Students commended for success on employment course

Central Bedfordshire College hosted a summer Entry to Employment (E2E) Programme with the hope of helping students to progress personally and academically.

The main aim of the programme is to help students who are unsure of what they want to do with themselves, to make an educated decision on their futures.

More than 400 learners joined the programme at the beginning of the summer and took part in courses ranging from construction to hair and beauty.

Students on these courses got a real feel for what it would be like to work or continue studying in these areas, with some students opting to do more than one course so they could make an informed decision about what to do next.

The E2E programme also provides learners with accredited qualifications and certificates in certain disciplines. Helping students who did not achieve in school to have something to show for themselves academically and a foundation from which they can progress.

The programme celebrated the students’ success with two awards ceremonies, the first being held at the Lifelong Learning Centre in Luton last Wednesday (September 1), and the second at the Central Bedfordshire College’s Houghton Regis campus.

The students studying in Luton were taught skills from sewing to clothes making, with many wearing the garments they had made to the ceremony. Five students in particular, Uzma Aftab, Faiza Akhtar, Sumbal Hafeez, Nadia Malik and Aanchel Rathore were commended for their commitment and received medals for their efforts.

The main awards took place on last Thursday (September 2) as the E2E programme was coming to an end.

The ceremony was hosted by College Vice Principal Robert Shore and the E2E Co-Coordinator Mev Ahmed with course tutors on hand to show their support and recognition of the students’ achievements.

All students that completed the course received certificates to commend their success and hard work over the summer, with outstanding students receiving special accolades.

Students Luke Hall, 16, and Thomas Holliman, 16, said: “The e2e course has helped a lot over the summer and given us the confidence to do a full time course in Football Development.

"It has also been a good way of meeting people that will be joining the College full time, and has kept us fit over the summer."

While on the course Luke and Thomas achieved a certificate in first aid, got to find out more about the course they were interested in and what it had to offer. Both students went on to enrol full time on the BTEC Football Development Programme.