Colleges & LFRS Prince’s Trust join forces to embed Eden Project Learning values into training opportunities

Lancaster & Morecambe College (LMC) is pleased to announce that it is working in partnership with Furness College, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service ​​​​​​​Prince’s Trust and Myerscough College to deliver a range of training opportunities which fully embed the Eden Project Learning ethos within the curriculum.

Plans to build a second Eden site in Morecambe were announced last year and Eden Project Learning is committed to supporting training & learning which echo its values of giving back to the community. The development of the Morecambe Bay Curriculum has been led by Professor Robert Barratt, Head of Eden Project Learning,  and this latest partnership will see the colleges offer traineeships across a range of sectors, giving young people the opportunity to gain real work experience with local employers, as well as taking part in crucial, community-based projects. 

Charlotte Rawes, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement at LMC, feels that the embedding of the Eden values and ethos into the traineeship programme will help participants develop key employability skills:

Traineeships offer young people the chance to gain the skills employers are looking for and the added element of community-based projects will enable them to put these skills into practice, for the benefit of others.

Furness College Principal, Andrew Wren, echoed this statement, believing the innovative approach the partners were taking would be an exciting new add on to the curriculum:

Students can choose to undertake a meaningful project which gives back to the community and will be expected to work in groups to achieve this. The traineeships reflect the essence of the Eden Project, which is about giving back to the community.

Working alongside the colleges, The Prince’s Trust (PT) is offering local young people the opportunity to take part in a re-vamped, 12-week programme, which includes a range of team building and personal development activities, culminating in the teams taking part in a community-based project. PT Team Leader, Charlie Brown, is keen to ensure the Eden values are reflected within the programme:

We have adapted this year’s course due to the Covid-19 situation but also to more closely mirror the Eden values and priorities. Taking part in the course provides young people with an opportunity to become more active citizens who will learn how to take responsibility for the local environment and for the communities which they are a part of.

Traineeships can last from 6 weeks up to 12 months and are available across a wide range of sectors, including Engineering, Business, IT, Catering Health & Social Care,
Hair and Beauty. The Prince’s Trust programme runs for 12 weeks and can lead to further training & employment opportunities.