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Breaking ground with ploughathon

Sparsholt College extended diploma agriculture students broke new ground for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance charity through a sponsored ploughathon.

Dozens of Hampshire-based learners were sponsored to use a ploughing machine, two tractors and muck spreaders on the college farm non-stop for 24 hours.

They raised £1,273 in support of the local air ambulance.

Abby Parsons, agriculture lecturer, said: ‘We are really pleased how committed the students were to the challenge from the organising phase through to ploughing and they did a very professional job.

“Many will be finishing their course this month and going into the workplace. It is encouraging to see how accomplished they all were applying key skills that will hopefully see them pursue successful careers.”

Cap: Students and staff from Sparsholt College with a cheque for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

Top job at Skills Funding Agency on offer — ‘no FE and skills experience necessary’

The post of full-time chief executive at the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is on offer with a salary of up to £142,000 a-year — and “no FE and skills experience necessary”.

The role, currently held on an interim basis by Barbara Spicer (pictured right), also comes with a possible bonus of up to £17,500 after three years, plus annual payouts “in line with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ Senior Civil Service policy”.

The job of overseeing an annual sectoral budget of around £3.5bn was advertised by national press yesterday and requires applicants to “have a substantial track record of delivering structural and cultural change”.

The specifications for the 42-hour a-week job (including one-hour meal breaks) added: “Politically astute, you will quickly command the respect of government and the sector.

“Prior experience of FE and skills policy is not essential, but you must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the challenges associated with operating a dynamic and efficient skills system that changes lives through learning.”

Ms Spicer, a former £175,000 a-year Salford City Council chief executive of eight years, was given a nine-month contract to run the SFA as interim chief executive in November — two months after her predecessor, Kim Thorneywork (pictured left), who also held the post as interim, stood aside to concentrate on her battle with breast cancer.

Mrs Thorneywork, a chemistry graduate and mother-of-one, was appointed agency chief executive in July 2012, replacing Geoff Russell. She was awarded a CBE in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday honours list this month.

To apply for the job, email sfa@green-park.co.uk by Monday, July 7, with a CV and covering letter or supporting statement of no more than two sides of A4.

Education Funding Agency to stick with 2011/12 minimum standards when judging last year’s provision

The Education Funding Agency has published guidance on how 16 to 19 provision from 2012/13 will be judged.

The agency said the minimum standards from 2011/12 would continue to be used.

A spokesperson said: “In the 2012 to 2013 academic year, a school sixth form or college will be seen as underperforming if its results show that fewer than 40 per cent of students achieve an average point score per entry in vocational qualifications of 194 points…[and] fewer than 40 per cent of students achieve an average point score per entry in academic qualifications of 172 points.”

The standards will cover all schools and colleges for 16 to 18-year-olds and will take into account performance in A-levels, and other academic and vocational qualifications taken at level three.

Standards for the 2013/14 academic year are due to be agreed in August.

See edition 108 of FE Week (dated Monday, June 30) for more, including sector reaction.

Rocking with a Red Hot Chilli Pepper

Stadium-rocking drummer for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers Chad Smith jammed with students during a surprise visit to North West London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance.

Mr Smith, who has drummed for the funk-rock band since 1988, spoke to around 100 level three to five music students and also joined in a jamming session with learners.

He said: “There are no shortcuts, work hard. You have to put the work in.

“Play with as many other people as you can and learn as many different types of music as you can because it will always help you to become more well-rounded musicians.”

The drummer was invited to deliver the speech by his friend Ian Edwards, head of marketing and admissions at the Institute.

He said: “I am so grateful to Chad. He is such an inspirational musician and passionate communicator who is totally focused on supporting and encouraging students to build real careers in the music industry.”

Cap: From left: Red Hot Chilli Peppers drummer Chad Smith in a jamming session with students.

Seafood dish proves Sam is a masterchef

Hospitality learner Sam Self turned up the heat on his competitors to secure the title of college Masterchef.

More than 30 level two and three hospitality and catering students took part in the competitioin at South Cheshire College.

Level three student Sam, aged 19, won the final cook-off after serving Besugo A La Riojana to hospitality and catering lecturer Mike Finney and professional chef Kevin Snell.

The dish was sea bream fillets in fresh pesto, served on a potato rosti with a Spanish-inspired tomato, pepper and Iberian chorizo sauce. Sam said: “I was thrilled to win. This competition was a great learning curve.”

Chef lecturer Shane Guilford said: “All the students who took part did themselves proud.”

