1. Derby College as an Entrepreneur
We are really pleased to have the opportunity to present to you our ideas for the Digital Studio College.
We are passionate about the need for this studio school within our local area and are fully committed to delivering an outstanding provision which meets the needs of our local employers, communities, the local economy and our young people.
Our employment landscape is changing globally and Digital Technologies are at the heart of many of our day to day business operations and leisure activities. It is a key growth sector within our local LEP area in it’s own right and as a cross cutting need for all of our industries.
Our young people have been born into the digital age and we want to ensure that they can develop their knowledge and skills to put their digital talents to best use. Our vision is for DSC to be a catalyst to create significant life chances for our young people in Derbyshire and the surrounding areas. We will be harnessing their digital talents to enable them to effectively engage in, and develop this key emerging industry. Our organisational strap line will be; Unleashing Digital Talents.

2. We pride ourselves on being Innovative
Fully embedded into our college strategic aims
Develop staff to think creatively
We do take risk but measured risk
Any entrepreneurial work we undertake has to add value to our core purpose.

3. Campus developments
Roundhouse events
In house businesses
Erasmus plus
International work
Collaborative projects
National Citizen service
Bid and grant opportunities

5. Roundhouse Thinking
BSL Interpreting Agency
Apprenticeship Recruitment Service

7. Why an Entrepreneurship Academy
3 routes for our students;
To work
To Further study – Apprenticeships, Further education or higher education
To self employment
DSC will be situated in Heanor in the Amber Valley area of South East Derbyshire. Within it’s catchment area there are a significant number of wards with high levels of economic and social deprivation.
The picture regarding unemployment for those aged within the local area is not positive. January unemployment rates for this age group in Amber valley, Derby City and Erewash are significantly higher than the England and East Midlands rates. The latest published NEET figures for Derbyshire are again worse than the national position.
We need to tackle these current challenges with an aim of improving educational attainment in the area and our studio school is key to helping this happen.
Our aspirations is for DSC to breathe new life into the area, changing the attitude of young people to see that they have the ability to aspire to positive careers. It will compliment the plans for regeneration projects which are being developed by Derbyshire County Council to support and grow new and existing businesses in the area.
To meet these challenges DSC will be innovative, dynamic and empowering working to ensure its own excellence as well as inspiring surrounding schools to further develop. Partnerships with our surrounding schools will be nurtured and promoted to this end.
Our smaller class cohorts, personalised curriculum, learning coaches and personal coaches at DSC will offer a suitable and attractive alternative for young people who want to continue with their studies in a truly nurturing environment, and as a result will help to further reduce NEET and unemployment figures.
Training Agencies

8. Our aims? To inspire young people to become or future business owners
To raise aspirations of young people within Derby and Derbyshire
To offer a different career choice
To develop all our young people to have the skills to and knowledge to enable them to see self employment as an option for them
To develop all our young people to be skilled and professional with entrepreneurial aptitude and attitudes
To maximise partnership working to enhance the Entrepreneurship academy offer
To stretch and challenge our young people to be creative and entrepreneurial
Our vision for the Digital Studio College is to be a National Centre of Excellence for Digital Technology and Enterprise education.
Professionalism will be at the heart of our delivery. The curriculum will be inspired by our employer partners and delivered through employer led projects designed in collaboration with our education specialists from schools, FE, HE and the local authority. It will embed specialist technical training alongside traditional academic qualifications stretching and challenging our learners to be the best they can be. It will offer a choice of study routes to suit the individuals progression aspirations. Our staff teams will be of exceptional standard from both industry and the teaching professions.
DSC will add significant value to the existing education offer within the area. It will benefit from the drive and ambition , which it’s sponsor and partner organisations share, to make it a success. All partners are fully committed to this development and it’s importance within Derbyshire's regeneration strategies.
Our young people will leave us and progress into Higher Education, Apprenticeships, jobs with further training or self employment as skilled, professional and enterprising young people, thus helping to ensure we retain our talent locally.
Training Agencies

9. The Current Offer Young Enterprise Global entrepreneurship week
Café conversations
Entrepreneurship Academy face book page
Entrepreneurs Lounge
Pioneer Platform
Join lectures with partner organisations
Learning Businesses within curriculum areas
Social Entrepreneurs grants
The create framework will be at the heart of the Digital Studio college and will be embedded into everything we do.
The curriculum will be delivered through a range of projects designed to ignite the students’ imaginations; these will be locally relevant and real world experiences. They will be led by employers who will contextualise digital technologies and enterprise skills to a current or emerging priority industries within the area. This will ensure that we are developing our pupils transferable skills and abilities effectively so that they can see how they can apply their skills within a large range of business sectors in the future.
The role of the personal coach is pivotal to the success of the curriculum model. Our small school family ethos will allow for the development of the individual; the personal coach will actively encourage the students to be part of the management of their own learning in the weekly 1:1 coaching sessions and will develop their independence, maturity, resilience, resourcefulness and all round employability skills.
We will stretch and challenge our students in all that we do.

10. Future developments Lounge delivery on all college sites
Alumni case studies
Derby College enterprise society
ESIF funded projects
DSC will provide a truly nurturing environment in which its students can thrive. It will be a school that is ambitious with high expectations of all its students. It will fully promote the development of the work ethic that students will require to make them effective future employees. Being business focused, the school will have a uniform to ensure that it replicates the expectations of industry, will operate a work day and its behaviour policy will reflect the expectations of high quality employers.
Our learners will be entrepreneurial.
We will strive to ensure all students achieve at least 3 levels of attainment between Key stage 3 and 4, aspiring to the achievement of 5 A* - C grades including maths and English at the end of Key stage 4. All our students pre and post 16 will achieve a Vocational Diploma in their specialist area and all will aspire to gain A*- C in A level at 18. All students will have work related experience.

11. Our Partnerships Flint Bishop Solicitors University of Derby NACUE
Unltd
Connect Derby
Young Enterprise
NCS
Enterprise growth board
Derby College and our partners bring essential skills to DSC
Employer insight
Educational expertise Higher education expertise
Well developed progression routes
Recruitment and marketing expertise
Financial and property expertise
Digital technology expertise
Plus Innovation and enterprise skills, the skills that we wish to nurture and further develop into the future.
Training Agencies