Harrow College students have attended the annual Jack Petchey Achievement Awards for the Harrow region.

Mayor of Harrow Cllr Ajay Maru was also in attendance at the ceremony, which took place at Harrow Arts Centre on Tuesday 20 January.

Over 120 people attended the ceremony, which celebrated the achievements of winners from schools and colleges across the borough of Harrow.

Harrow College students who picked up awards on the night included students Alma Bida, Ewelina Jachimowska, Shivani Pindoria, Bibiana Malawakula and Sarah Shwea. 

John Green, learning support assistant at the college, picked up a Leader Award.

Special mention also goes to Harrow College students Kheybar Halali, Ashley Shread and Nia Brown, who won awards but were unable to attend the event.

The Jack Petchey Foundation - named after its founder, the businessman and philanthropist, Jack Petchey CBE - was established in 1999. Recognising young people who have excelled outside academia, the Foundation gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25.

According to a recently published government performance table, more Harrow College A-Level students progressed in to higher education than other colleges in a 10-mile radius of Harrow.

The Key Stage 5 Performance and Destination Tables, published on Thursday 29 January, are a comparative study of A-Level results for schools and colleges and show where A-Level students progress after they leave college.

Out of the nine further education colleges in a 10-mile radius of Harrow, Harrow College ranked highest for the percentage of students getting at least 3 and at least 2 A-Levels.

The tables also showed that a bigger percentage of Harrow College students went on to higher education than students who attended other colleges in the area.

Chris Faux, head of quality and learning at Harrow College said: “These results confirm that Level 3 students at Harrow College have a better chance of getting into university than those of any other college in the area.”

Harrow College is pleased to announce that it has been approved to run two new Career Colleges on its Harrow on the Hill campus.

The new Career Colleges will open in September 2015 and will specialise in Professional Services and Creative and Digital Media.

Central to both Career Colleges will be the development of enterprise skills to ensure that students are responding to the employment and business demands of the local community and across the whole of London.

Students will be prepared for employment and higher study on high-quality vocational courses designed alongside leading industry employers.

Students will also study English and Maths, while staff will assist in making these subjects connect with the vocational subjects taught in order to boost confidence and achievement among learners.

Over the next 10 years it is anticipated that one in 10 level 5-entry jobs in London will be in professional services. Harrow College and its Career Colleges are well placed in greater London to exploit very good transport links into London and surrounding areas in Hertfordshire. In particular, the Creative and Digital Media Career College will be able to provide sustainable talent to meet the skills shortage which is affecting Tech City in central London. 

Tony Medhurst, principal at Harrow College said that he was delighted that the college had been approved to operate Career Colleges. “We are very pleased to have not just one but two Career Colleges serving London. This opportunity will enable us to offer our students a circulation that meets employer needs now and in the future.”

On Wednesday 11 February, Kingston College hosted the Southern Region's AHT Competition, a national competition run by The Association of Hairdressers and Therapists. The AHT was founded in 1963 by a group of hairdressing teachers as a national network of like-minded specialists who exchanged good practice and support.

Students of Harrow College's Level 2 Media and Make up and Level 3 Hair group were successful in reaching the heats of the AHT competition.

Azhar Farham and Fayola Colaco excelled at 2nd and 3rd place in face painting whilst Katia Dos Reis succeeded with achieving 4th place in the Hair Avant Garde.

The students will now progress to the National finals taking place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool next month.

Harrow College offers a range of Beauty, Hairdressing and Complementary Therapies courses for students. Review your options and apply today.

Harrow College has welcomed a visit from the chief economic secretary to the Treasury.

Andrea Leadsom, who is also the Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, visited Business students at Harrow College’s Harrow on the Hill campus, on Thursday 12 February.

Also visiting was Conservative MP Bob Blackman.

The two ministers met with Business students and members of Harrow College’s student union for a discussion about the UK’s deficit and borrowing.

During the meeting students grilled Leadsom and Blackman about politics, finance, the Greek debt crisis and the future impact of technology on the job market.

Benedicta Abena Boatemaa, student and welfare and disability officer of Harrow College’s student union, asked Leadsom about her reasons for becoming an MP.

“I was really impressed that she answered all our questions really well,” said Abena Boatemaa. “I found the whole discussion really interesting. It really helped to broaden my knowledge about finance and gave me a chance to learn a little bit more about politics in action. It was a really eye-opening experience.”

