FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Read all about it in Richmond

Students at a London college are hitting the headlines. But they haven’t got the tabloids on their trail — the headlines are in their own magazine that they can get hot off the press. The Richmond upon Thames College learners can read all the latest news about their campus and their achievements in Celebrate, Richmond’s […]

Middlesbrough principal bares his soles

A North Yorkshire principal showed his college’s support for fair trade by putting his foot down – in paint. Mike Hopkins, principal and at Middlesbrough College, painted his soles blue and green to match Fairtrade’s Take a Step in 2013 campaign logo. He said: “Raising awareness of Fairtrade and the plight of farmers in the […]

Novice bakers rise to the challenge

London bakery apprentices are providing fresh bread, rolls and buns three days a week for staff at their college. The apprentices, who work for Morrisons supermarket while studying at Barking &Dagenham College, have opened a staff shop to give them the chance to develop their skills. Some of their specialty products sell out within minutes. […]

Lowestoft passes muster for minister

When FE minister Matthew Hancock dropped in on a Suffolk college, students soon showed him that everything was more than shipshape. The minister was treated to whistle-stop tour of Lowestoft College’s specialist engineering and maritime facilities, including a 19m wind turbine tower for training wind farm workers, and a simulator of a ship’s bridge. Principal […]

Flashbacks to a bygone era

Young photographers are helping Doncaster Archives to uncover local history. BTec national diploma students at Doncaster College are printing photographs from glass plate negatives made as far back as the turn of the last century by local photographers Luke Bagshaw and Edgar Scrivens. Student Lauren Taylor, 18, from Bessacarr, said: “It’s exciting to see the […]

The bright sparks of Sheffield

Around 70 students at Sheffield City College have had their achievements recognised with ‘spark awards’ presented during an evening of music, dancing and skills. A crowd of local VIPs and parents were wowed by dancing and music displays, with catering and hospitality students whipping up canapés. The college’s glass atrium became a runway for aviation […]

Bosses swap jobs with apprentices

Chief executives and directors in companies across the UK recently swapped jobs with apprentices to mark National Apprenticeship Week. MediaCom boss Karen Blackett swapped roles with marketing and communications apprentice Robyn May, 19. Karen said: “It was good to go back to the floor. I was impressed to see how integral Robyn is to her […]

Adonis talks of ‘apprenticeship revolution’

UCAS should be the “principal route” into apprenticeships to ensure they were as “accessible and credible” as universities, Lord Adonis told a packed conference. The organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education was “up for it” if the government was, said the Labour politician, and academic during a speech at Unionlearn’s annual apprenticeship conference […]

Cameron’s ‘new norm’ wisdom

The Prime Minister wants apprenticeships to become the “new norm for young people,” with work-based training sitting “at the heart of our mission to rebuild the economy”. Speaking at a Buckinghamshire training academy during the sixth National Apprenticeship Week, he called on employers, educators and MPs to expand apprenticeships for young people. “They are at […]