Harrison College Partner with Doncaster Knights – Doncaster Knights (drfc.co.uk)

Harrison College Partner with Doncaster Knights

We are pleased to welcome Harrison College as one of our newest club partners.

The Doncaster based specialist business and employability college has joined the Knights as a club partner with a main aim of mutually beneficial work placements at Castle Park.

Principal Gemma Peebles, who established the college just over three years ago, is excited by the prospect of the partnership.

“We have chosen to build a partnership with Doncaster Knights during this season as the focus of their business development strategy is to support and grow the impact on, and involvement of the college in sport, wellbeing and the community. Doncaster Knights have family and the community at the heart of the club, and it is a natural fit for the college.

“Harrison College is proud to sponsor Ehize Ehizode, who has aspirations of working in education and will provide a fantastic male role model to many of the young men at the college.

“The partnership will allow students to gain valuable experience in sport and hospitality in key functions of the business and build on their entrepreneurial skills and expertise. We are excited to see where the partnership will take us and the impact on our young people and community.”

Harrison College is the only provider of education for post-16s with additional needs where the focus is on internships, employment and works skills. The college was announced as the Yorkshire and Humber regional winner in the British Chamber of Commerce 2021 Annual Awards.

Elliott Horan, Head of Commercial, stated: “To bring in a nationally recognised college to Doncaster Knights and with two impeccable students to start on our work placement programme, I’m very excited to have this partnership underway.

“Gemma and Mike have built a superb platform for their students and a great place to work for their staff, but they also recognise the importance of sports in the City of Doncaster and that’s why they’ve joined our commercial network at the Knights.

“We both plan to grow and nurture this partnership, as we look to push for the Premiership and bring the very highest calibre of rugby to Doncaster.”

The college has grown from three students on roll in 2019 to more than 60 by the beginning of the new term in September 2022, with their cohort hailing from across South, West and North Yorkshire, Doncaster, Sheffield, Rotherham and Wakefield.

The college’s success includes the specialist business and enterprise college’s selection as winner of the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce Business Start Up of the Year Award 2021, sponsored by Orb Recruitment.

This year, the accolades have continued with the college being awarded the title Specialist College of the Year in the Corporate Livewire Prestige Awards 2022, NASEN 16-26 provision 2022 and Doncaster Chamber of Commerce Business Awards SME of the Year and Success through Partnerships Award 2022.

Principal Gemma Peebles said of the double award: “The whole team at Harrison College is delighted to have been recognised in this way. Our student-centred approach provides the best opportunities for young people who may be disenfranchised from traditional education or whose needs simply are not being met elsewhere.

“Our ethos is that a young person’s learning need or disability shouldn’t hold them back. Our dedicated team recognise these students have a lot to offer and we, together with supportive local employers, can help them pursue their dreams and succeed as young adults.

“For many of our students, this is the first time they have been happy in a learning environment; it is the first time they have made friends and they feel happy, safe and want to come to college and learn.”

“Our college is a special place. We are constantly driven by the progress we witness in students who arrive often desperately lacking self-esteem but leave proudly showcasing their new-found confidence and skills to become valued members of the local workforce.”