On Tuesday March 14th, you might have seen Bordesley Green campus packed with students and visitors for our pilot community event: ‘Reach Out’. That’s because it was offering something a little special.
What is ‘Reach Out’? As a college that cares for student development across their spectrum, our new ‘Reach Out’ event at Bordesley Green was not just for job opportunities, but life opportunities. ‘Reach Out’ saw the Birmingham community come together for our students with opportunities for physical or mental wellbeing support, academic advice and career or volunteering potential.
This event was a first step towards building life-changing relationships for many students, with over a dozen organisations visiting. Driving simulations were revving up, advice stalls were in deep conversation, and free sweets were flying off the stands. Thank you to our locals:
- Birmingham City Council – Youth Services
- Avon
- West Midlands Police
- National Express
- Citizens Advice Birmingham
- Kidney Research UK
- Fareshare Midlands
- Aquarius
- Barnardo’s
- National Careers Service
- Forward For Life
- NHS – Jabs Saves Lives
- Pitch 2 Progress
- Birmingham City Council – Youth Services (Umbrella)
- Neighbourhood Advice & Information Service
- Better Pathways
- Birmingham City Council – Public Health
- SCCB Careers Team
- SCCB Apprenticeships team
Wanting to build community connection for their students, Bordesley Green staff got in touch with Councillor Mariam Khan, Cabinet Minister for Health & Social Care. Councillor Khan helped contact some of the organisations, and also came to see the job fair unfold on the day.
“It’s brilliant to see so much interest from students,” said Councillor Khan. “We’re only an hour in and there’s so many young people talking with the stands. I’m grateful that South & City College Birmingham took the initiative to do something like this for the students and ultimately for members of this community.”
We would also like to thank Thomas Harwood, Head of Office for Public Health, for using his connections at the Public Health Division (Birmingham City Council). Reach Out would not have been nearly as successful without the help of Thomas and his team!
Asad Afzal, Student Retention Officer, said of ‘Reach Out’: “We recognise there’s a diversity of needs across our learner profile. We’re trying to bridge the gap between local community organisations and our learners. We want the journey for all of our learners to be an amazing one whilst they study with us at South & City College Birmingham.”
Missed out on the event? Don’t worry, ‘Reach Out’ is likely to become an annual event – and there are plenty of other opportunities to work with South & City College Birmingham. Get in touch with our Bordesley Green staff – we are committed to our students and our community.