Skills Minister Matthew Hancock congratulated Walsall College on doing a good job as its Job Shop celebrated its first anniversary.

Since April 2013, the Job Shop has helped 642 apprentices to find jobs, offered training to nearly 300 job seekers and given 144 people pre-redundancy support.

Mr Hancock said: “There is no doubt that many schools and colleges could learn from Walsall College.

“The focus on raising student expectations and confidence, combined with the cutting edge technology, and the clear focus to help them progress to a job or apprenticeship runs throughout everything I have heard here today.”

The college has set itself a target to recruit a further 222 apprentices and 120 traineeships through the Job Shop by June.

Cap: Level two business administration apprentice Laura Farmer, aged 18, deputy principal for delivery and success Fazal Dad, Skills Minister Matthew Hancock and level two business administration apprentice Thomas Bell, 18

Brave little Evie Clasper has new hope for life after a heart transplant operation over the Easter weekend. And nobody will be happier than staff and students at Middlesbrough College who raised more than £1,500 for the heart unit that has been treating her, writes Paul Offord.

Staff and students at Middlesbrough College went the extra mile for a brave little girl whose life has been blighted by heart problems.

Three-year-old Evie Clasper, whose aunt, Helen Spencer, is an administrator in the college’s health and care department, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome before birth.

She has spent much of her life on the operating table and with the Children’s Heart Unit at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital.

Her fight for survival has caught the imagination at her aunt’s college, where 20 volunteers aimed to raise money for the college by completing 86 miles between them on running machines — the length of the round trip between the college and Freeman Hospital.

But they ended up completing more than 200 miles, which raised more than £1,500 for the hospital’s Children’s Heart Unit.

Ms Spencer said: “The support we’ve received has been amazing. People want to help in any way they can and we’ve already exceeded all our expectations by the number of people volunteering to take part and the donations that have flooded in.”

Evie was diagnosed with heart problems when her mother [Miss Spencer’s sister], 41-year-old Dawn, was 20 weeks pregnant with her.

She needed surgery as soon as she was born and endured 14 operations before doctors finally allowed her parents to take her home in December 2010 when she was six months old.

And a suitable new heart was found for little Evie on Saturday, April 19.

Miss Spencer said: “We found out she was getting the transplant at lunchtime [on Saturday] and she was in theatre a couple of hours later for an operation that took 12 hours.

“She has been a stable condition since. It was the best possible Easter present. Her skin was pale and her lips would often go blue before the operation, but they are now a healthy looking pink.”

Most of the miles for the fundraising event were clocked up on exercise treadmills at the college, with principal Zoe Lewis running the first mile.

She said: “We know how important the children’s heart unit is to poorly youngsters across the region and we’re proud to show our support in any way we can.”

Most people who took part walked or ran three miles.

But health and care lecturer Karen Gibson and course co-ordinator Laura Cochrane, who also helped organise the event, ran 10 and eight miles respectively.

The only volunteers who did not use the running machines were health and care lecturers Dan Yates, 52, and Matt Hopton, 39, who opted to walk 43 miles from the college to the hospital over two days. Miss Spencer said: “Evie’s mum was texting me all the time asking how it was going. They are really proud of what we have done and told Evie about it.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/chuf to boost the fund.

Cap: Zoe Lewis, Middlesbrough College principal, walking the first mile for the fundraising event and (from left) staff members Matt Hopton, Laura Cochrane, Dan Yates and Helen Spencer

 

 

Local MP Angie Bray dropped in to Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College’s apprenticeship fair to find out more about the programme.

The Ealing Central and Acton MP joined more than 30 organisations, including Lloyds Bank, Ealing Council and the Army, who were promoting their apprenticeship opportunities to young people in West London.

Ms Bray said: “Apprenticeships are a great way to start out. What we’re seeing is the more apprenticeships are taken up, the more the word gets out there.

“Young people are hungry for apprenticeships and it’s really starting to take off.”

Terry Amoah-Boateng, aged 19, attended the event and wants to train to become a fitness instructor. He said: “Events like this are helpful for young people like me to talk to potential employers about apprenticeships.”

Cap: Angie Bray MP with ESOL student Laurrice May Cuyong, aged 19

Everything went swimmingly when students from Winstanley College in Wigan performed a mermaid-themed musical to children and their families.

The level one performing arts students produced and acted in the show, called A Mermaid’s Tale, as part of their course which requires them to learn about theatre for children.

The show was targeted at four to seven-year-olds.

Pupils from Maharishi Free School, in Ormskirk, and St Thomas the Martyr School, Skelmersdale, also met the cast before the show started.

