Scarborough TEC supports students to retrain following Covid-19 pandemic

Colleges play an important role in our communities and as we celebrate Colleges Week 2020, Scarborough TEC highlights the ways colleges are supporting people who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Samantha Jennings, 44, returned to education when she realised during the lockdown that she could put her skills to good use by retraining and getting a qualification in Business & Enterprise.

Samantha explained: “I have suffered from Fibromyalgia and ME and during the lockdown I was helping my children to learn from home. I realised that helping them had really inspired me to want to do something that was putting my brain to good use.

“I’d previously studied for a qualification in Hairdressing but I wanted to move into a management role and I when looked at Scarborough TEC’s prospectus I knew straight away that Business & Enterprise was something I wanted to do.

“I’d thought about going into Business and Finance but I now have a couple of ideas for businesses that I think could do really well in this area.”

Returning to education can be daunting at first but Samantha quickly realised that Scarborough TEC has a diverse population of students, from different backgrounds and of different ages, and she quickly settled in.

“My tutor has been brilliant.” Samantha continued: “I’m really enjoying it and I’ve made some lovely friends already. I’m feeling very positive about the future and I really want to continue in education.

“It’s been really hard with Covid, but the staff are so supportive and there js a lot of smart technology.  You can see that the college has put a lot of money and effort into supporting students.

“I would have loved for my eldest son to have come to a college like this.  They help you grow and give you a sense of independence and confidence that you will get to where you want to be.”

Another student, Jordan Langford, was born in Scarborough and has seen a successful career in entertainment, having performed in the West End; in shows such as ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ and ‘Angels, Punks and Raging Queens’, and on TV, Film and in concerts and shows across Europe.

When the Covid-19 pandemic abrubptly halted his career earlier this year, Jordan realised the time had come to pursue an alternative passion he had for education, as Jordan explained:

“I’ve always wanted to go into teaching and education as there were a lot of teachers who inspired me when I was younger. Throughout my career I have taught classes as a sideline and then Covid-19 hit and, where I’d been booked for up to 18-months in advance for Directing and Choreographing, it all just stopped.”

Jordan saw a chance to refocus his career and applied to study for a Certificate in Education at Scarborough TEC where he is also undertaking a placement with the Performing Arts team.

Jordan continued: “It seemed like the right time to take the opportunity and I’m really enjoying it. The facilities at Scarborough TEC are fantastic and the course is really interesting; it’s very political and cultural, it’s made me feel smart again!”