How Prior Pursglove built employability skills through Vocational Studies

Success Story

Students from the Endeavour SEND department at Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College have demonstrated how learning can be transformed when education is connected to real-world experiences. Learners aged 16–24 took part in an ambitious environmental conservation programme delivered by the course tutor, Helen Beadnall and support assistants Ashleigh McNamara, Jade Rogers, Rachel Griffin, and Hannah Kennedy. Using Gateway Qualifications Vocational Studies qualifications at Level 1 as a framework, the programme helped students develop communication, employability and volunteering skills through meaningful activities that benefited both the learners and their local community.

If you support learners who benefit from practical, community-based learning and want to develop communication and employability skills through meaningful activities, get in touch.

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At a glance

Centre

Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College, Endeavour SEND department

Qualification

Gateway Qualifications Vocational Studies qualifications at Level 1

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The challenge

Creating meaningful opportunities for learners to develop communication, employability and volunteering skills beyond the classroom

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The solution

Embedding qualification delivery within real-world conservation, volunteering and community projects

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The result

Learners developed confidence, independence and employability skills while gaining recognition from local organisations, award schemes and the BBC

"The qualification gave Helen the structure she needed to assess learners and identify their competencies and skills. It also gave her the freedom to create something she felt was really special for them locally."

Mandy Smith

Learners develop practical employability skills through conservation work

The challenge: developing employability and communication skills through meaningful experiences

Learners in the Endeavour SEND department at Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College benefit from opportunities to develop practical skills that prepare them for life, volunteering and future employment. The teaching team wanted to move beyond classroom-based activities and create experiences that would allow learners to apply communication, teamwork and employability skills in genuine workplace and community settings.

The aim was not only to support learners in achieving qualifications, but also to help them build confidence, independence and a stronger sense of connection to their local community. To achieve this, course tutor Helen Beadnall and support assistants Ashleigh McNamara, Jade Rogers, Rachel Griffin and Hannah Kennedy developed an ambitious environmental conservation programme that combined qualification delivery with volunteering, community engagement and coastal conservation.

The solution: using Vocational Studies qualifications to support real-world learning

Gateway Qualifications Vocational Studies qualifications at Level 1 provided the framework for a programme that enabled learners to develop skills through practical experiences rather than solely through classroom activities.

The flexibility of the qualification allowed communication, employability and volunteering skills to be assessed through projects that mattered both to learners and to the wider community.

SEND learners take part in environmental volunteering activities

Bringing communication skills to life

Rather than learning communication skills solely in the classroom, learners were given the opportunity to apply them in authentic workplace settings.

Students researched and applied for a genuine volunteering role as a Sea Watch Observer with Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. They completed application letters, prepared for interviews and participated in formal interviews conducted by Olivia Dunn from Tees Valley Wildlife Trust.

To ensure every learner could participate successfully, the interview process was adapted to meet individual needs, including the use of communication boards for non-verbal students.

This approach gave learners valuable experience of recruitment processes while helping them build confidence and develop workplace communication skills in a supportive environment.

Learners develop practical skills by building community planters

Making a difference through conservation and volunteering

Following their successful interviews, learners joined The Junction and Tees Valley Wildlife Trust’s All Our Futures project and became active volunteers.

Working on Rosecroft Fields in Loftus, learners:

Created a native wildflower meadow
Conducted moth and species surveys
Built bird and owl boxes
Constructed community planters containing British herbs and fruits
Produced artwork for visitor information displays

These activities enabled learners to develop practical skills while making a visible contribution to biodiversity and the local environment.

Learners launch Beach Library to reduce waste on the coastline

Protecting local blue spaces

The project expanded further through the Blue Influencer programme, led by Keri Gymer and The Junction and funded by the Ernest Cook Trust.

Learners explored local coastal environments through a range of conservation activities, including:

Kittiwake population surveys
Cetacean watching and marine wildlife identification
Beach litter picks
Investigating coastal conservation challenges such as ghost netting and marine pollution

One beach clean-up inspired an innovative community project. After discovering large numbers of abandoned buckets, spades and beach toys, learners designed and built a series of Beach Library boxes. Installed at Redcar, Saltburn and Skinningrove, the boxes allow visitors to borrow, use and return donated beach toys, helping to reduce waste while encouraging reuse and community sharing.

SEND learners create Beach Library through Vocational Studies project

The results: confidence, skills development and community recognition

The project delivered far more than a qualification.

Learners developed confidence, independence and communication skills through real-world experiences while working alongside conservation professionals, volunteers and members of the public. For many students in the Endeavour department, the programme provided opportunities to demonstrate strengths that may not always be visible in a traditional classroom environment.

The Gateway Qualifications Vocational Studies qualifications gave staff the flexibility to assess learners through meaningful activities rather than standalone classroom tasks.

The qualification gave Helen the structure she needed to assess learners and identify their competencies and skills. It also gave her the freedom to create something she felt was really special for them locally.

Mandy Smith

Because assessment was embedded within genuine volunteering and conservation work, learners were able to demonstrate their skills naturally while tutors gathered evidence aligned to qualification requirements.

Many learners became so engaged in the project that qualification achievement became a by-product of activities they genuinely enjoyed and valued.

Recognition beyond the classroom

The impact extended beyond the learners themselves.

The Beach Library initiative received coverage from BBC News, highlighting the learners’ creativity and positive contribution to their local community. In the article, Helen Beadnall described the community response as “heartwarming“.

The project also attracted interest from other organisations interested in working with the learners on future community initiatives.

In recognition of their achievements, the class received honours through the Junction Heart Awards, with several learners also receiving individual awards celebrating their resilience, volunteering and personal contribution to the project.

Read the BBC story about the Beach Library project

What this could mean for your learners

At Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College, practical conservation activities became a powerful vehicle for developing communication, employability and volunteering skills.

By embedding assessment within meaningful community projects, learners were able to build confidence, demonstrate their abilities in authentic settings and achieve recognised qualifications while making a genuine difference to their local environment.

We can support similar approaches through qualifications that provide the flexibility to shape learning around your learners, your community partnerships and the opportunities available in your area.