ICHK Summits has welcomed its first learners.

A successful induction programme has been completed, representing the culmination of a journey that has been four years in the making.

The ICHK Summits project started with a recognition that the traditional post-secondary school options of university or vocational training were not suitable for all of our ICHK graduates. For some graduates, leaving school meant uncertainty, with few options available for those looking for English-speaking work-skills programmes for 18-25 year olds with diverse or specific learning needs.

Conversations started within the school and ideas started to be informally discussed and sketched out. Over time, ICHK teachers and staff became more closely engaged with post-secondary learning providers and  discovered that there was indeed a need for programmes of the kind we envisaged.

And so ‘ICHK Summits’ the project was born, with a series of milestones identified to see it realised. Meeting the right people, finding the right space, designing the right programme in detail, finding the right staff, and securing the resources needed to fit out the site, ensuring that Summits learners and staff have everything they need to succeed.

The programme has been specially designed to bridge the gap between education and adulthood, offering participants internships, mentoring and targeted social skills training, empowering them with the tools they need to thrive in the professional world and achieve personal autonomy. Over three years, vocational training will be integrated with holistic life skills, and will include job observations, internships, enterprise, one-on-one mentoring and job coaching. Young people will also develop skills in communication, budgeting, travel, personal safety, digital literacy and self care.

Over the summer break, a state-of-the-art learning space has been created. It is flexible and dynamic, responsive to the needs of the teachers and learners, inspired by co-working spaces and the flexible learning environments commonly found in universities. The goal is that within this space and out in the wider world, we will prepare learners for a productive and fulfilling life in a vibrant, caring environment, dedicated to growth, acceptance and success.

ICHK Secondary has always been committed to an inclusive vision of education. From our very beginnings, we have provided support for young people who find mainstream education a challenge. At school we have designed a structured yet flexible curriculum that welcomes exploration, inclusion, and opportunity for all students, to the benefit of all. ICHK Summits represents the next chapter in ICHK’s journey towards delivering the best possible learning experience for students with diverse learning needs, and we could not be prouder of our team in seeing this project come to fruition.

As we look to the future, we do so with enormous enthusiasm and optimism. ICHK Summits represents not simply a new programme or a new space, but a commitment to ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to continue learning, growing and finding their place in the world. Within our new campus, and in the wider community, we will support our learners as they take meaningful steps towards independence, purpose and fulfilment. This is only the beginning of the Summits journey and we look forward with confidence to all that our learners will achieve.

To find out more visit www.ichksummits.com