England football star visits The Manchester College
Manchester City and England midfielder Gareth Barry visited The Manchester College in November to meet with students and staff at the launch of a new partnership project.
The college joined forces with The Big Issue in the North and the Team England Footballers Charity to launch a Social Academy for young adults in Manchester who are homeless, ex-offenders, or experienced with drug and/or alcohol problems.
At the launch Gareth said: 'The Team England Footballers Charity is proud to support the Social Academy. Together we can provide a much needed outlet for disadvantaged young people in the Manchester community and help tackle a variety of social issues. Participants will have the chance to better themselves through football, whether purely participating in activities or gaining qualifications.'
The academy is a ten-week sport and education programme that will work with 20 participants from hostels and other appropriate agencies across the city. The Team England Footballers Charity is funding the project as part of the players’ Outreach Programme set up by the squad to improve opportunities for disadvantaged children and young adults across the country.
The educational element of the programme is being delivered by The Manchester College’s Department of Sport and Recreation. Students will learn ’Key Skills’ that are commonly needed for success in a range of everyday activities including education, training and employment, literacy, numeracy and ICT skills through an accredited NCFE Level 1 in Employment Skills.
Peter Tavernor, principal of The Manchester College said: 'This initiative meets The Manchester College’s inclusive admissions strategy to provide all members of the community with accessible, engaging and innovative curriculum. We are delighted to welcome an elite sportsperson to not only take part in the project, but to see the fantastic sports facilities we have for our students.'
Email to a friend