East Coast College has signed off the 2021/22 academic year celebrating the achievements of students and staff, its contribution to the local community and progress in major local educational projects.
The college hosted four nights of student awards from July 4th to 7th, celebrating further education students at both Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, Apprentices, Lowestoft Sixth Form and Access students.
The week culminated in an all-staff celebration, with awards presented to teachers, managers and support staff, followed by an afternoon of volunteering in the community with around 500 members of staff as part of the Good For Me Good For FE campaign.
Spearheaded by East Coast College, London South East Colleges and Loughborough College, the campaign has generated nationally £1.95m of social value, with 108,000 volunteering hours completed, 87,000 food items donated and £118,000 raised through fundraising.
East Coast College staff and students have contributed to that total with an incredible 7,186 hours of volunteering, 6,975 items donated and £2,257 raised through activities including Welding students making and auctioning off a log burner, Hospitality and Catering students baking and donating 3,000 portions of cake for Sotterley Country Fair and Prince’s Trust students collecting over 76kg of rubbish joining forces with other local organisations to sweep Great Yarmouth beach.
The end of the academic year also saw the launch of the college’s Annual Review, setting out East Coast’s progress over the past 12 months in developing its curriculum, delivering student success, progression and wellbeing, supporting its people and improving the business.
Key milestones included the college’s leading role in the development of a new £12m University Centre in Great Yarmouth which will further enhance its degree and adult course offering, a ground-breaking new partnership with the James Paget University Hospital and University of Suffolk to further strengthen educational and training opportunities in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft and over £1m investment in new T Level facilities for 16 to 19 students including a healthcare suite, dedicated laboratories and revamped engineering workshop.
The college has also worked hard to secure a brand new £50m campus for Great Yarmouth set to be built by 2024, providing the highest quality experience for students in the local area, as well as working with Sizewell C to secure significant investments into the Lowestoft Campus and new Civil Engineering Centre at Lound.
East Coast College Chief Executive, Stuart Rimmer, said: “The year has been fast paced, exhausting and hugely rewarding. Our Annual Review summarises some of the success which can quickly be forgotten within a college environment. It demonstrates just a few of the stories, but we are hugely fortunate that at East Coast College we bear witness to great practice every single day.
“To our students I express my admiration. They are amazing. Their fortitude and resilience to college life and creating a better future for themselves and their families is superb and the barriers that some must overcome are simply inspirational. To our staff a most heartfelt and public thank you. Every single person makes up an essential part of Team ECC and helps to change thousands of lives each year with their passion, dedication, and commitment to serving our communities.”
Read the full East Coast College 2021/22 Annual Review.