Calthorpe Estates Top of the Class for College Expansion

Birmingham-based national charity, Queen Alexandra College (QAC), has relocated its advance2work programme from its main college campus in Harborne to 6 Greenfield Crescent on the Calthorpe Estate, Edgbaston, as a result of growing demand for its specialist courses.

From its base at Court Oak Road in Harborne, QAC offers courses for young people with disabilities aged 16-25, together with a range of employment-focussed and supported living programmes.

Having experienced a 25 per cent increase in student numbers in the last academic year, the College has taken a five-year lease on a 4,023sq ft building in Edgbaston, with office and study space spanning three storeys. The advance2work programme has been relocated to the building, establishing a dedicated base for students, tutors and employment consultants.

Funded by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the advance2work programme aims to support those aged 18 and above who want to move into employment by filling skills gaps, organising work experience, and assisting with job searches. It provides clients with individualised programmes which can last from a few weeks up to a year if necessary.

Shervjeet Garcha is Head of DWP Provision, Advance2Work Manager at QAC. She explained how clients on the advance2work programme stand to benefit from its new location. “When we identified a requirement for more space, it made perfect sense for the advance2work department to move off campus to its own building.” Shervjeet said.

“Being in the heart of a business hub, clients now have the opportunity to experience a professional environment, which is ideal as they prepare to enter the world of work. By expanding in this way, we have freed up more capacity across the College so we have created the right conditions for continued growth.”

Emma Davenport, Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator for Calthorpe Estate, added: “Queen Alexandra College not only plays a key role in the local community, it also is an important national charity which seeks to create challenging learning opportunities for those who are visually impaired or have other disabilities.
“We welcome the advance2work department to the Calthorpe Estate and we have worked with Shervjeet and her team to ensure the building is suitable for the specialist needs of its staff and students; and to create an environment which will help students realise their potential to work.”