Harrogate College business newsletter – March 2026
3 March, 2026 10:29 am
Harrogate College prides itself on working hand in hand with local businesses and organisations to provide the skills and training they need to ensure that our economy grows and thrives. Our newsletter is a handy way of keeping our partners informed of developments at the college.
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  Dear partners, We have so much to look forward to over the next 12 months – not least our move into our brand new college buildings, later in the year. This £22m project represents an exciting new chapter for us, and for North Yorkshire, and will enable us to forge even closer bonds with our partners while delivering the very best training to ensure our local workforce has the skills to help the local economy thrive. You can find out more about the development, and how your business or organisation could benefit from becoming a sponsor, in this newsletter. Our students, meanwhile, have been gaining invaluable experience and insights into some of our key local sectors over the past few months, and gaining insights into everything from marketing and construction to hospitality and art exhibitions, through exciting collaborations with so many of yourselves. You can find out about those, and more, in this edition. I hope you enjoy the read. Danny Wild Principal Harrogate College __________________  Construction Caddick Construction talk inspires students Caddick Construction has been sharing details of its work on our new college building with joinery, bricklaying and electrical students. Representatives from the business also offered valuable and inspiring career advice, along with insights into working within the construction industry, during an engaging talk. The students heard about real-life experiences on major construction projects, and the different potential career pathways that are available in the sector. The event gave our learners a clearer understanding of how their skills apply in the workplace while allowing them to form an important link with a major employer and a sense of connection to the new college building. __________________ .  Sponsorship opportunity A chance to support our brand new campus We are on course to open our £22m new college building in early 2027 – and can’t wait to show everyone the results. As you may know, the completed development – which has been designed to offer the best possible training in North Yorkshire’s key growth sectors – will include a state-of-the-art main campus building and an adjoining renewable energy technology centre. Its facilities have been chosen to provide industry-standard experience for our students – and will include a replica hospital ward, digital technology suites, an electric vehicle workshop, and an advanced construction centre. We are inviting local employers to put their names to our new college by sponsoring it. Three different packages are available, and we are also open to discussing more flexible options to suit your business, whatever the size. The benefits include having your company’s name and colours featured in rooms, walls or furniture, plus a host of PR and social media opportunities – including having your logo included in our prospectus and on our website. To find out more e-mail our Performance & Projects Coordinator at: Lynn-Yang.Liu@harrogate.ac.uk. __________________  Hospitality – community Getting hands-on with local produce As any chef will tell you, using local and seasonal produce is key to producing the very best dishes. So our Year 2 Hospitality students picked up plenty of useful ideas when they joined local charity Time Together recently for their Allotment Feast. The students explored the charity’s allotment and learned about seasonal ingredients before taking on the challenge of designing and preparing a full menu for the event. The results included everything from chutneys and soups to bread and apple crumble, and earned high praise from the Time Together team. These kinds of experiences are so valuable, giving our learners the chance to put their classroom skills into practice in a real-world setting – and all while supporting a great organisation. __________________   Creative – Multimedia Creating artwork for CAMHS Artwork produced by our Multimedia students is now adorning the walls of Harrogate’s new child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) facility. Twenty students spent months developing the pieces that are now on display at Hummingbird House, on Victoria Avenue. The project, run in collaboration with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, involved creating artwork that promotes mental wellbeing. The results – featuring a variety of striking and soothing images, plus motivational messages – really impressed CAMHS, who praised the students’ creativity, commitment and professionalism. They also invited several of our learners along to a welcoming tour of the new space at Hummingbird House, to see their creations in situ. Such collaborations really help our students to prepare for the workplace while motivating them by showing what can be achieved. __________________   A shout-out to our alumni So many of our students go on to do great and interesting things, in so many different sectors, and we’re proud of their successes. Hearing their stories – some of which are featured on our website’s alumni page, here – helps inspire future generations and shows them the incredible career opportunities that lie ahead. And when they come back to college to interact with our current group of learners, as Freddie Cleary did recently, it is extra sepcial. Freddie, who studied performing arts with us from 2018 to 2020, is now a professional singer-songwriter, who also does some acting work as an extra – recently appearing in hit BBC drama Riot Women. We were thrilled to welcome him back to college for our last Freshers Fair, when he came in and sang for us. If you’re a former student, whether you graduated last year or many years ago, we’d love to hear from you! Joining our alumni network is a great way to reconnect, share your journey, and inspire current students. To get involved and share your story, simply scan the QR code above. We can’t wait to hear from you! __________________ Courses for businesses We run a number of courses, at