FE Week Reporter | FE Week

Doncaster College takes on veterans for charity

Staff and students from Doncaster have kicked off a training regime to tackle a charity five-a-side football match against former pro stars. The Doncaster College learners and lecturers are taking part in the Team of Steel tournament organised by Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity as part of their Do Your Bit Campaign. The competition will […]

College helps learner launch clothing line

A Brighton business student is making his voice heard by launching his own t-shirt brand with help from a local businessman. Tom Lawson, 18, teamed up with City College photography student Tyler Vaughan and part-time games designing student Adam Garwood, both also 18, to form Sick of Silence Clothing after getting some advice from the […]

Students breathe new life into old police car

A duo of Devon apprentices have earned their stripes by restoring a decommissioned police car to its former glory. South Devon College automotive apprentices Jack Cleaver, 24, and Jordan Brewster, 20, from Teignmouth, took 18 months to strip down, re-spray, apply period stripes and replace engine parts of the 13-year-old 1.6 diesel Ford Escort. The […]

Design students help raise LGBT awareness

Creative learners in London aimed to turn heads, change minds and promote diversity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) History Month. BTec art and design, and graphic design students at the College of North West London were challenged by tutor Philip Crichton to create eye-catching posters to raise awareness of the event last month. […]

Heads in the cloud for game design students

Two groups of Midland computer whizzes managed to create a 2D game without even sharing a classroom. Level three diploma games development students at Birmingham Metropolitan College worked on the project from campuses four miles apart using ‘cloud’ technology. Student Liz Wright, 18, said: “A resource like this means that if for any reason I […]

Apprentice lays career foundations

A Lancashire construction apprentice is building on his career with a scholarship awarded because of his academic ability and potential to excel. James Martin, 21, is studying for a diploma in construction and the built environment and an NVQ in built environmental design at Bolton College and has been awarded the scholarship by the North […]

Alumni can offer more than money

Universities don’t bid a final farewell to their students — the world of higher education alumni bodies is a well-populated one that brings its own rewards. It’s about time FE colleges jumped on board, says Iain Mackinnon. Why would a college bother to make links with its alumni? Professional fundraisers in universities sometimes contrast their […]

White paper raises the flag for sixth form colleges

Colleges often feel undervalued and under threat. The Sixth Form Colleges Association, launched last week, is determined to change that More than 150 guests were at Westminster for the official unveiling of the rebranded Sixth Form Colleges Association and heard how sector principals were competing in an unfair education market. The event, on Tuesday, came […]

Angela O’Donoghue, principal, South Essex College

Angela O’Donoghue doesn’t see herself as ambitious. In fact, the principal of South Essex College, who has set up a Sixth Form College from scratch and been awarded a CBE, considers herself having always been “lucky”. She has a reputation for reaching out to people, from teaching excluded schoolgirls to blind and disabled students, as […]