Students working towards certification in life and employability skills, raised cash for charity and future enterprise activities through the event at Uxbridge College’s new training shop.
The shop, named s.mallshop because of the size of the unit and its location in The Mall area of the Uxbridge campus, has been developed with the support of North Uxbridge ward budget. Councillor George Cooper, one of the councillors for the ward, in which the College is located, was a special guest at the recent sale, one of a number held there regularly.
During the event, which ran over two days, the Skills for Independence students sold themed goods they had made themselves, and ran competitions including guessing the number of flying saucers in a jar. A total of £60.36 was raised for Red Nose Day, with £272.85 towards future activities. The students were also given a share of the profits to go towards funding a trip or treat.
Margaret Mosses, Foundation Studies lecturer, said: “The s.mallshop is a great way of supporting enterprise activities and employability skills for our Foundation students and gives them a chance to learn in a professional-style environment. We were very pleased to have Councillor Cooper among our customers, who also included students and staff - we hope he enjoyed his visit and his homemade biscuits!”
The shop is used to support a range of skills taught in the Foundation School through enterprise activities, especially employability skills such as timekeeping, teamwork, health and safety awareness, customer service skills and money handling skills. Each business enterprise is self-financing and profits are put back into the business to buy materials and equipment or make items to be sold at future sales, with a share used for a trip or treat.
During this year at s.mallshop, learners have also raised £273.12 for Children in Need, and £150 for the British Heart Foundation.
