At the beginning of February, Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) and AFC Wimbledon launched the perfect way for students to map out a career in the sports industry.
Eighty students were given a glimpse of a new partnership that could open the door into an exciting world of opportunity.
As part of their visit, we announced the official link-up between the AFC Wimbledon Education Hub and Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges, London's newest college group. “Better together, stronger together”
The centrepiece of this exciting link-up is the AFC Wimbledon and HRUC Men's Football Development programme and Women's Football Academy.
Students enlisting for this course will benefit from our elite coaching and games programme, utilising the expertise of AFC Wimbledon Academy and our successful Women's team and staff.
In addition to this course, the Club will work closely with the college to develop work placement opportunities for those seeking careers in the industry to do with marketing, media, event management, commercial business, retail and catering and hospitality.
As well as being given stadium tours, students got to hear from Dons first-teamer Jack Currie, who combines playing with studying for a degree, and club staff about careers in sport.
AFC Wimbledon's Managing Director Danny Macklin said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges.
The Club has at the centre of its planning a number of exciting educational projects and initiatives underway. After the launch of our partnership with HRUC we are very much looking forward to welcoming the first cohorts of participants.
“Through our set-up at the Cherry Red Records Stadium we believe we can provide an educational hub that inspires the local area and allow students, both young and old, to achieve their best.”
After earning a reputation for educational excellence, Richmond upon Thames College recently merged with Harrow & Uxbridge to become HRUC, a newest merged London College offering outstanding academic opportunities for thousands of students.
Sijul Miah, Head of School of Business and Industries at RuTC explained, “We are delighted to be working with AFC Wimbledon in this partnership to bring new opportunities to our students.
“Our partnership is designed to give students access to industry leading training and education tailored to individual needs with clear sights of career progression and development. We aim to nurture and develop students into professional athletes of the future”
A key aim of the partnership will be to pool expertise, resources and connections to support and develop young people to realise their potential. Students will be able to gain practical experience within the sports industry, therefore building upon skills gained in the classroom.
Sheila Fraser Whyte, HRUC Group Director for Partnership and Innovation at the College, added: “We are looking forward to working with AFC Wimbledon Education Hub and giving our students these exciting opportunities to engage in a wide range of skills development and career focused activities which is crucial for ensuring that students achieve their full potential and have the essential qualifications, skills and behaviours to progress”
For more information about courses offered by the partnership, please see the link below
Richmond upon Thames College | Top Academic and Vocational London College | Sport (rutc.ac.uk)