support Archives - Capital City College Group

Six fantastic reasons to choose college over school next year

Posted on January 18, 2023May 15, 2023 by Hannah Fenton

With the academic year halfway through, many Year 11 students are now knuckling down and revising ahead of their GCSE exams this summer.

Many will also be thinking about their future, and it is important for them to realise that staying on at school sixth form is not the only or always the best option.

Capital City College Group (CCCG) Is London’s largest further education college group and comprises City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London and apprenticeship provider Capital City College Training.

Here’s six fantastic reasons why those leaving school this year should choose CCCG’s colleges over school when it comes to taking the next step in their education.

A bigger choice of qualifications and pathways – Whether you want to take the academic or technical route to university or employment we have the right course for you. Choose from A Levels, T Levels, BTEC and City & Guilds diplomas and certificates or apprenticeships with top employers.
A huge range of subjects – We offer A Levels in many subjects along with courses in accounting and business, IT, creative media, art and design, construction, childcare, engineering, hair and beauty, hospitality and culinary arts, performing arts and music, public services, science and sport.
Students are treated like adults – There’s no ‘Yes Sir’ or ‘Yes Miss’ here. Students are often on first name terms with their teachers and given the personal responsibility for getting their work assignments done. Of course, we will still encourage, motivate and support our students to succeed.
Make new friends – A chance to widen your social circle and get to know more people. The more you broaden your horizons, the more opportunities that are presented to you in work and life.
Industry experienced teachers – Many of our lecturers and tutors have worked in the fields they teach and are able to share first-hand knowledge and experience to give students the professional skills and realistic expectations of their future careers.
Fantastic enrichment and support – Students benefit from a more rounded education including trips at home and abroad, talks from industry experts, debates and workshops, competitions, community projects, sports, clubs and societies, careers advice and support with UCAS applications.

Don’t forget our Open Days

Attend one of our Open Days or drop in sessions where you will get to:

Hear from our students and teachers
Find out more about our courses
Find out about student life
Visit our outstanding teaching areas, featuring industry-standard equipment
Get information about the support we offer

Book a place at our Open Days here and apply for our courses and apprenticeships here.

Tech savvy students volunteer at PC Pals community project

Posted on January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 by Hannah Fenton

IT students from City and Islington College (CANDI) have been volunteering at a community project helping people learn and develop their digital skills.

A group of nine students have been sharing their tech knowledge at PC Pals sessions held at St Luke’s Community Centre in Central Street in south Islington.

The project started in 2009 and provides free weekly access to PCs and wi-fi and offers support and advice on using computers, tablets and mobile phones.

Students have been helping people to use Windows, Microsoft applications, social media, email, online shopping, mobile phone apps and other technical support.

Their voluntary work will form part of the work experience they are required to complete on their IT Level 2 Certificate and IT Level 3 Diploma courses.

John Garces, Business Engagement Manager at St Luke’s Community Centre, said: “The involvement and support from City and Islington College’s students has been amazing and so valuable.

“We have seen tangible changes in people who have come to us. After a few classes with the students, they feel more confident and are not afraid of using a computer. It’s learning basic things many of us take for granted that can make a huge difference to someone’s life.”

PC Pals runs every Wednesday from noon to 1pm.

Find out more about Computing and IT courses at CANDI and apply here.

CCCT facilities management apprenticeship among the best in UK awarded by industry body

Posted on November 29, 2022November 29, 2022 by Hannah Fenton

Facilities management apprentices completing training with Capital City College Training (CCCT) are among the highest achievers in the UK recognised by the industry body.

Four of the five Level 3 facilities management apprentices awarded a Distinction by the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management from July 2021 to July 2022 trained with CCCT.

The UK facilities management industry is one of the largest in Europe worth £47 billion and employs around 10 per cent of the population.

Facilities management involves the day-to-day running of operations and support services to maintain and improve an organisation’s infrastructure and productivity.

It includes roles in health and safety, risk, business continuity, procurement, sustainability, space planning, energy, property and asset management.

Facilities management also often oversees activities like catering, cleaning, building maintenance, environmental services, security and reception.

Laura Gripinska, 31, gained a promotion at global real estate and investment firm CBRE after achieving a Distinction on her Facilities Management Level 3 Apprenticeship.

She said: “I already had experience working in facilities and knew it was a field that I enjoy working in and was looking at ways to build my knowledge to progress in my career.

“I felt like I lacked some of the theoretical knowledge and ways to put that into practice. The apprenticeship filled in these gaps and helped me with my development and understand more about the many different areas you can specialise in within facilities management.

“The training I received also made me much more confident in my job and pushed me to challenge myself within my role. It also gave me the opportunity to take on additional tasks and projects to develop my skills.

