Portland gets a taste of Barnsley

Students and staff from Barnsley College’s (@barnsleycollege) Learning for Living and Work department welcomed visitors from Portland College, Mansfield.

Portland is a specialist college, residential care provider and Centre of Excellence for Autism. Their education and care programmes focus on three themes: independence, health and well-being and employability.

The Passport to Portland event encouraged students from both colleges to take part in networking, communicating and teamwork by playing classic board games and enjoying Christmas Lunch. The students also investigated what socialisation was like before and during the pandemic, and the risks this had to mental health and sexual exploitation.

Nicola Thomson-Dewey, Head of Access to Learning at Barnsley College said:

“We have thoroughly enjoyed having our Portland visitors in College and it has been a really useful opportunity to share ideas. This was a wonderfully practical way of opening up the world and developing communication skills for our students. We look forward to visiting Portland College in the future.”

The Learning for Living and Work department supports students with learning disabilities or difficulties to prepare them for independent living or supported employment. For more information about our Learning for Living and Work courses visit www.barnsley.ac.uk/lflw or email [email protected].