Education Feature: Courses at City and Islington College
Published: 8 September, 2011
CLASSROOM assistant Anna Frith has had many interesting jobs in her time, but she says that some of the proudest moments of her working life have been at City and Islington College.
Anna came to work at the College in a somewhat roundabout way. Having studied Fine Art at Central St Martins College of Art and Design, she was employed for a number of years in the creative industries of theatre and film production where she worked on a wide range of fringe productions as well as documentaries on historical figures.
Finding that this industry, although nurturing her creative side, did very little to enhance her financial security, Anna decided that she would take on general office jobs to help support her family.
After a few years, she needed something to reinvigorate her creative side and so she enrolled on a pottery course at Finsbury Park.
Since then she has gone from strength to strength in the field both by taking on many new courses and challenges and by becoming a member of staff.
In her time at the College she has worked as a teacher, a pottery technician, in Additional Learning Support and is now a Classroom Assistant in the pottery element of the Paths for Life programme.
Anna says she loves working with Paths for Life as there is a real mix of students on the programme, and seeing a shy student who is unable to communicate well turn into a much more confident individual within three terms makes her very proud.
She says that, apart from creating her own work, seeing the progress that students make on the programme by gaining in confidence and producing their own work whilst also having fun in a supportive environment, is one of the best things about the job.
Anna thinks that the space and the team involved in the programme and the ceramics department as a whole make a real difference not only to the students, but also to the lives of their families.
She is also passionate in her belief that the arts can bring transferable skills to students from all backgrounds and at all levels and therefore are an important aspect of society and should not be the sole preserve of those who are financially better-off.
• For more information on City and Islington College visit candi.ac.uk
Contact details
City and Islington College
The Marlborough Building, 383 Holloway Road N7 0RN
Tel: 020 7700 9200
Fax: 020 7700 9222