THE YEAR THAT WAS...
1991
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THIS YEAR?... SEE PAGE 47
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH! ISSUE 02 JUNE 2009
LIVE/LEARN/ ASPIRE/ACHIEVE P22
P26 P52
IN THIS ISSUE...
WE DON’T LIKE CRICKET... THE GAP YEAR - A MUST FOR ANY SELF NT DE RESPECTING STU
WE LOVE IT!!
WHEN BUILDING A CAREER MAKES GOOD SENSE!
FOR LOADS MORE GREAT CAREERS INFO VISIT: WWW.THEWAYTOGOONLINE.CO.UK
playtime ReVieWS
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n EDUCATION n CAREERS n LIFESTYLE
D R o W E R FO
This is an exciting time for Apprenticeships! Never before have there been so many different types of Apprenticeships available across such a large number of industries, meaning that young people have a real choice about how they continue to learn and improve their skills. Apprenticeships are for people who want to make things happen. An Apprenticeship enables you to learn skills in a work environment – and also earn whilst you do so. From August 2009, apprentices will be paid a minimum of £95 per week. From April this year, for the first time there is an organisation specifically responsible for Apprenticeships called the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS). The NAS is dedicated to increasing the range and choice of Apprenticeships available for learners and employers. The NAS works both with people who want to be apprentices and employers who want to find apprentices to work in their businesses. To make this process easier there is now an online vacancy matching system in place that matches employers with would-be apprentices. All you have to do is register via the website and you can search for an Apprenticeship in your area. If you would like further information about Apprenticeships then please visit the website – apprenticeships.org.uk – and see how you could make things happen! Simon Waugh Chief Executive National Apprenticeship Service
“From August 2009, apprentices will be paid a minimum of £95 per week” Front cover image: www.hondanews.com
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INTRODUCTION
WELCOME TO ISSUE 02: With the Summer break just around the corner Way2Go is back with all the regular features, plus a whole lot more.
PAGE 22
Features this month include Playtime - highlighting, the latest Games, Movies, DVD’s and Music, The year that was 1991, Gap Year Travel, Sport, Cooking, Construction Skills, Fashion, Personal Economy and What is Higher Education? Along with information on apprenticeships, further education and personal development which all feature in this issue. Since our last issue the W2G team have been out and about, check out the events on pages 36 and 37. If you would like the team to attend an event you are hosting please get in touch, as you will see from the events pages, workshops for graphic design, plus all things W2G through to a “Dragon’s Den” style judging role for our Creative Director – nothing is off limits. W2G hopes to help, inform and entertain our readers. Why not have a look through the magazine and see what you think, it would be great to hear from you.
THE GAP YEAR
PAGE 26
After all the hard work that has gone into this year – assignments, revision, exams, results - for some this could be the summer of “big” decisions, for others this will be a chance to chill-out and relax in the summer sun (hopefully!). Have a great break and we’ll see you for the September issue, by then everyone will be fully re-charged and looking forward to the new term!!
CRICKET... WE LOVE IT!!
PAGE 52 Distinctive Publishing LTD, 7th floor, Aidan House, Sunderland Road, Gateshead NE8 3HU
T: 0191 4788316 Pete Thompson
PRODUCTION MANAGER pete.thompson@distinctivepublishing.co.uk Ewan Waterhouse
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ewan.waterhouse@distinctivepublishing.co.uk
BUILDING A CAREER
LIVE/LEARN/ASPIRE/ACHIEVE
CONTENTS W2G MAGAZINE 02
WHO STOLE ALL MY COLOUR!! I LOOK LIKE A GHOST!!!
PLAYTIME 6 0 E G A P THE RALF’S BACK WITH MORE OF HIS SLICK, STRAIGHT TALKING MOVIE, DVD, MUSIC AND GAME REVIEWS...
