There was a surprise on the menu for Birmingham cookery students when a Michelin starred chef announced he would be taking on not one, but three apprentices.

South and City College ran an introduction to cookery course in partnership with chef Glynn Purnell, to help him find a future culinary star to be an apprentice in his award-winning kitchens, but at the final awards presentation he announced he would be taking on three students from the class.

One of the students selected, Kayleigh Allen, 20, said: “The next 12 months will change my life forever and I welcome the challenge. I am so excited about the future and being able to follow my dream of becoming a chef.”

Glynn used his local industry contacts to secure interviews for jobs, apprenticeships or work experience placements for the remaining students on the course.

He said: “All the students have progressed quickly, showing a passion for the industry while gaining new skills to set them up in their careers.

“It has been extremely difficult for me to choose just one student, which is why I ended up with three apprentices.”

Travel and tourism students in Warwickshire worked on something a little closer to home than usual as they held a series of tea parties for charity.

The learners at Stratford-upon-Avon College laid on tea, cakes, scones and sandwiches to staff, students and members of the public to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The first tea party, held in the college’s Academy restaurant, succeeded in raising more than £200 for the charity.

Lecturer Beverley Brigden said: “The students did a fantastic job in running a successful event. This was this first time they had worked in the Academy restaurant and the team were overwhelmed that they raised £200 to fight breast cancer.”

Three of the students involved also had the opportunity to work alongside college’s professional catering staff in the kitchen.

College Principal Martin Penny said “Congratulations must go to the students for coming up with this novel idea. The cakes and service were excellent and all for the benefit of a very important charity.

Two Midland colleges have decided it’s better to share after they appointed a joint principal to tackle funding challenges.

Marion Plant OBE took over from interim principal Jim Aleander at South Leicester College from Monday February 4, but will remain in her role as principal of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College.

Bobby Upple, chair of governors at South Leicestershire College, said: “We are delighted to welcome Marion to our college. We are confident Marion will bring drive and energy to accelerate our ambitious improvement journey.”

“We are grateful to Jim Aleander, our interim principal, whose hard work, energy and dedication has helped us move forward. Marion will be building on strong foundations.”

The two colleges will form a federation, which they hope will achieve improved outcomes for their learners and communities.

North Warwickshire & Hinckley College chair of governors Tim Render said: “In a challenging financial climate colleges must look at innovative ways of driving up standards and meeting emerging student demand. Marion is an excellent principal and will work hard to secure continuous improvement in both colleges.

“This is not a merger. Both colleges will continue to be proudly independent.”

Trainee bodyguards in London were able to keep a close eye on an MP when she dropped in to find out more about their classes.

The learners studying close protection at Free2Learn in Hackney were visited by local Labour MP and shadow minister Diane Abbott.

Free2Learn offers training in security, retail and hospitality free to those on job seeker’s allowance to help them get back into work.

Learner Mohammed Rouf, 31, had never considered more study before finding out about Free2Learn.

He said: “I know now I need to study more, because experience is important, but skills are what people want.”

Like many Free2Learn candidates, Christopher Newton, 38, was referred through Job Centre Plus after leaving the military.

He said: “They looked at my CV and they saw what I’d done and they saw my potential. I’m learning so much, and I want to learn more.”

Ms Abbott said: “It’s been very interesting. With this kind of training people worry about churn, people hopping from one course to another, but here they seem to be getting people into jobs. I will definitely be following what they do in the future.”

Young performers in Bristol had the chance to audition for a new show exploring a different side of the city’s history.

The first year HND and level three musical theatre students from South Gloucestershire and Stroud College participated in a workshop audition to be paid members of the chorus in a new play, The Dugout by Amanda Whittington, to be staged at the Tobacco Factory theatre later this year.

Lecturer Shelley Kenny said: “This is a fabulous opportunity for our students to be part of an exciting, professional theatre performance which can be included in their CV as relevant professional experience and will develop their general employability skills.”

