Bold | Education and skills
they meet employers face to face, taking on testing Dragons’ Denstyle challenges to develop their ability to deal with an increasingly complex employment market. All local teenagers are guaranteed an interview. The TSA (right) is the result of four years of planning and collaboration between the local council and Barking and Dagenham College. Most of the funding for the £14 million project was invested by Barking and Dagenham Council, with the college also contributing a significant amount, fitting out the new, five-storey building to industry standards. “We started with two questions,” says Jeremy Grint, the council’s director of regeneration and economic development. “First: what’s happening to local young people who are not academic – what is their route into work? “And secondly: what are the growth areas locally, where these young people can get jobs?” Perhaps surprisingly, these are not always the questions that shape the FE curriculum, where courses often reflect the funding which is allocated to certain qualifications or the available inhouse staff expertise. Hairdressing, beauty and hospitality were chosen as relative stalwarts of the service industries. The focus on construction reflects planned development of the area’s thousands of hectares of unused land and the borough’s intention to build many new homes – the combination of relatively cheap housing and improving schools is a draw for first time buyers. The tight link between 52
The TSA - “where technical and entrepreneurial skills matter just as much” education and regeneration is cemented in a steering group for the TSA, that includes both education representatives and the council’s cabinet member for regeneration. “I think it’s safe to say that is not typical,” says Grint. The TSA is in the heart of Barking town centre, where members of the public are encouraged to come into the building to enjoy hair and beauty treatments done by the students or to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant. This permeable relationship between college and the public was designed in by planners to underline that this learning
is about the real world of work and customer care. The TSA is a state-of-the-art building, light and airy, with some elements of the design having been devised by students themselves. There is a roof garden, balconies and everything is brand new. It seems the respect accorded to the teenagers by their new environment carries over into respect paid by them outside it. The emphasis of the learning is practical and hands-on. Hilary Moore, head of the TSA, describes her despair in a previous job when observing a business class about the use of the franking machine. The lesson was based on a printed diagram. “I wanted to say: why not get the actual machines out of the cupboard? Let the students frank the college mail – make it real! Make it active!” This philosophy led to the establishment of three independent businesses inside the TSA, where students get real life work experience. Rather than establish its own salon, the college invited Headjogs, a respected chain of training salons, to set up shop inside the building. Students gain experience with real clients – a welcome boost to their CVs. Chef’s Hat 2, the new restaurant, will arrive soon and will house a Starbucks where students can hone their barista and customer service skills. A beauty salon operates on a commercial basis within the college. New students may find their projects and homework set by local business leaders, as well as by their teachers. These real work elements reflect a determination to