6. PLAYTIME 10. DIGITAL AND CREATIVE SECTOR - NWDA 14. GOOD PARTNERSHIPS HELP - A4E 16. WHAT’S THE FRENCH FOR GLASTONBURY? - RIL 19. NATIONAL STUDENT TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS 20. USING ICT TO PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE - CONNEXIONS 22. MIND THE GAP YEAR 24. THINKING OF GOING INTO HIGHER EDUCATION? - AIM HIGHER 26. WE DON’T LIKE CRICKET...WE LOVE IT! 28. BRIGHT SPARKS TUNE INTO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING - OPITO 30. HLF CELEBRATES 15 FANTASTIC YEARS - HERITAGE LOTTERY 32. MAKE YOUR ASPIRATIONS COME TRUE 34. BUSINESS OF SPORT - NEBP 36. W2G IN THE COMMUNITY 38. FUTURE CHALLENGE - RTC NORTH 40. NW LEARNERS CELEBRATE AWARDS SUCCESS - LSC 42. A DAY IN THE LIFE - MAERSK 44. MONEY MATTERS FOR KIDS FUTURE 47. THE YEAR THAT WAS 1991 48. ENGINEERINGS “GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH” - ONE NORTH EAST 50. EXAM RESULTS ONLINE - SQA 52. WHEN BUILDING A CAREER MAKES GOOD SENSE 54. TIME 2 COOK 55. POLES APART? - TWEBLO 56. PUTTING HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE ON THE MAP - STEPS 60. MY OUTWARD BOUND STORY - THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST 61. WAY 2 FASHION 62. WHAT IS HIGHER EDUCATION? 64. SPORTS AND LANGUAGE - RIL 68. EXPERIENCE AND AN OPEN MIND - CHEMICALS NW 70. GET OUT AND ABOUT THIS SUMMER - NEXUS 72. LANGUAGE AND THE OLYMPICS - RIL
playtime RALF BY THE
. . . S E MOVI
TERMINATOR SALVATION
Sadly, in this fourth Terminator movie, there isn’t much to laugh about, even though the earlier films raised a few smiles. Earth in 2018 is a post-nuclear wasteland and mankind is being hunted by killer machines. But what really doesn’t make sense is why a talented actor like Christian Bale would appear in a film decimated by huge plot holes. Yes, Terminator has always been silly ... it never computed that Connor could send his Kyle Reese back to the past to protect him mother, whose relationship with Reese produces Connor. That didn’t matter, because Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and state-of-theart effects made Terminator 2 one of greatest sci-fi films of all time. This, alas, has none of the above - Arnie merely shows up in a non-speaking role, which appears to be computer trickery. And there are only a couple of “wow” action moments amid the explosions. New star Sam Worthington has the charm Bale lacks and is the main highlight as the mysterious Marcus Wright. But despite its failings, fans will probably still lap it up. I for one ‘won’t be back!’.
2
RATING hhhhh
IF YOU LIKED THIS I RECOMMEND YOU SEE: n Terminator n Terminator 2: Judgement Day n Blade Runner
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“THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF WOW ACTION MOMENTS AMID THE EXPLOSIONS”
PLAYTIME
“WHAT REALLY MAKES IT WORK IS BOYLE’S THRILLING, ENERGETIC STYLE WHICH BUILDS TO A TENSE FINALE”
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
DVD’S...
To hit the DVD jackpot should you phone a friend, go 50-50 or ask the audience? The new film from Trainspotting director Danny Boyle is undoubtedly one of the best romances of the decade. The “slumdog” is Jamal Malik, an orphan from Mumbai who goes on the quiz show in the hope of winning the heart of Latika, his one true love. The police, though, do not believe an uneducated teen could answer so many questions. After a little bit of torture, Jamal recounts the moments from his life which led him to the right answers. It is a clever idea, brilliantly done. What really makes it work is Boyle’s thrilling, energetic style which builds to a tense finale. Dev Patel, from Channel 4’s Skins, does an okay job of playing Jamal but is outdone by the cheeky younger versions of his character. That doesn’t matter though, because Slumdog offers a million other reasons to enjoy an escapist trip to the move rental shop, well away from the credit crunch.