Leadsom and Blackman also met with the college’s senior staff to discuss education funding and the college’s new building projects which are currently underway and are due for completion later this year.

Harrow College's Career Coach is designed to help you get a head start in your career. We provide the latest local data on wages and employment to help you to decide upon your career based on any course at Harrow College. There's also a handy CV builder that allows you to build and regularly update the document in one place.

To access the Career Coach system, follow the steps below:

• Search for your course on the Harrow College website
• View the course to see Career Coach information including typical salary and employment prospects
• When you're happy with your options, apply for your course at Harrow College

Our careers team are also available to support you throughout your application process with additional information and guidance to support your career choice.

Realise your potential and get a head start in your career with Harrow College's Career Coach.

During the February half term students of Harrow College had a fantastic opportunity to visit Florida. This provided them with a chance to combine learning and fun with Science activities at the Florida Theme Parks.

The one week itinerary allowed students to visit the Disney Parks as well as participating in various Science-related youth educational programmes.

As part of the trip students visited The Kennedy Space Centre for the Astronaut Training Programme (ATX) to simulate launching a satellite into space. Students also had the opportunity to question astronaut John A MacBride (STS-41G) about his personal experience of travelling into space. They also experienced the applications and use of Science within the various roles in this unique Astronaut Training Experience.

The trip also included a visit to Discovery Cove to learn about all aspects of Dolphins such as habitats, conservation, rescue and rehabilitation. Following the visit, students commented that "at Discovery Cove I gained a better understanding of how captive animals are treated by scientific and non-scientific professionals."

At The Wonder Zones (Wonder Works), students explored various aspects of electricity, earthquakes, hurricane and other natural disasters.

Michael Worgs, curriculum manager for Science says: "the Harrow College students represented the college well throughout the trip. The success of the trip has enabled us to secure a substantial donation of £5,000 that will be used to subsidise future Science educational tours."

The visit to Florida provided an eye-opening experience for students to learn about the vast ways of incorporating Science into a potential future career. 

Read on to find out more about Science courses at Harrow College.

As part of the Education and Football Development Centre programme with Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Harrow College, 7 students  were provided with a once in a lifetime opportunity to develop their Academy involvement yesterday.

Students were joined by Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Ryan Mason and Jan Vertonghen for a mini-tournament at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Training Centre before asking questions to selected players.

The programme offers Academy-standard football coaching alongside BTEC qualifications at Harrow College to young people aged 16-18.

Opportunities exist for students to study a full-time BTEC level 2 or 3 at Harrow College, with the potential to continue onto a foundation degree in Sports Development and Coaching run by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

The programme forms part of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s commitment to providing life-changing opportunities and a pathway for young players through to an Academy that has produced the likes of Kane and Mason.

Learn more about the Education and Football Development Centre at Harrow College.

Harrow College were pleased to present a certificate to local employers, Village Heating, on Wednesday.

The certificate was presented by Lloyd Davis, curriculum manager for construction and engineering at Harrow College to Village Heating in recognition of their support of Harrow College and ongoing partnership.

Bhavik Makwana, Harrow College alumnus was also in attendance to share experience of his time as a student before progressing to complete his study of City and Guilds 6035 Level 3 Diploma in Plumbing. As a result of his commitment, he has secured a full time training role with Village Heating.

David Kelly, managing director and owner of Village Heating said: "Village Heating values the partnership with Harrow College to source students that have gained invaluable experience. Bhavik is an excellent example of a former student with a great attitude and commitment to his progression."

Kelly continues: "There's a real lack of skills and labour experience in the industry at the moment, yet Harrow College produces the right calibre of student to enter the industry to be supported by employers like Village Heating."

Harrow College's Whitefriars Training Centre is a dedicated space for the provision of plumbing and electrical training courses with a provision for on-site assessment.

GCSE maths students took part in a maths challenge yesterday at the Harrow Weald campus.

Three selected members from each of the six GCSE maths groups took part in an online maths challenge which tested quick thinking as well as overall maths knowledge.The challenge was organised by tutors across both campuses, coordinated by maths lecturer Shikha Gupta.

College principal Tony Medhurst was pleased to award Julian Iftimiei with the gold medal for answering the most correct answers. All participants were awarded with a certificate and on presenting the winners medals, Tony commented on the importance of maths in everyday life and praised the students on their participation.

