Celebrating Equality and Diversity Booklet 2012 - Leeds City College

about us...play your partleedscitycollege.ac.ukLeeds City College is committed tomeeting the needs of all learnersregardless of; age; disability; genderreassignment; marriage/civilpartnership; pregnancy/maternityleave; race; religion or belief; sex;sexual orientation.All students at Leeds City Collegeare entitled to learn in a supportiveenvironment and we look to be an inclusivecollege that attracts students from all partsof the city and surrounding areas.Guidance and information in respect ofwhat we do in relation to all aspects ofequality and diversity, including how wemeet our legal duties, is available on thecollege website.We appreciate the need to continue towork hard to keep moving forward asequality is a continuing journey.What this booklet is about is providing aflavour of what that means in practice forour students by celebrating our diversity,some of our achievements to date and ourplans for the future.How we support our studentsCommitment to equality and diversity startsfrom the very top at the college with thegovernors taking their responsibilities veryseriously. All undertake regular equalityand diversity training and one is assignedlead responsibility and sits on our strategicequality and diversity committee, which ischaired by the college principal and includesboth staff and student representatives.To support their work the college has set uptask groups, open to all staff and students,who champion specific aspects of equalityincluding: age; disability, gender; racereligion or belief. This is complemented bythe work of our Student Support Services,Curriculum Equality Champions andworking groups.The college also has a dedicated Equality &Diversity Manager to support and provideguidance for the staff and students inrespect of all aspects of equality.The key element in our successfullysupporting our students however comesfrom the support and commitment of ourstaff, both in curriculum and support areas,in welcoming everyone irrespective of theirbackgrounds, celebrating the diversity ofthe student body and ensuring any instancesof bullying, harassment or discriminationare challenged and addressed. Curriculumand student support teams in particular takeleading roles in embedding equality anddiversity in the curriculum, so every studentis given the opportunity to make the mostof their time at college and prepare fortheir future roles in the community.The Student Union has an important partin supporting equality and diversity too.The Student President is a member of theequality and diversity committee and thestudent union appoint equality officersto support the promotion of equality anddiversity.

As a result the college is able to keepequality and diversity in high profileacross the college and throughout theyear. Actions include: poster campaigns;promoting in college literature; studentenrichment campaigns; embedding equalityin the curriculum; celebration of diversity;student support provision; community andcharitable support; as well as the day to daywork undertaken by the curriculum andsupport teams.Although not the most exciting informationit is important to record that all our equalityand diversity work is built into team andcollege plans and we use these to monitorand assess our progress, both throughinternal review, government externalassessment and working towards nationalequality standards like Investors in Diversity.Specialist courses and supportThe college recognise the need of learnersis wide ranging and diverse and looks toprovide for as wide a range of learnersand their needs as possible. Please see thecollege website for details of the range ofcourses available and how to find out aboutthem. In respect of this booklet we wouldlike to raise awareness of the followingprovisions in particular, which meet partof this diverse need and support wideningparticipation.• Apprenticeships, which we offer awide range of work-based learningopportunities to young peoplethroughout West Yorkshire. With anApprenticeship you train on the job, getqualified, get paid and get a career - all inone go! You work out in the real world,getting hands-on experience and learningat the same time. What’s more, you aregaining skills and qualifications that arerecognised by employers everywhere.An Apprenticeship is a great first stepon to the career ladder and you will beexactly the type of skilled employeebusiness and industry need. The college iskeen to: encourage students to considerapprenticeships in non traditional areas;challenge gender stereotyping in careerchoices; and encourage a more diversetake up of apprenticeship places.