Community Liaison, Jennifer Kelly, gives a review of the Community Team over the last six months.
For the second consecutive year our annual Graduation celebration was held in the Hub at the heart of Edinburgh’s Telford College. A wonderful evening was had by staff, students and invited guests, including key members of the North Edinburgh community. Graduands were piped in and entertained by singing, dancing and speakers including the College Principal – Miles Dibsdall OBE, and guest of honour, comedienne and television presenter Jenny Éclair (pictured above).
Looking at the very much wintry weather today, it is hard to believe that it was only three months ago we welcomed 4,000 local residents onto the Forthquarter Park for the third North Edinburgh Community Festival. The day was a great success, and Telford staff and students worked alongside several of its community partners to provide a free day of food, fun, information and entertainment for what is now a popular established event.
The Forth Neighbourhood Partnerships Public Meeting was given an employability twist in October and the College hosted a market place of local and city wide organisations offering help in job hunting, career development and education. Attendees also heard a number of very informative presentations including an update from Ken Shaw, Head of Employability and Skills: City of Edinburgh Council on current initiatives and achievements to date in this area.
The College is keen to support local organisations in any way it is able, and the past few months have seen Telford working alongside SACRO, Fairbridge, Citadel Youth Centre, Four Square, Apex Scotland, CORE, Link Living and WEACT, amongst others. Joint working can take many forms, including presentations, College visits and tours, providing information stands and staff, attending AGMs. This year we designed and produced annual reports for both Stepping Stones (North Edinburgh) and the Prentice Centre. We also welcomed parents and pupils from Craigroyston Community High School, Forthview Primary School and Trinity Academy.
Although events are a significant part of our Community remit, we also provide ongoing support and information to any person who is interested in coming to Telford College. We have regular drop ins at Community Renewal and represent the College at a wide variety of schools and careers events across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Get On Edinburgh, which links people up with the support they need to move forward in life, also has a presence within Learner Services and members of the public are welcome to visit between 1 and 3pm on Wednesdays.
We are proud that our students also make their mark in our community. HND student Michael Kerr, whose project to produce signage for the Forthquarter development was selected as the winning submission by National Grid. Michael produced a fully integrated campaign which included logo development, direct mail, signage points, ambient advertising and digital designs for web and mobile (pictured below).
If any member of the Community would like to arrange a College visit, we can be contacted via the following link on our website:
http://www.ed-coll.ac.uk/community/community_support.aspx
POSTSCRIPT
As you will have heard in the local and national press, Edinburgh’s Telford College has taken the decision to enter merger discussions with Jewel and Esk College and Stevenson College Edinburgh. The Government’s white paper on post-16 vocational education makes clear its aim to refocus college provision so that it is more aligned with employer and community needs, jobs and growth. Telford has for several years collaborated successfully with its sister colleges across the City and the announcement will bring further positive developments and benefits especially for young people across Edinburgh. The College is in a strong position thanks to the quality and commitment of its staff, the engagement with its students, its curricular offer and the quality of the college estate. With our partner colleges we will continue to build a focused college sector in Edinburgh. Barbara Lawson, Head of External Liaison for the College, confirmed that Telford would keep members of its North Edinburgh Community up to date on outcomes from these developments.