Free training scheme helps the jobless get back to work

Jobless people who have been out of work for six months or more are queuing up to take advantage of free training on offer at Waltham Forest College. The scheme being launched this month provides skills training to help people find work in business administration, caring, hospitality and catering.

Units are offered in subjects including: computer skills, developing customer handling and general administration skills, working in the early learning sector, food preparation and cooking, and food and drinks service.

The Challenge Unemployment programme provides courses to improve the employability skills of the long term unemployed.

Waltham Forest College is one of eight colleges in London to benefit from a £100 million funding boost, the cash coming from the government and the European Social Fund. Iain Elliott, the college’s director of business, said: “Our experienced staff aim to build the self confidence of people who are out of work and to help them cope with the challenges they face.

“We want to help them identify their personal goals and improve their personal presentation skills so they can move from the benefit system into paid employment. Our specifically trained staff will identify an individual’s skills gaps and enable them to obtain nationally recognised qualifications.”

Programmes can be tailor made to each person’s needs and can either be college or home based learning as appropriate.

The Flexible Employability Training Framework offers support to people from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances including lone parents, those not fluent in English, individuals with no or few qualifications, and mature learners. It also provides support for people with health conditions and those with additional learning needs.

Within the framework, help with literacy and numeracy is provided and the courses aim to improve communication skills by providing courses in How to Write Effectively, interview skills and workplace numeracy skills. If you would like to obtain further information about this free training programme or other College courses please call 020 8501 8501, or email info@waltham.ac.uk

Learning to take the fast track to success

WFC students achieve their Uni dream

Daniel Tran wants to be a Formula One engineer, fine tuning racing cars in the pit lanes of the world’s Grand Prix circuits. Now the 18-year-old has the chequered flag in his sights after earning a distinction in the engineering diploma he studied at Waltham Forest College.

Daniel has won a place at City University in London where he will study for a degree in Automotive and Motor Sports Engineering, a four year course in which he will spend one year working in the motor industry. The ambitious teenager is one of more than 1,000 students from Waltham Forest College who are taking the vocational route rather than the academic route to achieving their goals.

Rather than stay on at school to study A Levels, Daniel chose to go to Waltham Forest College to study for a BTEC National Diploma in Engineering. The qualification is worth three A Levels. Daniel obtained a distinction and two merits in his diploma which earned him 280 UCAS points, the equivalent of two grade B passes and one grade C pass at A Level.

“I am really excited that I have a confirmed place at university,” he said. “It has been really hard work but it has paid off in the end. “The course has been fantastic and will help me achieve my ambitions in Formula One. The teachers have helped me a lot. They give up so much of their own time to give us extra support.”

More than 300 students will be heading off to university in the coming weeks after celebrating their success in vocational courses they have taken at the college. Many more have secured jobs in their chosen fields, and will continue their learning while they are earning.

Victoria pursues her passion for fashion

Fashion student Victoria Akinte is celebrating after securing a place at university where she will learn how best to design her own collection and market her own label.

Her success in the BTEC National Diploma in Fashion Design she took at Waltham Forest College has won her a place at Birmingham City University to study Fashion Promotion. She heard of the college’s outstanding reputation for teaching fashion design and decided to travel 30 miles a day from her home in Kent to study at the college’s campus in Forest Road, Walthamstow.

“I would recommend anyone with an interest in fashion as a career to study at Waltham Forest College,” the 22-year-old said. “I have gained an insight into aspects of fashion that I didn’t even know about before.” As the daughter of a dress designer, it was perhaps inevitable that she would develop a passion for fashion. She already has a diploma in media which should also help her in university course.

“I was working in a bride and groom salon when I decided I wanted a career in fashion,” she added. “I gained experience and confidence in design but decided I needed formal qualifications to progress. A friend in the business who has his own label told me how good the course is at Waltham Forest College, which is why I decided it was worth making the long journey every day.

“The course I did at college taught us not only design and garment making skills, but it also taught us the business skills we will need and I found I was quite good at that. As I want to have my own collection it is important to have marketing, promotion and business skills, which is why I chose to study fashion promotion at university.

“I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to study fashion to do so at Waltham Forest College. The staff are very patient and very positive. It was a beautiful and wonderful experience.”

The practical alternative to A Levels

From as nearby as the University of East London to as far away as the University of Cumbria, students from Waltham Forest College are choosing universities across the country to continue their studies.


School leavers are discovering that A Levels are not the only route to achieving success in their career goals. A variety of alternative vocational qualifications are offered by Waltham Forest College that enable young people to achieve their ambitions.


In addition to BTEC Nationals in engineering and fashion, they are also available in subjects including public services, travel and tourism, health and social care, sport studies, business and computing.


Other qualifications include the Cache diplomas in subjects such as childcare and education, OCR qualifications in business and computing subjects, and the AAT in Accounting.