Heart of Yorkshire Education Group

About Us

At the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, we aim to serve the education and skills needs of the Yorkshire region from our Colleges in Castleford, Selby and Wakefield. We recognise the crucial role that our employees play in delivering our mission, both in and out of the classroom, and that is why we strive to attract and retain the very best people and provide a working environment where our colleagues are able to succeed.

Selby College logo
Wakefield College logo

Why Work For Us

At the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, our colleagues and students are at the forefront of everything that we do.

We demonstrate drive, passion and determination to deliver an expansive, high-quality and responsive curriculum offer which is inclusive for all, ensuring that all learners can benefit from education, reach their potential and improve their life chances.

Our values guide us in the way we operate and behave, and our expectation is that everyone is fully committed to our high standards.

Salary and Pension Scheme

We pay competitive salaries across the Group and use Job Evaluation to ensure a consistent, transparent, and equitable pay framework is maintained.

We also have excellent pension schemes in place for our employees, with a significant contribution from the Group.

Annual Leave

We want to ensure that our employees have a good work-life balance and to reflect this, we have a generous leave entitlement, in addition to public holidays and College closure day which we usually take over the Christmas closure period.

Safeguarding

The protection and safety of all of our students and our staff is at the top of our agenda at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group.

We ensure that our governing body, all our employees, agency staff and volunteers are aware of their responsibilities to safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults.

Professional Development

We are committed to the continued learning and progression of our employees, offering everyone expansive professional training and development opportunities each year.

We have an online training and development portal, which enables colleagues to keep track of their development opportunities

Recognition and Celebrations

Recognition and expressing gratitude is important to us and that is why we have Staff Recognition schemes for our employees.

We also organise lots of social activities to mark significant events and hold an end of year celebration event. Our staff drive these opportunities and events, and we welcome new ideas and initiatives to inspire and engage colleagues.

Sustainability

We are committed to delivering schemes which will improve our environment and sustainability across our Group. We are committed to our environment and sustainability. During employment, staff can access several green travel options including cycle to work schemes and discounted travel cards for use on public transport.

Equality and Diversity

We are driven to achieve equality for all students, staff and other College users, and to ensure that all students, whatever their background, have the opportunity to benefit from excellent and inspirational educational opportunities.

We aim to be fully inclusive, working to eliminate discrimination, promoting equality and embracing diversity in all that we do. We celebrate the rich variety of people who make up our communities, from different cultures and different ethnic backgrounds.

Some may have a disability; others may follow different religions. We may differ in our sexual orientation, languages or belief systems but we are united by an ambition to succeed and fulfil our potential.

Health and Wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing are an essential part of our working life and we are committed to providing an environment which is both supportive and engaging – ensuring that our colleagues have access to the services and support they need.

We demonstrate this through our pledge to the Association of Colleges Mental Health and Wellbeing Charter, as well as other initiatives.

Employees are also able to access confidential counselling services and regular wellbeing resources, as well as facilities to promote physical health, and we run regular webinars and training sessions to support colleagues in all aspects of life to optimise work-life balance.

Communication

We recognise that colleagues need to know what’s going on across our Group in order to be successful and we take internal communication seriously, with regular All Staff briefings, fortnightly Principal’s Bulletins and Team meetings.

We also have Staff Voice Forums on each campus, where employees can get involved and support cross College communications, have their say about what is happening at each campus, raise concerns, share good news and chat about sustainability ideas and make a real difference to College life.

Heart of Yorkshire Education Group Launched

Selby College and Wakefield College are delighted to confirm that their plans to form a new combined Group progressed on schedule, and have successfully completed by the proposed merger date of 1st March 2022. The new Group aims to meet the education and skills needs across Yorkshire from its campuses in Castleford, Selby and Wakefield.

This follows the Secretary of State’s endorsement of the merged organisation’s name, the ‘Heart of Yorkshire Education Group’. Feedback from the public consultation process - which ran from 21st October to 22nd November 2021, demonstrated that the stakeholders for both Colleges were overwhelmingly in favour of the plans to form the new organisation, serving the skills needs of the region.

Respondents to the consultation agreed that the merger would develop and expand course offerings for students, improve learning through the sharing of best practice, meet local skills demands and create more opportunities for professional growth.

Wakefield College students outside the Seacole Building at the Wakefield City Campus.