FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Comedian’s visit adds up to a bit of fun

Comedian Matt Parker recently popped into Weston College to show around 90 A-level students that maths doesn’t always have to be serious. The number-crunching funnyman demonstrated how numbers were used in a typical episode of The Simpsons, and explained how maths was used in data encryption on websites such as Facebook. Australian-born Matt, who has […]

PE student hopes to make a big splash

An 18-year-old Cheshire student is hoping to represent the UK in the world water polo championships later this year. Courtney Dean, an A2 PE student at Priestley College, is working with national coaches towards her goal of making the under-20s squad in the international competition in August. She started playing as an eight-year-old after her […]

Right at the cutting edge in Sheffield

London hairstylist Vas Karpetas has worked with celebrities such as Kiera Knightley, Jude Law — and The Sheffield College students. He used the students as models when he was invited in to demonstrate the latest on-trend styles. Vas said: “There are so many different career options within hairdressing, including editorial work, fashion, film and television […]

Learners get a bird’s eye view

MidKent College students got involved with wing clipping, hoof trimming and ear tagging when they went behind the scenes at a farm park. Animal management students also learned how to herd and vaccinate sheep, and muck out cattle at Farming World near Faversham, which is closed to the public during its off-season. Jessica Randall, 18, […]

Ploughing on, despite the weather

West Country farm mechanisation students dug deep when they completed a 24-hour ploughing marathon in challenging weather conditions. The 14 first-year students from Wiltshire College worked in shifts throughout the day and night to plough 184 acres and raise funds for Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Cancer Research UK. Agricultural engineering trainer Fred Gwinnett, who helped […]

UTCs: just what the local employers ordered

The Government might say it supports university technical colleges, but it needs to take heed of criticisms of its planned curriculum reform and removal of many vocational qualifications from school league tables, says Charles Parker Ask 14–year–olds what they think about having a longer school day and fewer school holidays and their answer is likely […]

Why I’m one of the lucky ones

Careers advisers too often ignore apprenticeships in professions such as accountancy and try to convince students that university is the only answer, says Alison Ryder Let’s be honest, most teenagers don’t think too much about their future while they’re at school. It wouldn’t surprise me if half of them pursue a career simply because their […]

Derwen College students sell it to the judges

Specialist colleges have launched their own national skills contest with two Shropshire students taking top prize in the national finals of the ‘Display your wares’ retail competition. Derwen College retail students Robin Ferguson, 22, and Emily Gray, 21, impressed industry experts from The White Room, The Co-operative Food and Selfridges with their flair at the […]

Advertorial: NOCN partnership to develop training

Apprenticeships will help to fill the gap created as workers with civil engineering skills retire, writes Graham Hasting-Evans Traditionally formal apprenticeships have by-passed civil engineering — until now. But all that is changing as the construction industry faces up to a ticking time bomb caused by a skills shortage and an aging workforce. Make no […]