Independent learning providers featured prominently in the 2014 Sunday Times’ lists of best small and medium-sized companies to work for.

Bright International Training and Educ8 came 12^th and 51^st respectively in the list for small companies.

ACT Training, Ingeus UK, and HIT Training came 35^th, 85^th and 92^nd respectively in the list for the 100 best medium-sized companies.

Krissy Charles-Jones, chief executive of Bright International Training, said: “I am extremely proud to see Bright recognised in this way, and being the founder and chief executive of a company that is known as one of the best places to work is something that I have wanted to achieve for my entire career.

“Any business is only ever as good as its staff and the approach to work that the management promote and encourage, and I would hope that the importance we all place on our charitable work, the work/life balance for everyone who works here, along with our focus on providing exceptional customer service, were all factors that encouraged my colleagues to give Bright such a positive report.”

Jill Whittaker, HIT managing director, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have made the list. More than 80 per cent of HIT employees took part in the survey which in itself is a reflection of the amazing positivity and the incredibly strong feel-good factor within the organisation.”

The St Loye’s Foundation, which provides training for example in childcare and customer relations, also came 16^th in the  list for the 100 best not-for-profit organisations.

The Sunday Times judged which were the best organisations to work for based on employees’ responses to questions, for example, about the quality of leadership and efforts made to improve their general wellbeing.

Cap from left: Glenn Dimmelow from Best Companies, which did the market research for the list, presenting the award to Jill Whittaker and John Hyde, executive chairman of HIT Training. Inset: HIT trainer-assessor Emma Boucher with the award

High-profile comedian Russell Brand was the latest in an impressive line of celebrities to face a grilling from 20-year-old Lambeth College radio presenter Daniel Parker, writes Paul Offord.

What do comedian Russell Brand and actors Ralph Fiennes and Tom Hanks all have in common?

They’ve all been interviewed by level three radio production student Daniel Parker.

The 20-year-old, from Grays, is a presenter for Lambeth College’s own station, Vox Radio, having started his course in September last year.

Yet he has already managed to interview several huge stars for the station.

But he is most proud of a recent question and answer session with Mr Brand, who also comes from Grays.
Daniel travelled to the Cliffs Pavilion theatre, in Westcliff, Essex, where the comedian was performing as part of his tour, The Messiah complex, and interviewed him backstage.

He said: “Russell was a really nice guy and very interesting to speak to.

“We went to the same primary school and my grand-dad, Gordon Eckley, who passed away last year, taught him geography at secondary school.

“His mum is actually a friend of my family and that’s how I got the interview.”

Daniel’s first interview was with Britain’s Got Talent impressionist and comedian Paul Burling, also at the Cliffs Pavilion, in Westcliff.

He then interviewed movie stars Tom Hanks and Ralph Fiennes, at press conferences about their films Captain Phillips and The invisible Woman, respectively, during the London Film Festival in October last year.

He said: “I had to apply for press accreditation and luckily they let me go along. It was really exciting. Tom was very funny and Ralph said something nice about how the culture and spirit of London makes the festival special.”

And he has also interviewed Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe on the red carpet at a festival screening of his film Kill Your Darling.

He said: “I basically put a microphone under his nose and asked a question like you see the reporters do on the telly. I asked him if he would be in any other Harry Potter films now JK Rowling is writing new books, but he said he was too old now.”

Daniel also interviewed Star Wars actor Warwick Davis over the phone about the Reduced Height Theatre Company — his touring group of short actors [which featured in edition four of Campus Round-Up].

Daniel is learning about radio production, media law and news reporting through his course and hopes to become a broadcast journalist for a top national radio station one day.

Tutor Sheila Smith said: “He is just an amazing student. His confidence and interviewing skills have developed so much and I was beaming with pride when I listened back to his interview with Russell Brand.”

Visit www.audioboo.fm/channel/voxradio to listen to Daniel’s interviews.

 

 

Hopwood Hall College students got a taste of what it would be like to train as Royal Marines.

The nine level two and three sport and fitness and uniformed public services students spent five days at the Royal Marines Training Centre, at Lympstone, Devon.
Their leadership and teamwork skills were assessed and they had to complete a cross country course that involved swinging on ropes, running through rivers, and wading through tunnels full of water.

The students also did a three-mile run, press-up, chin-up and bleep tests.

Terry Morley, college director for sports and public services said: “The nine learners were picked because they are all interested in becoming Royal Marines. We were confident they would pass all the tests [at the training centre] and this was justified by the positive comments that have since been made about them by the staff there.”

 

Weston College students dug deep to raise almost £4,000 for a cancer charity during an annual fundraising week.

The college’s chosen charity this year is The Bone Cancer Research Trust, which received £3,938 overall through the competition.

Fundraising activities included cake sales, fancy dress, football and netball tournaments, music gigs and sponsored walks.
The charity was chosen because A-level college student George Collard, aged 18, lost his sister Mary to bone cancer when she was just 11 years old.

Students will continue to support the charity throughout the year in the hope of raising a final total of £6,000.

Jamie Scrachan, from the charity, said: “It is great to see Mary’s legacy still going strong. £6,000 could pay for more than 1,500 teenage cancer information booklets, helping individuals and families like the Collards gain invaluable information and support about their condition.”

 

The lead singer of Britpop band Ocean Colour Scene visited Stratford-upon-Avon College with his new group Merrymouth to record a promo video for their new album.

Wenlock Hill is the second album from the folk-orientated band Merrymouth, which is fronted by singer Simon Fowler, who found fame in the 1990s with Ocean Colour Scene — which had five top 10 albums and hit singles including The Day We Caught the Train and The Riverboat Song.

The video was shot entirely in the campus recording studios by the college’s media technician Dan Croxford and media lecturer Sophie Blount.

Mr Croxford said: “Working alongside Simon Fowler was a great experience. His talent and humour engaged us all, making us want to create something to the best of our standards.

“The band works together so well and they bring an element of fun with them wherever they go which is awesome.”

Cap: Simon Fowler and fellow band member Adam Barry in a college recording studio

 

Young filmmakers are making a documentary following the creation of wire mesh sports-themed sculptures.

Five creative film and moving image students at Cleveland College of Art & Design have been filming artist Michelle Castle working on 15 sculptures of male figures playing sport.

The works of art were commissioned by Hartlepool Borough Council as part of a campaign to get more young men in the town playing sport.

One of the students making the film, Daniel D’arcy, said: “This is the first documentary that I’ve been involved with and as well as real-time filming we will also be using time lapse film to show how the sculptures evolve.”