5
RATING hhhhh
IF YOU LIKED THIS I RECOMMEND YOU SEE: n Little Miss Sunshine n East Meets East n Juno
07
PLAYTIME
. . . C I S U m
The Black eyed Peas The e.N.d.
Towards the end of this sprawling, cluttered album, a male voice intones: “There is no longer a physical record store.” The Black Eyed Peas anticipate a future in which albums are fluid, downloadonly constructions that will be regularly supplemented by new mixes of every track. Yet new mixes of The E-N-D are the last thing we need: there is too much to absorb here already. Many of these electro-pop-rap tracks sound as though they were recorded with DJs in mind, rather than fans. Songs stop and start; Fergie’s voice, as bombastic as Mariah Carey’s, fades in and out; the male Peas drop raps apparently at random. As on their recent No 1 single, Boom Boom Pow, electronic clicks and buzzes are used lavishly, and the mood is as positive as ever. Just don’t expect to love it immediately.
3
RATING hhhhh
IF YOU LIKED THIS I RECOMMEND LISTEN TOO: n Akon - Freedom n Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentlemen n Dizzee Rascal - Maths and English
08
“THE MOOD IS AS POSITIVE AS EVER. JUST DON’T EXPECT TO LOVE IT IMMEDIATELY”
PLAYTIME
GAMES...
RHYTHM PARADISE your and
a will test you do I
as
In Rhythm Heaven, you’ll use your stylus to capture the beat of the music in a variety of mini games. Turn DS system sideways to hold it like a book, tap, slide or flick the stylus in time with the rhythm. The game’s catchy tunes and charming characters make Rhythm Heaven blast to play, and the array of rhythm games your musical abilities in a variety of ways as all you can to show that you’ve got the beat. haven’t been able to put it down! I absolutely LOVE this game - it is SOOO addictive - it is definitely a game for all age ranges. Be warned though, it is not easy to score gold medals as you may think... All in all, I definitely recommend this game to anyone who is up for a bit of fun, and has a sense of rhythm. Good luck! And have fun!
4
RATING hhhhh
IF YOU LIKED THIS I RECOMMEND YOU TRY: n Guitar Hero n Guitar Hero II n Rock Band
“I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GAME - IT IS SOOO ADDICTIVE - IT IS DEFINITELY A GAME FOR ALL AGE RANGES”
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WHAT IS THE DIGITAL & CRE ? AND WHERE DO I START? AS THE ‘WOW-FACTOR’ GOES, A CAREER IN THE DIGITAL & CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WON’T DISAPPOINT. ENGLAND’S NORTH WEST IS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED AS A HUB OF CREATIVE TALENT, WITH AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT TO OFFER THOSE WHO WISH TO PURSUE A CAREER IN THIS EXCITING INDUSTRY. There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to training, however the right personality and tons of enthusiasm can get you a head start. It is a very competitive environment and to get ahead you have to be willing to work hard with 100% commitment - Whether you want to work behind-the-scenes, in front-of-camera or in the expanding world of digital or interactive platforms, there’s a lot that you can do to improve your chances of success. In terms of creative buzz, few careers provide the same job satisfaction as those in the media and if you’ve got what it takes, the rewards can be great. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many people who now have a dream job were once in your position. A bit of timely research might just give you the kick-start you need. For training, advice and all the latest recruitment news visit www.skillset.org - Skillset is the Creative Media Sector Skills Council, covering areas such as broadcast, film, video, interactive media and photo imaging – they can help with the different jobs that are available and the career routes open to you.
MEDIA EDIA PRODUCTION APPRENTICESHIP
Skillset Careers offers essential careers advice for working in the creative media industries. If you’re looking for an exciting career in the media industry, Skillset Careers can help you discover what you’ll need to know to get ahead.
