The Department of Education has recently confirmed the new bursary’s available to students that train to teach post-16 this September.
Eligible subjects
| Computing | £30,000 |
| Engineering or manufacturing | £30,000 |
| Mathematics | £30,000 |
| Science, including biology, chemistry, or physics | £30,000 |
| English (capped at 100 places) | £15,000 |
| Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) | £15,000 |
We have a long history of training excellent teachers here at Northern College and in partnership with the University of Huddersfield offer a range of courses.
As a college exclusively for adults we specialise in Lifelong Learning (adults) Teacher Training. Our unique campus, small class sizes and residential option makes us the perfect choice for you.
View our courses below
You can also email advice@northern.ac.uk to speak to our student services team.
Guidance and further information
This guidance sets out the scope, eligibility criteria and application process for further education (FE) initial teacher education (ITE) bursaries for the academic year 2024 to 2025.
These bursaries support the training of FE teachers in high priority subject areas.
They provide funding for trainees before they are employed as a teacher. This information is for providers of FE ITE. There is further information for candidates on bursaries for training to be an FE teacher.
We award the bursaries to trainees based on their:
The bursary amount varies according to the subject in which they train to teach.
Bursary awards are fixed for the duration of the trainee’s ITE programme and are for qualifying ITE courses starting in or after September 2024, and finishing no later than August 2025 (for full-time courses) or August 2026 (for part-time courses).
These bursaries are for teaching in the FE sector only. School teacher training bursaries are also available.
Funding to train while you teach (also known as in-service training) in English, mathematics and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) is available as part of the Taking Teaching Further programme. Bursary funding is not available for those training to teach in-service.
Northern College launched a partnership in collaboration with Calderdale College and Job Centre Plus to recruit students into roles within SEND.
Calderdale College had a range of Learning Support Assistant vacancies and approached Northern to train a group of students to be interview ready and to fill the SEND vacancies within its Inclusive Learning department.
A total of 14 students from Northern College completed a Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) at Calderdale College in Halifax, with a remarkable 11 individuals gaining permanent employment at the college and one securing a role within the Civil Service.
The students undertook an intensive two-week course covering many aspects of education, including safeguarding, EDI and ASD.
Mandy Charlton, Inclusive Learning Manager at Calderdale College, said:
“The partnership working between the two colleges and the job centre was extremely successful and the calibre of candidates was excellent. The intense training programme worked really well and the students had the opportunity to meet me and my team during the process, which helped prepare them for roles and responsibilities for working in a further education college.
“I would recommend this type of collaborative working to any other college looking to fill job vacancies.”
Steph Eyre, Curriculum Manager – Northern College: “It was a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with a Further Education college and utilise the knowledge, skills and experience of our staff which has led to positive outcomes and further career development opportunities for the local community within Calderdale.”
About SWAPS at Northern College
Sector-Based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) helps people who are receiving unemployment benefits prepare for and find jobs in different industries.
For jobseekers, SWAP offers training and work experience in specific fields, making them more qualified for jobs in those industries. It helps them shift careers and improve their chances of landing a job.
Employers benefit too. They get access to a pool of potential employees who are trained and ready to work in their sector. This helps them fill job openings quickly and ensures they have skilled workers for the long term.
So, if you’re on unemployment benefits and want to switch careers, or if you’re a business looking for skilled workers, SWAP might be the solution for you.
To discuss further contact referrals@northern.ac.uk
As we all know, the pandemic set in motion changes across society – the way we work, the way we socialise and the way we learn.
The greater focus on online learning was a necessity during the lockdowns and restrictions and we understand the flexible nature of learning this way – but here at Northern College we champion face-to-face teaching.
We believe, for our students, that in person teaching is the best way to learn and gain qualifications. Face to face learning is an effective way to develop knowledge and skills because it combines different ways of learning including writing, reading, discussion, presentations, projects, group work, film clips, demonstration and practice.
Being based at Wentworth Castle in acres of National Trust grounds and having the residential offer means that you are immersed in the experience even more.
The advantages of Face-to-Face Learning in the classroom
See all our courses and starts dates here.
Fewer Distractions
More Support
Better Results
Face-to-face learning at Northern College
The South Yorkshire Skills Expo is back for a second year, to help businesses in South Yorkshire access £4.2million in skills and innovation funding.
The event will be held at MAGNA Conference Centre in Rotherham on Friday 22 March, 2024, with businesses invited to attend from 9am to hear more about how they can more easily access funded training that will increase productivity and support their growth.
This event will be hosted by Carrie Sudbury, Chief Executive, Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber, who will be accompanied by senior leaders from the local business and skills sectors. The event will discuss how we can work all together to unleash business productivity.
