Leeds City College

Leeds City College, part of Luminate Education Group, is calling on its past students to return to college as guest speakers from a range of industries to inspire current learners in considering their future careers.

As the group approaches its milestone of half a million students, the college is encouraging alumni to get in touch to participate in a range of guest speaking events.

Originally formed in 2009, Luminate Education Group brings together a number of secondary, further and higher education institutes in Yorkshire, including Leeds City College, Leeds Sixth Form College, Keighley College, Harrogate College, University Centre Leeds, Leeds Conservatoire and White Rose Academies Trust.

These guest speaking sessions will involve past students discussing their academic journey, career path, job advice and experiences within their current industry, with the hope to inspire students to consider their future work prospects.

Bill Jones, Principal at Leeds City College, said: “Reaching half a million students is such a remarkable achievement for the group; we’ve grown a significant amount since merging with Keighley College back in 2009, and most recently with Harrogate College in 2019. We’ve worked hard to challenge the perception of colleges, showing that students who attend college have the same exciting opportunities and prospects as those who choose sixth form.

“This milestone is a great opportunity to reflect on all the inspirational people we’ve welcomed through our doors over the years. We’d like to invite college alumni to get in touch with us as guest speakers; it’s incredibly valuable for our students to hear from ambitious role models who they can aspire to.”

Amongst the college’s impressive alumni is Kurdish refugee, Hossein Ahmadi, who lived in the Dunkirk refugee camp for 11 months and is now pursuing a successful acting career, featuring in many Leeds Playhouse productions, including the recent ‘Freedom Project’ play.

Former performing arts student, Faye Kenny, is another celebrated member of alumni, who studied at Leeds City College in 2005, which was then Thomas Danby. Faye now runs the successful children’s events company, BoomChikkaBoom, hosting family friendly parties across Leeds.

Individuals who have previously attended Leeds City College and work within an industry are invited to participate in guest speaking events by contacting communicationsteam@luminate.ac.uk.