Some of the biggest names in TV have come together once again to offer thirty-six, 16-22-year-olds a unique opportunity to break into the business, after the continued success of the Advanced Apprenticeship in Media Production - the only one of its kind anywhere in the UK.
Here’s what you can find on www.skillset.org/careers: Storyboard guides - Find out how a TV programme, computer game or film gets made and who is involved in each stage, from the initial idea to the finished product Job profiles - This tells you exactly what a Grip, 2nd Assistant Director, Inbetweener and hundreds of other roles involve Case studies - Real people reveal how they got their dream job Fact sheets – How to write a media CV and what to look for when choosing a course or employer Glossaries – A jargon-busting guide to make sure you know your Bolex from your Barney
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The 18-month Programme will begin in September 2009 and will run until March 2011, with each apprentice receiving training and all the experience needed to kick-start their career in the industry. In addition, participants will be able to gain two Level 3 qualifications while training. Companies including the BBC, ITV Granada, Lime Pictures, Channel M and Sumners will again join forces alongside smaller companies such as Channel K, Shine North and Bellyfeel to back the Advanced Apprenticeships, giving young people the chance to work behind the scenes of the broadcasting industry. The Advanced Apprenticeship in Media Production is open to 16-22-year-olds, living in the North West, and is designed specifically for people who wouldn’t usually get the chance to break into broadcasting. For more information contact Saskiam@skillset.org
WWW.NWDA.CO.UK
CREATIVE SECTOR
GETTING DIGITAL & CREATIVE IN ENGLAND’S NORTH WEST Being in the North West region holds a great range of opportunities to get started - The North West has a habit of producing outstanding creative talent and thrives on being at the cutting edge of this ever expanding industry. The many film, TV and post-production companies that call the Northwest their home are supported by technical organisations of the highest calibre and backed up by world class training facilities such as the International Centre for Digital Content (ICDC) in Liverpool and the University of Salford. Impressively, the North West’s Digital and Creative sector is the second largest in Europe. It boasts some 31,000 businesses and employs around 321,000 people.
From TV production to animation; website design to e-commerce; advertising to multimedia communications, the creative industries in the north west of England are thriving. The sector is growing faster than the economy as a whole, and is worth around £15.8 billion per year. SKILLSET CAREERS OFFERS ESSENTIAL CAREERS ADVICE FOR WORKING IN THE CREATIVE MEDIA INDUSTRIES. IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR AN EXCITING CAREER IN THE MEDIA INDUSTRY, SKILLSET CAREERS CAN HELP YOU DISCOVER WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO KNOW TO GET AHEAD. Students at the 18 universities within an hour’s drive of Manchester can choose from nearly 300 media-related courses, while the
WWW.SKILLSET.ORG
same geographic area offers nearly 15,000 students studying computer science subjects. Salford University offers courses in radio and TV performance, animation, media technology, computer and video games. Local production companies such as Red Productions, Lime Pictures and All Out have received international acclaim and they are joined by a number of well-known national media names such as the BBC, ITV Granada, Guardian Media Group, and Trinity Mirror. Computer games are also one of the region’s major strengths. The North West, particularly Liverpool, has played an important role in the development of the UK games industry. Computer games giant Sony Computer Entertainment is based in Liverpool, alongside Cheshire-based Evolution Studios and the Warner Brothers owned Traveller’s Tales.
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Focus on…
mediaCityUK
hing It’s an exciting time for those wis orld to enter the Digital and Creative w ose- MediaCityUK is Europe’s first purp and built business hub for the creative ting media industries. It is a new, exci bring and innovative complex designed to e together companies from across th ional sector and to establish an internat l centre for excellence in the digita media and creative industries.
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As well as being home to the 5 BBC departments, MediaCityUK is expected to create more than 15,000 jobs across the media industry. The first BBC Departments to be located at MediaCityUK are BBC Sport, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Future Media and Technology, BBC Children’s, BBC Formal Learning and BBC Local and Regional.