There will also be an opportunity to network with like-minded businesses and make new connections, as well as seek advice from business support agencies.
South Yorkshire is a region of makers but with 80% of the 2030 workforce already in employment, the need for effective learning and development strategies is more important than ever. The event is intended to support regional companies to be the best they can be by training staff to achieve further productivity gains.
With 90% of jobs requiring some level of digital skills within the next 20 years, the MAGNA event will focus on supporting businesses with this challenge.
Employers can access funded training supported by the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) through a network of local skills providers which are the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre, Barnsley College, Doncaster Specialist Communication College, DN Colleges Group, Northern College, RNN Group, Sheffield Hallam University, South Yorkshire Provider Network, and The Sheffield College. The aim of the fund is to encourage employers to work in new ways and get training to where it needs to be as quickly as possible.
Carrie Sudbury, Chief Executive Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber, said: “Reflecting on the South Yorkshire Celebration of Skills Expo 2023, it was a remarkable event that marked the beginning of a closer collaboration between learning providers and businesses. The event spurred a range of positive outcomes for local employers and people within the region.
“As we look forward to the 2024 event, I am excited to build on last year’s success. Let’s continue to make tangible changes across South Yorkshire, unlocking our potential and transforming our businesses through the power of skills and collaboration. See you on the 22nd of March, 2024.”
About:
This event is arranged by South Yorkshire Skills which is funded by the Department for Education Local Skills Investment Fund. This fund is providing over £4m into the region to support employers and provide training that unlocks further productivity gains for employers. South Yorkshire Skills is a collaboration of eight members who are: AMRC Training, Barnsley College, Doncaster Specialist Communication College, DN College Group, Northern College, RNN Group, Sheffield Hallam University, South Yorkshire Provider Network, The Sheffield College. The partnership also works in conjunction with the regional chambers to bring our message to all regional employers.
Keynote Speakers:
Key Event Activity
Networking Opportunities:
Businesses looking to take a stand space at the event can do so free of charge. Stalls are allocated on a first come first served basis. Details can be found by contacting:
Event Details:
Date: 22nd March, 2024
Time: 09:30 – 13:30
Venue: MAGNA Conference Centre, Magna Way, Templeborough, Rotherham S60 1FD.
Registration: Delegates looking to attend can book directly through the EventBrite link provided.
Contact:
For more information or if you would like to take a complimentary exhibition stand, please contact Shane Young: Director of Operation Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber at shane.young@brchamber.co.uk
By Emma Beal, Principal and Chief Executive, Northern College
Returning to education as an adult takes guts. This is particularly the case if you have struggled with and underachieved at school previously.
At Northern College, we understand what a big decision it is to revisit studying later in life and that there are often barriers to overcome.
As the only adult residential college in the North, we have a distinguished history of providing life changing opportunities to hundreds of learners every year.
This week – Colleges Week – is a time for us to celebrate our remarkable adult learning community and the further education (FE) teaching and support staff who inspire our students to achieve.
We want to bang the drum for the FE sector especially the transformational impact of residential adult education, which changes lives.
Education has the power to address geographic and social inequalities as well as urgent skills gaps and shortages that are holding back the local and national economy.
It does this by raising aspirations and providing opportunities for adults to re-train for new careers and become more highly qualified by progressing, for example, to university.
Studying not only changes students’ prospects, it creates an improved sense of wellbeing; this is something that we hear from those in our learning community time and time again.
Despite the many positive benefits of adult education to individuals, communities and the economy, there have been significant funding reductions to college courses for adults.
For example, there were nearly 5.5 million adults enrolled in government-funded further education qualifications in 2004/5 compared to 1.5 million by 2020/21.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ Annual Report on Education Spending in England 2023, this represents a 72% decline.
This week, college leaders are highlighting their top priorities for an incoming government, many of which are encapsulated in the Association of Colleges’ Opportunity England report.
As the report highlights, the poorest adults with the lowest qualification levels are least likely to access adult training despite being the group that benefits the most.
Meanwhile, those who are unemployed struggle to access the education and skills training to get them into good jobs.
This means millions of people are missing out on vital opportunities at a time when employers are crying out for more skilled staff.
We serve a wide geographic community, attracting learners from South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and further afield.
A high proportion of our students are from disadvantaged backgrounds; they may be unemployed and/or have a learning difficulty, disability or health problem.
They often have low self confidence and expectations of themselves because they have struggled, for a wide range of reasons, with studying in the past.
At Northern College, we give equal value to the development of personal wellbeing as well as knowledge and skills.
Learners need to develop the confidence not only to succeed at their education but to take advantage of the future opportunities that studying provides.
In our experience, studying residentially and staying on campus provides an immersive and calm learning experience with fewer distractions. Students find that this improves their concentration, aspirations, motivation, resilience and mindset.