• The Additional Learning Support teamis there to support the promotion ofequality of opportunity and wideningparticipation in education and iscommitted to ensuring that all studentsachieve their potential. In their own word:• ESOL (English for Speakers of OtherLanguages) is another area of specialistprovision that embraces equality anddiversity. These students have beenamong the hardest hit by recent fundingcuts but are also among some of ourkeenest students and we have looked toevidence our equality duty to them, andall impacted by the cuts, by reviewing ourprovision and making the most of whatfunding is available, including provisionof hardship support and bursary grants .The ESOL courses provide opportunityfor progression for beginners throughto advanced level. Students learn howto use English to communicate. Duringthe course students develop speakingand listening skills, improve confidenceas well as improving reading and writing.The course is assessed by examinationsand classroom assignments and can reallytransform employment prospects.• The Next Move service offers adviceand guidance to students with learningdifficulties, disabilities, mental healthissues or other additional support needsabout getting ready for work and movingon from College. We work with studentswhile they are in college to help them:Look into their post college options;Learn more about their rights; Build uptheir work experience; Gain skills forapplying for work; Move on from collegewhen they have finished their course.• Preparing students to enter into theworkplace and make their contributionsin society are key aims of many coursesand some of the biggest equality impactsare seen in course areas such as Pathwayfor Progression, courses to supportthose from the NEET (Not in Education,Employment or Training) group. Ourcommunity course provision is verymuch about meeting the needs of thecommunity groups in the local areas andvaries from centre to centre accordingly.• Provision includes building language andemployment skills; working with women’sethnic groups who would otherwisestruggle to access education; workingwith traveller groups. In other communityareas the demand is more to meet theneeds of people who want to widen theirskills base for both economic and socialreasons. Silver Surfer courses are popularhere as are part time day and eveningclasses across a whole range of skills,leisure health based activities. Please seeour part time prospectuses on the websitefor more details.“We make all reasonableadjustments to ensure allour students, including thosewith disabilities and learningdifficulties, are treatedfairly and get the most outof college life. Support mayinclude one to one sessions,small group work, adaptedmaterials (for examplelarge print or taped notes),communication supportworkers, learning supportworkers, assistive technology(such as large keyboards)and assistance with mobility.The Learning & Skills Councilhave provided fundingfor a variety of high-techassistive equipment includingmagnifiers, recording devices,brailing and transcriptionsfacilities.”4

FacilitiesEnsuring accessibility to our buildings andservices for students is important to us. Wenot only look to meet our legal duties inrespect of accessibility but aim to providestandards that take us well beyond this.Not always easy in a college split overdifferent campuses but we have an ongoingprogramme of improvements. In respectof premises our new Keighley Campushas enabled us to incorporate the latestfacilities. We have commissioned and actedupon a review of our other premises andare invested considerable funding each yearin continuous improvement of the overallcollege estate. Indeed we are currentlylooking at improving access and facilitiesfurther by moving some of our provision totwo new sites.Provision of services to students withinour buildings is also important. We look toprovide a wide range of student supportservices including: Additional Support; NextMoves; Admissions; Connexions; Careersand Guidance; e-Learning; Childcare.Safeguarding and Work Experience. Aswell as these services we also provide awide range of support equipment and havean excellent team who work with staffand students to anticipate and make anyreasonable adjustments to meet studentneeds in respect of our equality duties.Publications / brandingThe marketing team have a directive toconsider Equality & Diversity issues withinall events and promotions they are involvedin, from producing corporate publications,to designing websites and organisingevents. The needs and requirements ofstaff, students (including volunteers) andstakeholders are all considered whenpromoting the College, including:• Accessibility of Leeds City College events.• Use and variety of brand imagery.