Flagship Award Certificate

Harrison College, Doncaster, has been awarded the ‘flagship award’ by the Skills Builder Partnership.

The partnership is a global social enterprise and network of more than 1,000 organisations which unites schools, colleges, employers and non-profit bodies with a shared mission to ensure everyone builds the essential, transferable skills needed to thrive in education and work.

Harrison College was founded six years ago by leading educationalist Gemma Peebles as an alternative to traditional sixth form or further education college. Based in a small, professional environment on a business park, the college maximises the potential of all its students. Studies focus on preparing young people for adult life, encompassing essential skills for work, internships, project based learning, social and life skills, with success based on student destinations.

Flagship Status is the top award, reserved for institutions that have shown a continuous commitment to building essential skills. Harrison College was recognised for fully embedding skills development into learning provision and having an impact beyond the institution to influence and develop others’ capacity to build essential skills. The college and partnership have been working together for more than two years on the flagship status initiative, committing to the ongoing provision of an exceptional skills education for their learners. As a result, the college has also become a local hub for skills development, championing the cause and acting as ambassadors for skills development. Gemma, principal of Harrison College, said: “We are thrilled that our work has been recognised in this way and the status will inspire us to work even harder for the benefit of our students. “Our ethos has always been clearly defined; by helping students to learn to lead they inspire themselves and others to do more, learn more and become more; by believing in themselves and all that they are, they learn to understand there is something greater inside them than any obstacles in their way; by achieving, they realise they have the strength of character to believe that no limits can be placed on what they attempt; and they exceed expectations, appreciating boundaries are there to be broken, that dreams are there to be realised.”

Harrison College focusses on students’ futures, ensuring they develop the tools they need to move into adulthood and a prosperous future. The curriculum aims to develop young people with realistic and sustainable career development plans and for all the students to secure the skills and attributes to enter employment at the end of their study programme. The study programme ensures that every learner is supported to achieve their potential and transition successfully into adulthood, employment, or further education. It is built and designed around an evidence-based, employer-endorsed, universal skills framework focusing on the development of eight essential workplace competencies. Literacy and numeracy are embedded into both academic and professional contexts. “Project-based learning is central to the curriculum design,” said Gemma. “Collaborating with a range of business and industry partners, who set or co-design practical projects that reflect real-world challenges and career sector expectations, the learner’s skills development is aligned with project goals and evaluated throughout.” Evaluation and assessment are based on real tasks, such as presentations, products, or portfolios, and provides more accurate insights into student understanding and ability. Students engage in a structured programme of personal and professional development, which is directly linked to essential work-based skills, such as planning, adapting, problem solving, leadership and self-management.

“Every student also participates in ‘meaningful’ internship opportunities tailored to their career goals,” Gemma said. “These offer hands-on experience in the student’s chosen sector, enhanced understanding of workplace expectations, application of classroom learning in a professional context, networking opportunities and potential employment pathways.”