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
Focus on… The University of Salford at MediaCityUK The University of Salford will be creating a new higher education centre at the heart of MediaCityUK. More than 800 students and staff are expected to use the campus, which will open in time for the autumn intake of 2011. The new hub will comprise 100,000 sq ft over four floors and will be linked to the University’s four faculties on the main campus at Peel Park. With state-of-the-art facilities, it will focus on employer-led and postgraduate learning and research collaboration, and will act as a gateway to the University’s full range of services for its industry and community partners. It will include a broadcast zone, digital media zone, virtual laboratory, digital performance space and creative spaces for use in academic teaching, project-based learning and user-centred design and innovation.
Focus on… The University is already a higher education partner with the BBC and will offer worldclass learning and research for the 21st Century. The University of Salford has 20,000 students and 2,500 staff. Its main campus is set in 60 acres of parkland just one and a half miles from the city of Manchester. Salford has a strong reputation as an enterprising university in the top third for Research. The University has one of the largest media schools in the UK. It is the lead university in Northern Edge, a consortium of 15 Northern universities formed to work closely with the creative and cultural industries. The University already hosts a rich programme of industry events including the prestigious annual media conference ‘TV from the Nations and Regions’ (19 – 20 January 2009). These will be showcased at MediaCityUK alongside events for schools, families and the wider community.
www.MediaCityUK.co.uk
The commercial radio sector in England’s North west Millions of people listen to the radio every week. From news and sport to comedy, drama and children’s programming, radio is a thriving, instant medium upon which many people depend. There are over 30 commercial radio stations in the North West, making it one of the largest and most competitive regions in the UK. It is even bigger than London. Many of the big Londonbased radio sales agencies have a second office in Manchester further indicating how important the North West is to the commercial radio sector, while it is estimated that 19% of commercial radio’s workforce is in the North West, higher than in London.
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Good partnerships help bring the Diplomas to
Tees Valley Engineering Partnership (TVEP) and Tees Valley Education Business Partnership (TVEBP) have been working together to make it as easy as possible for employers to link to schools.
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www.a4e.co.uk
help to life
Julie Harrison from TVEP works with engineering companies across the sub region to link an engineer from that company to a specific school. TVEBP as the STEMPOINT for the Tees Valley deliver training to the engineers to ensure they are suitably prepared before they commence working with schools. The engineers are enrolled as a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Ambassador and can then fully access all the benefits that the STEM Ambassador Programme has to offer. Amanda Olvanhill TVEBP Manager commented:
“We are all working towards the same goal; we want to highlight the breadth of opportunities that engineering has to offer young people, whilst clarifying their perceptions of what engineering is.” The country needs more young people to enter STEM related careers to support future economic growth and address skills shortages. Julie ensures that the engineers are carefully matched to a school, by analysing the needs of the school against the area of expertise of the engineer and the company’s aims and objectives. Julie said that: “Companies are often bombarded by requests from schools and subsequently a mismatch of expectations can occur. I develop a working relationship with both the school and the company and therefore ensure they are better matched. The engineering companies want to change the perception of engineering, to show the diversity of careers and dispel the image that engineering is only working with machinery etc. The projects developed in conjunction with employers provide functional skills for the STEM subjects and work related learning.”
successful. The Diplomas must be applied to industrial applications. Employers have been involved in their development and must be involved in their delivery. A good example of how the partnership is working well is with AMEC, a focused supplier of high-value consultancy, engineering and project management services to the world’s energy, power and process industries. AMEC has their own educational programme that has been developed with the support of Julie and Leanne Robson, Deputy Head from Manor Technology College; Hartlepool. The programme was initially piloted with Year 7 to 9 students from Manor. The work related activity allows students to explore the engineering applications involved in getting different types of energy supply from its source to the customer, whilst learning about the careers that AMEC has to offer. It’s such a great programme that it has now been adapted by Leanne Ayre from AMEC with help from practitioners for the Engineering Diploma. Leanne explains that, “AMEC recognises the importance of working with schools in order to help raise the profile of engineering and help provide a fully equipped workforce for our future. To this end the opportunity to help develop the Diploma and make the learning relevant to our industry and company was an exciting prospect. We have worked with educationalists to produce a series of tasks, which through research, hands on model building and calculations allows the students to get a real feel of what working for AMEC in a number of roles would be like. The project provides a great mechanism for promotion of the company, while hopefully sparking an interest in one of our engineers or project managers of the future.”