• DDA compliancy; text style andreadability.Making a differencePolicies, procedures, practices, plans andactions are all important but what reallymatters is the impact they have on the livesof real people, our student. We believestrongly that what we have indicated wedo in respect of equality and diversitydoes make a real and positive difference.Obviously this booklet only touches thesurface of what we provide and the impactwe have but everyone is proud of thedifference they are making to people’s livesand we wanted to share some examplesof our good news stories and studentsuccesses. Each individual student mattersto us and the commitment of staff toachieving this comes through time and timeagain. The extra mile is being walked everyday!Student StoryA student achieved three A levels despitelosing his sight during his time at collegeas a result of a genetic condition. His visiondeteriorated so quickly that he lost theability to read print after his As year.The Inclusive services department (nowALS) provided large print resources untilthey were too sizeable to be useful, audioresources ad one to one support. Closeliaison with the curriculum tutors ensuredthat resources to be adapted were providedin advance. Notes from class were taken onan Alphasmart and saved onto a memorystick. This made them accessible as thestudent could listen to them with speechsoftware provided by college. The studentspent time with a specialist tutor outsideclasses to gain skills for independentlearning both for his immediate courseand the future. He learnt the basis of touchtyping and the commands for the speechsoftware which meant that he could accessand create documents and research on theinternet.Exam arrangements were put in place andthe student perfected the art of planningin his head and dictating answers veryprecisely.The emotional impact of sight loss beganto take its toll so he was directed to thecollege Counselling Service which was ableto help him adjust.The student was keen to find a part time jobso the ‘Next Move’ service worked with himon his CV and arranged a work placementvisit.This many pronged support packageresulted in the student succeeding in his Alevels and being confident enough to applyfor a college in a different area where heis currently pursuing a Level 3 course insubjects of his choosing prior to applying toHigher Education.Donation to “Help change lives”A cheque for £180,000 has been madeout to Leeds City College by the Park LaneCollege Trust to help transform the lives oflocal students. The money will be used bylearners who are facing significant increasesin the cost of their learning due to changesin Government policy.The educational charitable trust – set up anumber of years ago to forge strong linkswith the former Park Lane College andhelp support the College in its mission towiden participation amongst disadvantagedgroups – is donating this large sum to LeedsCity College to enable the FE institution toform a new college discretionary fund fordisadvantaged students.Robert Stubbs, Chairman of the Park LaneCollege Trustees, said: “We hope thismoney will continue the good work ofthe Trust and support disadvantagedstudents. This money will form thefoundation of a new discretionary fundwithin Leeds City College to benefitlearners who need extra assistance. Thismoney will help change the lives of localyoung people.”

You said...“Through the help andsupport available fromtutors I have managed tobuild upon previous results”“The animal centre wasgreat for hands-onstudy on the course”“The subjects we studiedwere varied andcompletely relevant tomy line of work”“The course has helped me developmy coaching and presentationskills over the past two years”“Coming back as a mature studenthas been a great experience – ithas been the right road for me,helped by inspiring tutors andwonderful support staff”

College helps to drive people on lineLeeds City College has joined a nationwidedrive to get more people on line, hostingan event to enthuse students to train otherswho are IT-phobes.An audience of up to 150 attended theRaceonline 2012 event on Thursday,September 29th which saw a series ofinspirational talks by Digital Championshighlighting the benefits of IT, and morespecifically engagement with the worldwideweb.Raceonline 2012 recognises that a largenumber of people from a variety ofbackgrounds have never used the Internetand aims to encourage IT savvy people tohelp others who have yet to go online totake the first steps to do so.Headlining and aiming to inspire theaudience to take the lead were MarthaLane Fox – the founder of lastminute.comwho was reappointed UK Digital Championby the coalition government in June 2010– and Ed Kitchen from O2, who bothspoke about how technology can make adifference to everyone.Student mobo blogger prepares formusic industry awardsJournalism student Danny Taylor is one ofthree national winners in a competition tobecome an official blogger for the MOBO(Music of Black Origin ) Awards – thehighlight of which was an invitation to itsannual awards on Wednesday 5 October inGlasgow.Danny, 17, was awarded a one-yearopportunity giving him very specialexposure to the music industry, and has sofar been blogging about albums and eventsand promoting artists from a variety ofcultural backgrounds. The competition ranin partnership by National Skills Academyfor Creative & Cultural Studies and MOBOand is one of the ways the NSA is helpingyoung people by providing access to themedia industry.Student storyG