Mayor of Haringey shines light on adult education

As part of CCC’s Colleges Week events, students and colleagues at our Tottenham campus were excited to welcome Cllr Ahmed Mahbub, Mayor of Haringey.

His visit was a chance to see the college in action and learn more about the skills and opportunities CCC offers the local community.

The Mayor was treated to a tour of the campus, including a peek at lessons in robotics, as well as demonstrations of the college’s hair and beauty, and construction and engineering courses.

To welcome the mayor, students put on musical performances and organised DJ sets, which made for a fun and lively atmosphere. The mayor then met with a panel of students for talks about the college’s ESOL courses and how they have helped young students and adults returning to education.

Cllr Councillor Ahmed Mahbub, Mayor of Haringey, said: “I think it’s fantastic that we have this institution here in Haringey, at Tottenham, at the largest FE provider in the capital. One of the things that I find so striking is that education never ends. You know, you have mature students who are coming to it and wanting to continue, and people who’ve done degrees and they want to continue learning. And I think that’s one of the essences that we kind of sometimes forget, is that learning never ends.

“It’s so great to have an institution here where you have the opportunity to come back and not feel like you’re in a dead-end job or career. You can always come back, re-evaluate yourself, and do something that you know you enjoy, or really improve on some of the skills that you have. So it’s a fantastic thing to have in the borough and I’m really proud that we have you guys here.”

O’Dari Smith, Student Union president of CCC’s Tottenham campus, said: “Today has been very inspirational to hear from someone who has so much power in our community. believe it’s important that we have these talks, and these conversations with our leaders, where they speak to us person to person, and speak to the public. It’s really inspired me to try and pursue a career into politics as I want to represent people that don’t really get a voice, like marginalized groups.”

Adam Beral, Assistant Principal of CCC’s Tottenham campus, said: “It was a real pleasure to welcome the mayor of Haringey to our Tottenham campus, and it was a wonderful opportunity to showcase all of the skills that we have on offer here, but more importantly, for the mayor to hear from some of our very own students about their experience.

“We had apprentices, we had SEN learners, ESOL students, as well as some former students who have gone on to do amazing things in the local community. And it just goes to show the important work that colleges do within the education sector in this country.”

As the day came to an end, students joined together to break their fast and celebrate iftar during Ramadan, with food provided by Aunties, a street food restaurant run by CCC alumni. Events like this reflect CCC’s community spirit and show that our college is a home where everyone can belong.

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