Award ceremony recognises College’s commitment to Student Carers

Staff from the @BordersCollege Student Advice team recently attended a virtual award ceremony, aimed at celebrating their achievement of the Going Further for Student Carers’ Award.

The award recognises the College’s commitment to supporting Student Carers throughout their studies.

Just the third college in Scotland to receive the accolade, they were praised in their response to the recommendations set out by Carers Trust Scotland in ensuring that supports, services and policies remain inclusive to carers of all ages. 

Jen MacKenzie, Student Services Team Lead and Care Aware Coordinator at Borders College, who worked on the award, said: 

“We were delighted that our work on the award was acknowledged at the recent ceremony. We wanted to ensure our Student Carers are supported throughout their Learner Journey, and this award allows us to ensure that we adopt an organisation-wide approach in which Student Carers feel empowered to achieve their aspirations.

“It has been great working with Carers Trust Scotland on achieving this.”

The Going Further for Student Carers Recognition Award aims to make it easier for Scotland’s 27 colleges to identify, support and report on student carers, and recognise good practice.

Head of Student Services Clare Nairn commented:

“As a team, we are very proud of this recognition. I would like to give a special mention to Jen MacKenzie for her commitment and motivation towards ensuring that our support for Student Carers and our other vulnerable groups of students are at the forefront of what we do. Well done!”

Launched on 14 March 2019, this award incentives and encourages colleges to adopt a sustainable and whole institution approach.   

Amy Copsey, Development Officer for Further and Higher Education at Carers Trust, commented: 

“We were very impressed with Borders College Student Carer Policy, the implementation of tools such as the Facebook group for Carers as another tool facilitate engagement and the various other methods they have in place to identify and support Student Carers. 

“We have personally enjoyed working with Borders College on the award and the team at Carers Trust look forward to our continued partnership.”