News & Events

Latest figures published by Connexions in Wakefield have once again highlighted the problems the District faces with young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Figures reveal that more than 9% of all teenagers within the District are classified as NEET – above both the national and regional averages.

Wakefield College continues to play a vital role in reducing the number of NEETs across the District, and several successful projects have seen hundreds of youngsters benefit from a variety of education and training opportunities.

Entry to Employment (e2e) has seen more than 2,000 young people complete a programme with the College; with flexible starts, the e2e programme helps develop the key areas of personal social development, vocational development and basic and key skills. The e2e project is not qualification driven and is aimed at those who have been disengaged with the formal education and the school environment. Many e2e learners have gone on to successfully enrol onto mainstream courses and gain employment.

Maureen Green, e2e Manager at the College, said, “A lot of young people require more specialised one-to-one support which would not be available in a traditional classroom setting. Not every 16-year-old is suited to an academic route and programmes like e2e offer a genuine alternative. The project has been a great success and has benefitted countless young people who could otherwise have ended up as long term NEET. It is all about empowering young people to be the best they can.”

The College’s flexible approach to helping NEETs ensures that it can respond quickly to the changing needs of its students. Recently the College ran bespoke English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) short courses for young people from asylum seeking families who had moved to the district.

Heather Beckham, Skills for Life Manager, said, “The programme was designed to help overcome barriers around language which would otherwise have prevented these students from fully integrating into their new communities. The course was an overwhelming success, with more than 85% of students having now enrolled onto other programmes of learning.”

The College is also home to more than 60 school-aged pupils who are studying on a variety of courses. The Early College Transfer (ECT) scheme is part of the wider Transitions Project, which involves the College working together with schools from across the District towards ensuring young people have the best possible options when leaving school, and ensuring the transition is as smooth as possible. Such has been the success of the Transitions Project that Jo Simister, Director of Learner Development at the College, was invited to speak at a National Association of Colleges (AoC) conference, where the College was praised for its pioneering partnership work.

Wakefield College has also been quick off the mark in implementing the new Foundation Learning (FL) programme which was introduced at a national level last year. ‘Flex’ (Foundation Learning Excellence) is the collective name given by the College to the national suite of learning for 14 to 19 year olds, predominantly at entry level and level one.

A number of initiatives have been set up in the community to target young people who may not feel comfortable attending College. One such project involved young people in Airedale, helping them to building up their self confidence and interview techniques. These students are now working at the College’s skillsXchange on a project designing promotional material to encourage others to consider education, employment and training.

Director of Academy for Skills, Steve Eley, said, “Wakefield College, along with its partners, has a significant role to play in helping out disadvantaged young people. For some it is a case of taking them out of a cycle of educational and economic inactivity that some families have been in for generations. Being in education, employment and training helps young people build their aspirations and become more socially responsible.”