Suffolk New College principal's advice for worried students

Of course there have been challenges, but when you hear about our students achieving great outcomes and receiving awards at events like our annual prizegiving ceremony, it makes me feel proud to work for this fantastic college.

Alan with former T Level student Sam Corneby at the House of Lords. (Image: Suffolk New College)

My approach (as principal) is to lead by example and the overall mission is to create positive educational outcomes for everyone.

We also want to create more engagement with our community, employers and civic partners to give our students additional opportunities.

This time of year is obviously a stressful time for those who are waiting on their results but my advice for those in that situation is to be calm, reach out to us and we will guide you through your options.

Your path to an end destination is never a straight line. There will be bumps and curves in the road but never assume that there is not a pathway for you.

So come and speak to our tremendous team of skilled employees who are ready to give you advice and guidance in relation to your next steps.

Alan at Suffolk New College's annual awards event (Image: Suffolk New College)

Colleges are a great place to learn and whilst some people say that they (further education colleges) are a second rate sixth form – I absolutely refute that notion.

There has been a culture in this country – where people go to school, take their A levels and then go off to university, and there absolutely remains a place for this route for some young people. However, I think that the mindset is changing around vocational and technical education.

The current government skills agenda is recognising the contribution of further education and anyone who works in the sector has known for years that the learners who study at college progress and enter the work place with real working skills that will allow them to make a positive contribution to the economy.

It’s a different type of education but absolutely no less important (than A levels). You only need to speak to our alumni to see how successful you can be if you study at a college.

In terms of our recent investment, we are opening up a brand-new health and science campus in the next few weeks and we launched a Net Zero Skills Centre earlier in the year.

We have also opened a Tech campus within the past few years, an outdoor gym at our Suffolk Rural site in Otley and a farm shop will be launched at Suffolk Rural soon.

We’ve invested significantly in all of our campuses and will continue to do so to ensure our learners have access to outstanding facilities whilst they are with us.

I’ve been asked many times why should people study with us and my answer is that we are a college that is going places and we are a college of opportunity.

And whilst we will give you the skills you need to progress – my message to anyone who is starting a new educational pathway in September with us – or elsewhere – is that you should not just think about the next few years as gaining a qualification.

I’d say that you should immerse yourself in the community, take part in extra-curricular activities, engage with employers, embrace work placements and take advantage of every single opportunity that is available.

If you do that, not only will you leave with a quality qualification, you will also have a full CV that will make you an appealing prospect for any future employer. www.suffolk.ac.uk

Alan Pease is the new principal and chief executive officer of Suffolk New College that has campuses based in Ipswich, Otley, Halesworth and Leiston.