HNC has revealed that staff and students recently welcomed the Further Education Commissioner Shelagh Legrave to the College as part of a special visit which enabled the Commissioner to hear more about how HNC is working closely with Kirklees College to ensure that young people can access a curriculum offer and experience that enables them to achieve their ambitions – whatever these may be.
The visit was also a chance for the Commissioner to gain an insight into the life-changing experience enjoyed by young people at HNC, following a similar visit to Kirklees College earlier in the day. The Further Education (FE) Commissioner works with FE colleges to help improve the quality and sustainability of their provision. The visit offered Shelagh an opportunity to learn about how the collaboration between HNC and Kirklees College is ensuring young people from the district and surrounding areas can access varied, specialised post-16 provision suited to their career aspirations. HNC specialises in Level 3 academic A Level and Applied qualifications, while Kirklees College specialises in Vocational and Technical qualifications at Levels 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The two Colleges work closely together to ensure that both offer a distinct curriculum and experience, and that young people are clear on what each College has to offer so that they can make informed decisions.
Accompanied by Kirklees College Principal and CEO Palvinder Singh, Shelagh toured HNC, saw some lessons in action and heard more about how the collaboration was enabling young people to not only enjoy a huge range of choice and opportunity at post-16, but also providing them with access to a life changing experience that will enable them to achieve their aspirations, whatever these may be.
Marcus Smith-Connor, Principal, comments: “Together HNC and Kirklees College educate over 6,000 16–18-year-olds each year. As colleges, we are unique and have our own distinct ethos and approach. However, we share a common belief about how education genuinely transforms lives and creates opportunities. We were delighted to welcome Shelagh to talk about how our collaborative approach is creating choice rather than competition by ensuring that every young person can access a high-quality experience that enables them to gain the qualifications and confidence they need to achieve their personal vision.”
Reflecting on her visit in a tweet on the platform X, Shelagh Legrave commented “Very impressive visit to HNC – enjoyed being shown around by Marcus Smith-Connor accompanied by Palvinder Singh. This is a great partnership between the two colleges for the benefit of the Kirklees district and students.”