30th January 2018
- South Devon College awarded ‘Champion College’ status by National Citizen Service (NCS), as a result of their commitment to the youth programme.
- 630 schools and colleges across the country have been recognised as Champions.
- Almost 400,000 students have taken part in NCS since 2011, with recent research showing that it improves outcomes for the teens who take part, including increased likelihood of getting into university.
National Citizen Service (NCS) has awarded ‘Champion College’ status to South Devon College who have been recognised alongside schools and colleges across the country for their commitment to, and work with, the flagship youth programme. The award of Champion College status has been given to those educational institutions that have exceeded expectations in promoting the programme as well as recruiting students to take part.
Open to all young people, regardless of circumstances or additional needs, NCS focuses on three core principles of social cohesion, social engagement and social mobility, all of which have benefits not just to the participants but to communities and society as a whole.
Matthew Harbour, Vice Principal Curriculum, Quality and Performance at South Devon College said: “NCS provide excellent personal development opportunities for young people. It is a great initiative that has supported our learners to enhance their CVs for college, work and life. We look forward to continuing to work closely with NCS to give many more of our learners the chance to get involved.”
L-R Scott Briggs (NCS), Sophie Moore (Student Liaison at South Devon College) Sam Daymond (NCS), Matthew Harbour (Vice Principal at South Devon College) alongside Faith Gillson (student), Bess Ashworth (student), Dan Roberts (student) and Jo Dance (Tutorial & Learner Progress Manager at South Devon College)
Earlier this year, a social impact report using data from UCAS revealed that young people who take part in NCS are significantly more likely to get into university. Higher education participation rates for NCS grads was on average 12% higher than for non-NCS graduates, and there was an almost 50% increase in higher education participation for the most disadvantaged young people.
Michael Lynas, CEO of NCS Trust said: “We work closely with schools and colleges across the UK to ensure everyone is aware of the fantastic benefits their students can enjoy by taking part in NCS. Subsequently, a proportion of these schools take the partnership to the next stage, encouraging as many students as possible to take part.
This is helping embed NCS within local communities across the UK, making it the rite of passage it should be for young people everywhere. Everyone who takes part has the opportunity to develop new skills, meet new friends from different schools, and gain the confidence they need to be successful in life and work.”
Anna Cole, Parliamentary Specialist, Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), added: “NCS offers young people fantastic opportunities to challenge themselves, explore new horizons, meet people from all walks of life and in the process gain new and transferable skills, maturity and confidence. ASCL highly recommends all school and college leaders embrace the chance for their students to get involved. Together we can help prepare and develop young people for the future.”
For more information on the National Citizen Service at South Devon College, please email: [email protected]
