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.

Inspiring and empowering the next generation

Those have included careers talks featuring presentations from local industry experts including our Principal, Danny Wild, who has a background in elite sports coaching.

He said: “It has been a pleasure to support Harrogate Town AFC’s Player Pathway Programme, and we are really excited to renew the partnership.

“The club, like our college, is focused on inspiring and empowering the district’s young people and opening up opportunities for them to shine and fulfil their potential.

“We look forward to working closely together over the next two years, and to holding further careers sessions to showcase the range of options that are available to the club’s young players.”

Creating lifelong opportunities

Harrogate Town AFC Director of Youth Football, Josh Falkingham, said: “This partnership with Harrogate College continues to be an important part of our youth setup.

“It gives our players a chance to explore the wider opportunities that come from being involved in football, from education to future careers. The alignment in values between the club and college means we’re not only developing footballers, but well-rounded young people who are ready to succeed in the path they choose.”

The club’s Commercial Director, Jo Towler, added: “We’re thrilled to continue building on our relationship with the college.

“Their investment and enthusiasm have had a real impact on our youth pathway and community engagement. It’s partnerships like this that make a tangible difference, combining education and sport to create lifelong opportunities for local young people.”

Our partnership work with local businesses is set to be taken to the next level through the formation of Harrogate College Employer Board.

The new body was proposed at the latest meeting of the college’s Employers’ Network as a way to build on the work we are doing to ensure employers can influence key areas like our curriculum and skills training programmes.

The theme of the meeting, chaired by Principal Danny Wild, was Strengthening Business Relationships: Driving an Employer-Led Curriculum.

The discussions focused on three key areas: 

• Co-designing the 2024-25 curriculum, through working closely with local employers
• Evolving business relationship by creating deeper partnerships
• Introducing Harrogate College Employer Board

An exciting new chapter

Danny said: “We are excited to share details of this new chapter of collaboration with local businesses and are looking forward to working together to create an influential, employer-led education experience for students and industry alike.

“Throughout the meeting, employers provided valuable feedback on strengthening ties between the college and the business community, and expressed strong support for establishing the new board – seeing it as an opportunity to have a more significant influence on the college’s offerings and priorities.

“We will be drawing up and sharing a new action plan, based on these discussions, and inviting employers’ network members to offer further feedback to shape the next steps of this promising partnership.”

We are thrilled to announce that we have become the official sponsor of Harrogate Town AFC’s Player Development Centre.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment from the college and the club to help young people – in this case the district’s aspiring footballers – grow and succeed.

The Player Development Centre offers a platform for junior players to refine their skills, nurture their passion, and achieve their full potential.

Happy to team up with a brilliant club

Principal Danny Wild has visited the club to see the players receiving their new, Harrogate College branded, kit. He said: “Harrogate Town AFC, just like our college, is committed to giving great opportunities to the district’s young people to help them flourish and grow.

“Collaborating with brilliant local organisations is in our DNA, and we know that sport brings all kinds of benefits – physical, mental and social – to those involved. So we are proud to be supporting the club, our local community and its aspiring young footballers in this way.”

Valuable support will make a difference

Harrogate Town AFC Commercial Director, Jo Towler, added: “We are delighted that Harrogate College has become the official sponsor of our Player Development Centre.

“The partnership reflects our shared dedication to supporting young people and fostering their development both on and off the field. We are excited to work closely with the college to create a positive impact on the local community.”

A guaranteed interview is awaiting anyone who signs up to a new three-day electrical course at Harrogate College.

The college is teaming up with local power supply firm APS to host the 18th Edition – Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671:2018 course in March.

The [re]boot course, which is free to applicants who meet certain eligibility criteria, will focus on how to interpret and comply with the 18^th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations.

Everyone who completes the short programme will be offered an interview with APS.

A great chance to get a foothold in a booming sector

Deputy Head of Department at Harrogate College, Les Potter, said: “This course is a great chance for anyone with experience of working in the electrical field to keep their skills up to date.

“It’s also a brilliant opportunity, for everyone who completes the course, to secure a guaranteed interview with APS.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the company on this and look forward to welcoming the participants.”

The course runs from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 March, with the end-of-studies exam taking place at 1pm on the final day.

It is suitable for anyone with electrical installation experience, and can be accessed for free* if the candidates are:

• aged 18 or older
• live in Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield of York
• employed or have been recently made unemployed due to the pandemic
• not currently enrolled in education or training

For more details or to book a place send an email to @alison.kwan@my.leedscitycollege.ac.uk.

*The 18th Edition – Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671:2018 course costs £500 for other applicants.
This project supports Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) all-age careers and inspiration campaign, #futuregoals, by providing relevant content and practical courses to address the skills shortages in our region. [re]boot is part-funded by the European Social Fund.

Students from Harrogate College are using their culinary and creative skills to come up with a new, sustainable menu for RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

Hospitality students have been asked to devise a hypothetical fresh bill of fare and concept for a new café that is being created by converting the former Harrogate Arms pub.

Harlow Carr, which owns the Grade II Listed property, grows plenty of fresh produce which will feature prominently in the new establishment’s dishes. 

The Harrogate College group, who are being led by seven Level 2 Professional Cookery students, recently visited the site to be briefed on their task. They also enjoyed a tour of the grounds, plus a chance to try their hand at potting.

An exciting collaboration that reflects our values

The initiative represents the start of a closer partnership between the college and Harlow Carr, who worked collaboratively to find the right project.

Harrogate College’s Cultural, Contemporary and Heritage Studies Programme Manager, Jason Parry, said: “This is an exciting project that has a focus on sustainability and working with the produce grown on the site.

“It ticks so many boxes for us in terms of the college’s values and aspirations – sustainability, ‘food to fork’, carbon reduction and seasonality – along with menu and service design, work experience and responding to a client brief.”

Fresh produce at RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Pitching for success

He added: “The project will be followed up throughout the year with Harlow Carr, who will do a progress check with the students in January.

“Ultimately it will end up with the students giving a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch to Harlow Carr staff, with small groups presenting their ideas around the menu, and the service, and showing how they have worked to meet the client’s brief.”

Harrogate College, as part of its wider drive to become a centre of green excellence, recently launched a Sustainability Pledge which sets out its commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030.

For more details on hospitality courses at the college click here