It also helps that our campus is a striking Grade 1 listed building, Wentworth Castle, near Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and set within 60 acres of National Trust gardens.
The short courses that we offer provide a reassuring stepping-stone for students to progress to the next level academic and vocational qualifications. Many of our students are eligible to study for free on some of our courses.
At Northern College, we support the idea of a new statutory right to lifelong learning that includes a universal entitlement to a first full level 3 qualification on a wider range of courses which are in line with local skills needs.
We would also like to see an incoming government commit to greater investment in adult education, addressing real term cuts over the last decade, as well as maintaining appropriate ongoing funding for adult residential study.
Lifelong learning has the potential to enrich so many more people’s lives and enhance their prospects; it deserves to be at the heart of our local communities and economies.
Plans for a new skills and learning centre based on the high street in Stocksbridge – offering multi-purpose educational space for a range of courses took a major step forward this week.
Members of the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board have agreed with the team at Northern College to bring a host of adult education and learning opportunities to the town centre.
The brand new facility will be housed in the Stocksbridge 519 building – a commercial and community hub anchoring the town centre regeneration which is being funded through the Stocksbridge Town Deal.
The agreement between the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board and Northern College outlines the partnership’s joint commitment to delivering better access to a range of adult skills in the town.
The new skills and learning centre will be based on the top floor of the Stocksbridge 519 building planned for Manchester Road. It will sit alongside a range of other facilities including new managed workspace for companies to expand and grow, a modern ground floor library and flexible community space.
The skills hub will allow Northern College to offer courses and opportunities for local people who are looking to re-enter education, gain qualifications for work or make a career change.
Courses will be designed to have as wide an appeal as possible, also linking with the town’s main employers as well as new companies joining the tenant line up at Stocksbridge 519. This is expected to be available from late 2025.
Co-chair of the Stocksbridge Town Deal Board, Miriam Cates MP, said: “We are excited to be working with the excellent team from Northern College on this project. Having access to vocational training and the opportunity to learn new skills is hugely important and we’re really pleased to be able to support this fantastic project.
“The agreement with Northern College sets our plans in motion to have a new educational facility at the heart of the community in Stocksbridge in our newly regenerated town centre.”
Principal and Chief Executive of Northern College, at Wentworth in Barnsley, Emma Beal, said: “The plans for Stocksbridge town centre look great and we are looking forward to being part of the new Stocksbridge 519 building. We’re pleased to be working with the Town Deal Board with a shared vision to make a real difference and bring additional skills and learning opportunities.
“We’ve already started carefully looking at the type of courses that the community would like to see, and we’ll be doing more of that local engagement as the plans and construction work progress on the building.”
The planning application for the Stocksbridge 519 building was submitted in December and it’s hoped that work will start later in the year. The wider town centre plans also include a new Town Square as well as shop front improvements and a major investment in paving and public realm.
Other projects being delivered in the first phase of the Town Deal investment include the Oxley Park Improvement Project, The Stocksbridge Hopper Bus, and grants to make improvements to the facilities at Stocksbridge Rugby Club and Stocksbridge Park Steels.
To keep up to date with news about the Stocksbridge Town Deal visit www.welcometostocksbridge.co.uk
Photograph shows: Miriam Cates MP and Emma Beal from Northern College at the site of the new Stocksbridge 519 Community Hub Building.
About Northern College: Northern College is the only adult residential college in the North of England. Its mission is to inspire positive change through adult education. Focussed on addressing socio-economic disadvantage, the college educates hundreds of adults from South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and beyond every year. The college specialises in education and training for adults who wish to return to education or gain formal qualifications for the first time. Based at the Grade 1 listed Wentworth Castle, near Barnsley, set within 60 acres of National Trust grounds, the college provides short tailored learning courses and longer accredited academic and vocational courses that enable students to progress on to further study, higher education or work. Visit https://www.northern.ac.uk
About Town Deals: The Town Deals programme aims to regenerate towns and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth. This is through investments in urban regeneration, digital and physical connectivity, skills, heritage, and enterprise infrastructure. As of July 2021, DLUHC have offered Town Deals to all 101 places that submitted proposals, committing over £2.35bn of investment across c.700 projects nationwide.
About the Stocksbridge Town Deal: A Town Investment Plan for Stocksbridge was submitted to the Government in January 2021. The chosen projects were selected by the board guided by the key priorities and potential outputs set by the funding guidelines along with the communities’ priorities and concerns highlighted through local consultation.
Northern College is a finalist for a national award that recognises the importance of giving people from all backgrounds the best start in work and life.
Based at Wentworth Castle and set within 60 acres of National Trust grounds, Northern College is the only adult residential college in the North of England.
