At the beginning of February, Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) and AFC Wimbledon launched the perfect way for students to map out a career in the sports industry.

Eighty students were given a glimpse of a new partnership that could open the door into an exciting world of opportunity.

As part of their visit, we announced the official link-up between the AFC Wimbledon Education Hub and Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges, London’s newest college group. “Better together, stronger together”

The centrepiece of this exciting link-up is the AFC Wimbledon and HRUC Men’s Football Development programme and Women’s Football Academy.

Students enlisting for this course will benefit from our elite coaching and games programme, utilising the expertise of AFC Wimbledon Academy and our successful Women’s team and staff.

In addition to this course, the Club will work closely with the college to develop work placement opportunities for those seeking careers in the industry to do with marketing, media, event management, commercial business, retail and catering and hospitality.

As well as being given stadium tours, students got to hear from Dons first-teamer Jack Currie, who combines playing with studying for a degree, and club staff about careers in sport.

AFC Wimbledon’s Managing Director Danny Macklin said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges.

The Club has at the centre of its planning a number of exciting educational projects and initiatives underway. After the launch of our partnership with HRUC we are very much looking forward to welcoming the first cohorts of participants.

“Through our set-up at the Cherry Red Records Stadium we believe we can provide an educational hub that inspires the local area and allow students, both young and old, to achieve their best.”

After earning a reputation for educational excellence, Richmond upon Thames College recently merged with Harrow & Uxbridge to become HRUC, a newest merged London College offering outstanding academic opportunities for thousands of students.

Sijul Miah, Head of School of Business and Industries at RuTC explained, “We are delighted to be working with AFC Wimbledon in this partnership to bring new opportunities to our students.

“Our partnership is designed to give students access to industry leading training and education tailored to individual needs with clear sights of career progression and development. We aim to nurture and develop students into professional athletes of the future”

A key aim of the partnership will be to pool expertise, resources and connections to support and develop young people to realise their potential. Students will be able to gain practical experience within the sports industry, therefore building upon skills gained in the classroom.

Sheila Fraser Whyte, HRUC Group Director for Partnership and Innovation at the College, added: “We are looking forward to working with AFC Wimbledon Education Hub and giving our students these exciting opportunities to engage in a wide range of skills development and career focused activities which is crucial for ensuring that students achieve their full potential and have the essential qualifications, skills and behaviours to progress”

For more information about courses offered by the partnership, please see the link below

Richmond upon Thames College | Top Academic and Vocational London College | Sport (rutc.ac.uk)

Sophie Millbank joined Richmond upon Thames College’s Supported Learning department in September 2015 as part of Clarendon School Link, where she completed a Cookery and Recycling Course.

The course allowed Sophie to grow academically and socially and thanks to this, Sophie joined RuTC full-time in September 2016.

Sophie was also an instrumental member of sports teams competing in wheelchair basketball and football for the students with additional needs.

She progressed from Supported Learning and went on to complete Level 1 and Level 2 in both Food Preparation and Food Service.

Her attendance and punctuality were outstanding and her commitment to the course was second to none. She particularly excelled in front of house where she was very well liked, both in the canteen and the restaurant for her smile and politeness.

Daniele Giraud RuTC Catering teacher says “I am very confident Sophie will achieve a lot in her career as she has a great attitude and work ethic. Sophie tries her best in everything she does, with a smile every time. She will go far!”

Sophie decided to broaden her experience and she completed the L2 Health and Social Care programme and is currently a L3 2nd year Health and Social Care student.

She has had work experience at Clarendon Primary School as a Teaching Assistant and they loved her so much, she has now secured a permanent position. In addition, Sophie volunteered at Capella Speech and Language Primary School.

Shona Corben, ILS tutor at RuTC explains, “Sophie is a quiet joy. An extremely caring, attentive young woman, who goes the extra mile as a talented Teaching Assistant.

“Sophie became renowned to the Supported Learning team as a brilliant mentor, whilst supporting her peers in the classroom on work experience as a teaching assistant.

“Sophie is calm and knows how to get the best out of students, using quiet praise and comforting and encouraging words. I cannot wait to see what else the future holds for her.”

Learn more about studying Catering and Hospitality at RuTC here - Richmond upon Thames College | Top Academic and Vocational London College | Catering and Hospitality (rutc.ac.uk)

Last week, (6-12th February) Richmond upon Thames College, along with colleges around the country, celebrated NAW 2023. (National Apprenticeship Week)

National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of apprentices around the country and noticing the positive impact they can make to communities, organisations, individuals and the wider community.

