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Waltham Forest College recently hosted a Student Council Conference on Financial Literacy, a crucial initiative aimed at equipping students with essential money management skills for a successful future. The event featured TED speaker Igor Curic, Q&A with Deputy Principal of Finance & Resources, interactive workshops, and invaluable resources to empower attendees in their financial journey.
Project now underway, giving up to 4 million learners access to specialist training.
Work has now begun at Waltham Forest College to deliver improved green and digital skills training, after it was part of a consortium of London colleges that successfully bid for £6.5 million of Government funding.
The investment will see 23 further education providers in north east and south east London benefit from new state-of-the-art facilities, along with development of new courses and qualifications, new approaches for collaborative teaching, and digital and green skills training for staff.
Waltham Forest College will benefit from a new retrofit training centre, while Waltham Forest Adult Education Centre will launch a virtual reality retrofit suite. These hubs will be home to 'house in a box' training facilities, equipped with all the technologies you'd find in an energy efficient home, including heat pumps and solar panels, so that learners can practise installation, commissioning and maintenance in a 'live' environment.
The project is being delivered to more effectively respond to the needs of employers in the Local London region, made up of nine London boroughs, and put local learners in the best possible position to secure jobs in the green and digital sectors.
The Local London Skills Network, led by London South East Colleges, successfully bid for the £6.5m as part of the Government's Local Skills Improvement Fund. The partnership is made up of 23 collaborative delivery partners, with eight FE colleges, two Sixth Form colleges, three higher education providers, and a number of London Borough adult education and independent training providers.
Of the total fund, £3.6m has been carved out for delivering new green skills training facilities.
Approximately £1.5m of new investment has also been made in installing a new digital network which will connect up to 30 training sites across the London boroughs, including Waltham Forest College. This will enable specialist teaching on one site to be broadcast across the whole network, meaning students can access learning from a location that is convenient for them.
This digital infrastructure, which will be operational by September 2024, will make the London college group one of the biggest collaborative networks of further education providers in the country, and significantly broadens access to learning.
As an example, London's first fully-funded windfarm operations training centre, located at Capital City College's Enfield site, will now be accessible to over 4 million learners in the Local London catchment area ' including students in our local area.
Examples of training facilities the partnership is delivering include:
- Retrofit training centres at London South East Colleges' Holly Hill construction skills campus, Waltham Forest College, Newham College, and New City College
- A green construction training centre at Barking and Dagenham College
- A horticulture and land-based training centre at Capel Manor College
- A windfarm operations training centre at Capital City College
- Green and digital skills hubs at Redbridge Adult Education and Greenwich Adult Education Centres
- A virtual reality retrofit suite at Waltham Forest Adult Education Centre
Hassan Rizvi, Deputy Principal, Curriculum and Quality of Waltham Forest College, comments:
'We are proud to be working collaboratively with other colleges to meet employer needs for Green Skills across London. We continue to develop exciting new courses which will be taught in state-of-the-art facilities, enabling our learners to secure jobs in the green and digital sectors.'
London's green economy is currently valued at £48 billion and is rapidly growing, making up approximately 5% of the workforce, while around one in five jobs in London are in the digital sector.*
Recent research from Local London revealed that, among employers in the sub-region, 27% report skills gaps in their existing workforce and 70% of those with hard-to-fill vacancies attribute that to skills shortages more widely.
Are you looking to make a change in your career? Do you aspire to inspire the next generation of workers, and want to have that opportunity at one of the top colleges in London? If so, then Waltham Forest College's Recruitment Event is the place to be.
Whatever your career goals, dare to ' Think BIG' with Waltham Forest College. With an Open Event taking place on Saturday 27th January, 10am ' 2pm for both Adult Learners (19+) and School Leavers (16-18), you can choose the right course for you no matter what stage of life and learning you may be.
East London, November 29, 2023, Future Film Focus: Digital Skills 2023, an event designed to empower young talents seeking careers in creative media industries, successfully concluded at Waltham Forest College.
The Mayor of London's Adult Learning Awards celebrates the transformative impact of adult learning in the capital, recognising the inspirational achievements of Londoners, learning providers, employers, and community organisations.
Waltham Forest College marked its 85th anniversary with a launch of Creating Futures: Arts, Heritage, and Community exhibition, showcasing the rich and exciting heritage and the key role it played as an anchor institution from 1938 to the present time.
The exhibition brought back to life historical archive material, showcasing material from contemporary artists, including artwork, memorabilia, photography and film. The exhibition also shares the memories and stories of those who have worked, studied or visited the college during the past 85 years.
Other materials such as prospectuses, uniforms, report cards, newsletters and filming of the official College opening are part of the exhibition. Former alumni are showcased including Patricia Heath, who was appointed the first ever Head Girl in 1939 and Sam Everton who immigrated to the UK and after studying at the College joined the Royal Air Force (RAF). Featured artists JC Candanedo, Thais Verhasselt, Laura Chevalier and the Prince's Trust ' Team 16 also formed part of the exhibition.
