Where We Featured
Jersey Evening Post – 27 November 2025
Building Community Connections
Rob Moy, Highlands College deputy principal, business services, tells Emily Moore about some of the inclusivity-building initiatives which the establishment supports both in Jersey and overseas
WITH thousands of students walking through the doors of Highlands College every year, there is no doubt that the further-and higher-education establishment sits at the heart of the Island’s community. And, as its deputy principal, business services, explains, it can only perform the role it does because of its commitment to inclusivity.
“Inclusivity is at the heart of what we can do,” said Rob Moy. “Whether you are a 14-year-old attending one of our vocational courses, an apprentice or an adult coming to learn knitting or digital skills, we ensure that inclusion is at the heart of our learning, teaching and development.”
Underpinning that “college heartbeat”, Rob adds, is the extensive role that Highlands plays in the wider community, supporting students, Islanders and those overseas.
“The Highlands Foundation, for example, is the college’s charitable support arm,” he explained. “It is designed to help students both financially and in terms of their wellbeing. Last year, we awarded 12 bursaries to students to enhance their education and training provision.”
Helping to fund the support arm’s work is a piece of history, as the Highlands College Foundation was appointed to administer funds from the sales of Le Catillon II Coin Hoard, the largest Celtic hoard ever discovered in western Europe.
This, says Rob, has enabled the college to support the development of educational plays, support Jersey Heritage and Société Jersiaise with research, and even launch new courses such as metal detecting. “It’s a great example of putting skills and learning back into the community,” he added.
Perhaps one of the greatest ways in which the college has helped to “put skills on the ground” has been through its partnership with Jersey Overseas Aid.
“For the past three years, JOA volunteers have come to Highlands for training in construction and health and safety before they undertake community projects in countries such as Kenya and Nepal,” said Rob, who has also joined one of the overseas teams.
“I was part of a group building a sand dam in Kenya,” he reflected. “It was an incredible experience, as we brought fresh water to a community which had previously had to travel for up to eight hours to find water.
“When our learners and staff engage in these projects, they don’t just develop new skills, they gain empathy, confidence and a global perspective that they bring back to the Island.
“It strengthens you mentally and physically, and as you see the way in which these populations come together and work as a community, it shows you just how much we could all learn from people living in such difficult conditions.”
Another way in which the college demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity is through its close work with a range of charities.
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Rob Moy, deputy principal, business services, at Highlands College
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“When you have 5,000 students coming through your door every year, it is inevitable that you will be supporting people with different needs, which is why we work closely with organisations such as Acorn, Liberate, EYECAN and Autism Jersey,” said Rob.
In a further drive both to boost inclusivity and to raise awareness of the college’s offering, this summer saw the launch of Highlands’ new, and award-winning, website, something which Rob says has provided an “incredible shop window” into life on campus.
“When you work in education, it is easy to focus so much on what is happening in the classroom that you forget to promote your offer,” he said. “The new website is a brilliant public forum which enables people to engage with us and allows our leadership team to promote all the great services we offer.
“Not only is the site easy to navigate and mobile-friendly but it is multilingual and you can change the font size and background colours to make the content clear and easy to read.
“The site also features lots of video content and a virtual tour, so that people who haven’t been to the college can familiarise themselves with the campus layout before they get here, which can make the transition to the campus much easier.”
And it is not just through the website that Highlands is embracing digital platforms to enhance people’s learning experience and broaden its offering.
“We have recently launched our immersive classroom, which enables students here to learn from tutors in the UK,” he said. “Equally, through that technology, students in those jurisdictions can join our courses. This means that we can offer more specialist programmes, tapping into the expertise of the 120 colleges and universities which are part of the scheme.”
Also enabling students to access as much expertise as possible, says Rob, is Highlands’ alumni network.
“Through that network, we are able to connect students with business leaders, and we are fortunate to have some incredible ambassadors in the wider community who come in and deliver coaching and mentoring,” he said. “Having industry professionals working alongside our tutors really puts Highlands at the forefront of education.”
“We have approximately 500 local employer partnerships. Through initiatives such as the Construction Council Awards, our sponsorship of the JEP Pride of Jersey – Teacher of the Year Award, and collaborations with organisations such as Affinity, Dandara and MasonBreese, we’re helping shape a skilled and sustainable workforce for Jersey’s future,” said Rob.
And that, he adds, is exactly how Highlands should be seen.
“We offer a unique learning environment, combining education, industry expertise and community values,” he said. “Highlands is more than a college or a university. It is a major community asset. It is the beating heart of our community, and, through that heartbeat, we can not only strengthen community ties but also increase the Island’s skills base and drive economic growth.
“With the government’s plans for a new campus, we hope to upskill even more Islanders and deliver training that makes full use of modern technology in a flexible, forward-looking learning space.”
Highlands College is proud to be Jersey’s evolving hub for education, skills and community. Visit our new website at highlands.ac.uk to learn how we are transforming lives and shaping the community.