Latest News

Heart of Worcestershire College (HoW College) are delighted to announce that Harrison Ricketts, Student Governor and Ambassador, has been successfully nominated to join the newly formed FE Youth Collective for the Association of Colleges (AoC)!  

The FE Youth Collective is working to build a safe space that allows current college or further education students to speak up about their experiences as a young person in today's world to enable real and relevant discussions and actions. The FE Youth Collective state that they should ‘not be doing anything about them, without them’ which is why they feel it is important to have students talk about their thoughts and experiences to help positively benefit Further Education colleges and institutions.  

There were hundreds of applicants that were put forward for this position and out of those hundreds only 13 colleges were selected, HoW College being one of them. Harrison Ricketts is now one of the 13 students who will form a strong panel of student voices put together by the AoC!  

The 13 chosen students from across the country, including Harrison, will meet monthly throughout the academic year, both virtually and in person, to discuss, share and reflect on the current experiences of being a young person in today's world. 

Stuart Laverick, Principal and CEO at HoW College spoke fondly and proudly of Harrison when submitting his application and stated: 

“As the Principal at Heart of Worcestershire College, I have no hesitation at all in nominating Harrison to be part of The FE Youth Collective. He would be an asset to the group as he shares many of the working values of the FE Youth Collective, values which are very similar to those of our own College. 

Harrison is a very motivated student when it comes to his studies, which are being undertaken at Level 3. He always tries his best, is always accountable and always willing to make an effort. 

In addition, he works part time within the industry that he is studying for.  

Harrison also undertakes a number of extracurricular activities including the Army Cadet Force, NCS Changemakers and NCS Youth Voice Forum. He is also a College Student Ambassador and Student Governor.  By being part of these groups Harrison is developing both his confidence and his transferrable skills.  He is also reliable and keen to take on additional responsibility. 

Joining the FE Youth Collective would be a very positive experience for Harrison.  If selected, he will embrace the role, which he will see as an opportunity to make a positive contribution.  

Harrison would be an asset to the group and would serve it well given his passion and enthusiasm for education.” 

Staff members of the College that teach and work with Harrison also commented: 

“Harrison started with us on the level 3 computing course in September 2021. From the very beginning, Harrison has thrown himself into the spirit of college life. Not only is he an excellent student academically, who strives to achieve the highest grades possible for every task set. but in addition, he embraces the ethos of college life.  

Harrison successfully put himself forward and was duly elected student ambassador for his group. He is actively involved in the student experience programme and aspires to take on more senior roles in the future.  Furthermore, he goes above and beyond our expectations, volunteering for every open event and extra-curricular activity. He constantly pushes himself, keen to increase his knowledge in all areas of the curriculum. Harrison epitomises the values of a HOW college student both in his exemplary attendance as well as his attitude and behaviour.” 

When asked about how he feels about this position and opportunity, Harrison Ricketts added: 

“As a 17-year-old and full-time student, I am really looking forward to just another opportunity for me to enact change within Further Education. I feel that this role has given me more responsibility in ensuring my peers and learners in my area have a voice. I am grateful to the Associate of Colleges for providing a platform for learners across the country, representing a great variety of colleges and sixth forms, to come together and collaborate to identify issues and solutions. I look forward to the future growth of this group and taking part in its   potential!  

I believe that my current and past experiences with representation and governance allows me to effectively articulate areas of development within Further Education identified by myself and my college. In terms of what got me here, interacting with HoW College’s governors and creating good relationships allowed me to up for nomination. However, in terms of personal development, all my voluntary work with the Army Cadet Force, the Nation Citizen Service Trust, The Hive, and STEM Learning (STEM Ambassador) built my transferable skills such as leadership and communication; which led me to pursuing representative roles such as with the Association of Colleges.” 

This is an amazing achievement for HoW College and Harrison Ricketts and will have many benefits for future students and the way further education colleges and institutions are run.