As of 13th November, Brooksby Melton College is proud to announce that Chief Executive and Principal Dawn Whitemore is one of the Council members of the newly created Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Leaders.
The Climate Commission was initiated by EAUC and joined by Association of Colleges, GuildHE and Universities UK, the Climate Commission, aiming to create a clear, cohesive and consistent response to the government’s declared Climate and Environment Emergency. Brooksby Melton College, along with other leaders in the UK’s education sector, will spend the next 12 months developing a strategic framework and setting ambitious targets, including proposals for ensuring progress.
A final report will then be presented at COP26 (the UN’s climate change summit) in Glasgow in November 2020. Working with students, UK government, regulatory bodies and sector agencies, including UK Research & Innovation, Advance HE and student groups, the Commission’s Council will collaborate to ensure they reach the UK government’s target of reducing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. They will also seek expert evidence from academics and researchers to consider how to use existing good practice and encourage greater collaboration. In addition, government and regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Audit Committee, Committee on Climate Change, Defra, BEIS, Department for Education, DFID, Office for Students, HEFCW, Scottish Funding Council etc. will act as Observers.
Principal Dawn Whitemore commented, “We have a responsibility as a College and as a guider of the future generations, to ensure that we are doing all that we can to educate our learners in this growing issue, and help to develop strategies to save our planet. I have great faith that this committee and its partners will lead the way in encouraging other Colleges and Universities to redouble their efforts to tackle climate change, in response to the government’s declared Climate and Environment Emergency. Students and the youth voice are paramount, and we will have this represented throughout the lifecycle of the Commission.”
Brooksby Melton College is a specialist provider of Further and Higher Education situated in the heart of Leicestershire. The college offers a wide range of courses, from entry level through to degrees. The 850-acre Brooksby Campus offers qualifications in Agriculture, Animal Care, Construction and Joinery, Countryside Management, Equine, Foundation Studies, Horticulture, Land-based Engineering, Motor Vehicle Engineering and Sport. The Creative and Service Industries campus, based in the centre of Melton Mowbray, offers qualifications in Catering and Hospitality, Creative Media, Early Years, Beauty and Media Make-Up, Health and Social Care, Life and Living Skills and Performing Arts. 