Bolton College’s talented business and IT students have raised over £500 for charity whilst doing their bit for the environment.

Learners from Bolton College, which is currently undergoing a merger with the University of Bolton, teamed up with one of the largest IT recycling companies in the North West, SE Recycling Ltd, who specialise in the recovery, refurbishment and recycling of IT and communication equipment.

Under their expert advice and guidance, the students created, developed and implemented an IT recycling project, working with their peers and the local community to collect unwanted IT products.

After collection, SE Recycling’s Sales Director, David Tattersall, visited Bolton College this week to hand over a cheque for £515.69 to representatives from the students’ chosen charity, Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme (BYHPS), also one of the Mayor of Bolton’s chosen charities for her year in office.  

David, who has over 30 years’ experience in the sector said, “One of the best parts of my role is working closely with young people to promote the benefits of sustainability. The students, who were very active and engaged, embraced the project and have clearly got a lot out of it - we certainly have as a business.”

David Haslam, Business Services & Hospitality Programme Manager at Bolton College said, “This project has been a huge success, with our students committing wholeheartedly to it. Not only have the learners developed important employment and entrepreneurial skills, they’ve given something back to the community and should be proud of their efforts.”

The project is one of many of the College’s Business and IT department’s successes, with many former learners progressing to the University of Bolton’s Business School. 

Shah Hassan Abdullah, a Business Studies Level 2 student at the College added, “This was a great experience and we learnt a lot of things. We were really motivated to do well because we knew that any money made would benefit homeless people. The skills I’ve gained from liaising with professional and local people to get the project off the ground will really help in the future, especially when I go on to further study or seek employment.”