“By the end of my apprenticeship, I had managed to progress from Facilities Coordinator to an Assistant Facilities Manager for the UK.”

Born in Lithuania, Laura previously worked in hospitality management and moved into facilities management four years ago and has no regrets about her decision.

“I enjoy how versatile you have to be to work within this industry. It is a very fast-paced environment that grows and changes constantly,” she said.

“You get exposed to a lot of different fields from finance, procurement and mechanical and electrical services to sustainability projects, health and safety, and much more. It’s never dull and always challenging. It’s also very rewarding as you can see how your work positively impacts people and your ideas come to life.”

CCCT offers a Facilities Services Level 2 Apprenticeship and Facilities Management Level 3 and Level 4 Apprenticeships with many top employers across London.

Margaret Gotlib, Head of Apprenticeships at CCCT, said: “Laura is one of the many success stories from our facilities management apprenticeship programmes, which we have been running with some of the UK’s leading organisations in the sector for more than 15 years.

“Our strong relationships with employers mean our highly experienced tutors are aware of the skills the industry needs and are training people to the highest possible standard to enable them to progress in their careers.”

Find out more about our Facilities and Estates Management apprenticeships and apply here.

Students question experts on knife crime and lack of funding for youth services

Posted on June 21, 2022January 29, 2023 by Hannah Fenton

Students had the opportunity to voice their concerns about knife crime and youth services to a panel of experts during a debate at City and Islington College (CANDI).

Questions were put to representatives from the Metropolitan Police, The Ben Kinsella Trust, Godwin Lawson Foundation, StreetDoctors and IOTC Solutions on 14 June.

The discussion covered racism and under-representation in the Met, tackling violent crime and prevention, stop and search, exploitation and safeguarding, community projects for young people and the need for investment in youth services.

Inspector Ross Hickman, who heads up the Met’s Youth Engagement Team in Islington, said improvements were being made to stop and search following an independent review.

He said: “Stop and search in London is always criticised that it is not used in the right way and people are racially targeted.

“We continue to work with people about how we use stop and search, to make sure we are using it correctly. It’s a real policing power, we wouldn’t be protecting you if we didn’t use it, but I do accept some of the criticism it has had.

“I don’t believe that the Met is institutionally racist, but I absolutely get the fear in London that we are using it [stop and search] in that context,” he said.

Dr Angela Herbert MBE, who runs coaching and mentoring company IOTC Solutions and is also Chair of the Violent Crime Prevention Board, called for more transparency from the Met.

She said: “This is about developing and creating credibility of the police. Once there is credibility, then we can start building trust. When you are on the receiving side of policing, and it’s not done correctly, it causes problems and has a negative impact.”

Dr Herbert, who is also a governor of Capital City College Group (CCCG), which includes CANDI, warned that many young people caught with knives and end up in custody are often the exploited victims of organised crime.

This was echoed by Frances Breeveld, Communications and Policy Officer at StreetDoctors, a national charity that teaches lifesaving skills to young people to keep themselves and others safe.

She called for more investment in youth services and the need for early intervention to prevent youth crime and protect young people.

“A lot of the problems caused are because there aren’t safe spaces for young people, especially after school. I was talking to a police officer who said 4pm was when they had the most violent incidents,” she said.

“We hear from young people all the time about how important after school clubs and youth clubs are and how important good youth workers are, as role models, trusted people who are able to support and guide.”

Patrick Green, CEO of The Ben Kinsella Trust, a charity which campaigns to prevent knife crime, said successive governments had failed to tackle knife crime.

He said: “If we want to stop youth violence and knife crime and build a better future, we have to start by investing in young people.

“That starts with putting in services and recreational activities for young people, and it starts by also giving young people a pathway into meaningful employment, which is critical for social change and mobility. There’s a lot that needs to be done.”

Yvonne Godwin, CEO and founder of the Godwin Lawson Foundation, which aims to reduce knife crime and encourage young people to fulfil their potential, called for police to show more “cultural awareness and empathy” in the communities they serve.

She spoke about a programme being run at CANDI’s sister college, the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL), to encourage young people to get involved in their community by befriending and being a role model to children in schools.

Sergeant Tony Quinn said the Met had been working with London boroughs on schemes such as Safe Havens, where public places like shops and cafés provide refuge and support for people in danger.

He added that force was also working with young people on crime prevention through role-playing sessions and has also funded a boxing club at Sobell Leisure Centre in Islington.

Insp Hickman said the Mayor of London’s office has promised an additional £25 million to keep streets safer, including tackling violence against women and youth violence.

“There’s always so much more that we can be doing but with Government funding there’s always a struggle as there is often not enough to go around,” he said.

“What is key is that we continue to work together with you to make sure we’re doing the right thing.”

