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Meet the new college principal for SRC Bede Sixth Form whose aim is to help young people of Billingham to start dreaming big

Raising the aspirations of young people in Billingham and beyond is the big plan for Ben Robinson. And as the new principal of SRC Bede Sixth Form, it seems he is well placed to deliver.

Tomorrow the college is holding its first open evening of the academic year and Ben is looking forward to getting his positive message out to the community.

“I am passionate about ensuring we can provide the best chances to the young people of Billingham and surrounding areas to give them the opportunities they deserve,” he said.

“There is sometimes a tendency that in this area young people just don’t set their aspirations high enough and truly believe what they are capable of achieving. At the college we want to inspire everyone to aim higher. A growth mind-set is key to how we inspire the young people who put their trust in us.”

A Billingham lad himself, Ben is no stranger to the area where he has now chosen to raise his own family.

With a passion for Teesside, he said: “As a region it sometimes doesn’t get the credit and investment it deserves and it is vitally important young people, our future workforce, realise the employment opportunities in the multitude of sectors in the Tees Valley.”

Keen to create and support opportunities for upward social mobility in the region, he said: “I see SRC Bede as a stepping stone to outstanding futures. We want to give students the best opportunities to progress to the most competitive universities and employment opportunities.”

“I have already inherited a college where 98% of students progressed to positive destinations in 2017-18. This included Russell Group universities, such as Oxford, Durham and Lancaster, and full-time employment with large Tees Valley companies such as PD Ports.”

To deliver that change in aspirations and also then see those young people go on to reach their potential he said: “It takes resilience, it is about being able to overcome barriers and having the right focus and attitude, that is what will make students successful in the long run, and that is what we can give them.”

The new campus principal is also a firm believer in the benefits of collaboration, working with local employers and surrounding schools to benefit both the students and the wider area.

He said: “Being part of Stockton Riverside College’s wider group gives us numerous advantages. For example, we are launching an innovative programme for future engineers in collaboration with NETA Training’s Lustrum site, the college’s £1.1m facility that houses a wind turbine and offshore drill simulator.

“This will give our students skills and experience that most on academic programmes of study would not have access to and give them a competitive advantage in their next steps, whether that be higher education or employment.”

Already the sixth form college has announced a range of new courses, including vocational courses in Criminology and Creative Media and A levels in Government and Politics and Theatre Studies, adding to the current provision and providing a greater diversity of subjects.

As a keen sportsman who as a youth played with Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forrest, as well as playing national league basketball with Tees Valley Mohawks, Ben is also keen to encourage up and coming sporting talent.

He said: “As a youngster for me it was a choice of one or the other, I either pursued sport or I took the academic route. I went with the educational route, but now I am a firm believer you can do both.”

Ben sits on the national management group for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), a Sport England funded partnership between talented athletes, education institutions and national governing bodies of sport.

“For 2019-20 SRC Bede will have the academic flexibility in place to ensure talented young athletes can excel within the classroom whilst coping with the high demands of their associated sports.”

He added: “College is about more than turning up for lessons, it should be a lifestyle. Our curriculum destination driven and we want to give our students the competitive advantage.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Marie Turbill .