Harrow College, working with Harrow Council and the Mayor of London, is proud to announce the official launch of Arc House and the newly redesigned Lowland’s park.

Based in the heart of Harrow and designed by award winning architects Adams & Sutherland, Arc House is an exciting new venture brought to you by Harrow Council, the Mayor of London and Harrow College.

Guests including members of the public, Harrow Council and the GLA were invited to the launch at Arc House, next door to Harrow College’s Harrow on the Hill campus, on Tuesday 17 March.

Speeches came from Chair of the Mayor's Design Advisory Group and Adviser to the Mayor of London on Crossrail 2 Daniel Moylan, Vice Principal of Harrow College Pat Carvalho, Mayor of Harrow Cllr Ajay Maru, Harrow Council Cllr Keith Ferry and Director of Adams & Sutherland Liz Adams.

Speaking about the launch of Arc House Cllr Ferry said: "Today we are here to launch Arc House, a new performance space and café sitting in what was, effectively unused scrub land unknown and unloved by the people of Harrow. This has been a long journey. We started in 2010 when we looked at Lowlands and we thought we could do something with this space. With our limited resources we decided to make a bandstand. We made a bid for money from the Mayor of London and we've ended up with a larger idea of a bandstand."

Arc House will form part of a new indoor and outdoor performance space, café and public park for the local community in Harrow. Funding for the project comes from Harrow Council, the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund and investments from Harrow College.

Moylan said about the role of the GLA: "The Outer London Fund has an enormous contribution to make to the economic vitality of the capital as a whole. The GLA on behalf of the mayor has spent a lot of money in Harrow. Harrow has plans and visions and Boris Johnson has tried to help with those plans. From the Outer London Fund we have invested £3m in various schemes including creating this wonderful park. What has happened here in Harrow is simply wonderful and we are very proud to be able to say that we are a part of it."

Carvalho added: "Harrow College is absolutely delighted to be part of what is going to be a great community space in terms of performances, the café and the surrounding park. We hope this community space will enrich the learning environment for our students and will provide the people of Harrow an absolutely fantastic community space."

Serving Harrow town centre and the wider area, both Arc House and the redesigned Lowland’s park create a vibrant and engaging open space set to become a hub for performance and cultural celebration in the borough.

The remodelled Lowland’s park also includes new play equipment, furniture, more direct paths, a new amphitheatre and lots of new trees.

Arc House is a significant addition to Harrow, and will provide performances, dance and music to those working and living in the area. It will also offer volunteer and apprenticeship opportunities to people in the Harrow community.

Arc House will be open to the public from April 2015 and will draw visitors from across Harrow and London.

Harrow College is a proud supporter of National Apprenticeship Week and will be holding events in Harrow to celebrate the positive impact apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and the wider community.

Harrow College’s dedicated Apprenticeships team will be holding a stall in St Anns Shopping Centre to promote apprenticeships, on Friday 13 March from 12pm – 3pm.

The event will give members of the public the opportunity to understand how apprenticeships work and how they can be beneficial to both employers and employees.

Apprenticeships offer young people a great opportunity to earn while they learn, get paid holidays, receive training, gain qualifications and learn job-specific skills.

Harrow College currently delivers Apprenticeships in hairdressing, maintenance operations and construction, IT application, warehouse and storage, working with children and young people, health and social care, laboratory sciences, business administration, customer service, accounting and sales and telesales.

Sonia Stapleton, recruitment advisor at Harrow College said: “Harrow College provides Apprenticeships to support the joint learning and career progression of young people between the age of 16-24. They are an excellent alternative option for students, offering transferrable work skills, qualifications, personal and professional development and paid work. They also offer the possibility of permanent work with an employer. An Apprenticeship is a real job with training so you can earn while you learn and pick up recognised qualifications as you go.”

National Apprenticeship Week is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service and designed to celebrate apprenticeships.

Since 2010, over two million apprenticeships have started in England in over 170 industries, with over 90% of apprentices staying in employment after the completion of their apprenticeships.

• Learn more about Harrow College Apprenticeships

Harrow College is pleased to announce it is working with Barclays and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services to deliver the employability programme Prepare for Work.

The new initiative is designed to address the lack of awareness and understanding of the competencies and behaviours that employers seek.

Prepare for Work helps students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully navigate the recruitment processes as well as touching on the financial aspects of self-employment.

