College targeted in £475k fraud

A college was conned out of nearly half-a-million pounds of taxpayers’ cash.

Castle College, which has sites in Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, and in Beeston, paid a training company £475,391 in the belief that people had taken training courses, the Nottingham Post reports.

The college organises courses for people who are employed but want to get extra training, using government funding. But it was billed for courses that people had not taken.

The college merged with South Nottingham College earlier this year.

One of the fraudsters was Kay Edwards, a full-time administrator at Castle College, who secretly provided Birkenhead-based Training Options UK Ltd (TOUK), which has a base in Mansfield, with details of hundreds of people who had previously undertaken courses at Castle College.

Nottingham Crown Court heard their details were used by her co-conspirators to complete false work books, assessments and feedback forms. False claims were put in for funding for those people and paid.

In one case, TOUK billed Castle College for 717 students for a customer service course when only 134 actually did the training.

A second college, North Warwickshire and Hinckley, was also conned out of £27,108 when it, along with Castle College, was invoiced by the company for 399 students on two health and safety courses that never took place.

The “guiding lights” behind the fraud were said by the prosecution to be directors Andrew Leathwood and Carolanne Ravenscroft, who ran TOUK and another company, FE Options Ltd, and general manager Kieran England. Leathwood and Ravenscroft were alleged to have profited to the tune of more than £100,000 each.

Edwards (45), of Heathery Drive, Forest Town, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud Castle College.

Leathwood (43), of Waterpark Road, Birkenhead; Ravenscroft (56), of Yowley Road, Ewloe, Deeside, Clywd; and England (37), of Vermont Road, Liverpool, were found guilty of conspiring to defraud Castle College of £475,391 and conspiring to defraud North Warwickshire and Hinckley College of £27,108.

England was also found guilty of making or supplying articles for use in frauds. This related to a number of false workbooks, knowing that they were designed or adapted for use in the course of or in connection with fraud.

Husband and wife Leslie Hayes (44) and Claire Hayes (38) of Burnt Oaks Close, Mansfield Woodhouse, who manned the Mansfield office of TOUK, admitted conspiracy to defraud Castle College and North Warwickshire and Hinckley

Damion Johnstone (39), of Mossdale Drive, Rainhill, Merseyside, who was paid to complete fraudulent claim forms, pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Castle College only

Steven Johnson (39) of Strathmore Drive, Liverpool, admitted making or supplying articles for use in frauds.

All will be sentenced on January 3, 2012.

A spokesman for South Nottingham College said: “The case dates back to before our merger with Castle College. We believe this to be an isolated individual action and in no way representative of the college. We do not think it is appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Bicton College students get pat on the back for smelly Children in Need fundraiser

Bicton College students created an innovative Children in Need fundraiser involving a cow last Friday.

The Sport and Outdoor Adventure students placed a cow in a pen on the lawn in front of Bicton House and then sold numbered pieces of wood to staff and students to place around the pen in the hope of marking the spot where Denis the cow would place her donation!

Outdoor Adventure tutor Ingrid Reynolds said: “Unfortunately the pressure to perform got to Denis who failed to deliver in the allotted time so we had to give a time limit and then pick the log nearest to where Denis was standing.”

Winning contestant was Equine lecturer Nicky Craven. Bicton College students raised £100 towards the Children in Need appeal.

£1b to tackle youth unemployment

A £1 billion package has been announced to tackle youth unemployment, as the number of 16-24 year-olds out of work, education and training reaches a record high.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Employment Minister Chris Grayling announced today the money will be spread over next three years to provide unemployed young people with extra help as part of a new Youth Contract.

It comes just a day after the Department for Education (DfE) revealed the number of 16 to 24-year-olds, who are considered NEET in the third quarter of 2011, reached 1,163,000.

However, Mr Clegg and Mr Grayling say the Youth Contract will provide nearly half-a-million new opportunities for young people, including apprenticeships and work experience placements.

Key measures include cash payments to encourage employers to recruit young people and an extra 250,000 Work Experience places over the next three years, taking the total to at least 100,000 a year.

At least 20,000 extra incentive payments worth £1,500 each for employers to take on young people as apprentices will also be made, taking the total number of payments available to 40,000 next year.

Meanwhile, extra support will be given through Jobcentre Plus in the form of weekly, rather than fortnightly, signing-on meetings, more time to talk to an adviser and a National Careers Service interview.

The measures, the government say, differ from previous schemes – such as the Future Jobs Fund – over the last decade, as they are “focused on equipping young people with the skills and opportunities to gain long-term sustainable employment in the private sector”.

Mr Clegg said: “The aim of the Youth Contract is to get every unemployed young person earning or learning again before long term damage is done.

“This is a £1bn package and what’s different about it, is it gets young people into proper, lasting jobs in the private sector.

“But it’s a contract, a two-way street: if you sign up for the job, they’ll be no signing on for the dole. You have to stick with it.”

Mr Grayling said: “We are absolutely committed to making a difference to the life chances of young people. We are expanding what works and delivering that as a priority.

“It demonstrates how government and business can work together to put young people on the path to employment and a self reliant future.”

The government also announced a new £150 million programme to provide support to some of our most vulnerable 16-17 year olds NEETs from 2012.

The total amount of money available for the new initiatives will be almost £1 billion, in addition to existing funding for employment services.

Skills Minister John Hayes said: “By reviving apprenticeships, the government is enabling thousands of young people build successful careers, and helping put businesses on a footing to grow and create new, sustainable employment.

