Personal Development is at the Heart of College Values

The College experience isn’t just about getting a qualification; it’s about building life skills that will equip young people with the skills and experiences to enable them to be successful across all aspects of their personal and working life.

Our motto is ‘Skills Ready, Future Ready’, and this extends beyond classroom teachings. Being Future Ready is about being ready for whatever life throws at you, whether at college, in the workplace or at home.

As the Tutorial Manager – Pastoral & Personal Development at Stoke on Trent College, my role is all about ensuring our learners get the right support that will complement their studies and help them to thrive.  Personal development is how we link that big-picture mission to each learner’s everyday experience. Every study pathway is a journey: figuring out who you are, how you learn, how you lead, and how you contribute. When we get this right, qualifications don’t just land – they lift. We, turn ambition into achievement and raw potential into real performance. 

Nationally colleges are recognising the need to build up resilience amongst learners. This means putting key supportive infrastructure in place to allow learners to step out of their comfort zone, better manage more challenging situations and bounce back stronger.

Colleges are crucial pillars of communities, and we have duty to upskill and enhance the opportunities of learners. Having teams such as Personal Development Tutors, who work closely with curriculum teams to provide outstanding pastoral support, is a necessity in the modern world of FE. Focusing on delivering topics such as mental health, healthy Relationships and positive citizenships which provide our learners with a robust blueprint on how to keep themselves safe both mentally and physically, but also how to be a positive, contributing citizen to society.

Returning to Stoke on Trent College after being a student many years ago, especially during our city’s centenary year has been a special experience for me. When I studied Music here seventeen years ago, I found the support through my lecturers gave me motivation to tackle an uncertain home life and achieve my own career goals.

What I didn’t know at that time was the support I received would stay with me, directing my own career path. After working within the Student Experience and Personal Development realm for a number of years, I’m keen to pass on my experience and knowledge to our cohort of learners.

Personal development is woven into the fabric of the college experience, giving our learners a strong base to build from and succeed in all walks of life. As we enter another exciting academic year, I’m looking forward to ensuring all of our learners are future-ready.

By Jamie Hulme, Tutorial Manager at Stoke on Trent College