Tag: Edinburgh College Students Association

Edinburgh College named regional Planet Saver in British Chambers of Commerce Awards

Edinburgh College has been named as a regional Planet Saver award winner in the British Chambers of Commerce Business Awards and will now compete for a national prize. 

The College was entered into the UK-wide awards scheme having collected the Net Zero Champion accolade at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in February this year. 

The awards programme is a showpiece event in the UK business calendar, recognising and promoting the best of British business through a series of regional heats, culminating in a campaign to showcase winning businesses on an international stage.

The College’s success comes in recognition of its renewed commitment to Sustainability and increasing engagement with its student body through a Go Green project led by Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) and the introduction of an annual Sustainable Education Week. 

ECSA’s work involved creating Go Green Hubs on each campus, which feature Clothes Swap Shops and Community Fridges, and are aimed at reducing food and textiles waste, alleviating poverty and keeping the issue of Sustainability visible and at the forefront of students’ minds. 

Sustainable Education Week sees classes across the curriculum focus their teaching on Sustainability, with students embarking on new projects or one-off activities which embed one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals into contextualised learning.

Edinburgh College Principal, Audrey Cumberford said: “We’re delighted to have been named as a regional winner by the British Chambers of Commerce. 

“This award and progression into the next round of the programme is a wonderful recognition of the work of our College in engaging students to support, drive and lead our sustainability priorities, working towards achieving the goals set out in our Environmental Sustainability Strategy. I am extremely proud of what our staff and students involved have achieved and I believe they truly deserve this recognition.”

Al Wilson, ECSA Director, said: “Well done to the College and in particular our brilliant team members for this latest award recognition. 

“Our Go Green project has delivered tangible outcomes in terms of reducing literally tonnes of food and textiles waste, as well as raising awareness of sustainability among the student body at Edinburgh College – something which is vital to help us tackle the climate emergency and make it real for our students as they become the workforce of tomorrow.”

College students go green with £190,000 Climate Challenge funding

Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) has been awarded over £190,000 as part of the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund (CCF), allowing it respond to the Climate Emergency.

Building on a previous project, this funding will lead to the creation of a new climate change project that will run through to 2022.

The new project will offer free support to help Edinburgh College students to travel more sustainably, and to reduce their food and textile waste.

Activities will include cycle training and bike maintenance workshops, continuing the current Liftshare scheme, introducing a Community Fridge at each campus, and running swap-shop events.

In addition, the team will work to increase understanding of climate change among our student community by running workshops during class time and providing opportunities to develop sustainability skills through extracurricular and voluntary activities.

ECSA Director Al Wilson said: “We’re thrilled to receive this funding from the Scottish Government to continue our Go Green project. Our aim is not only to help the College and our students reduce their carbon footprint, but also to increase climate literacy, help change behaviours, and to support the wider community – through schemes like our Community Fridge.”

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “I’m delighted that our Students’ Association have been allocated this funding to allow them to continue carrying out their fantastic work in Sustainability. Our students are hugely passionate about the increasing climate challenges facing us all. 

“The team has already achieved so much, inspiring many students and staff to factor climate change into their daily lives, ensuring that we all contribute to a greener society.

“We all look forward to the next project getting underway and seeing the College community come together raise awareness of climate change and take action to protect our planet.”

In April 2018, ECSA became the first college students’ association to be awarded CCF funding, which led to the current Go Green low-carbon travel project. That project is now close to completion and has achieved astounding results – saving 321 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

This leads to a projected lifetime saving of 1009 tonnes of CO2 equivalent – a 244% increase on the target initially set out by the team.

In addition, ECSA has engaged with more than 1200 students throughout the project, delivering classes focused on Sustainability over the past two years. Feedback gathered found that 54% of students felt their climate knowledge increased through these sessions.

If you would like to hear more about plans for the next project, contact the team by email go.green@ecsa.scot.

Edinburgh College Students: Aye or Naw?

Aye, Naw or Undecided? 

ayeornaw

Are you Aye, Naw or Undecided? Wherever you are in the referendum debate,  come along to the Edinburgh College Students’ Association Debate and put your questions to both campaigns.

You are invited to attend The Edinburgh College Debate being held in the Music Box at Sighthill Campus, on Wednesday 10 September from  4 – 5.30pm.

This is an amazing opportunity for you to take part in the debate about the biggest decision any of us may ever make in the upcoming independence referendum.

