MP calls for investigation into Subway apprenticeship

Questions have been raised over apprenticeships offered by a fast-food chain.

Dudley MP Ian Austin is demanding answers after it emerged that Subway are offering £2.60 per hour for a role as a ‘sandwich artist’ in the Black Country.

Mr Austin said the job was advertised by Job Centre Plus and an identical job in Dudley was advertised earlier this month. He has asked the National Apprenticeship Service to investigate.

Although the MP has this week put questions to government over the issue, it was first picked up by FE Week reporter Nick Summers, who wrote about Subway apprenticeships in Tyne and Wear, Devon and Dorset last month.

Mr Austin said: “I want to see every youngster in full-time education or proper training and I want to see more apprenticeships. I learnt loads as a teenager working at McDonald’s in Dudley High Street, but this looks really dodgy to me.

“Schemes must give apprentices the skills and experience they need to advance their careers and they have to have proper training. They call it an apprenticeship but there doesn’t seem to be much training and it says it’s permanent.

“I’ve asked the National Apprenticeship Service to look into the apprenticeships Subway are offering to see if they are genuine apprenticeships or simply a means to pay young staff below the minimum wage.”

New College Nottingham students receive standing ovation for musical performance

Musical Theatre students at New College Nottingham (ncn) received a standing ovation for their final performance of On Broadway.

We Will Rock You, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy, Cabaret and Jekyll and Hyde were just some of the famous Broadway shows included in the performance

Lecturer Louisa Homes, said: “Preparing for the production enabled students to build on their skills in singing, acting, dancing and technical theatre.

“The shows received an excellent turnout and the standing ovation was testament to the students’ hard work and commitment.”

Myerscough College Golf Academy wins British Colleges Sport Open Championship

Myerscough College’s Golf Academy has won the British Colleges Sport Open Golf Championship for the second year running.

They recorded victories in the team and individual competitions at the BCS Open Golf Championship at The National Golf Centre, in Woodhall Spa. Head PGA Golf Professional at the college Craig Lea praised his young students for producing one of the Academy’s finest performances to date.

He said: “The student’s hard work and consistent effort in embracing both the practice and skill development elements of our coaching structure has led to excellent progression in their golf game this year.

“The success they are achieving at both team and individual level is well deserved and is testament to their dedication.”

Eggs-perts at Stratford-upon-Avon College

Catering students at Stratford-upon-Avon College were treated to a visit from expert chocolatiers Barry Callebaut.

One of the world’s leading manufacturers of cocoa and chocolate products, Barry Callebaut sent an expert to help students make some spectacular Easter eggs.

Each student produced the same template egg but were then given free range to decorate the chocolate oval with any design they liked.

There were a mixture of milk and white chocolate eggs and they were placed on a base made up of coloured chocolate chips.

Tameside College student’s flash of brilliance

Tameside College photography student Catherine Burgess has won first place in an Olympic themed competition.

Catherine, who is currently studying for a BTEC National Extended Diploma in Photography, spotted the competition on a poster and thought she’d give it a go.

The competition, known as ‘Image 12’, is an annual photography competition open to high school and college students within Tameside.

Catherine enlisted the help of a fellow art and design student, Hannah Doherty, to model for the photograph.

Catherine’s photograph is currently being displayed at the Portland Basin Museum Art Gallery, in Ashton-under-Lyne, and forming the borough’s version of the national touring exhibition Our Sporting Life.

She said: “I was extremely happy to have won the competition and to see my own work exhibited in a gallery. Studying at Tameside College has equipped me with the skills and confidence to take photography further.”

There’s Gecko-mania at Sparsholt College

There are three new additions to Sparsholt College’s animal management collection following the successful breeding of their Crested Geckos. Three eggs were incubated and hatched to produce the tiny lizards which have proved an instant hit with staff and learners alike.

The Animal Management Centre at the College houses three adult Crested Gecko’s which consist of the breeding pair and one lone male. The hope is that the newly arrived baby Geckos will turn out to be female (currently too young to sex) so they can be introduced to the lone male to hopefully produce more eggs.

Native to New Caledonia, the Crested Gecko (Rhacodactylus ciliatus) was thought to be extinct until it was re-discovered in 1994. Despite this relatively recent discovery, the Crested Gecko has been extensively bred by breeders and as a result is now one of the most commonly kept pet species of lizard.

The baby Geckos will join the 600+ animals from over 100 species the College has on site to provide practical training for their Animal Management and Veterinary Nursing students.

City of Bath College stonemasons help restore local mansion

Trainee stonemasons from City of Bath College are continuing to play a key role in the restoration of Woodchester Mansion.

The most recent contributions to the long-term restoration project at the 19th century Victorian Gothic property are two Medieval-style grotesques.

One was carved for display inside the visitors’ area of the mansion so the public can view the old and the new side by side, while the other has been installed on the apex of the mansion.

The new carvings are ‘hunky punks’ – a term given to grotesque stone figures carved to ornament corners and break up straight sections of stonemasonry.

They were carved by stonemasonry students Sam Flintham and Phil Windley.

Sam said: “I was inspired to create the carving by a badly weathered monkey grotesque which was removed from the top of the west gable at Woodchester Mansion.”

Olympic inspiration at Havering College

London 2012 chief Lord Sebastian Coe praised the cast of the Havering College Inspiration show for getting involved in the Cultural Olympiad.

Three thrilled teenagers – Tristan Embleton, Matt Latimer and Sam Loughlin – were selected to represent the college when Lord Coe visited Hornchurch Sports Centre.

The event organised by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and Havering Council was an opportunity for Lord Coe to meet young people inspired by the Olympics.

The welcome group included divers from Havering Cormorants Diving Club, potential 2016 athletes, 2012 ambassadors, Mascot Dancers , winners of the borough’s Talented 30 scheme plus Havering College students ahead of their performance at the London Palladium.

Tristan, Matt and Sam, who are National Diploma Music Performance students, make up rock band Dead Baby Birds.

Lord Coe said: “This is really the living testimony as to why we all set off on this journey something like ten years ago now with the dream that we might bring the Olympic Games home locally for the first time after 64 years.”

Barnet and Southgate College football stars

Two lucky football students at Barnet and Southgate College met first team players from Tottenham Hotspur at an exciting event.

The football students, Ryah Vyse (19) and Siobhan Wilson (17) both recently qualified for the BCS (British Colleges Sports) Ladies England squad; the national team recently played against and beat Wales to win the coveted Anglo Welsh Shield. As well as playing for the BCS team, Ryah also plays for Middlesex County and Tottenham Hotspur Ladies first team, she has been with the club since she was 10 years old and Siobhan also plays for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies under 21’s team.

The event was held to congratulate the girls and raise awareness of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s (THF) Education and Football Development Centre programme in conjunction with Barnet and Southgate College.

The girls met with the club’s first team squad and even practiced alongside the likes of Gareth Bale and Louis Saha (picture).

College principal David Byrne said: “Ryah and Siobhan have demonstrated that investing in hard work and training really does pay off.”