The college, which educates adults mainly from South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, has been shortlisted in the WorldSkills UK EDI Heroes Awards.
The awards comprise seven categories and honour individuals and organisations that promote inclusive and innovative practices, projects and initiatives.
Northern College is a finalist in the Network of the Year category, linked to its work with community groups and the inclusive ethos that aims to underpin everything it does.
Emma Beal, Principal and Chief Executive, Northern College, said: “We are thrilled to be a finalist in these prestigious awards.
“We have a distinguished history of providing life changing opportunities to hundreds of adult learners every year many of whom have struggled with education previously.”
Northern College, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, works with communities, charities and service providers to develop the skills, confidence, motivation and resilience of adults to:
A significant proportion of students are from disadvantaged backgrounds, are unemployed and have additional learning needs. Some learners left school with few or no qualifications.
At Northern College, students can live on campus in residential accommodation, supported by a specialist adult teaching and support team, and immerse themselves in their studies.
The college offers a range of courses, from entry to higher level programmes, which inspire adults to progress and succeed regardless of their previous experience of education.
In the college’s latest Ofsted report, published in May 2023, inspectors acknowledged that students from disadvantaged backgrounds, who often arrive with low self-esteem, overcome significant personal barriers to develop their skills and confidence.
These students, inspectors noted, improve their resilience and confidence whilst at the college, which enables them to take positive steps towards their long-term goals and aspirations.
The WorldSkills UK EDI Heroes Awards are sponsored by the Skills and Education Group and the University Vocational Awards Council.
The winners will be announced on 7th March 2024 during a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament.
Find out more about our courses and support for adult learners.
On the 31st of January we held a Community Stakeholder workshop that saw attendees from a wide range of services come together to help us understand what courses we can provide.
Guests from services such as Shaw Trust Working Win, DWP, Abdullam, Horton Housing, South Yorkshire Housing, Growth Company, Rotherham MBC Employment Solutions & Human Kind came together to help us not only shape our curriculum but find out the needs of them and their service users.
Working in close partnership with service providers is the only way that we can successfully support those in need across Yorkshire.
‘The event was a great success, allowing a dedicated time for us to collaborate with the local community, hearing their thoughts about how our curriculum can support individuals who access their services to make positive progression whether that be to employment or to grow those softer skills.’
Steph Eyre, Curriculum Manager
The workshop is the first in a series to shape the types of courses we offer to build confidence, improve skills and boost employability.
About us
Based at the grade 1 listed Wentworth Castle within 60 acres of National Trust gardens, the college provides short community courses and academic and vocational qualifications.
Northern College students benefit from learning with other adults, residential accommodation so they can focus on their studies and free access to National Trust gardens.
The college prepares learners to return to education, gain employment or make a career change through residential learning and specialist support.
The college’s new strategy commits to three themes:
The Care Leavers Christmas Dinner is an annual project founded by poet Lemn Sissay MBE, himself a care leaver, the project has grown since first being set up in Manchester in 2013. Northern College was approached to host the Barnsley project Christmas dinner which we were very excited to support. The dinners are organised locally by a steering group, led by Beth Goodliffe (herself a Care Leaver), who come together throughout the year planning and fundraising to ensure that care leavers in Barnsley are not left alone at Christmas.
The dinner was a massive success and we would like to give a massive shout out to Thomas Franks Catering, Frank Bothwell, Steve Rutherford, Darren Marshall for donating, preparing and serving a magnificent Christmas feast. To the volunteers and steering group of Barnsley Care Leavers Christmas dinner for their massive fund-raising efforts to buy/make gifts, wrapping everything up and volunteer on the day.
We are proud to have hosted a fabulous day for our Barnsley young people, a great Northern Christmas! This is how memories are made at Northern College.
Northern College student and mum of three Samantha Thompson takes to the boxing ring to raise money for Papyrus – a suicide prevention charity.
Sam aged 53 from Barnsley who is studying Access to Higher Education, will be competing in Ultra White Collar Boxing Training (UWBC) on December 16th, 2023. She decided to take on this challenge to raise money for a charity close to her heart and get back into fitness for her own mental and physical health.
Ultra White Collar Boxing is a unique opportunity for people with no boxing background to experience the wonderful world of boxing, in a safe and enjoyable environment. Raise money for charity and get in great shape.
“Believe in yourself and never give up!!! 200 children take their own life per year and suicide is the biggest killer of under 35-year-old in the UK. It’s a really important cause especially at this time of year, plus I refuse to fight if I don’t raise enough money for this charity!” Love Sam
Northern College is getting behind Sam and sponsoring her fantastic challenge.
If you would like sponsor Sam visit her Just Giving page below:
Ding, ding!
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