Cap: Hospitality student Sam Self

Justin’s horned headpiece worn by Angelina

Former Kensington and Chelsea College higher national certificate millinery student Justin Smith worked on a horned headpiece worn by Angelina Jolie in fantasy film Maleficent.

The 34-year-old, who left the college in 2004, helped create the headpiece with black horns worn by evil fairy godmother Maleficent played by Ms Jolie in the film released last month.

Mr Smith, who runs his own hat-making business called J Smith Esquire, has kept in regular contact with the college over the last decade and met current millinery students at their end-of-year exhibition on June 5.

He said: “Kensington and Chelsea was an important part of my learning the art and craft of millinery and all its traditions, a stepping stone to help me develop and grow my style.”

Speaking about the headpiece, he added: “Angelina wanted something that was going to cover the head and completely lose all the hair, but also not be a turban or fabric just wrapped around the head.

“It was quite a specific brief and it took a little bit of time to understand where we can go with this to try and create an identity for her.”

Cap: Angelina Jolie wears the headpiece as evil fairy godmother Maleficent. Inset: Former Kensington and Chelsea College millinery student Justin Smith

Classic album remix is out of this world

Level three music students performed their remix of concept album War of the Worlds live at Warrington Collegiate.

Antony Vickers, aged 26, and Nick Bromley, 22, reworked the original songs recorded by Jeff Wayne in 1978 with house, dub step and drum and bass styles.

They performed their version of the album, which retained actor Richard Burton’s narration of the story written by HG Wells, in the college’s Barton Theatre.

The duo played guitar, drums and synthesisers live to the remixed music.

Nick said: “Our tutor Liam Maloney was the inspiration for this piece.

“He has supported, guided and encouraged us to make it our own. It was an enormous challenge, the work is a classic, but we are confident that this performance won’t be the last.”

Cap: From left: Nick Bromley plays keyboard and Antony Vickers plays guitar to their War of the Worlds remix.

Huntress painting in frame for V&A exhibition

Westminster Kingsway College student Lisa Webb had her painting displayed in an exhibition of works of art inspired by London’s Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum.

There were more than 440 entries for a competition launched in October which challenged new artists to create works inspired by the world-famous museum of art and design.

Lisa, aged 49, who attends a part-time drawing and painting adult course at the college, submitted an acrylic painting inspired by a marble sculpture of Diana the Huntress by Joseph Nollekens currently on display at V&A.

The work was created in 1778, which shows the Roman goddess of hunting, was the first freestanding sculpture of a mythological subject by a British artist.

Lisa said: “I was really delighted that my painting was selected. I love going to my art class as you are inspired by each other and get to see others’ work.”

Lisa’s painting was one of 110 entries chosen by V&A curators for the exhibition at London’s Morley Gallery.

Cap: Westminster Kingsway College drawing and painting student Lisa Webb.

What Employers Want

Download your free copy of the FE Week 16-page supplement What Employers Want ~ in partnership with Reed NCFE.

Click here to download (5mb) What Employers Want

Just what do employers want of prospective workers? What skills do businesses want them to have picked up and honed? And further, where are we in terms of the levels of these skills and what are providers doing to deliver them? In essence, the next five pages of this supplement seek to address these questions. Firstly, on page three, the umbrella business groups of the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses and the Local Enterprise Partnership Network were asked simply: ‘What do your members want the FE and skills sector to provide learners?’ There were sector specific answers, but also wider requirements that are drawn out in research from Stemnet.

The new Precarious Futures report from the UK Commissioner for Employment and Skills (referred to in the Reed/NCFE advertorial below) examines the skills of young people in the UK and is on pages four and five, where it is fully dissected by chief executive Michael Davis.

Outstanding providers feature on pages six and seven, outlining how they’re providing such employability skills. Employers themselves, and the efforts they make to develop employability skills, is covered on pages 10 and 11, before FE and skills-related members of the three main parties outline their views of employability skills on page 12.

The issue of certification of such ‘soft skills’ is looked at by NCFE chief executive David Grailey on page 13, before Ross Maloney, chief executive of Skills Show organisers Find A Future, discusses his experience of employer engagement. Fintan Donohue, chief executive of the Gazelle group of colleges, puts across his experience of bringing the worlds of providers and businesses together on page 14, where Dr Fiona Aldridge, assistant director for development and research, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, also looks at the need for understanding between employers and young people. Finally, the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, the Association of Colleges and the 157 Group discuss their views on employability skills on page 15.