News: Supported learning students host their annual Christmas fair

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Students from our Entry Level 2 and Level 1 courses at our Basford Campus have come together for their annual Christmas fair.

Over the past few weeks our learners have been getting creative and have designed and made a range of festive items under the guidance of their tutors. The aim of the Christmas fair is to allow the students to put a range of skills into practice, from teamwork and money handling to planning, customer service and enterprise skills, enabling them to increase their confidence, work together as a team and develop range of transferable skills.

Our Entry Level 2 is a Supported Learning course that teaches valuable skills for everyday life and independent living. Students study English, maths, ICT, personal and social development, independent living, and employability skills, plus a range of vocational elements such as art and design and enterprise.

For Gina, Harrison and Alex, the Christmas Fair was a chance to have fun, get creative and interact with students and staff from outside of their course.

I’ve enjoyed working together with my classmates as we all help each other and work as a team. In the future I want to have my own business making and selling cakes. The Christmas Fair has been good practice as I’ve had the chance to deal with money and talk to customers.
— Gina

I’ve really enjoyed working on things for the fair, my whole class has worked really hard and I’m having a really great day. It’s been fun to help and try different jobs such as handling money and serving customers. I chose to come to college as I thought it would be the best option for me. I’m making new friends and I’m learning a lot of new things that are giving me the confidence to think about applying for jobs in the future.
— Harrison

I have enjoyed making things in lessons and having the chance to sell them today. One of my favourite things has been the chance to talk to lots of new people. I love coming to college because my tutors are all really nice and very supportive, I like that they encourage me to try new things.
— Alex

Zubia Haque, Level 1 Employability Lecturer, helped the learners to organise the event. Under the guidance of her and other tutors, the students have spent the past few weeks preparing for the fair.

“The Christmas Fair is one of many events and activities we help our students to organise and it is one of the highlights of the year for me. The event allows students to show their more practical skills and make a variety of items to sell. It links to many of our units including Health and Safety, Customer Service Skills, Setting up an Enterprise and Producing a Product.

“This year I wanted to stick with the theme of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. We have upcycled baubles, reused glass bottles and used natural wooden discs for tree decorations. We were also donated some wool which was left over from previous projects which we have turned into pompom wreaths. During practical sessions, the students learn some new skills and can display skills they already have.

“When it comes to the actual Christmas fair, they use Customer Service Skills, money management skills, teamwork skills and organisational skills.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to help them build their confidence, put a range of transferable skills into action.”