When we talk about community, we often think about a place.
A town. A street. A neighbourhood. The people we pass on the school run, see in the local shop or stand beside at an event.
But community is also something wider than that. It is the way people are supported. The way organisations work together. The way young people are encouraged to see what is possible. The way local businesses, schools, colleges, charities and community groups come together to create better futures.
That was at the heart of our conversation with Wendy Ellis, Principal and CEO of Franklin Sixth Form College.
Franklin is often described as a college of its community. For Wendy, that is not just a phrase. It is something that runs through the day-to-day life of the college.
“Community for us is the widest sense,” Wendy explained. “Community really extends to inclusivity.”
Franklin is a sixth form college, but its community reaches much further than one group of learners. It includes Level 2 and Level 3 students, adult learners, local schools, partner organisations, employers, staff, families and the wider education landscape across North East Lincolnshire.
For Wendy and her team, the role of the college is clear. It is to create an education environment that is right for the community it serves, and to prepare students from the moment they arrive for the moment they leave.
That preparation is not only about qualifications.
It is about confidence.
It is about belonging.
It is about helping young people understand the choices in front of them and giving them the support, experience and encouragement they need to take their next step.
A college built around belonging
One of the strongest themes from the conversation was inclusion.
Franklin supports a wide range of learners from different backgrounds and circumstances. Some students receive financial support through bursaries. Others travel long distances each day using the college bus network. Some arrive with clear ambitions. Others need time, encouragement and the right environment to understand what might be possible for them.
Wendy described Franklin as a place where learners want to come.
Not because they are being sold an idea, but because they feel something when they arrive. A sense that they are in a grown-up, respectful and supportive environment. A place that expects something of them, but also stands beside them.
“When students come here, what they experience is a grown-up environment that’s respectful, that is inclusive, that provides the breadth of opportunity from an academic and a personal and a professional development perspective,” Wendy said.
This matters.
Because when a young person feels they belong, they are more likely to show up. More likely to take part. More likely to believe they have a future worth working towards.
Wendy shared that some students travel from as far as Alford, getting on the bus at 7am to reach college. For her, that says something powerful about the environment Franklin has created.
There is something about the college that makes young people want to be there.
And in a town and wider area where we are working hard to build pride, confidence and aspiration, that matters deeply.
Working together, not in isolation
Another clear message from Wendy was the importance of partnership.
She reflected on how much the education landscape has changed over recent years. Where schools, colleges and post-16 providers may once have worked separately, there is now a stronger spirit of collaboration.
Franklin works with local schools, not as “feeder schools”, but as partner schools. That language matters. It reflects a different way of thinking.
Rather than competing for students, the focus is on making sure each young person can access the right environment, course and support for them.
Wendy described every learner as a unique individual. The role of the wider education system is to create a strong offer across the area, so that young people have real choice and can find the path that fits their needs and ambitions.
That partnership approach is also something we see across the wider work of Our Future North East Lincolnshire.
When people, groups and organisations work in isolation, energy can become stretched. People can end up competing for the same resources, trying to solve the same problems separately or feeling as though they are carrying the weight alone.
But when people come together, something changes.
Ideas connect.
Resources stretch further.
People begin to see the strength that already exists around them.
Franklin’s work shows what that can look like in education. It is a reminder that the future of a place is not shaped by one organisation alone. It is shaped by many people and organisations choosing to work together.
Bringing the world into the college
One of the most powerful parts of Wendy’s approach is the way Franklin brings the wider world into the college.
With around 2,000 students and 500 adult learners, it would not be possible to take every learner out into every workplace, university, industry or community setting they might one day be part of.
So, Franklin brings those opportunities in through its Centre for Professional Development. The college works with employers, universities, apprenticeship providers and local organisations to help students understand what life beyond college could look like.
This includes mentoring, careers programmes, employer engagement, conferences and sector-specific experiences.
Wendy spoke about health, digital, creative and STEM conferences, as well as work with The Culture House and other local partners. She also talked about the importance of creative subjects, particularly for students who may experience mental health challenges, physical health challenges or who express themselves strongly through art, music and creativity.
This is important because opportunity does not look the same for every young person.
For some, the future may be university.
For others, it may be an apprenticeship, employment, a T Level placement, further training or a local business opportunity.
What matters is that young people are exposed to real pathways, real people and real possibilities.
Wendy described it simply. Franklin is preparing students from day one for the moment they leave.
That means helping them understand careers, industries and workplaces not as abstract ideas, but as real places they can step into.
Connecting young people with local business
One of the most encouraging parts of the interview was hearing how Franklin is strengthening its relationships with local employers.
For many years, businesses have spoken about wanting skilled, motivated young people. At the same time, young people have often not known enough about the opportunities available locally.
Franklin is helping to bridge that gap.