Key stakeholders and industry figures were invited to the launch event to commemorate the College's long-standing history of raising aspirations and supporting education and skills for over 85 years. Attendees included: Cllr Grace Williams (Leader of Waltham Forest Council), Mary Vine-Morris MBE for Association of Colleges and representatives from the Greater London Authority (GLA).
Paul Butler, Chair of the Corporation, commented; 'Waltham Forest College has a long, proud and distinctive history stretching back to 1938 since its formation as the South-West Essex Technical College and School of Art. It has transformed the lives of hundreds and thousands of people. I am proud of the significant achievements of the College in the recent years and the role it continues to play within the local community' .
The Creating Futures Exhibition is being held in Love Our Colleges Week, which recognises and celebrates the valuable social and economic contribution of Further Education Colleges across the UK.
Janet Gardner, Principal and CEO, commented:
'The resilience, commitment, and hard work of all the staff and students at Waltham Forest College makes this the special place that it is. Since this grand building opened its doors in 1938, so much has changed. However, our core purpose remains the same as we continue to meet the skills needs of London and our local communities by offering inspirational, high-quality education and training to shape and lead London's workforce' .
The College is currently undergoing £20 million of capital investment upgrading the estate and facilities to ensure it continues to lead the way by providing high quality training and skills for future generations.
E17 Films and Emerging Talent CIC and Foundation for Future London, in association with Waltham Forest College, present Future Film Focus: Digital Skills 2023, a joint venture to promote emerging young talent in the Creative Industries.
The event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 29th November 2023, 2pm ' 5pm at Waltham Forest College, featuring national skills agencies, large-scale employers, training agencies, and mentor networks for young people interested in post-production and digital skills needed for roles in editing, special effects, visual effects, animation, virtual reality, 3D design, gaming and others.
The event will be composed of the ' Be Strategic' panel of notable organisations such as - Microsoft (the largest worldwide vendor of computer software), CTVC (multi-BAFTA-winning and Grierson nominated independent production company), and ScreenSkills (UK organisation investing in future animation, film, TV, VFX and games industries.
The second 'Be Inspired' panel, features young creatives in film and television. Noted among them are - Melissa Cofie (Freelance Production Coordinator), Lauren Smith (Multi-skilled Technical Operator BBC World Service), and Nick Ransom (TV journalist, Ad hoc assistant producer and neurodiversity advocate).
Liza Fletcher, Co-Director of E17 Films CIC and founder of the Future Film Focus strand, commented: 'This year's event will focus on reaching out to under-represented communities who identify as neurodivergent and dyslexic with creative skills. I am delighted to have the support of Foundation for Future London and Waltham Forest College, which allows us to train a cohort of approximately 70 students to deliver an event, which provides life-changing opportunities to young creatives from across East London.'
Waltham Forest College students are set to gain transferrable skills and invaluable work experience from event planning and organising. Students will receive training leading up to the event in event management, hospitality, social media, event filming evaluation, monitoring and photography. In addition, they will also receive training from industry experts and professionals to help develop and improve their career prospects.
Janet Gardner, CEO and Principal of Waltham Forest College, says:
'Waltham Forest College is delighted to partner with Future Film Focus. This exciting event will bring together key employers and professionals and showcase the career opportunities available to young people in the Digital Sectors.'
For more information, or if you would like to exhibit or attend the event, please email
Waltham Forest College, plumbing student Emre Gunes has secured the winning spot in the Plumbing Centre of Excellence Annual Young Engineers Competition this year.
Ranging from entries from the Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE)'s young engineers and college students from other London institutions, 35 learners engaged in a 6-hour long competition and performed competition tasks themed around plumbing problem-solving and practical fault-finding of plumbing installations. Other areas they were assessed on included:
- Faulting techniques
- Ability to follow instruction
- Enthusiasm
- Willingness to learn new skills quickly
- A sharp mind and can-do attitude.
The competition serves as a superb reminder of the importance of collaboration between different individuals, companies and institutions, displaying what can be achieved when teamwork is at the forefront of every action.
Emre emerged victorious and swooped the number one spot with such an outstanding example of what can be achieved when studying at Waltham Forest College.
He commented ' 'I was shocked to receive the news that I had won the competition! My tutor, Rennie, encouraged me to take part after seeing my skills and performance in my practical assessment at college. I decided to utilise my knowledge and experience gained whilst studying at the College, which gave me the confidence I needed to thrive in the competition.'
Tasked with fixing leaking pipes, installing household fixtures such as sinks, showers and toilets, repairing or replacing water heaters and water conditioning equipment, and conducting lawn sprinkler system maintenance, the life of a plumber can be more varied than most people imagine. Working in various settings and often on call at all hours for situations such as leaks or pipe bursts that require immediate attention, those in the plumbing industry are responsible for keeping our homes ticking over and being dependable in an emergency.
Plumbing lecturer Rennie Llewellyn said 'Waltham Forest College is ranked top 3 general Further Education in London and we are incredibly proud of the hard work and commitment of all our learners. I am extremely pleased with Emre's outcome and excited to be part of his emerging bright career' .
Waltham Forest College was announced as a WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence and continues to deliver an innovative curriculum, that serves London's industries.
If you want the chance to shine just as brightly, head over to the website to find out more: www.waltham.ac.uk