The programme also raises awareness of entrepreneurship and self-employment and aims to reach 100,000 FE college students in 2015.

Prepare for Work is supported by Barclays as part of their commitment to change ‘5 Million Young Futures’ by helping the next generation build vital enterprise, employability and financial skills.

As part of its commitment to the Prepare for Work programme, Harrow College will run a Prepare for Work Lunchtime Activities Week. Starting from the week beginning Monday 20 April, the programme will cover an array of activities to help motivate students and enhance their employability skills.

Harrow College has already taken steps to implement the Prepare for Work programme among its student body.

These steps include students documenting their social and enterprise achievements through an Enterprise Passport, which can be used to support their work throughout the academic year and can be shown to potential employers.

Students have also taken part in a field trip to the offices of Sky to see what it is like to work within a busy office environment.

They have also attended mock interviews with potential employers including British Airways, CapGemini, Lenovo, B&Q, IBM, Write Stuff, Cognizant Technology and TFL. The interviews allowed students to hone their interviewing skills and appreciate what employers are looking for in potential candidates.

In the coming weeks, students at Harrow College will be able to take part in a series of employability-focused activities through the Prepare for Work programme. The activities will cover topics including CV writing, understanding skills and behaviours that employers seek and how to approach the recruitment and interview process.

Harrow College students will also have the opportunity to become Prepare for Work College Champions. Selected by college staff, the College Champions will undertake activities with their fellow students and help support their peers by promoting employability-focused events. Students in this role will also have additional opportunities to develop their skills and will be able to draw on their experiences as a College Champion when seeking employment or applying for higher education.

As part of Harrow College’s commitment to the Prepare for Work programme, students from the college have taken part in mock interviews with respected industry employers.

The interviews took place at the college’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Tuesday 17 March.

Attending the event were employers from British Airways, CapGemini, Lenovo, B&Q, IBM, Write Stuff, Cognizant Technology and TFL.

The aim of the interviews was to give students an opportunity to experience a formal work-related interview, to build on their confidence and communication skills and to help them understand what employers expect from applicants.

The interviews allowed students to hone their interviewing skills and appreciate what employers are looking for in potential candidates.

Mark Bowen, IT project manager at British Airways, said that mock interviews were a great way to encourage students to understand the recruitment process

"This is the second time I have assisted Harrow College with their mock interviews," said Bowen. "I genuinely enjoy listening to young people talk about their aspirations and also give them constructive feedback on things that they can improve on. Overall, the students were of a high standard verbally and were fluent and confident. The majority of the students I interviewed had a can do attitude, a willingness to learn, good manners and people skills. Those soft skills are every bit as important as the technical skills."

Peter Ranayotou, senior consultant at The Write Stuff, added: "I thought the quality of the candidates was very high. I was really impressed by the level of questions they asked. I also felt that they prepared very well and they took it all very seriously."

Richard Simon, cloud computing and systems management consultant at Lenovo, said that students should not only look to what they are good at but what they enjoy when embarking on their career path.

"These students certainly researched their interviews and prepared well," said Simon. "Some of them came across as very confident, which was good. The advice I would give to any students applying for a role within Lenovo, is that with any career you want to go into, follow your passion. That's what I did when I started and now I get paid for doing my hobby, which is great."

Prepare for Work helps students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to successfully navigate the recruitment processes as well as touching on the financial aspects of self-employment. 

Harrow College is working with Barclays and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services to deliver the employability programme Prepare for Work.

Harrow College students have taken part in a talk given by Humza Arshad, in which the acclaimed comedian and writer helped to turn racial and religious stereotypes on their head.

Over 80 students attended the talk, which was given in the lecture theatre at the College’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Thursday 19 March.

Arshad is best known for his Diary of a Bad Man series on YouTube, which follows a fictionalised and comical portrayal of Arshad and his life as a young Asian Muslim in today’s society.

Arshad’s talk was made in conjunction with the Met Police and their ‘Prevent’ Strategy for Counter-terrorism, which aims to highlight extremism, whether that be religious, far right or animal extremism, and debunk the stereotypes and myths that surround the wider narrative on the subject.

Arshad and PC Rick Warrington from the Met Police’s Prevent Strategy talked to students about the reasons someone might have for turning to extremist groups and how those issues could be addressed by society as a whole.

After the talk, Arshad answered questions from the audience on topics ranging from Islamic extremism to which comic book publisher he preferred. He also took time out to pose with students for photographs.