first came into the Help Zone at the endof August to see an adviser. His ambitionwas to be a Social Worker and he neededhelp with the financial aspects of coming tocollege on a Level 3 Health & Social Carecourse.As he was 20 years old he was looking at asubstantial amount of money for the coursefees. He lived with his mum who being alone parent with 2 other children hadn’tmuch in the way of spare cash; he wasunemployed but not claiming benefits.As this was his first level 3 course he wasable to get a fee remission and we looked atthe Adult Learning Grant which would helpwith travel as he lived in Bradford.I later helped him with the ALG formand explained about the discretionaryLearner Support Fund which would helphim with the CRB check he needed andany essential trips. During the year he hadseveral payments through the hardship fundwhen he found it difficult to budget hismoney for travel payments during his workplacements.He has now enrolled on the 2nd year ofhis course this August and still receives hisALG – University is his next challenge. I feelthat the money helped G with his decisionto start the course and later on in the yearwhen he was finding it hard to budgetit took away the stress of trying to findmoney so he could concentrate on his workexperience and studies.Garden projects put students on a newpathJoseph Priestley Campus has scooped twoawards for its bloomin’ lovely gardens.PALS (Preparation for Adult Life & Society)tutor Ian Forward and Foundation Studiesstudent Chris Crowther attended the Leedsin Bloom Awards Ceremony at Pudsey CivicHall to accept a highly commended awardfor the spring judging rounds and a bronzefor summer.The grounds at the Peel Street Campushave recently been renovated by the PALSgroup, who also enlisted the help of theMorley based Horticulture Level 1 studentsand the NPTC Horticulture & Conservationgroup.Visitors to an East Leeds communitycentre have also seen their outdoor spacetransformed into an urban oasis, thanks toa group of young people on a programmerun by Leeds City College and youth charity,The Prince’s Trust. Nine young people, aged18 to 25, officially unveiled the garden theydesigned and built at Kentmere Communityin Seacroft, at a barbecue for the centre’sover-50s users on Thursday, July 28th.The garden featuring a patio area, flowerbeds, seating and raised vegetable bedsis the result of The Trust’s 12 week Teamprogramme, which is delivered in the cityby the College and helps young peopledevelop the skills and confidence to getthem into work, education or training whilealso contributing to the local community.Journalism student Danny Taylor became an officialblogger for the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards.

College’s star studentLeeds City College’s youngest studentcelebrated after getting an A* in GCSEmaths aged eight years old! For the lastyear Thomas Frith has been studying forhis GCSE one night a week at the Collegealongside a class full of adults.His mum Deborah, who attended classeswith him, said they were absolutelydelighted and were very proud of Thomas.Leeds City College Community ManagerPauline Rhodes added Thomas’ result wasgreat news.“I think Thomas is one of the youngest studentswe have ever had – he settled into classextremely well and his result is well deserved”,she said.Student storyS, a mature student, wanted to attendcollege to develop his career. He explainedthat he was the househusband but felt thathe now needed to look at a career changeas it wouldn’t be too long before thechildren would start school. He needed helpwith clothing and equipment costs to beginwith. I explained the situation with thechildcare costs and gave guidance in respectof finding a nursery/childminder. Thiscareer change excited him and he lovedcoming to college.We helped him with the cost of the bootsand overalls he needed for the Level2 plumbing course. He completed hischildcare form and we helped him with thechildcare costs whilst he came to collegewhich he said was a massive weight off hismind. Later on in the year he came to seeme when unexpectedly he found that hehad an eye condition. After a discussionwith the optician he explained that hewould need tinted goggles to help with hisvision. He was so pleased to get help fromcollege support funding to meet the cost ofthe goggles. He could now continue withhis studies.He has since found employment – I believethat he would not have enrolled on thecourse if he did not get help with hischildcare costs and later on in the year whenhe suddenly developed an eye condition hewould probably have left the course.iNC Creative opens for businessThe College has opened an exciting newenterprise outlet in Keighley, providing localcommunities with the opportunity to turntheir creativity into a viable business.iNC Creative, based in the businessincubation unit in Cavendish Street, willencourage enterprise and business start-upthrough access to facilities, services andexpert help and advice, and