Good partnerships like this are going to be essential if the Diplomas are going to be
www.a4e.co.uk
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RENCH FOR WHAT’S THE FR ROUTES INTO LANGUAGES HAS BEEN SET UP TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE FROM 14 TO 19 LEARN LANGUAGES AT SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES IN ENGLAND. ROUTES CAN COVER DIFFERENT LANGUAGES AND THERE ARE FUN EVENTS (FESTIVALS, FOOTBALL, TASTER COURSES) FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO TRY. USUALLY, EVENTS ARE HELD AT A UNIVERSITY WITH LOTS OF STUDENTS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO MEET. Our project officer from the West Midlands, Kat Stevenson and our regional co-ordinator, Clare Forder from the South East; explore how to make the most of your summer at home and abroad. It is a well known fact amongst musicians that languages are an essential part of being an international star. Some multilingual stars sing in both English and another language. Take Shakira or Christina Aguilera or rapper Yungun, for example, they all perform in both Spanish and English. There is also Avril Lavigne who sings in lots of different languages depending on the country she is playing in! Ex Stone Rose Ian Brown understands the importance of languages as his son speaks fluent Spanish. Other multilingual stars include Natasha Beddingfield who sings in English, French and German. Katherine Jenkins speaks French, German, Italian and Russian and even Kylie speaks French! As well as English speaking stars who sing in other languages, we also appreciate the sounds of many bands or singers who have come from other countries. Air and Daft Punk come from France as does the DJ David Guetta who is responsible for many summer anthems….and of course who could forget ABBA?
How much is a burger? burger (s’il vous C’est combien un ham plait)? lle bitte? Was kostet eine Frikade /panino? Quant’è un hamburger burguesa? ¿Cuánto cuesta una ham
Where is (name of ban d) playing? Où joue (name of band)? Wo spielt (name of ban d)? Dove suonano i? ¿Dónde toca (name of band)?
Where are the toilets? Où sont les toilettes (s’i l vous plaît)? Wo sind die Toiletten? Dove sono i bagni? ¿Dónde están los servic ios?
I’m a big fan of (name of band) Je suis un grand fan de (name of band). Ich bin ein groβer Fan von (name of band). Sono un fan dei Soy un gran fan de (name of band)
aid tent? Where is the first ? premiers secours de te ten la t Où es ? on ati lst fal Un Wo ist die ccorso? l primo/pronto so Dov’è la tenda de auxilios? ros me pri de nda ¿Dónde está la tie
Where is the ticket office? Où est le bure au de vente? Où est le guichet? Wo ist die Fahr kartenausgabe ? Dov’è la biglie tteria? ¿Dónde está la taquilla?
Languages: 1. English
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oded! My tent has flo ondée! in t es e Ma tent überflutet! Meine Zelt ist tenola Si èallagata la undada! mpaña está in ca de a ¡Mi tiend
What time is (name of band) on? (Name of band) joue à quelle heure? (Name of band) spielt um wieviel Uhr? A che ora suonano i? ¿A qué hora toca (name of band)?
2. French 3. German 4. Italian 5. Spanish
www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk
OR GLASTONBURY? The summer is here and many of you may be jetting off for warmer climes. If you are then you’ll be ahead of the game if you have a language under your belt. The summer is also a time for live music and for the intrepid travellers there are many an international music festival to help you broaden your musical and cultural horizons. From Slovakia to Sweden, the Netherlands to Norway, music fans are finding ever more exciting places to party. However, if you’re chancing the British weather this summer don’t despair, here are some amazing musical events which draw people and artists from all over the world…but remember your wellies.
