Nelson and Colne College Group was delighted to hold its first Armed Forces Business Development Workshop at the Accrington and Rossendale College campus recently.
Members of the Armed Forces community joined together with employers who are recognised through the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to discuss the skills needs of the region, and how education can provide the right platform for veterans and their families to continue to build their careers as they transition from the armed forces.
Having recently been recognised as a bronze employer in the ERS, the College Group is focussed on supporting serving forces, veterans and their families to realise their career dreams. Joining together with employers including Story Contracting Ltd, Empine Group, MDA Ltd, Expleo Group, TVS SCS Consultancy, Avove Utilities, and ROQ, members of the College Group’s leadership team discussed the needs of the local armed forces community, as well as the skills needs of employers, to enable the Group to develop curriculum focussed on shaping the future talent pool for local industry.
Speaking after the event Principal and CEO of Nelson and Colne College Group said, ‘It was a delight to welcome employers to our campus, and to hear what they need from us to ensure that their talent pool of the future is as strong as it can be. Here at Nelson and Colne College Group we are dedicated to delivering employer co-created curriculum, as this not only gives employers the skills they need but will set our learners apart from others when it comes to joining industry. Workshops such as this are invaluable, not just to learn more about the individual industries, but to share the passion and drive for supporting those connected to the armed forces, at every opportunity.’
Gary Oakford, Regional Employer Engagement Director for the North West Reserve Forces and Cadets has been instrumental in the Group’s journey to support the armed forces. He said, ‘this workshop has been a real positive step to helping build a strong curriculum supported by industry leaders who are passionate about providing continued education and professional development for our veterans and their families, all with pathways into employment. It is great to see initiatives such as this developing to enable our forces and their families to make a huge impact on our local and regional industries.’
Nicola Hall, Director of Curriculum Innovation & Partnerships for Nelson and Colne College Group said ‘We are incredibly proud of our very strong partnership working ethos, which underpins the continued development of our adult learning curriculum. This invaluable workshop provided essential information to enable us to ensure the development of future, bespoke, provision which directly meets the needs of the Armed Forces Community.’
Nelson and Colne College Group is proud to support the Armed Forces community and is committed to promoting an armed forces-friendly environment. The College Group looks forward to continuing to support the Armed Forces community and inspiring others to do the same.