As well as celebrating apprentices, the week also looked at the benefit of apprenticeships and what positive affect they can have on businesses, employers and educational institutions.

The theme of this year’s NAW was ‘Skills for Life’ and on each day throughout the week, students at RuTC were given the opportunity to learn more about varying aspects of apprenticeships, the themes given were ‘Employer Tuesday’ ‘Apprentice Wednesday’ and ‘Celebration Friday.’

On Wednesday morning, (15th) RuTC hosted an employer's breakfast event at the college, inviting the employers of the apprentices into the college to engage with others, learn more about what RuTC can offer and to discuss the many benefits of apprenticeships.

Sheila Fraser-Whyte, Director of Strategic Partnership & Innovation at RuTC enjoyed this year’s National Apprenticeship Week, explaining “National Apprenticeship Week is an amazing opportunity for us to showcase our many brilliant apprentices and the employers that make it possible.

Apprenticeships are great for businesses, individuals and the economy and we often hear from apprentices how pleased they are to have chosen this path." 

On Friday 3 February, RuTC’s (Richmond upon Thames College) Supported Learning students won the Supported Learning Football League.

The Supported Learning Football League is hosted by Brentford Community Sports Trust.

However, this year the finale tournament took place at West Thames College, where RuTC’s team played 4 group stage games against West Thames College and Burlington House.

The team finished second in the table, which saw them progress to the final of the tournament against West Thames.

The RuTC team worked hard for their win, training each Friday and working hard to make sure they were at the top of their game.

The team won the final with an excellent 2-0 win and deservedly lifted the trophy after playing fantastic football throughout the tournament.

Following their win, the team have been invited to play a match for the Brentford Community Sports Trust team as they face off against the Leicester City Community Sports Trust team on 18th March, after playing this match, the team will be watching the Brentford vs Leicester premier league fixture at the Brentford Community stadium.

Supported Learning teacher, Ryan Beard is thrilled at how well the team performed on the day, explaining 'I am very proud of the team and the way they carried themselves throughout the tournament. They have been working very hard in training and all their hard work has paid off".

Learn more about our Supported Learning Programme here - Richmond upon Thames College | Top Academic and Vocational London College | Supported Learning (rutc.ac.uk)

At the end of January, Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) hosted the second Sightlines to Careers Week of 2023 which took off with an enthusiastic start, with several guest employers and professionals providing students vital and important information to enhance their skills and prepare them for the world of work.

The week was attended by several employers including Oxfam in the Third Sector, Cisco, a leading international networking company, Transport for London (TfL) and the NHS. Charles Horsey, a former TfL employee with over four decades experience in engineering, narrated his story to the Level 3 Engineering students.

James McLaverty from Oxfam also had an interesting narrative, telling students how he shifted into charity work from being a teacher. Like many of the teenage students, James was unclear what he was good at and instead listened to his heart in deciding his career pathways. For James, passion drives a person to a dream job. He underscored the importance of work experience as a precursor to apprenticeship and jobs.

Two practicing architects, Max Rengifo and Jo Peychava, from local firm WR-AP took the students on a journey down memory lane about how they reached the place where they are now.

Krzysztofa Gosk and Karina Boer from The Lensbury Hotel asked the Travel and Tourism and Catering students to be work-ready, with a good CV in place. While underlining the opportunities available in their companies, they advised the students to stand up to the challenges of a new world of work, post-Covid19.

For Mark Ormiston, from family-run company, Ormiston Wire, which has been in operation for over two centuries, it was an exercise to reminiscent the bygone days. He spoke at length to the Level 2 Engineering students, providing them a social history of how the trade has transformed over the years.

While Zoya Lodhia from Cisco was precise on the skills, qualities and qualifications necessary to step into a technology company and the digital age. She highlighted the Work Experience and Apprenticeship programmes run by Cisco. Last year two RuTC female students were selected for work experience in Cisco through a competitive process. In the current academic year, another two female RuTC students also saw the same success.

The week ended with a talk by Christine Caitlin, Deputy Director of NHS Trusts, Chelsea & Westminster and Hillingdon. Through engaging with the students, Christine was able to talk about what she has achieved from being a nurse and her rise to a directorial role in human resources and also promote the 60-hour volunteering scheme available in the two trusts she is associated with.

Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay, Work Experience Co-ordinator at RuTC, explains “Sightlines to Careers is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn from and find out more about the organisations which operate in various industries and how their subjects are relevant.

"These experiences can help students to secure their first role as well as offering them the chance to conceptualise in real life the subjects they have studied. It is also a great chance for employers to develop their social responsibility, by helping their community and inspiring students for the future.”