Three Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) staff members are helping a West Yorkshire educational charity celebrate a decade of delivering opportunities to young people in danger of being forgotten by the system.

Marketing Department Careers Coach Vicky Metcalf, and Teaching Fellows Dr Mike Ryder and Anna Wos are Trustees of Motive8 College, in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Vicky is the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Motive8 works with young people who do not thrive in mainstream education. It helps them in a holistic way, providing a bespoke programme of education – from GSCEs on up – skills development and support. The college is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this month.

“It’s a really worthwhile cause, working with young people who don’t always get on well in the school environment,” said Dr Ryder. “These are young people for whom mainstream education doesn’t always work, often from deprived areas. I grew up in a working class background on a council estate in Ramsgate, so to me, access to education, helping people to improve their situation in life, is really important.

“A lot of these young people feel forgotten, they run the risk of getting lost in the system. The aim is to give them some sort of purpose, direction; to help them rediscover themselves. That’s such an important thing for young people.”

Motive8 College students

Motive8 College provides courses in Health and Social Care, Childcare, and Hair and Beauty. They deliver programmes for children aged 14 and up, right through to adult education. In 2020, 70% of their Level 3 students successfully progressed to university.

The three LUMS members of the Board of Trustees each bring their own expertise to Motive8, helping the college beyond the delivery of education.

“The Trustees have all been recruited for our diverse backgrounds and experience,” said Vicky, who as Chair of the Board of Trustees often recruits new members. “We work alongside solicitors, accountants, council members, HR representatives.

“We each support them with our own skills, help to guide the two Directors, Melissa and Moy, with their strategy. They know education, but they will admit they are not accountants, not marketers, not executives. We can give them the experience they can draw on, the connections, the contacts, the insights, to help promote their work and be better at what they do.

“Motive8 has been going for 10 years, and it has done really well. Things are looking really positive for it going forward as well.”

Motive8 College Directors Melissa Simpson (left) and Moy Grange

Motive8 College will be holding a 10^th anniversary event this month to celebrate its success and promote the work they do to help young people across West Yorkshire – with Leeds, Halifax and Huddersfield all within an hour on public transport.

Dr Beth Suttill, from the LUMS Department of Organisation, Work and Technology, will be one of the keynote speakers at the event. Dr Suttill researches NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) young people.

To find out more about Motive8 College, click here: https://www.motive8vc.co.uk/