New City College wins national award for high-quality careers support

New City College Redbridge was named College of the Year at a national awards ceremony for providing excellent careers advice and support to students.

Hosted by Career Ready, a social mobility charity, the awards evening was held at the Drapers’ Hall in London and was attended by winners from across the UK.

New City College’s Mitus Castillo, Senior Co-ordinator for Personal Development and Welfare at Redbridge and Epping Forest campuses, collected the trophy from Jacqui Hall, of sponsors AstraZeneca, and delivered an acceptance speech.

She said: “I have been running the Career Ready programme at Redbridge for the past five years with the support of our amazing Local Advisory Board and I have seen first-hand how it has benefited our students. Some of them were so shy and timid at the start but were transformed into confident and high-achieving young people. The programme raised their aspirations through exposing them to the world of work and that allowed them to see that there are so many opportunities out there for them.”

The College of the Year Award recognises colleges that have demonstrated excellence in implementing the Career Ready programme and providing high-quality careers support to students.

New City College Redbridge was one of four winners in the category, along with Elliott Hudson College (Leeds), Trafford College (Manchester), and St Ronan’s College (Northern Ireland).

The college has worked with Career Ready since 2011 to provide learners with an employability programme of mentoring from local employers, paid internships, skills masterclasses and workplace visits to businesses.

Omar Khan, who studies Level 3 Computing & IT at NCC Redbridge, said: “The Career Ready programme has really made a difference to me. I am learning new skills through workplace visits, taking masterclasses and having a mentor!

“I like visiting the workplaces because it is interesting to be in a professional environment where there are employees you can talk to. I remember going to Citi for a visit earlier this year and I was surprised to learn how much there was to banking and how many people they employed. It was an eye-opener!

“One of the best things is having a mentor who I can talk to if I need help with anything. He is an employee with a full-time job and has a lot of experience that he shares with me. Overall, Career Ready is a programme that has helped me so much and will definitely benefit me in the future.”

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, Chief Executive of Career Ready said: “Over the last year and in challenging circumstances, New City College has gone above and beyond to ensure that their learners receive high-quality careers support and are engaged with our programme.”

Career Ready is a UK-wide social mobility charity that connects young people from under-represented backgrounds with workplace support and opportunities, helping them to develop key workplace skills, confidence, and experience. Last year, Career Ready supported 58,000 young people at 400 schools and colleges.