Asked as to why he thought it was important to speak to young people about forms of extremism, Arshad said: “I am very happy and fortunate to be a part of these open discussions with young people. These talks are a great way to bring awareness to these young people and give them a chance to interact. These students may have some questions about these heavy topics and might find it hard to speak to their parents or to speak to anyone about it. Talks like this hopefully open the conversation. Not only can students take something from it and learn something from it, but also have some fun. And although it is fun it has a good message behind it. I definitely believe that I’m making a difference.”

Business student at Harrow College Muhubo Ali added: “I think this talk was definitely beneficial. It’s really important to talk about topics like this in an open and frank way. I think getting PC Warrington’s perspective on this issue was also really helpful. I think that Humza Arshad is a great example and role model to young Muslims.”

Harrow College students have taken part in an International Food Festival.

Students joined together to share the food of their respective cultures at the college’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Tuesday 24 March.

Tunisia, Portugal, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, Thailand, Iran and Japan were just some of the countries represented at the food festival.

Students and staff were given the opportunity to sample food from around the world and learn something new about the cultures of their peers.

The students also showed off their dancing skills and performed music from around the world.

EFL student Evren Erkut, who is originally from Turkey, said the International Food Festival was a great way to practice his English and learn about the cultures of his friends: “I’ve really enjoyed the experience of bringing cultures together and speaking about our food.”

EFL student Sondes Lanouan, who is originally from Tunisia added: “It has been really good to socialise with my friends, practice English and learn about different countries.”

Snezana Drobac, a qualified medical professional from Croatia, who is studying EFL at Harrow College, also added: “Today has been a special, lovely day celebrated by lots of different students from around the world. We get to sample new food while meeting fellow students.”

Anne-Marie Sykes, EFL lecturer at Harrow College said it was important to hold festivals such as the International Food Festival: “Today is about cultural enrichments. Its gives students an opportunity to experience food, dance and music and mix with fellow peers. It also gives students the chance to practice English as they get to speak about the food they have brought in.”

Pauline Bayliss, EFL lecturer at Harrow College, added: “Events like this food festival bring together our international students. We all get to learn from one another and sample food from all walks of life.”

Harrow College has welcomed a visit by campaigner Doreen Lawrence and Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Harrow East Uma Kumaran.

Over 70 students attended the talk held at the college’s Harrow Weald campus, on Wednesday 25 March.

Baroness Lawrence and Kumaran met with Harrow College students to help encourage black, Asian and minority ethnic voter participation at the upcoming General Election on Thursday 7 May.

Some of the students who attended the event included members of the Harrow College’s Student Union who, with the help of the NUS, are campaigning for their fellow students to register to vote.

During the talk, Baroness Lawrence and Kumaran discussed what the Labour party would do for young people and the importance of voting to make a difference. They also encouraged students to use their voice and have a say by making sure they registered to vote.

Kumaran also explained to students her own personal journey into politics after a career in the NHS.

Baroness Lawrence said that with the General Election fast approaching it was imperative that students registered to vote.

“Nearly 20% of British BME people are not registered to vote,” said Baroness Lawrence. “Non-registration is one of the biggest barriers to turnout on polling day. Registration procedures need to be accessible and any changes effectively communicated. This silent scandal could have a devastating impact on polling day when thousands of BME people realise they are not eligible to vote because they have not registered.”

Kumaran, a Harrow local, added: “In the last year almost one million people have fallen off the electoral register, including around 8,000 residents in Harrow. But young people must be heard, loud and clear, as do ethnic minority voices – both of which are currently massively under represented, that’s why I’m determined to do all we can to get people back on the electoral register, and casting their vote in May.”

Anca Purcaru, student union president at Harrow College, said that Baroness Lawrence and Kumaran had helped to spur her and her fellow students to take politics more seriously.

“It was a real honour meeting Baroness Lawrence today,” said Purcaru, “as I have long admired her campaigning work. Harrow College’s student Union, with the support of the NUS, has been working hard to encourage our students to vote in the upcoming General Election. We are really glad that Baroness Lawrence is also inspiring students, in particular black, Asian and ethnic minority students, to take part in the political process, too.”

Harrow College offers A-level packages that form a cohesive offer for career aspirations and progressions with targeted careers input and work experience forming part of the programme of study.

