North Hertfordshire College Supported Internship learner Callum Whelan recently enjoyed a visit to Hertfordshire County Hall to find out more about its history and what it’s like to work in politics.
The opportunity came from networks created at NHC’s Community Connect event, arranged by Supported Internship Job Coaches Carlie Dinsdale and Charlotte Mathieson. We welcomed 23 different local organisations to our campus to share information about their services and activities to over 120 of our students who attended. As well as being a chance to network and discover opportunities in the local area, Community Connect also allowed other organisations to peek behind our classroom doors and discover how the College supports students throughout their programmes.
A great example of how this was achieved was through Callum’s presentation session during the event. Callum accepted the offer from his Job Coach, Carlie, to plan, create, and deliver a short presentation session to attendees about NHC’s support for members of the LGBTQ+ community highlighting the different inclusion opportunities and LGBTQ+ clubs and support available to staff and students. We’re pleased to say that Callum’s presentation went really well, with attendees commending Callum’s confidence and speech, and we were all very proud of Callum’s achievement confidently presenting to such a large audience. He also impressed the visiting Local Councillor for Letchworth, Tina Bhartwas, who invited Callum for coffee at Hertfordshire County Council, alongside Carlie and Job Coach Coordinator Helen Galvin, for the opportunity to network and learn more about the council.
Councillor Tina is also keen to work with the College in the future for further events and activities and wanted to discuss the possibilities of future collaborations with the Supported Studies and wider NHC team.
Helen Galvin, Job Coach Coordinator at NHC, is positive about the outcome of this further networking visit. She told us: “We can’t wait to work with Tina in the future and share her knowledge with our students!”
Callum is also enthusiastic about his trip to the County Hall, especially considering his public speaking success at the Community Connect event. He said: “If you believe in politics and democracy, County Hall is the place to go!”
Reflecting on the visit, Councillor Tina Bhartwas commented: “Thanks so much to Callum, Carlie, and Helen for coming to visit and for your enthusiasm. It was really lovely to show you around and share some of our history and democracy.”
Thank you to Councillor Tina Bhartwas for spending the time with our team. We look forward to future collaborations!
To find out more about how North Hertfordshire College engages with the local area, please visit our Community Engagement webpages.