different points throughout the year, that could benefit your business. These include an Introduction to Social Media for Business, a Social Media Analytics programme, and AAT Accounting courses at various levels. Please e-mail admissions@harrogate-college.ac.uk for more details. __________________  Business and Creative Media A masterclass on marketing Our students gained some expert insight into how to build a standout marketing campaign thanks to a visit by Charlotte Nixon, from Techbuyer, in November. Charlotte, who is the firm’s Marketing Campaign and Content Manager, used real Techbuyer projects to demonstrate how creative ideas grow and evolve into effective campaigns. She also opened up about her own career journey in what was an honest, motivating reminder that there’s no single pathway into the marketing or tech industries. Her story has really inspired our Creative Media and Business students to be brave and believe in their potential, and we are indebted to her for bringing her industry expertise into the classroom. __________________   Campus Visits by high-profile supporters We were pleased to welcome two high-profile politicians who have been very supportive of our bid to create a £22 million new college to replace our existing buildings. MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough Tom Gordon, and York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith, have both dropped in – on separate occasions – to see how the building work is progressing. Mr Skaith and Mr Gordon were both vocal supporters of the project whose backing helped us get things back on track and receive final planning approval after the plan had been delayed and put in jeopardy. Recognising the importance of the new-build in terms of delivering skills training for local employers, they each made the case for the new college and for the Department for Education – which is putting £20 million towards it – to extend the available funding period. __________________  Motor Vehicle Magazine showcases our students’ skills Our Motor Vehicle students have had their skills showcased in the pages of a major classic cars publication. Retro Ford Magazine produced a feature based around our learners work to rust-proof a Ford Fiesta. The opportunity came about as part of an ongoing collaboration with Car Magazine photographer Rob Hawkins, and follows on from previous coverage involving our students in Motor Mechanics magazine. These collaborations are giving our learners valuable real-world experience while demonstrating their capabilities, and are a testament to the great work taking place in the Motor Vehicle department. __________________   Creative Media Using film skills to support a great organisation Creative Media students have been putting their film-making skills to good use for Claro Enterprises. Our learners are working with the Harrogate-based adult mental health charity to produce two short films, one to promote the organisation’s vital services and the other a practical travel guide. The students presented their final project ideas in December and then followed this up in January with a site visit, where they gained a deeper insight into Claro’s work. They were particularly impressed by the wood workshop and the charity’s hands-on approach, along with the meaningful opportunities Claro provides, through work therapy, to support people with mental health challenges. __________________  Commuinity – sport Teaming up for success We are excited to have renewed our partnership with Harrogate Town AFC.Our continued support for the club’s Player Pathway Programme will see us extending the work we are doing to help young footballers explore their options both on, and off, the pitch.Since beginning our sponsorship of the programme and its Emerging Talent Centre in 2023, this collaboration has resulted in a number of initiatives designed to shine a light on educational and work opportunities. Those have included careers talks featuring presentations from local industry experts including our Principal, Danny Wild, who has a background in elite sports coaching. __________________  Uniformed Public Services (UPS) Insights into careers in the Royal Navy A small team from the Royal Navy have been talking to our UPS group about career opportunities – and demonstrating teamwork activities. The team delivered a lively presentation and question and answer session and talked about the wide range of roles – and possibilities fo travel – that exist within the force. Our students also got to put their skills to the test by taking on practical challenges, involving using kits to build various structures, that tested their leadership qualities and team ethos. We are grateful to Janine, Steve and Joe for bringing this experience to our students and their continued support of the college. __________________  Partnerships Harrogate College Employer Board – an invitation As one of our valued local business partners we would like to invite you to join our Employer Board. Members will be able to help shape the future workforce, by advising directly on the skills they need and assisting us to ensure our courses reflect industry requirements and emerging trends. They can also work with us to strengthen industry links, including through placements, projects and live briefs, and champion the college and its work with key stakeholders. If you are ready to help shape the next generation of talent and contribute to developing a skilled, confident and employable local workforce, please do get in touch. To find out more, contact: lynn-yang.liu@harrogate.ac.uk. __________________  Creative Practice Soaking up art gallery experience Our Creative Practice students made the most of a fantastic opportunity to promote and showcase their artwork at the Mercer Gallery. The Level 3 learners were invited to organise a pop-up shop at the gallery in the run-up to Christmas to showcase their artwork. The event allowed them to collaborate closely with the gallery in a professional arts environment, while also gaining public exposure. It followed on from a previous collaboration with Mercer Gallery in October, when the students got the chance to display some of their work as part of an exhibition. We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of our newsletter – we’ll be back with more next time! |