Suffolk New College is backing a national campaign called Colleges Week.
Set up by the Association of Colleges (AoC) in 2018, this year, activities will be taking place across the country between 3 and 7 March 2025.
The theme is ‘Building Brighter Futures’ and is looking to highlight five key government initiatives throughout the week.
(The five priorities are to kickstart the economy, become a green superpower, take back our streets, break down barriers to opportunity and create an NHS fit for the future).
As part of that, Suffolk New College – which has campuses in Ipswich, Halesworth, Leiston and Otley – has launched a strategy based on these priorities.
As part of that major announcement, the college brought staff, students, stakeholders and governors together to discuss their grand plans for the future.
Terry Baxter is the Chair of Governors for the college. On the five-year plan for the future, Terry said: “We have been engaging with third parties to create a vison for the college that will have the best impact for students and the wider community. The feedback we have had in terms of our five-year strategy has been excellent and everyone seems extremely positive about the direction we are going.”
Expanding on the plan he continued: “We are going to be brave, ambitious and innovative. We are playing a major part in helping people of all ages and backgrounds who will go on and shape the future of the town and my message to everyone during is to work with us, trust us and together we can solve skills dilemma for businesses in Ipswich, this region and ultimately, the country as a whole.”
Nigel Duncan is the deputy further education commissioner who attended the Suffolk New College strategy day as a speaker. He said: “This was my second visit since the Principal and CEO (Alan Pease) took over and I think the college is positioning itself extremely well. It’s an anchor organisation for Ipswich and the wider area of Suffolk.”
“What I really admire is the amount of effort and commitment that senior leaders and governors at Suffolk New College are putting in to getting it (education) right for their learners, staff, employers and students, ensuring everything they do is of the highest possible quality, not just for now, but for the future.”
Scott Russell is a ‘serial entrepreneur’ who also attended the strategy event. Scott said: “I think the college is brilliant. The thing I found out about the college that I didn’t previously know is that they need to shout more about their successes.”
Alan Pease (Principal) added: “We can’t wait for people to see our strategy and we are delighted to be announcing it during colleges week. It is very much aligned to the five government priorities and it will help us continue to ensure that everything we do is outstanding.”
Strategy plans aside, activities that are set to take place during colleges week at Suffolk New College include a forum with business students and a local marketing agency (Jacob Bailey) where they will discuss the future of Ipswich, a charity music concert and a collaboration between art and motor vehicle learners.
Reflecting on the importance of Suffolk New College and colleges week, two students discussed their experiences.
Harnesh Rajasingham is on a level 3 Professional Cookery at Suffolk New College. Harnesh said: “College is a great way to learn higher culinary skills, especially when you’re coming into professional cookery. I have to further evolve my knowledge and skills to take it on to a higher level. It’s a really nice place. You have really nice people that you can talk to, people in the kitchens that are really helpful, really mixed skills and different culinary techniques.”
Hannah Preyser-Thorpe, 23, from Ipswich is on an ‘introduction to college’ land-based pathway at Suffolk Rural. Hannah said: “I enjoy the college because everyone is supportive and they make me feel happy and welcome. I want to run a farm and a garden centre in the future, and I think by coming here I can fulfil that dream.”
Katie Whitehouse, 17, from Ipswich is on a level three equine management course at Suffolk Rural. Katie said: “I love my college because it is an incredible environment, I have been taught so much stuff and being around the animals is a really nice experience.”
