Wirral Met College proudly supports City of Sanctuary
Building a culture of hospitality for people seeking sanctuary in the UK
Welcoming everyone as equal and valued members of the college community is something we’re incredibly passionate about at Wirral Met College.
One way in which we want to show that the college is a safe and welcoming place is by signing the City of Sanctuary Pledge, which states:
We support the ‘City of Sanctuary’ vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We endorse the City of Sanctuary Charter, and agree to act in accordance with City of Sanctuary values and apply the network principles within our work.
We recognise the contribution of people seeking sanctuary. Sanctuary seekers are welcomed, included and supported within our context..”
The college’s next step is to apply to become a College of Sanctuary, which is recognised by City of Sanctuary UK.
College of Sanctuary is an accreditation received by further education institutions that that have gone above and beyond to support refugees and people seeking asylum and to foster a culture of welcome and inclusion.
It is led by three key principles:
Learn: help students, staff and wider community learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary and the issues surrounding forced migration.
Embed: be committed to creating a safe and inclusive culture of welcome that benefits everybody, including anyone in their community seeking sanctuary.
Share: share values and activities with local communities.
Being a College of Sanctuary means raising awareness of the issues facing people in the asylum system, offering specialised support and education, and contributing to a culture of welcome in the wider community.
Help on offer at Wirral Met College includes ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes, support for those who have experienced trauma, coaching to help students overcome specific barriers to learning, as well as helping individuals to develop the skills and confidence to apply for jobs, take part in job interviews, and succeed in the workplace. We also support students to learn about British culture and teach them how to access the opportunities available in our local community, in order to support them to settle into their new home.
The team works extremely hard to ensure an outstanding wrap-around support package is always available.
This year we have welcomed over 400 students onto our ESOL courses, from a wide range of countries including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Ethiopia, Sudan, El Salvador, Ukraine and many more. We will soon be submitting our application for College of Sanctuary status, and look forward to announcing more in the coming weeks.
Read more about how we are actively support this:
ESOL students appear on ITV News as they learn to play bowls to help integration into society
Free English Courses for Ukrainian Refugees
Find out about our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses
