Communities benefit from students developing green skills

More than 700 students have taken on environmental activities that have benefitted North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College and the wider community following the launch of a new initiative in September.

Students have been involved in a variety of activities including litter picks, volunteering at community allotments, running vintage clothing events, transforming crisp packets into insulating blankets to support homeless communities and using donated wool to create baby bonnets for a neonatal ward.

The projects are also helping students to receive recognition through the Power Up Your Potential skills guarantee which was launched by North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) to showcase students’ wider learning and skills development at college, in addition to their courses and vocational learning.

Through the programme – which has been endorsed by local employers – students can work towards achieving Gold, Silver and Bronze Power Up Your Potential awards which include a digital badge that the students can use on LinkedIn. 

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Principal and Chief Executive at NWSLC, said: “We launched Power Up Your Potential with our industry partners to enable our students to gain recognition for the wider skills they have developed at college to help them succeed in life, in addition to their studies. Recognising their skills helps students to realise what they’re capable of achieving and enables them to demonstrate how much they have to offer to prospective employers.

“When we developed Power Up Your Potential, we decided one of its key themes should be Citizenship and Sustainability because we wanted to help address local employers’ concerns about existing gaps in sustainability knowledge in the workplace.

“We provided additional training to enable all curriculum areas to pinpoint what sustainability excellence looks like which has enabled them to help students to expand their green knowledge, take part in sustainable activities and develop sustainable working practices that are helping them to begin their journey to reaching industrial and international sustainability benchmarks in their chosen careers.

“We have been delighted to see how our students have embraced the Citizenship and Sustainability theme and have taken on projects which are making a real difference to our College and the wider community.”

In addition to achieving bronze, silver and gold recognition, being accredited as part of Power Up Your Potential also supports students seamless progression to higher education courses as part of the College’s work with Coventry University.

Other green activities the students have been involved in include sourcing sustainable products for charity fundraisers, growing flowers to encourage wildlife and participating in sustainability-themed competitions. Make-Up Artistry and Beauty Therapy students also created outfits and hair accessories from recycled pop cans and recycled clothing for the competitions they have entered this year.

The other key themes of Power Up Your Potential are Self and Success, People and Communication, Workplace and Digital Readiness, and Thinking, Creativity and Innovation. Each theme includes a list of important attributes designed to support students’ personal development, enhance their employability skills, and prepare them to succeed in their training, the workplace, and wider society.