ONELAB College becomes an approved UAL Awarding Body centre

We are delighted to announce that ONELAB College will be delivering UAL Awarding Body qualifications from 2024. Located in the bustling depths of East London, ONELAB College is a fantastic learning institution that provides art, design and media qualifications for students aged 16-25 with special education needs and disabilities (SEND).

The College was established in 2018 through a creative curriculum encompassing design, digital media and entrepreneurship which provides clear pathways to qualifications and opportunities in the creative economy, fostering both employment and self-employment.

ONELAB pop-up shop

During June, ONELAB College hosted a pop-up shop to showcase all their students’ art and design work with products ranging from t-shirts and hoodies to 3D printed lamps, postcards, bookmarks and a Personalisation Station where customers were encouraged to design their personalised tote bags, hats or pencil cases. The event was open to the general public between 10am-3pm and students had the chance to display, sell and share the creations and the journeys behind their products.

How it all began

We spoke to co-founder of ONELAB College, Elsa, about her experience of creating the College and working with her students:

"Miles and I co-founded ONELAB College after we graduated from the Royal College of Art. We began with a garden wagon, taking art supplies around Tower Hamlets and into schools, hoping to encourage the study of art with students and teachers. 

As we journeyed through various schools, our mission and passion to empower SEND students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset through art and design flourished. We wanted to address the inequality of opportunities and bridge the gap between extreme wealth and deprivation that often excludes students from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue art and design as a study and career choice.

At ONELAB College, our students come to us with minimal qualifications and low self-confidence. At ONELAB, we aim to dissolve educational barriers often faced by SEND learners by giving our students not only the opportunity to discover their own voices and places in this world, but also provide an inclusive, creative, safe space to hone their talents and gain practical experience that they can transfer into the workplace when they leave us."

The first year at the College focusses on encouraging students to share their message to the world and what they want the world to know about them, not just as individuals with SEND. As students' progress over the years, they take their talents further and focus on a creative medium they wish to specialise in, with tailored courses to help them realise their potential from printing and design to animation and illustration.

We are very pleased ONELAB College will be delivering UAL Awarding Body qualifications and look forward to seeing their students excel in their creative studies.