No one knows better than you what you need to keep your business thriving – from the skills you are looking for in employees, to the challenges you face, you are the expert when it comes to your business.
That’s why we want you to tell us the skills and behaviours you value, and want in your employees. And we want to give our students the best chance of succeeding in the world of work when they leave us – we want them to stand out from the crowd and make a positive contribution to their place of work from day one.
Working with businesses helps us meet the objectives of Skills England and the York North Yorkshire Combined Authority’s skills and economic strategy, as well as supporting the government’s Skills Bill.
“Harrogate College is a vital resource for the local educational and business community, and we appreciate their support for our club and the wider Harrogate District. Whether responding to requests for volunteers or helping us engage with young adults, their contribution has been invaluable. Our collaboration on careers sessions adds an important educational element to helping us inspire and develop young people in their future career choices and pathways.”
Jo Towler, Commercial Director, Harrogate Town AFC.
Ways in which you can work with us
There are a number of ways you can work with us – join our free Employer Network and you can be as active as you want. We’ve listed some of the ways the businesses we work with get involved below, but we’re always happy to hear suggestions from our Network members as to how they can positively contribute to the lives, and futures, of our students.
Who we work with
We welcome businesses of all kinds – from large multinational corporations to small companies – because we want to give our students exposure to as many different organisations as possible. The more local to us that you are, the easier you may find it to offer work placements to our students; however, please don’t let geography preclude you joining our network of employers.
What you will gain by working with us
This really depends on you, and how involved you would like to be in college life. A key benefit is increased exposure – to the future workforce, to local businesses and to the general public. Below are just a few of the ways working with us could have a positive impact on you and your organisation:
- Gives the opportunity to influence our courses so you know you will be seeing the knowledge, skills and behaviour your business needs, represented in the future workforce
- Access to a ready talent pool of individuals, with the knowledge, skills and behaviours you need
- Provides a captive audience of potential employees and volunteers – in our students, staff and parents
- Enjoy free networking opportunities – joining our Employer Network connects you to over 150 local, regional and national businesses
- Increases your profile among the local community
- The opportunity to meet your Corporate Social Responsibility objectives
- The chance to support the work of the college and the future of our young people
You will receive regular communication via our Employer Newsletter, updating you on how your work, and the work of the other organisations in the Employer Network, is helping to shape the lives of our students.
Our Employer Network in action
Transdev
Industry visit and soft skills development
This hands-on experience at Transdev HQ allowed our younger students to deepen their understanding of how businesses identify and select the best talent, bridging the gap between theory and real-world practice.
Recently, Dale French (Training Manager) and Claire Swann (Head of People) from Transdev visited our Year 1 Foundation Diploma in Business group. They delivered an insightful session on interviewing skills as part of the students’ Recruitment and Selection unit, providing practical advice and real-world perspectives.
This follows last year’s visit by our Level 3 Business learners to meet the Training Manager, where they conducted research on Recruitment and Selection processes. We’re delighted to continue this valuable engagement with Transdev, which offers our students firsthand experience and knowledge, preparing them for future success.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and Make Care Matter (North Yorkshire Council)
Helped to design the Progression into Care Skills Bootcamp Course
Our Skills Bootcamps are six week courses that provide practical, applicable workplace skills. With no formal entry requirements, these bootcamps are an excellent way of helping aspiring workers in the local community to develop knowledge, skills and confidence. Harrogate Teaching Hospitals NHS and Make Care Matter collaborated with Harrogate College to design a Progression into Care Skills Bootcamp, and saw two students gain employment following the interviews held at the end of the course.
“The Progression into Care course is a great stepping stone for individuals looking to start a career in the care sector without formal qualifications. It plays an important role in filling local skills gaps by helping unqualified job seekers explore the adult social care sector before committing to a full qualification. We are delighted to collaborate with the college to develop and promote this course.”
Kayleigh Stewart, Resourcing Officer from Make Care Matter (North Yorkshire Council)