Destination Curriculum has been a long standing and central theme that runs through the fabric of the College. When asked what it means, all staff can quickly explain the key components around:
- preparing learners so that they leave the college employment ready and able to add value to the business immediately
- learners develop the skills required to progress onto the next level of course at HRC or university
- employers shaping what we deliver, how we deliver and how we assess as they know what skills are required to enter and be successful in their industry
- working with external agencies and service providers to ensure learners develop wider, softer skills, so that they leave college with a better understanding of how to succeed at work and life in general
As part of the consultation process for the strategy several employers and the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) were asked what skills and attributes they most value in their workforce and future recruits. This section outlines some of the key points raised by them and they have been incorporated into the Defined by Our Community section which contains the 10 Ambitions for our learners. It’s worth noting that all these partners currently work closely with the College and are an active part of our community.
Thankfully the Hertfordshire LEP have already carried out extensive research on what skills and attributes local employers most value and the results closely aligned with feedback from our consultation process. Employers were categorised into seven sectors and interestingly out of 12 different skills Respect and Good Manners and Team Work were ranked highest by employers in each sector. Gareth Dace, the Careers Hub Lead at the Hertfordshire LEP, shared with us their report.
We are thankful to the following employers and community partners for taking the time to share their thoughts and guiding us on what skills they most value from their workforce. The feedback has helped to inform the 10 Ambitions document found in section 5.
“Attributes we require from the young people we employ would be commitment, honesty and someone that really makes an effort. Someone who has an eye for detail and when is without a task finds things to do like cleaning down their section and helping other team members with work. Now after COVID there are more people looking for jobs, we are particularly looking for team members with a good can-do attitude. We are willing to continue to progress and train committed members within the team.”
Derrick Fiddes - Miller and Carter
“Working with HRC Events students has been a tremendous boost to our Community organisation. The students are full of ideas and have delivered successful projects and shown imagination, resilience and creativity in their work.”
Jan Wing – Dickensian Evening Event Organiser
“We need education providers to be promoting basic interview skills as sadly a increasing number of 16 – 25 years old are letting themselves down by not presenting themselves in the best light. First impressions are so important, I’ve already started to get an opinion on an interviewee before they even open their mouth to speak.”
Sharon Garrett c/o Levy Restaurants (Compass Group PLC) – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
“I would like to see more assessment of students in work placements, as this is where they are ultimately going to be working in later life, giving them the opportunity to show employers that they can apply the skills they’re learning at college.”
Stephen Penn – House of Lords Hospitality“In addition to technical skills, I feel a focus on people skills and self-leadership skills is key – including emotional intelligence – reading people’s needs and adapting style accordingly. Being able to verbally communicate at all levels. Pride in quality of work, accountability, ownership and time management. Understanding importance of working safely and within the brand to protect themselves, the people around them and the reputation of the company they work for. Commercial awareness – what it costs to run a business and how that can help a business to be successful – reducing wastage, driving sales, selling experiences so people return.”
Sean Wheller – Chair of Employer Panel for Peoples 1st and AA
“The skills needed are mainly creative, it’s important to have a good portfolio of work and experience dressing mannequins and window displays. Key skills and attributes are creative thinking, problem solving, time management, communication and teamwork in this industry.”
Hannah Organ - Anthropologie (Display and Merchandising)“Young people need to be self-starters more as a result of COVID. There is even more emphasis on presenting work digitally even in the early concept stages, so candidates need to document their reasoning alongside design throughout the process. We need students to be curious, to look at briefs from different angles. We are more interested in the thinking, research and experimentation stages than all polished final pieces.
The staff at HRC are very dedicated in giving the students industry opportunities, which helps give them an insight into what a career might look like.”
Gail Hoban – GAS Brand