Our new offer

• Students will undertake three A-levels from one of the packages above.
• All students will undertake a wrap-around programme to support the development of skills and knowledge and also to provide aspirational career-focused activities to aid progression and future employment in these areas.

The packages on offer at Harrow College are as follows: 

Academic support

All students will be assigned a personal tutor who will provide pastoral care and track and monitor student progress. Tutors will also support students to develop the study skills required to be successful in their A-level package.

Progression into Higher Education

Students on the new linear A-levels will undertake AS Exams at the end of Year 1 to give an indication of their progress, these grades will be used as predicted grade indicators for students wishing to progress to university.

Workshops will be delivered by the Careers and Employability team on completing UCAS applications and key universities from each package will be invited in to promote their offer to students, alongside visits to specific university fairs and inviting in graduates from each area to discuss their progression. Sessions will be delivered to students on applying for Russell Group universities and we will be running University masterclasses from each package to stretch beyond their A-levels and develop analytical and evaluative skills through exploring exciting concepts, ideas and practices.

Progression into employment

We aim to raise student’s awareness of the wider employment opportunities and new industries associated with each package so that they are fully aware of the progression opportunities open to them. Students will be encouraged to develop their employability skills and the programme will include industry visits, the use of industry mentors and guru lectures from key players in each package.

All students will undertake mock interviews and work preparation and it will be possible for students looking to progress into employment to undertake placements to support their skills and knowledge development.

Enrichment

To support students, Harrow College has identified a range of key attributes that will be embedded into all aspects of their A-level package. All students will be encouraged to take part in competitions linked to their relevant packages and join in with student led extracurricular clubs and societies.

We hope that the experiences, skills and knowledge that student’s develop at Harrow College will prepare them for the future, both in terms of progressing in education and for future employment.

Harrow College students have taken part in a competition to provide specialist make-up and which has shown off the full extent of their creative and artistic skills.

Level 3 Make-up students from Harrow College took part in the Behind the Scenes Fashion, Stage and Screen Make-up Artistry Competition, at the college’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Thursday 26 November.

They were joined by Level 3 students from nearby Oatlands College for the competition.

There were four categories for students to compete in, including fashion editorial precision hair and make-up, fantasy Avant-garde hair and make-up, stage screen character make-up and casualty effects.

Judging the competition were industry professionals and former Harrow College Hair and Beauty students.

Winners received prizes, which included gift vouchers and make-up bags, donated by Charles Fox of Covent Garden and Kryolan Professional Make-up.

The competition was organised by Harrow College lecturer Matthew Johnson.

“I think all the students have done a fantastic job and I couldn’t be more proud. They really are a talented group of students,” said Johnson.

Full list of winners below:

Fashion editorial precision hair and make-up

• Megan Green (1^st prize)

• Lois Dennison (2^nd prize)

• Surachyya Limbu (3^rd prize)

Fantasy Avant-garde hair and make-up

• Cindy Brown (1^st prize)

• Anum Waseem (2^nd prize)

• Lily Harrison-Wright (3^rd prize)

Stage screen character make-up

• Chloe Berryman (1^st prize)

• Paisley Heaslip (2^nd prize)

• Jodie Griffiths (3^rd prize)

Casualty effects

• Elizabeth Parker (1^st prize)

• Isabelle Thorpe (2^nd prize)

• Charlotte Barnet (3^rd prize)

Harrow College is proud to announce that it has been re-certified by the Carbon Trust for carbon reduction year on year.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, the college has achieved a 15.3% reduction in CO₂ emissions in 2014, against emissions made in 2013.

The college was awarded an assessment score of 88% for responding to climate change.

Harrow College will continue to reduce its carbon footprint by encouraging staff and students to turn off lights when leaving a room, reduce heating where possible, printing less and switching off computers and other appliances when not in use.

Harrow College was one of the first general FE college to achieve the Carbon Standard and in 2012 was shortlisted for a Times Educational Supplement FE award for Outstanding Practice in Sustainability.

Judith Abbot, finance and resources director at Harrow College, said: “I am delighted that Harrow College has achieved this re-certification from the prestigious and highly respected Carbon Trust. We were the first general FE college to achieve this standard. This recertification reflects our continued commitment to sustainability, a personal passion of mine, and also shows our effective utilisation of scarce resources. This benefits us all in terms of reducing carbon emissions to mitigate climate change and by saving money which can be reinvested to provide better facilities for our students.”