Good Citizen Award Launches for Sheffield College students

A new pilot award scheme that recognises students’ contribution to their communities and develops skills for work and life has been launched by The Sheffield College.

The Good Citizen Award encourages full-time students, aged 16 to 18, to achieve a high rate of attendance and punctuality at the College and to complete work experience and volunteering to enhance their employment prospects.

The new scheme comprises three levels: platinum, gold and silver. Students awarded the highest level, platinum, must complete at least 51 hours of work experience and 15 hours of volunteering during the academic year. 

As part of the scheme, students also need to demonstrate reliability, organisational and employability skills, respect and helpfulness to others and an understanding of British values.

Neil Wilkinson, Head of Student Experience at The Sheffield College, said:

“This is an exciting new pilot scheme that will help our students go further and contribute to society.”

He added: “They’ll learn about the positive impact they can have in their communities and develop the personal and professional skills that are highly valued by employers. This will help set them apart when they are applying for apprenticeships, jobs and the next level course at college or university.”

Business student Anna Jones, 16, said:

“I think the Good Citizen Award is a great idea to help teens get involved with the community and have something to work towards. I feel it will offer great opportunities and be very rewarding for those who take part.”

Amanda Kings, Head of Contact Centre, Lloyds Banking Group, said:

“We are delighted to work with The Sheffield College to provide bespoke support to students who will be taking their first step from education into employment. Ensuring that young people in Sheffield have prosperous careers is really important to us and we want to ensure that we recruit local people and local talent.”

She added: “In Sheffield alone, Lloyds Banking Group have around 700 employees and this means that Lloyds Bank is one of the top 10 employers in Sheffield. Lloyds Banking Group have a commitment to Help Britain Prosper and as part of our prosper plan, one of our main focuses is to support local communities. We are particularly keen to support in education and skills for young people.”

The Good Citizen Award was launched at the College’s City campus on Granville Road, earlier this term on September 13th. Guest speakers included Lloyds Banking Group staff and Nancy Fielder, Editor of The Star, who spoke to students about the benefits of planning ahead and getting the skills employers need.

For more information about the next open days on October 25th and November 21st, call 0114 2602600.