College News

9th November

Police Officers head back to class with Solihull College

Police and Community Support Officers based at Birmingham Airport headed back to class recently to take part in a unique Solihull College programme.

The group of six officers are the first to take part in the brand new ‘Conflict Resolution’ course which has been designed, written and delivered by a tutor from the College’s Skills for Life team – which works with adults aged 19 and over to help them develop the skills they use in everyday life.

The course focuses on enhancing the specific language and communication skills needed to prevent and effectively deal with conflict situations and also provides learners with a Level Two qualification in English.

The group has been attending weekly classes - made up of role play, group discussions and theory, for the last eight weeks. After their final class earlier this week, they attended a ceremony at Birmingham Airport where they were presented with certificates to mark their achievement.

Police Officers Stefan Bird and Dave Price are among the first group and are full of praise for the programme: “The course has exceeded our expectations and built a good foundation for future learning. We’ve gained a better insight into how different communication techniques can affect conflict situations which is great because this is something we face on a day to day basis. It’s enhanced the skills that we already use in our role and we’d recommend it to anybody who works with the public.”

The College will continue to work with Birmingham Airport to roll out the bespoke course to other employees.

Solihull College Tutor Jan Pra who delivers the programme said: “The learners were extremely committed and enthusiastic and each person took away something they can use to their advantage. Conflict is something with which many people have to deal when working with members of the public. The main objective of the course is to develop personal awareness, understand and manage own feelings and develop strategies to manage difficult situations.”

Solihull College works closely with employers to deliver a range of bespoke training programmes to workforces across the region.

Solihull College offers business training across Birmingham, the West Midlands, Walsall, Warwickshire, Coventry, Wolverhampton, and all across the UK