Newcastle College Named Ambassador for Youth Social Action

Newcastle College is delighted to announce that it will be a Youth Social Action (YSA) ambassador college as part of a unique social action programme, in partnership with the Pears Foundation and Association of Colleges.

YSA sees students participate in activities that impact their college and the local community while developing their skills for the future.

This is the second phase of this initiative: the first phase saw apprentices complete their Level 3 Youth Social Worker qualification in 2022. Throughout their course, they collectively engaged 10,870 students in youth social action and built relationships with 424 local organisations and 118 national partners. This meant that around 18,496 members of the community benefited from their work.

Newcastle College will recruit eight youth social action ambassadors to lead on planning, delivering and evaluating a social action project for the year. The ambassadors will encourage their peers to participate in their chosen project, develop their employability skills, all whilst giving back and support the local community.

Jon Ridley, Principal of Newcastle College said: “As an anchor institution in the heart of the North East we play an important role in our local and regional community.  We provide vital skills training for the current and future workforce and we are committed to social action helping the residents and businesses of Newcastle and the Newcastle city region. It’s why we are delighted to be a Youth Social Action Ambassador College enhancing the social skills and community awareness of students, preparing them to play an important positive role in our communities.

“Developing student’s social skills and community awareness is also an important part of ensuring they’re prepared for their future.”

Social action and community work is one of the five principles of the NCG Guarantee, which provides all Newcastle College students with a range of opportunities for personal and professional growth. This distinctive pledge, sponsored by City & Guilds gives every student access to additional activities, resources and initiatives centred around five core principles to help them achieve their ambitions and career goals.

Students’ achievements in these areas are recognised through the awarding of badges, which validate the practical and personal skills students develop during their time at Newcastle College, or another of NCG’s seven colleges. The badges enhance students' employability and help them stand out in the competitive job market. The five principles are: