Riverside Education has continued to enhance the prospects of its students after six learners received Gold Change Maker certificates from its new Online Business Course.
The online course, which is being run in partnership with the University of Northampton, has been launched to raise aspirations and achievements among students from disadvantaged families.
As well as elevating the aspirations of its pupils, Riverside’s College Manager, Simone Kemp, says that the course reaffirms the institution’s commitment to “challenge the perceived normal and ordinary”.
Kemp explained: “To some, these certificates may seem like a trivial achievement, but is huge for our students who have special needs and have never been to a university.”
According to Programme Tutor, Michael Hughes, the new Online Business Course teaches the students many life skills. Apart from learning how to go about starting their own businesses, they also learn to interact with other people safely and respectfully through the Customer Services unit of the course.
Kemp, whose role also encompasses being the safeguarding lead for the college, added that through the course, Riverside wanted to ensure that students ingrain the school’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect into their own businesses should they ever opt to start one.
Through education, Kemp highlighted that young people can learn how to secure their own incomes, make an honest living and steer themselves away from criminality.
She said: “The students are taught to respect their customers and be honest about the product they are selling. Through all this, they will develop a good image for their own business built around integrity.
“In these days of county lines where vulnerable young people like our students are being used by gangs and drug dealers, it is important we teach them to make money in an honest way.”
