Latest news from FE Week

The Princess Royal met the best trainee butcher in the country at the Meat Training Council’s annual prizegiving.

Joshua Brown, 21, from Wolverhampton, collected the new Best Meat Apprentice of the Year award and £250 after being nominated by Telford College where he is studying food production.

Joshua, an apprentice butcher at Essington Fruit Farm, said: “It feels great. I left school with very few qualifications so I didn’t really have many prospects.

“They took a chance with me here at the farm, and three years later I’m still here and I love it.”

Richard Simkin, joint owner of Essington Fruit Farm, said, “He came in with no experience at all. He’s learned all the butchery cutting skills and is now serving on the counter.

“He’s such a nice lad, with an endearing smile. The customers love him.”

Aspiring golfers will be able to study for a sports qualification alongside professional golf coaching when a Birmingham college opens its new golf academy.

Stourbridge College, which has teamed up with Hagley Golf and Country Club, has already started recruitment for the course, due to run from September.

David Faulkner, golf co-ordinator at Stourbridge, said: “After leaving school, young people are at a high risk of dropping out of sport. It’s hoped that courses like this will encourage more golfers to continue with the sport.”

He also hoped that the programme would help to break down traditional barriers to entering the sport.

Paul Johnson, head professional at Hagley, said: “We’re keen to develop the next generation of golfers – and students will benefit from making use of our excellent facilities as part of their course.”

Students at a London college are hitting the headlines. But they haven’t got the tabloids on their trail — the headlines are in their own magazine that they can get hot off the press.

The Richmond upon Thames College learners can read all the latest news about their campus and their achievements in Celebrate, Richmond’s new magazine.

The free magazine, which has become a must-have item across campus, allows students to gain recognition for their work and dedication, on and off campus.

The launch edition features news stories about award winners, sporting triumphs and charity fundraising, as well as show reviews, an interview with the student union president and features about college graduates.

The college is also hoping to launch a PDF edition on its website from the summer term.

A North Yorkshire principal showed his college’s support for fair trade by putting his foot down – in paint.

Mike Hopkins, principal and at Middlesbrough College, painted his soles blue and green to match Fairtrade’s Take a Step in 2013 campaign logo.

He said: “Raising awareness of Fairtrade and the plight of farmers in the developing world is just one way that we can help to promote equality and diversity.”

Students and staff also supported Fairtrade fortnight, a celebration aimed at raising awareness of a charity that helps more than a million farmers around the world get better prices for their produce. The fortnight ended on March 10.

Mr Hopkins added: “The college calendar is packed with events and activities that promote social understanding . . . the students respond tremendously to each and every one of those activities. This is a great cause and one that we are only too happy to support.”

London bakery apprentices are providing fresh bread, rolls and buns three days a week for staff at their college.

The apprentices, who work for Morrisons supermarket while studying at Barking &Dagenham College, have opened a staff shop to give them the chance to develop their skills.

Some of their specialty products sell out within minutes.

Apprentice Gregg Rolfe, 27, said:  “I never took things seriously at school and left with only a few good grades. I have been working at Morrisons for five years now, working in the fruit and veg department.

“Then, last year I was approached by the store manager about being a baker and I jumped at the chance to learn a skilled job whilst at work.

“Hopefully I’ll become a bakery manager in a few years.”

When FE minister Matthew Hancock dropped in on a Suffolk college, students soon showed him that everything was more than shipshape.

The minister was treated to whistle-stop tour of Lowestoft College’s specialist engineering and maritime facilities, including a 19m wind turbine tower for training wind farm workers, and a simulator of a ship’s bridge.

Principal Simon Summers said: “We were very pleased Mr Hancock spent time with us and was able to see what we offer.

“By talking to apprentices and students he was able to gain a good insight into the issues facing them and see just how committed they are to their studies.”

The Minister with Waveney MP Peter Aldous and Suffolk County Council leader Mark Bee, also watched uniformed services students perform an emergency evacuation drill in the training tank, and later answered questions from travel and tourism learners.

Young photographers are helping Doncaster Archives to uncover local history.

BTec national diploma students at Doncaster College are printing photographs from glass plate negatives made as far back as the turn of the last century by local photographers Luke Bagshaw and Edgar Scrivens.

Student Lauren Taylor, 18, from Bessacarr, said: “It’s exciting to see the pictures
appear in the developer.”

The photos show significant moments in the town’s history, such as the construction of the canal and St George’s bridge, and the unveiling of the war memorial in 1923.

Roberta Brackenbury, 19, from Haxey, said: “It’s quite scary dealing with glass negatives that have a lot of history behind them. We handle them with great care as we’re aware that they are breakable – and irreplaceable.”

Around 70 students at Sheffield City College have had their achievements recognised with ‘spark awards’ presented during an evening of music, dancing and skills.

A crowd of local VIPs and parents were wowed by dancing and music displays, with catering and hospitality students whipping up canapés.

The college’s glass atrium became a runway for aviation students to demonstrate their skills to music, and for media make-up students to show off their creativity with make-up based on cities around the world.

Principal Julie Byrne said: “It was fantastic evening. We are proud of our students, and our staff who have supported them on their journey. We want to inspire more young people to discover their career aspirations.”

Chief executives and directors in companies across the UK recently swapped jobs with apprentices to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

MediaCom boss Karen Blackett swapped roles with marketing and communications apprentice Robyn May, 19.

Karen said: “It was good to go back to the floor. I was impressed to see how integral Robyn is to her team; she’s clearly a valued member who has real work and real responsibility. Chief executives should do this more often.”

Robyn said: “Going from apprentice to chief executive is a huge jump. I’ve certainly had to brush up my communications skills today, speaking to directors and managing partners.

“I was really nervous this morning but I’ve learnt that it’s good to push myself and that I can do something if I put my mind to it.”

The swaps were filmed for a new online TV channel, apprentice.tv.