Erasmus+ project
CHANGE YOURSELF
NOT NATURE
The Corporation of NCG
NE4 7SA
Rye Hill House, Scotswood Road
Newcastle Upon Tyne
United Kingdom
LS College is a large FE provider with three main sites delivering a wide range of vocational qualifications, Foundation Degrees, soft skills training, professional development and employability skills to employed, unemployed and Apprentice learners. The college has in the region of 8,000 per year students. We offer over 100 qualifications including areas such as Business, Beauty, Retail, Hospitality, Performing and Creative Arts, Travel and Tourism, Construction, Early Years Health and Care. Our mission is to create successful futures for our students, equipping them with vocational and soft skills to improve their employment options and providing a range of wrap around support to help them overcome issues which might hinder their learning and progression including counselling, advice on substance misuse, employability skills, financial advice and help to access health and housing services. We specialise in vocational training and preparation for work. We have large cohorts of young students aged 16-19 and also adults, many of whom are returning to the workforce after a period of unemployment. Many of our students have a history of disengaging from education and also need support with literacy, numeracy, life skills and confidence. Many of our young students also come from workless households and lack professional role models. Alongside their vocational skills, we aim to improve their peripheral skills such as confidence and the ability to interact, personally and professionally, outside their comfort zone. Projects are a wonderful way of broadening students’ horizons and developing their soft skills including teamwork, confidence and interpersonal skills which serve them well for study and future employment. We have successfully completed numerous projects under previous Lifelong Learning Programmes including Comenius and Leonardo da Vinci, ranging from bilateral to 6-partner project. We aim to create and nurture long term partnerships with other schools, colleges and training organisations for the mutual benefit of our students and theirs. We have worked with three partners for ten years or more and work with new partners each year. Student feedback from previous projects is very positive, and all students who have taken part in projects in the last two years have successfully completed and passed their course.Shazi Giner, the college's international manager, has managed EU projects at the college since 2005. She has the main responsibility for forming partnerships, submitting applications and managing projects over their lifecycle. If she left her post in the future, her successor would take over this role, overseen by her manager Janet Lunam. In the last two years, approximately 15 other colleagues across the college are directly involved with Erasmus+ projects in their areas. Several more have some involvement for example with visiting Erasmus groups or doing elements of project work with their classes