If you are an FE college chaplain – or are thinking of becoming one – we can support you by:
- Working with you to help keep Further Education on the national and local church agenda
- Offering training and mentoring opportunities to develop your practice
- Putting you in touch with a regional network of like-minded others for sharing insights and experience
This aspect of our work will also be of interest to college youth workers, counsellors and equality and diversity managers with a commitment to faith-sensitive working.
WMCFEC is works closely with the WM FE Chaplaincy Ambassador Nigel Roberts, who is available to help colleges explore options for chaplaincy, and to work with churches beginning to engage with their colleges. Networking events and conferences will also be held.
West Midlands FE Chaplaincy Ambassador Nigel Roberts runs a rolling programme of training for current and aspiring chaplains in Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges. Topics covered this year include student wellbeing, mentoring, and helping students think critically about prevailing worldviews. Many of these take place on Zoom, and are recorded. You can find the latest training session here. We’re so pleased to be able to launch ROUNDED, our new SMSC resources for colleges, designed to help students explore character dispositions which will help prepare them for a rounded and fruitful life. The six ROUNDED themes are common to many religions and worldviews, in a broad Christian perspective which also invites students of all faiths and beliefs to share their reflections. Each ROUNDED topic is covered through a 10 minute interactive PowerPoint film and a menu of supporting activities which can be selected according to the size and needs of your group and the time and space available. ROUNDED is available in a downloadable zip file from our ROUNDED page. Plumbing the Depths is a new resource written specially for FE chaplains and others working in the FE sector, enabling them to reflect on their calling and experience in FE through the story of the Book of Jonah. Written by former Council members Sarah Brush and Toni Coulton, and with 24 fabulous original illustrations by Si Smith, Plumbing the Depths comes with everything you need to run a reflective or retreat session for 1 to 1, small group or large group use, including meditations, images, PowerPoint presentations and handouts. Available on CD for a suggested donation of £9. Contact us to order. It was great to welcome current and would-be FE chaplains from around the region to this conference in May. There were presentations from Revd Garry Neave (C of E education chaplaincies adviser) on ‘FE Chaplaincy in England Today’ and Prof. Trevor Cooling (Chair of the RE Council) on ‘Spiritual Development in Secular Settings’. In the afternoon chaplains gathered into three regional clusters and plan to continue meeting in these groups over the coming years. Read more about the day here. If you’re a chaplain and would like to join one of these local FE chaplains’ gatherings, please contact us! Chaplaincy Training
ROUNDED - Ready for Life (resource for 16-19s)
Reflecting on Chaplaincy - Videos 2022
'Reflecting on Chaplaincy' is a new series of short (5-6 minute) videos begun by FE Chaplaincy Ambassador Nigel Roberts, to encourage and inspire those engaged in chaplaincy or similar activities in FE. Click here to access the Playlist on WMCFEC's YouTube channel. Plumbing the Depths - Reflective Resource for Chaplains on the Book of Jonah
Going Further: 2019 FE Chaplaincy Conference
As chaplains frequently bridge the worlds of further education and local church, please also see our For Colleges and For Churches pages for more information on current projects and training, including occasional ‘Faith Literacy’ training sessions, and a new project – ROUNDED – developing SMSC resources for 16-19s.