Wendy spoke about local businesses, accountancy firms, the seafood industry, apprenticeship providers and employers coming into college to connect directly with students.
She described a recent conversation with people from the seafood industry and the importance of helping students understand what that sector looks like today.
Grimsby’s food and seafood industry is still a major part of the local economy, but young people need to see it, hear about it and understand the range of roles available. They need to know that local industries are not just part of the town’s past, but part of its future.
Wendy put it powerfully when speaking to business representatives.
There are 2,000 potential leaders of the world at Franklin.
That is a remarkable way to look at a college community.
Not just as students studying for exams, but as future employees, apprentices, business owners, creatives, carers, leaders, volunteers, parents, neighbours and community members.
Local businesses have a role to play in helping those young people see where they might belong.
And young people have a role to play in shaping the future workforce of North East Lincolnshire.
This is where education and community development meet. When businesses open their doors, share their stories and connect with students, they are not only filling future vacancies. They are investing in the confidence, ambition and future of the place they are part of.
Every destination matters
Wendy was clear that Franklin is proud of its academic success, but the college’s work is not only measured by exam results.
Every destination matters.
For some students, success may be progressing to a Russell Group university. For others, it may be achieving Level 2 qualifications, completing a placement, moving into work, gaining confidence, returning to learning as an adult or simply staying engaged when life feels difficult.
This inclusive approach is one of the most important parts of Franklin’s story.
Wendy shared a story about one of the college’s most vulnerable students, who has autism and significant learning difficulties. The student took part in a 24-hour games jam, an event where students work together to develop a digital game around a given theme.
For this student, taking part was not straightforward. Staff had to think carefully about the environment, safety, space and support needed. They created a setting to support movement between spaces, give the student time to decompress when needed and still be part of the experience.
The student said it was one of the best things they had ever done.
That story says so much.
It shows a team asking, “How can we make this possible?” rather than “Why can’t this happen?”
It shows inclusion in practice.
It shows what happens when staff know their students well enough to understand what support really looks like.
And it shows why community support is not just about big programmes or public events. Sometimes it is about the quiet decisions made behind the scenes so that one young person gets to take part in something they never thought they could do.
Helping young people stay, grow and return
A recurring conversation across North East Lincolnshire is how we encourage more young people to stay in the area, return after university or see a future for themselves here.
Wendy believes there is already a shift happening.
More students are considering local study options. Some want to stay closer to home. Some are thinking carefully about debt. Others are seeing that there are growing opportunities locally.
At the same time, the town and wider area are changing. There is more partnership working, more investment, more visibility, more ambition and more conversation about what North East Lincolnshire can become.
Wendy described it as having all the ingredients of a cake.
Education, local opportunity and the wider place all need to come together. If they sit separately, nothing changes. But when they are mixed together, something stronger can be created.
That image fits so well with the work happening across Our Future North East Lincolnshire.
We know there are already brilliant people, groups, organisations and businesses doing meaningful work across the area. We know there are young people with talent, creativity and ambition. We know there are employers who care deeply about the future of the town.
The opportunity is in connecting those things.
Telling the stories.
Building the relationships.
Helping people see what is already here.
Changing the story of our place
So much of the work happening across North East Lincolnshire is about changing the narrative.
Not pretending there are no challenges.
Not ignoring the things that need work.
But making sure the positive stories, the real effort and the genuine progress are seen too.
Franklin College is part of that story.
It is a place where young people are being supported to believe in themselves and their future.
It is a place where staff are working hard to create an inclusive, respectful and ambitious learning environment.
It is a place where local businesses are being invited in to connect with the next generation.
It is a place where partnership is not an add-on, but part of how the college sees its role in the community.
And it is a place that reminds us that education is not separate from community. It sits right at the heart of it.
When young people feel supported, the whole place benefits.
When businesses connect with education, the whole place benefits.
When organisations work together, the whole place benefits.
When we help people belong, the whole place benefits.
A future built together
Our Future North East Lincolnshire is about recognising the strength, pride and potential that already exists in our communities.
That includes the work of colleges like Franklin, the commitment of local employers, the creativity of students, the dedication of staff and the many partnerships quietly helping people move forward.
Wendy and her team are not only preparing students for exams. They are helping young people prepare for life.
They are helping them understand their choices, develop their confidence, connect with employers and see that they have something valuable to offer.
That is community work.
That is place-building.
That is part of the future of North East Lincolnshire.
And it is a story worth sharing.
Because when young people are supported to believe they belong here, and when businesses, schools, colleges and communities work together to open doors for them, we all become part of building a stronger future for our place.
If you are a local business, organisation or community partner who wants to support young people, share opportunities or be part of this growing network of local change, we would love you to follow Our Future North East Lincolnshire and get involved in the conversation.
Together, we can keep telling the positive stories of our place and help more people see the opportunity, pride and potential that already exists here.