provide peoplewith an outlet to test trade their products ina retail environment located on a busy highstreet.College helps spice up World CurryFestivalLeeds City College helped to spice up thisyear’s World Curry Festival, hosting cookinglessons for close to 200 people. Buddingchefs flocked to try their hand at makingonion bhajis, samosas and Thai curry, underthe guidance of chef tutors and students ata series of sessions held on Friday, Saturdayand Sunday (Sept 23-25) in VictoriaGardens, Leeds. Students were also on handto help some of the headlining chefs on thedemonstration stage.The World Curry Festival was born out of alove of food, culture and community. Thefestival is a unique event, where individualspassionate about food can experiencethe authentic tastes of India, Pakistan,Bangladesh and the Caribbean, to name buta few.Student storyG.D……. 31 year old male who came toCollege originally as an Asylum Seeker fromThe Ivory Coast and we assisted with verysmall payments from the College Fund andwe supported the student in his applicationfor Indefinite Leave. When granted we werethen able to make regular payments fromDLSF which enabled the Student to travelinto College, buy materials and to completehis course in Information Technology, begiven Student of the year award in his Dept.(Award given at Leeds Town Hall) and thento progress onto a further course this yearwhich hopefully will lead to Employment orStudy at a higher level.College team roughs it for charityA team from Leeds City College spent thenight sleeping rough in the city to help raisein excess of £10,000 to help the homeless.The three staff members and four students– Head of Faculty Gordon Sibbald, ChefTutor Stephanie Moon, Media RelationsCo-ordinator Sarah Towns and Hospitalitystudents Tom Nichols, Jonathan Pratt,Josh Chadburn and Dan Green – joined100 others bedding down in the groundsof Leeds Parish Church on Thursday,September 29th in support of ‘Simon in theStreets’.The West Yorkshire based charity providesessential practical and emotional supportfor homeless people across Leeds as wellas Huddersfield and Bradford includingsoup runs, breakfast clubs and street levelsupport.Student Thomas Frith celebrates getting an A*in Maths at Leeds City College, aged 8!

Hairdressing & Beauty Therapy studentssupport their communityStudents from Thomas Danby Campussupported the BME women in the localcommunity at the Carr Manor children’scentre. The event was to raise moneyfor the local community. Joanne Hendry,Corrinna Smart and Emma Ascough alsovolunteered for an event in aid of Womenof Reconciliation in Chappletown to raisemoney for the group and pamper all itsmembers.During the same period, NVQ Level 2Beauty Therapy students visited Beechcliffespecial school in Keighley in March, to carryout treatments on learners with difficulties.Hand and nail treatments, nail art and hairupstyles were carried out. Students cameback to college motivated from the learningenvironment.More recently, Hairdressing & BeautyTherapy students at the Thomas DanbyCampus gave make-overs to a number oflocal mums taking part in an NHS photoshootto promote Leeds as a breastfeedingfriendly city.We listen and speak your languageComplex shift patterns and travel problemsproved no obstacle for Leeds City Collegewhen dealing with a major logisticscompany.The Elite Group in Wortley, Leeds requiredEnglish classes for their migrant workers.The college provided a tutor on site withtwo hour lessons planned to fit around staffshifts.General language skills covered relevantsubjects essential for their work, includingcontracts of employment, communicatingwith colleagues and Health & Safety.Elite Processing’s Support ServicesManager, Sue Hay said:“The classes are working very well. Leeds CityCollege is tailoring courses t our staff, theirworking hours and the company’s requirementswhile providing our employees with theopportunity for continued progression.”The College raised several thousand pounds from Children in Need fundraising events across all sites.

Key ContactsEquality & DiversityJohn Ryant: 0113 216 2094e: john.ryan@leedscitycollege.ac.ukFunctional Skill EntitlementRachel Goocht: 0113 216 2144e: rachael.gooch@leedscitycollege.ac.ukFoundation LearningDiane Wilsont: 0113 386 1762e: diane.wilson@leedscitycollege.ac.ukA LevelsPhil Blaket: 0113 216 2702e: philip.blake@leedscitycollege.ac.ukLeonardoCarolyn Bootht: 0113 216 2111e: carolyn.booth@leedscitycollege.ac.ukEmployabilityHoward Browest: 0113 260 6291e: howard.browes@leedscitycollege.ac.ukEnterpriseKaren Johnsont: 0113 216 2403e: karen.johnson@leedscitycollege.ac.ukThe Big MatchBecky Capee: rebecca.cape@leedscitycollege.ac.ukStudents’ UnionPenny Birche: penny.birch@student.leedscitycollege.ac.ukEnterprise Gatewaysinc Creative – 01535 608 471inc Enterprise – 0113 216 2252inc Workshop – 0113 391 2547www.incnorth.co.ukGeneral enquiriese: course.enquiry@leedscitycollege.ac.ukt: 0845 045 7275play your partleedscitycollege.ac.uk