Current and Alumni Learner Stories
Current Learner Stories
"Yes I love it!"
"The staff help me a lot with what I want to do in the future. They help others and myself to settle into college, learn and do other events."
"Relationships, friendships, safeguarding, road safety and being safe in the community. I like going on trips."
"Yes - I did cooking and serving customers at the food bank."
"I would like to try out for the football team. I'm a member of the Learner Leadership Team, I was last year and again this year."
"I like to go to lots of places like the cafe, I've been to New Street Station, Swan Shopping Centre and to the City Centre on the bus."
Jake - joined HBVC in September 2024
"I do"
"My friends, going on work placement at BARK, sharing my ideas and thoughts, I enjoy being part of the Learner Leadership Team."
"Maths and English, general knowledge, life skills, sex ed, employment skills, travel training, cooking and drama."
"I do - BARK, but I've done others before, like Museum Collections, Change Kitchen and the Alpaca Farm."
"I am part of the Learner Leadership Team, the LGBTQ+ group, and was part of a Natspec event representing HBVC."
"I've been to lots of places like the cat cafe, star city, the German Market, the train station, the city centre and parks."
Dylan - joined HBVC in September 2023
"Sometimes"
"Seeing my friends. I like being at the Priory"
"How to be safe in the community. Lots of Maths, Employment. I do the Horticulture Programme"
"I work at Tesco, I was stacking shelves."
"I am part of the Learner Leadership Team."
"I have been to the library, bowling, the park and the shopping centre."
Melissa - joined HBVC in September 2024
Arman - joined HBVC in September 2022
"I do like being at college, I like it a lot but I don't like getting up in the morning!"
"I like my class, teachers, work placement, seeing my friends. Better to be at college than at home."
"ILS, exercise, English, go into the community, go to the gym, go to the cinema and bowling"
Yes - I go to Tesco twice per week"
"I have been part of the Learner Leadership Team but I'm not a part of it this year"
"We go to the gym, cinema, bowling, Temple, Gurdwara, museum for dinosaurs, the park, Cannon Hill"
Alumni Stories
"Before I started at HBVC in September 2020, the reason I decided to join HBVC college because I wanted to gain knowledge of independent living skills that I could put to use in the future and build an understanding about full time employment.
In the first year when I started, I was based at HBVC at Bromford and for my second and third years I was at Redditch doing Sports and Education. I learnt a number of topics such as Employment and Community Inclusion, but I really enjoy the sports part of the course. I learnt about the human body and healthy eating, and this helped me get into the college football team. I also worked as a kit person on Wednesdays for the Redditch United academy teams. I can now use the washing machine independently which was a great achievement.
I really enjoyed the trips that we went on, working with my peers for activities such as shopping and accessing public transport. I loved my time at the college, completing work and building professional and personal friendships."
Usman has since become an employee of Heart of Birmingham Vocational College, working as part of the admin team, and now expanding his skills to become a Support Coach in the classrooms at our Redditch site.
Usman - graduated July 2024
"Before I started at HBVC in September 2018, I was expecting my time here not to go very well, I even thought I was going to leave after week 2! But with help from my Tutor, Learning Coaches and Pastoral Coaches, in fact all the staff at this college have been amazing. They even supported me after leaving school 1 week before my planned date and after losing 2 grandparents in the space of 3 months, plus with some familiar faces from some of my past schools.
Everyone at HBVC have been and still are amazing. They are very understanding to each individual and are still helping us ready for the future. An example of this is being out and about more and getting even more steps with college, better than when I was at school.
Keep it up everyone."
Ci - graduated July 2021