Elise Carman, aged 16, who played Ariel the Mermaid in the show, said: “It was a fantastic experience to perform in front of so many primary school children.

“The response from them was very different from anything else I have done as an actor.

“It has given me a thirst to explore different avenues and types of theatre to the ones I would usually do.”

Cap: Performing arts students dressed in mermaid-themed costumes with primary school pupils who watched the show

 

A gold medal winner at WorldSkills 2013 has been recognised as a master craftsman by a historic representative body for builders and tilers.

Ashley Terron, aged 21, who completed an advanced level three apprenticeship in construction building with Warrington Collegiate and his family firm Peter Terron Construction three years ago, set a world record for the highest marks ever awarded for bricklaying at the prestigious competition in Leipzig, Germany.

He has now been recognised as a master craftsman by the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers — a representative body for tilers and bricklayers that was granted the Royal Charter in 1568.

Mr Terron travelled with Rob Holmes, a senior lecturer in brickwork and Ashley’s former tutor to London for the company’s annual craft awards lunch where he was presented with a certificate and medal.

He said: “From starting my apprenticeship in 2008 I have always aspired to be the best. I hope that my achievements will inspire others to strive for excellence in their own career.”

Cap: Ashley Terron (third from left) with other award winners at the ceremony and David Cole-Adams, master of the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers (centre left), and Alan Yarrow, alderman at the company (centre right)

Learners from Macclesfield College used their creative talents to get an anti-bullying message across to primary school pupils.

The level two performing arts students created bullying-themed drama scenarios and helped year three and four children from Hurdsfield Primary School, in Macclesfield, act them out.

The learners, who were also challenged to organise enjoyable warm-up activities for the school children, wore hooded tops branded with an anti-bullying logo designed by level three graphic design students from the college.

Maura Shilton, lecturer in creative studies and visual media, said: “It was great to work with the school because the pupils were so enthusiastic and our students benefited from gaining valuable work-related learning experience, helping to build their confidence.”

Cap: Students Mia-Iola Adam (second from left) and Charlene Salthouse, both aged 16, show the primary school pupils some dance moves.

 

Warwickshire College featured in a report by BBC TV show Countryfile on the importance of health and safety in farming.

The BBC spent two days filming at the college’s 345-hectare farm, where learners gain hands-on experience of arable cropping, working in a dairy unit, and with sheep and cattle herds.

They also use field-based machines involved with ploughing, muck-spreading and mowing.

Presenter Tom Heap interviewed level three extended diploma agriculture students about the health and safety training they receive on their course.

The item also featured James Chapman, a farmer who lost an arm when he was 23 years old after getting it caught in a slurry tanker, who stressed to the students the “importance of safety”.

Diane Whitehouse, vice principal, said: “We were really pleased to welcome Countryfile to film at our working farm.

“It was a unique experience for our students, giving them a first-hand insight into how television programmes are made, and the opportunity to be interviewed on camera themselves.”

Pictured from left: Students Rachael Turner and Harriet Hollis, both aged 18, Countryfile presenter Tom Heap, and students Jennifer Bent, 17, and Jonathon Wolsey, 18

 

Leeds City College students were transformed into characters from Tim Burton films.

Level three production arts students used hair and make-up skills they had learned on their courses to carry out the make-overs on level three performing arts and acting students.

The learners looked like characters from Burton’s films including Batman, Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd.

They were star attractions at an open day, attended by around 200 people, aimed at attracting more people on to production arts courses.

Claire Dunkerley, Leeds City College curriculum leader for performing and production arts, said: “This was a great opportunity to show the talent and creativity of our students while also providing an insight into the courses.”

Cap:Acting student Becky Bartram, aged 16, made up as a combination of Alice and the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland

An all-female team of MidKent College learners proved they were on the same frequency by winning an engineering competition that challenged them to build a working radio.

Level three engineering students Katie Emery, aged 16, Emma Nelson and Lauren Wells, both 17, Sophie Everest-Ford and Dylan Halpin, both 18, and Jessica Beckley, 19, triumphed ahead of five teams from other colleges at the Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) Fest at neighbouring East Kent College.

The competition required teams of students to follow a set of instructions to create a working radio, then give a presentation on how they would improve it.

The students, who are the only females on their course, won the £500 first prize.

Miss Halpin said “Engineering isn’t very popular with many girls. I think it’s seen as a dirty, manual job, but that doesn’t put us off at all. It was good making the boys jealous.

“We spoke about how we would like to make it smaller so it would be more appealing to a younger age group.”

Pictured from left: Jessica Beckley, Sophie Everest-Ford, Emma Nelson, Lauren Wells, Dylan Halpin and Katie Emery