Transferable Qualities, Tutoring models and In-House Technologists: How my College Group Upskills Students to Help them Thrive

As exam results grab headlines, students’ real concerns are about jobs, money and life after college. Gavin Barker explains how Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group focuses on transferable skills, specialist tutoring and digital confidence to help students thrive. From wellbeing support to AI upskilling, the article shows how colleges can prepare learners not just for exams, but for an uncertain future of work.

achievements and marking another milestone in the academic year. But where I work, at the Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG), the biggest worries we hear from students are not related to exam results. They’re related to getting a job, including not knowing what job they want, and financial worries. For many, it’s not just about not having money; it’s about not understanding the realities of adulthood – from rent and budgeting to mortgages. To my mind, that’s where our colleges can truly shine. We can improve the focus on what they need, becoming part of the difference that helps them thrive.

The gold of transferable life skills

Pearson’s recent college-focused report, which collected the views of 2,000 tutors and students across the UK, found that almost four in 10 young people worried about getting a job or progressing in their role, a figure that rings true for me and my team. At the same time, in a response set that felt very closely linked to this stat, the report revealed tutors’ appetite to improve the teaching of life skills, highlighting the value they place in fostering problem-solving, self-confidence, interpersonal skills and a growth mindset. 

For all of us at NSGC, these attributes are at the heart of easing our young people’s worries about future work and progress. After all, the connection between life skills and doing well on a chosen career path, whatever that is, could not be clearer. I would argue that, as educators, the true gold we offer lies in imparting those transferable qualities. Yes, students need specific, technical knowledge and expertise for their chosen field, but it’s the always-essential skills – like communication, teamwork, adaptability and resilience – that we suspect they’ll rely on most to make progress in the fast-changing world beyond college. It is Power Skills like this that employers are looking for, and passing them on is what best empowers our students.

Skilful teaching and star initiatives

How do we impart those golden, empowering life skills? At NSGC, we do lots of it daily through skilful teaching, learning and assessment. But we’re also lucky to have a tutoring system that’s a little different to other colleges. Our personal tutors only tutor, meaning they can focus on wellbeing , support students’ development and be their key point of contact. By having specialist, non-teaching tutors available to our young people, we can quickly identify issues that might impact the confidence and outcomes of young people in our community. We can also activate our wider team of learner support, which includes a staff of dedicated counsellors.

In other examples created to support students on every level, we’ve started a number of great skills-based initiatives. Like “Be Extraordinary”, which is our framing for all extracurricular and enrichment activities, including trips, guest speakers, clubs and the Extended Project Qualification. “Professional preparation sessions” also help, offering bespoke sessions from each department to build the skills students need to take their next steps (each team designs their own scheme of work for the skills they feel their learners require for progression). Alongside this, work and industry placements are another impactful contribution, with every student, regardless of level or course, completing at least 24 hours of work experience.

Tackling digital confidence

Thinking ahead to students’ next steps and the shape of the future workplace has similarly guided us towards upskilling in AI and digital. We see these linked skills as also being essential and transferable. Like many colleges, I suspect, one of the biggest misconceptions we encounter is that all young people are digitally literate. In fact, most students at NSCG are confident on phones, but some find tools like Excel, PowerPoint or Word a significant challenge.

According to Pearson’s research, one in five students (21%) can currently see how what they are learning is relevant to their everyday life. A lot of our day-to-day work is about amplifying that – showing what matters and why; letting them know they’ll be leaving us with essential digital skills they’ll need for jobs or higher education.

While six in 10 tutors believe AI will have a positive impact on vocational job prospects – myself and my team included – the same proportion say they need further AI training to support student upskilling. At NSCG, we’ve recently appointed a new digital technologist who’s working across the group to help staff and students build digital confidence. AI is a key focus, as is the process of understanding AI’s potential and how to use it responsibly.

Ready for the future

We can’t prepare students for everything on the horizon, of course. That includes readying them for specific careers, since many of those future roles won’t exist yet. Two or three years ago, for example, we wouldn’t have imagined “AI prompt writer” as a career. Today, it’s one of the fastest-growing new roles. 

Still, it was encouraging to read that two-thirds of UK college students (65%) feel they will be ready to move on to their next steps by the end of their course. At NSGC, we believe – and hope – the proportion could be much higher. We won’t feel satisfied until we reach 100%. 

To help us – and our young people – on that journey, we’re making transferable skills more visible and intentional. We’re bringing in real-world perspectives wherever we can. We’re rewarding students who grow in confidence, curiosity and independence. And we’re championing the wider skills and experiences that will help them aspire and achieve throughout their lives.

Like the other FE respondents who added their voices to Pearson’s research, we want to support young people to fulfil their potential now and for a lifetime. The biggest headline for us will never be: See our results. It’s: See our students. See how they thrive.

By Gavin Barker, Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning at Newcastle Stafford College Group