CANDI offers a wide range of enrichment activities throughout each academic year including talks, workshops, careers fairs, and clubs and societies.

Find out more about Student Life here.

Capital City College Group launches new Women’s Network

Posted on May 23, 2022May 24, 2022 by Hannah Fenton

A Women’s Network has been launched by Capital City College Group (CCCG) to promote equality and raise the profile of women across the Group.

The first meeting of the network, chaired by Hilary Moore, Assistant Principal at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, featured a panel of inspiring women:

Sarah Veale CBE – Former Head of the Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC
Apinder Sidhu – Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Education and Training Foundation
Emma Case – Founder of Women Beyond the Box, a platform supporting neurodivergent women
Fathia Abiola-Ajishafe – A-Level student and member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at City and Islington College

The panellists shared how they got to where they are today and discussed their experiences at work and how woman can support each other in the workplace and their advice to other women.

The Women’s Network was set up by CCCG’s Learning and Development Team, which hopes to establish similar groups to inspire colleagues and promote inclusivity.

The event combined an in-person event at Westminster Kingsway College’s Victoria Centre and a live stream on YouTube for those unable to attend.

Watch a recording of the live stream here: CCCG Women’s Network Launch – Panel Discussion

Molly Elliston, Group Learning and Development Business Partner, said: “At CCCG, we’re very proud that our Group Leadership Team is gender-balanced and represents our workforce. We believe is right and important to celebrate our women role models, and recognise we have many inspirational women leaders among our teachers, managers, support staff and students

“We started the Women’s Network in response to feedback from colleagues who told us that they would like more peer-to-peer support across the Group on issues that matter to them. We hope it will give colleagues more opportunities to share their experiences that will lead to an even more inclusive working environment. Our network chairs will also support us in making valuable contributions and important decisions relating to our equality, diversity and inclusion plans.

“We hope that the launch of the Women’s Network will be the first of many more sessions, which will bring us closer together and encourage others to start more networks to do the same.”

Here are some memorable quotes from the chair and the panellists of the first meeting of the Women’s Network.

Hilary Moore

Chair and Assistant Principal at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London

I came from a background where my parents were the first generation going to university. When I was 11, I decided I was going to become a lawyer. When I went to sixth form college, the careers team, which were nowhere near the quality we have across CCCG, said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea, you might get the grades, but you’ve got no contacts and you’re a woman. Why don’t you become a legal secretary?” I went home and told my mum, who said, “Well I’m not having that,” and my father said, “How ridiculous,” in a very broad Yorkshire accent. I carried on and got a law degree and became a lawyer. It’s things like background and support that can make such a difference.

Sarah Veale CBE

Former Head of the Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC

Workplaces are often competitive. Women sometimes get into this mode of thinking I’ve got to be extra good and fit in better than everybody else in order to be in the same place as the men they’re competing with. It’s about building confidence and challenging the parameters you’re working in.

I’ve noticed that if men are in charge of an interviewing process, they tend to use words like assertive and dynamic. It’s all about power, but never valuing softer skills, like someone who can bring people together and who can explore situations and find solutions by working with other people. It’s a question of elevating the sorts of skills that women are often much better than men, which are valuable to the whole entity, and then owning and pushing them up towards the front.

Apinder Sidhu

Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Education and Training Foundation

I was raised in an area of west London that is predominantly Asian where there is a culture about how you’re perceived as a woman. I left and went to university, but a lot of girls didn’t go and got married because that was the expectation. Luckily my father told us, “You need to do what you need to do, and we’ll talk about marriage later on.”

There’s a dichotomy of what it is like to be a woman growing up with the pressures of culture and community and wanting to listen to your inner voice and do what makes you happy. I’ve had that pressure growing up and going into leadership, looking at how other women did things and what resonates with me. Individuality is really important. It’s not always about being inspiring. When you are genuine and authentic people look up to you.

Emma Case

Founder of Women Beyond the Box, a platform supporting neurodivergent women

There is a quote that says, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see’ and I think that is so important. Representation matters, and we often take it for granted. I currently live in Lisbon, Portugal, and I’ve noticed on television there are very few women, and very few black and brown women. I just wonder what that does to young children because we don’t aspire beyond what we’re told we can be. It isn’t just the verbal, it’s the visual impact, and that is the challenge. It is about intervention and being intentional and making sure everybody sees and experiences something that they can relate to.

Fathia Abiola-Ajishafe

A-Level student and member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at City and Islington College

Being a black girl from a less well-off area in London makes me feel like I’m not going to have as many opportunities or experiences as someone who grew up in a richer area. But what I do know is that no matter what or where you come from, you can do it. We may not have as many resources or experiences, but there is always a way to get somewhere. That’s what really keeps me going.