“We’ll continue to work with employers so that more training opportunities are created, and ambition and enterprise are recognised and rewarded.”

CBI Director-General John Cridland said: “This is good news for young people up and down the country. We’re pleased the government has developed our idea to incentivise businesses to take on the young unemployed.

“It will encourage firms to take a gamble on a young inexperienced person and help tackle the scourge of youth unemployment.”

However, it is not known at this time where the money for the package will come from. It is expected to be announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Oborne when he makes his Autumn Statement, next week.

Cornwall College SU President becomes youngest ever Councillor for Cornwall

A students’ union president has become the youngest councillor in Cornwall.

Cornwall College Students’ Union President Joe Vinson has been elected to his local parish council.

Joe, who turned 18 in July, decided to stand for St Agnes Parish Council after nine councillors resigned and he felt faith had been lost by residents in the area.

Joe said: “I decided enough was enough and that my village of St Agnes deserved passionate and dedicated people to represent it.

“I decided to stand in the hope that I could represent the younger generation in the village and to rebuild the trust between residents and the council.

“My election is a prime example of why no one can accuse young people of being disinterested in the community that surrounds them.”

Joe already has a wealth of experience on the political stage which includes a stint as a Youth Parliament MP, Students’ Union secretary and now president, and elections to the NUS’ zone committee and financial support commission.

Floristry shop opened at Doncaster College

There was a festival of colour as a college opened its new floristry shop.

Doncaster College opened the shop last week with Gill Parkes, head of the academy of commercial enterprise, leading the celebrations.

Floristry students got the chance to showcase their skills by demonstrating a number of floristry practices, such as Christmas wreath making, buttonhole making and bottle wrapping with guests able to have a go.

Catering students, meanwhile, were on hand from the hospitality and catering department at the college, served champagne and canapés throughout the event, and guests had the opportunity to buy items from the shop.

Guests were also entered into a raffle, with the lucky winners announced by Kerry Marr, the college’s assistant director for land based studies, at the end.

Dearne Valley College students show their spots for Pudsey Bear

Childcare students from Dearne Valley College (DVC) asked college staff and fellow students to dig deep for this year’s BBC Children in Need Appeal.

With collection buckets rattling at the Wath based college, students in fancy dress raised a grand total of £372.00 for Pudsey Bear and the BBC’s Children in Need Appeal.

The youngsters studying the Diploma in Childcare and Education course level 3, years one and two raised the cash by selling raffle tickets and offering a variety of fun games. Katie Cobb, DVC Childcare Tutor commented: “This event was suggested by the students initially. I am very proud of their effort which was supported by staff and students and has raised a lot of money.”

Blackpool and The Flyde College students raise charity dough

It was a sea of spots as a college showed its support for Pudsey.

Students from Blackpool and The Fylde College wore pyjamas, fancy dress and baked spotty iced buns and curled hair for Children in Need.

Some brave souls even had their legs waxed while tutors became students for the day in school uniform and some dressed up as Where’s Wally.

Altogether it showed they would do anything to raise money for the cause.

Although the money is still being counted, the college raised £1,800 last year and hopes to top that total this time around.

City College Norwich staff get on their bikes to raise money for children in need

Students helped raise more than £1,800 for a worthy cause with a host of sponsored fun.

City College Norwich’s fundraising efforts were joined by former Norwich City footballers Darren Huckerby and Darren Eadie to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

The total amount raised is expected to exceed £2,000, with the proceeds from a number of the college’s fundraising events still to be counted.

It has been a fun-filled week right across the college, with a wide range of Pudsey-inspired events being organised to raise money.

Events included Hotel School students Robert Ducker and Sam Masters’ Evening of Childishness in the Debut Restaurant, students and staff taking part in a sponsored static bike ride from Lands End to John O’Groats and a Students’ Union-organised Mad Hatter’s tea party.

Lots of students and staff also dressed up in fancy dress on Friday, including their Sixth Form Centre students who wore pyjamas on ‘dress down’ Friday and Applications Administrator Diane Horrex working in full snorkelling gear, complete with flippers, for the day.

Solihull College student saves life of choking schoolgirl with first aid training

When college student Niala Ahmed left home, she had no idea her lifesaving training would be put into practice on her way into college.

However, the Solihull College student, who was on her way into college to complete the last day of her first aid course, was suddenly forced to put her hard work to good use when called upon to save the life of a schoolgirl.

Niala was travelling into college on the No73 bus in Bordesley Green earlier this month, when she looked out of the window and noticed a girl standing outside, choking and turning blue.

Despite feeling apprehensive and unsure that she would be able to help, Niala saw the girl collapse on the floor and realised she had to assist.

The 18-year-old, from Bordesley Green, said: “I was really nervous and worried that I would do something wrong, but when I saw the girl turning bright blue and unable to breathe I just tried to remember everything I had learned at college.

“I tilted her head back and removed a gobstopper from her mouth, but she was still not breathing. I then gave her CPR for about three minutes until the ambulance arrived.”

When the ambulance staff arrived they thanked Niala and said how she had helped save the girl’s life.

Niala adds: “I didn’t manage to find out the girl’s name or what school she is at, as I was more worried about getting back on the bus and arriving at college on time. But I hope she is fully recovered now and feeling better.”

Niala is studying the BTEC National Award in Air Cabin Crew and Aviation Operations, which the three-day first aid course is a compulsory part of.

Her course tutor, Ian Boulton, added: “I can’t tell you enough how proud I am of Niala.

“She is an outstanding student who acted calmly and confidently in a very difficult situation. She is a real credit to the college.”