The play uses music to blend the story of black and white teenage night clubbers in 1974 when an IRA bomb exploded near Bristol’s legendary Dugout nightclub, with a 1944 love story based on real-life accounts of a black GI shot dead by American military police in the same street.

Miss Kenny added: “This innovative project is a chance for our learners to be involved in a worthwhile, community-based activity that will enhance their development as performers in a professional context.”

A young hairdresser from Cornwall took judges through the looking glass at the Cornish Skills Challenge 2013 competition and catwalk show, adding a twist to the ‘Best of British’ theme.

The competition was hosted by Truro and Penwith College and gave 154 competitors from colleges, salons and other training providers the chance to demonstrate their hair, beauty and complementary therapies skills.

The level two hair class was won by Truro and Penwith College hairdressing student Safi Mackie, 16, who showed off her flair for hair with a Lewis Carroll inspired look.

She said: “I called my creation ‘Mad Hatter with a twist,’ taking all of the characters from Alice in Wonderland and combining them.”

Safi’s design, modelled by fellow Truro and Penwith College student Liberty Sinock O’Neill, 16, also incorporated a dress made from 12 packs of playing cards and a hat made from real hair, recrafted from hairdresser’s dummies.

Safi and winners in other categories will have the chance to go on to regional and national competitions.

It was lift off in Norwich when youngsters rose to the challenge of a paper aeroplane competition at an FE college.

Schoolchildren jetted in to City College Norwich to compete for prizes for the design and accuracy of their planes, which had to be made from A4 paper and thrown at a target from six metres away.

It wasn’t just planes being launched – the event marked the opening of the consultation for Norfolk’s new University Technical College (UTC) specialising in advanced manufacturing, engineering and skills for the energy industry.

It is set to open on the site of a former factory in Norwich in September 2014.

City College Norwich chief executive Dick Palmer said: “Norfolk UTC will be providing a very different type of curriculum for 14 to 19-year-olds, with a strong emphasis on technical challenges shaped by employers, and we thought that it would be great to set local young people a fun challenge to get involved in during their half-term.

“Paper aeroplanes seemed to fit the bill nicely and the response we have had to this event, and more importantly to the whole concept of a University Technical College for Norfolk specialising in engineering and energy skills, has been really positive.”

An Olympic medallist offered some golden inspiration at a North Somerset college’s annual student awards ceremony.

Amy Williams MBE, who won gold in skeleton bob racing at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, joined Weston College students to celebrate their success.

She said: “Nothing is impossible. You can dream about something or you can go out and do it.”

She heard students’ success stories, including that of Emma Rogers, 20 and from Nylands near Cheddar, who won the principal’s award for outstanding achievement.

Emma interrupted her level two beauty course in 2010 to have her son, and returned last February, before winning gold at the international WorldSkills final and becoming the UK’s top young beautician.

Emma, who has opened her own shop, Beauty by Emma, said: “Every time I win something it’s a great surprise but it inspires me to go on to the next thing.

“I didn’t do well as school because I am dyslexic but I found what I was good at and loved.”

Higher education student of the year was won by Dipendra Pun, 19 and originally from Nepal, who is studying a foundation degree in uniformed public services and aims to go to Sandhurst as an officer.

He said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. There are fantastic opportunities and support.”

A team of creative media production students from Cheshire are set to take the airwaves by storm after winning a competition to produce a radio advert for a local rugby team.

Final year Macclesfield College students Matt Turner, Adam Holmes, Luke Crawforth, all 17 and Mark Taylor, 19, took first place in the ‘U-Create’ competition sponsored by media company UTV and sports kit supplier Canterbury with their creative 30 second ad promoting the Sale Sharks.

Matt said: “It was a really practical project and working like that makes it easier to learn and improve our skills.”

All the team members are planning to go on to university or industry experience, so the project has given them a valuable insight into working to a live brief, they said.

Adam said: “The advert will form part of my portfolio for university interviews and it’s really useful to showcase what kind of work I can produce.”

The team will now get to go to a local UTV studio to have their advert professionally produced giving them even more industry experience.