Speaking for the Yes campaign are Kenny MacAskill MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, and SNP MSP for Eastern Edinburgh, and Colin Fox, National Convenor of the Scottish Socialist Party.

Speaking for the Better Together campaign are Kezia Dugdale MSP, Labour MSP for the Lothians, and Cameron Buchanan MSP, Conservative MSP for the Lothians.

NUS Scotland’s Women’s Officer, Vonnie Sandlan will be chairing the debate.

Please arrive early (3:30pm) to avoid disappointment, and if you would like any further details on this event, get in touch with us at contact@ecsaonline.co.uk.

We look forward to seeing you!

sa-logo

Students and College agree ‘groundbreaking’ funding package

Deal gives students greater influence in decision-making at Edinburgh College  

ECSAs

Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) will break new ground for the further education sector in Scotland with the best funding package of its kind, under a new agreement with the college.

ECSA – which was recently named the College Students’ Association of the Year at the National Union of Students (NUS) Awards 2014 – has signed a partnership agreement with the college that will ensure it has more influence on decision making and strengthen its ability to develop and meet students’ needs.

The college is providing a new funding package for ECSA, which is the biggest for a Scottish college students’ association and will allow the association to grow sustainably. The funding will ensure ECSA’s long-term employment of a permanent manager, a professional full-time position that provides continuity and support for the elected fixed-term sabbatical officers. ECSA is the first college students’ association in Scotland to employ a permanent manager.

ECSA president Kelly Parry said: “This agreement with the college gives us the opportunity to make sure we get the best for our students. We’ve already grown in size and influence over the last two years and I am proud of everyone who has contributed to getting the organisation where it is today. The college has shown great faith in ECSA, even when we’ve held opposing views, and our partnership approach is something that I hope will be adopted across the sector.”

“We’re absolutely delighted to win the NUS award. It’s the result of the hard work of so many people – students, student officers and staff – and it’s proof that college student associations can not only work but, given the right support, thrive.”

Under the new agreement, ECSA will have a stronger voice at all decision-making levels of the college. It already has a prominent role in key college decisions and is, for example, already being consulted formally about the development of the college’s regional outcome agreement. This sets out the targets the college aims to deliver in return for its funding from the Scottish Funding Council. The college has also just appointed a second student member to its Board of Management, increasing students’ influence at the highest decision-making level.

ian_mckay

Edinburgh College chair Ian McKay (pictured above) said: “We’re immensely proud of ECSA and this new agreement demonstrates not just our faith in them but our wish to learn from them. They’ve proven to be tireless and effective advocates for our students and we’re supporting them to continue growing and developing their distinctive voice. The Board and college management need to have a robust, healthy relationship with our students’ association where views can be aired frankly on both sides. ECSA’s willingness to confer and consult with us – and strength of character to disagree with us – is both a tribute to their maturity and expertise and the bedrock for a healthy and honest future relationship.

“We’re thrilled that ECSA won the NUS award as we work very closely with the team and know how much they do behind the scenes to benefit our students. This is very much deserved.”

Cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning Michael Russell MSP said: “I am delighted to welcome Edinburgh College’s steps to give students a powerful voice and enhance their influence over key decisions. A central aim of our college reforms was to put students at the centre, a promise we underpinned with legislation to increase their representation on boards and requiring institutions to have students associations.

“This announcement represents yet another step forward in strengthening the voice of students and I believe the college can only benefit from listening closely to the people who matter most.”

The agreement comes following ECSA’s award as the NUS College Students’ Association of the Year, which it picked up at the 2014 annual NUS Scotland Conference. The NUS Awards judges gave the honour to ECSA for its work over the last year, which includes vice president for women Katy Nixon’s efforts leading to a win at the NUS Scotland Women’s Awards as Inspirational Woman of the Year (a category that president Kelly Parry was also nominated in), and a win at the same awards in the Achievement of the Year for being the first college in the country to appoint a full-time women’s officer.

ECSA has worked closely with the college to help develop education provision, engaged students through a range of events and campaigns, provided opportunities through volunteering placements, and introduced new societies and sports clubs at the college to cater for students’ interests.

Although the college funds ECSA and works closely with it, it does not influence its ability to act as an independent voice for students and respects its right to disagree with the college and help find positive, common ground.

EdColl