Volunteer Testimonials

This Volunteers' Week we'd like to thank our volunteers and share their stories. We have had over 55 volunteers this year and their support for our students is so important to our excellent student satisfaction and success rates. Volunteers have been vital during our live, tutor-led online lessons during the pandemic. Volunteer TA's provide essential support to those in need of additional tech support whilst the teacher continues the live lesson, ensuring no one is left behind whilst we've been locked down.

Read on to hear what ELATT volunteers have to say about their experience...

I started volunteering with ELATT after I found myself jobless during the pandemic in 2020. I’ve loved having the opportunity to help others, and meet new people whilst developing my skills and knowledge, and supporting a fantastic charity! The team are so flexible and accommodating, and the training is great plus there are a range of ways you can get involved; I initially planned to support the admin team as this is where my work experience lies, but instead decided I’d try my hand at being a teaching assistant in the virtual ESOL classes and loved every minute! My time volunteering with ELATT has opened so many doors and given me the confidence to pursue a new career in Speech and Language Therapy. I would encourage anyone considering volunteering with ELATT to go for it - it has been an absolute game changer for me!
- Robyn, volunteer ESOL TA in 2020

I had the opportunity to do volunteer work in two ways for Elatt. I assisted my teacher in the creation of some digital materials (forms) and also as an assistant in a group of beginners. It was an experience that allowed me to learn a lot. It was amazing to meet people from different parts of the world, with so many different stories and a lot of willpower to be there. It was definitely inspiring! I recommend it to everyone who has a little time. It will be an incredible experience for you and will help others! Thank you Elatt for the opportunity!
- Juliana, volunteer Teaching Assistant

I have been a volunteer teaching assistant since July 2020 and I am half way through my third term of teaching alongside the main ESOL teacher. The best thing about volunteering for me is simply the time you get to spend having conversations with people that I would never get the opportunity to interact with otherwise. I have met numerous different people all from different backgrounds and cultures and I have learned so much about each individual one. I have gained so much confidence in not only speaking to new people but in my own teaching ability. When I started I found it difficult to know what to say to students and now I am happy to take control of a lesson if I need to and guide the students in the right direction effectively. This is what I found challenging in the beginning. It is hard to know what questions to ask students and how to relate to them when they speak little English but I have learned that a friendly face and smile can go a long way. I would definitely recommend volunteering and teaching to others whether it be to develop your own career or to fill some spare time as you will get as much out of it as the students do from your help.
- Rose, volunteer ESOL Teaching Assistant

My experience as a student and then as a volunteer at ELATT has been the most precious time in my education. ELATT gave me the opportunity to volunteer as a teaching assistant. I have met many teachers here who made a good impact in my life, the staff are kind and always happy to help in any way they can. After my time at ELATT, I had the opportunity to get a job and improve myself in many areas.
- Margarita, volunteer Teaching Assistant

ELATT, East London’s only Grade 1 FE provider, welcomed the Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships, Rt Hon Anne Milton MP, to their newly-renovated Hackney learning centre today. In her first formal engagement since last week’s reshuffle, the Minister met ELATT staff and students studying a variety of career pathways.

Chief Executive, Anthony, who is also shortlisted for this year’s TES Awards FE Leader of the Year, said:

“We were delighted to welcome the Minister to ELATT to see staff and students in action, and to discuss the importance of our work supporting adult returners and young people who have benefited from the 1:1 support and personal touch we offer.
“It was a great for the Minister to hear first-hand from students about the challenges they face when entering or returning to FE, and our staff really appreciated the chance to convey their views in person to the Minister. It was a pleasure as a specialist provider to share our experiences with the Minister and offer insights into our day-to-day operations; from meeting individual needs to organisational planning processes.”

Pascale, an adult returner studying a Business Administration course, said:

“I was impressed that a minister would take time out of her busy schedule to visit a training centre like ELATT, she seemed genuinely interested in my journey, not least the difficulties of raising three disabled children whilst learning. ELATT plays a very important role in my community, and I hope they keep doing their good work training people like me and helping us re-enter the workforce with confidence after a long period out of work.”

 Janet Usoro, Student Support Coordinator, a former ELATT student, said:

“I enjoyed the Minister’s visit and it was great to hear her own history as a nurse in my community and experiences of working in Hackney. It was an opportunity to tell the Minister about how ELATT has helped me and students here. The 1:1 support I received inspired me to do the same for students and come back as a Student Support Coordinator.
“The Minister was very interested in my educational journey with ELATT and life as a single mother. In fact she gave me a very helpful tip about the media apprenticeship degree programme at the BBC, which I’ll definitely be looking up for my daughter. Discussing my journey face-to-face with the Minister, and the work I now do supporting students, was a brilliant way to the start the week!”

Skills Minister, Anne Milton said: 

“I was hugely impressed by what I saw at ELATT and to hear first-hand from students about how their lives have been turned round by the education they have received at ELATT.
“Regardless of your circumstances, it is never too late to unlock your potential through education and training. The students and dedicated staff I met at ELATT are a testament to that.  
“It is vital that we encourage more people to seize the opportunity to learn throughout their lives, which will help us to build the skilled workforce our economy needs.
“I was so impressed with the determination and passion of all the staff and learners. Well done to them all.”

Trip to Buckingham Palace

From Elatt on 2 November 2016, my class and I with another class went for trip to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard.It was on Thursday last week from 10am in the morning.

We caught the train from Haggerston at platform 1, the overground toward Highbury and Islington. From Highbury and Islington to Green Park station.

On Wednesday 14th December we hosted the end of term student celebration day. Everyone had a great day and left feeling positive and inspired. The day started off with a series of workshops held by Lloyds Bank who volunteered their time to share their knowledge with us as part of their volunteering scheme. We were really happy to welcome them to ELATT HQ and they really enjoyed chatting to all the students. The workshops they hosted were on financial literacy, business start-ups and CV and cover letters.

On 24th November we had an amazing capability skills sharing workshop event at ELATT HQ. This was hosted by Equal Voices students who kindly swapped their skills for donations to Cancer Research UK. There were knitting sessions, make up sessions and tutorials, massages and A LOT of food which including swapping recipes. Everyone had a great time and generously donated. The students loved teaching each other their skills and treating each other, whilst enjoying food from many different cultures.

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