groups also talked through the referral process for adult learners and how collaborative working with partners is key.
Elliot White, Director of Lifelong Learning at Stoke on Trent College said:
“This is the first of a series of events with our adult learning and community partners. Having everyone in the same room, has helped us to talk through our approach to community learning and to share ideas which we feel could be implemented by the wider group to reach as many people as possible.
“By showing partners the ESOL department and the Health and Social Care ward, we gave them a glimpse of the facilities learners can access when they enrol with us here at the College.”
Antoinette Lythgoe, Chief Financial Officer and Interim CEO at Stoke on Trent College said:
“Every year Stoke on Trent College has around 7,000 adult learners enrolling on a variety of different courses, which could be upskilling for their current job, reskilling for a new career or helping build their confidence to help them back into employment.
“It’s vital we continue to work collaboratively with community learning partners across the city to ensure that we are meeting needs and skills gaps.”
Find out more about community courses at Stoke on Trent College here – https://stokecoll.ac.uk/course-areas/community-courses/
