Groundwork East ‘Green Team’ mark grand opening of Oaklands College Sensory Garden

Oaklands College’s St Albans Campus welcomed participants from ‘Green Team’, who had embarked on a 14-week employment and skills programme run by community charity, Groundwork East. 

The Green Team is a course for those not in education, employment or training and who want to improve their future opportunities, whilst developing their personal skills.

As part of the programme, they learnt practical skills that were put to good use, improving the outdoor space surrounding the Discovery Centre at Oaklands College’s St Albans Campus.

The team worked together to transform a previously unused patch of grassland into an open plan sensory garden, which would further enhance of development and experience of the colleges disabled students.

The ‘Green Team’ programme provide local people with voluntary work experience and the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification, as well as improving a community area such as the outdoor space at the college.

In attendance was Oaklands College Principal Zoe Hancock, who said: “It was a real pleasure to see our Springfield students enjoying the great work by the Groundwork East team, whose efforts have further enhanced the learning experience for our students.”

Matt Sutcliffe, senior employment project tutor for Groundwork said: “It has been great to run a Green Team project based at Oaklands College. The team have loved being in a learning environment and seeing the Springfield students use the new area that they have created. The team has delivered a fantastic project, congratulations Green Team!”

The event celebrated the achievements of its volunteers, Steve Austin said: “This programme has been a real honour and has allowed me to get back into employment and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity.”