Our students had the opportunity to take part in a range of workshops and listen to guest speakers and inspirational talks as part of the College’s Crime and Justice Week.
The talks allowed students to explore potential careers and develop the skills they need for Higher Education or employment, as well as boost their personal, social and professional development.
“We engaged with a large number of students throughout the week and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The main activity of the week was a talk by three Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE); Claire Throssell MBE, Natalie Queiroz MBE and Paul Blakey MBE.
Speaker Claire Throssell MBE talked to students about her two sons, Jack and Paul, who were both killed by their father. She has since campaigned tirelessly to stop unsafe child contact with dangerous perpetrators of domestic abuse. Claire spoke about her experience and the new law that she is trying to mandate.
Natalie Queiroz MBE, an attempted murder survivor, drew on her own experiences and spoke about preventing knife crime and how her mental resilience helped to overcome her traumatic past.
Paul Blakey MBE, the pioneer behind Street Angels, spoke about the amazing team of volunteers that has seen violent crime and sexual assaults reduce dramatically in many communities across the UK and overseas.
Over the course of the week, students heard from other speakers from a range of professional backgrounds. This included Herman Dange, a former gang member who is now a mentor; Roger Cheetham, an attempted murder survivor; Peter Norton and Natalie Garrett, from South Yorkshire Police; a Supreme Courts virtual talk and Byron Highton, who spoke about knife crime.
The sessions were organised by Lee Perks, our Enterprise Team Leader. Lee said: “During Crime and Justice Week we facilitated a number of guest speaker sessions and workshops to highlight and educate our students on various crime-related issues, including those which are a very real and prominent issue with young people currently.
“We engaged with a large number of students throughout the week and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive. I would like to thank all of our guest speakers for a very insightful week.”
Our Enterprise department encourages and supports students to develop their enterprise skills and talents outside of their studies. It offers opportunities for students to improve their communication, teamwork, problem solving and creativity skills and provide support to set up a business.
The Enterprise team is also on hand to support students with gaining employability skills via a whole host of initiatives, regular workshops, core tutorials and events. Many of these can connect them with local industry experts and employers.
Last updated: 3rd March 2023
Originally posted on: 3rd March 2023