EUROPEAN FESTIVALS 1 AUSTRIA
Frequency Festival, Salzburg - August 20-22 www.frequency.at
10 NETHERLANDS
17 SWEDEN
Pink Pop, Limburg - May 30 - June 1
Way Out West, Gothenburg - August 14-15
www.pinkpop.nl
2 BELGIUM
www.wayoutwest.se
11 NORWAY
Rock Werchter - July 2-5
Hove, Arendal - June 22-25
www.rockwerchter.be
www.hovefestival.com
3 BULGARIA
Spirit of Burgas, Burgas - August 16-18 www.spiritofburgas.com
12 POLAND
Open’er, Gdynia - July 2-5 www.opener.pl/en
4 CROATIA
T-Mobile INmusic Festival, Zagreb - June 24-25 www.t-mobileinmusicfestival.com
13 ROMANIA
B’estfest, Bucharest - July 4-6 www.bestfest.ro
5 DENMARK
14 SERBIA
Roskilde - July 2-5
Exit, Novi Sad - July 9-12
www.roskilde-festival.dk/uk
www.exitfest.org
6 FRANCE
Eurockeennes, Belfort - July 3-5 festival.eurockeennes.fr
15 SLOVAKIA
Pahoda Festival, Trenčín - July 16-18 www.pohodafestival.sk
7 GERMANY
16 SPAIN
Melt, Ferropolis - July 17-19
Fiberfib, Benicassim, Spain, July 16-19 www.fiberfib.com
www.melt-festival.de
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8 HUNGARY
Sziget, Budapest - August 12-17 www.sziget.hu/festival
9 IRELAND
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Electric Picnic, Stradbally Estate - September 4-6 www.electricpicnic.ie
UK FESTIVALS Glastonbury, Somerset - June 24-28
5
www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
T in the Park, Scotland - July 10-12 www.tinthepark.com
Latitude, Suffolk - July 16-19
9
10
www.latitudefestival.co.uk/home
12
Global Gathering, Stratford upon Avon - July 24-25
2
www.globalgathering.co.uk
7
WOMAD Wiltshire - July 24-26
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womad.org/festivals/charlton-park 1
Big Chill, Herefordshire - August 6-9
6
www.bigchill.net
4
8 13
Green Man, Brecon Beacons - August 21-23 www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk 14
Reading/Leeds, August 28-30
3
www.tinthepark.com
Bestival, Isle of Wight - September 11-13 www.bestival.net
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www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk
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2009 NATIONAL STUDENT TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS
DURHAM UNIVERSITY’S TRADITIONAL TAEKWONDO THE ASSOCIATION (TTA DURHAM) HAD THE HONOUR TO HOST ON 2009 BRITISH STUDENT FEDERATION TAEKWONDO FEDERATI National Championships at Durham University on Saturday 28th February 2009. Over 260 students from 24 different universities travelled to Durham to compete in what proved to be an exciting and action-filled day. Taekwondo students of all levels got a chance to compete. Experienced fighters got to test and improve their skills, while beginners got their first taste of being in the ring while getting to meet other Taekwondo students from universities across the country.
FELIXNURSE.COM
This was a one day event with students competing in: Poomsae (patterns), which are a series of attack and defensive moves, and Kyorugi (sparring or fighting). Poomsae are patterns formed from a set sequence of moves that must be executed with accuracy, precision and flair. They require long hours of training in order to achieve perfect timing and precise movements. The patterns are comprised of a series of blocks, punches and kicks, not against any real opponents, but no less difficult, as one only has themselves to blame for failure. The slightest mistake, a kick off target ,a punch too slow, looses vital points and destroys your chances of winning a medal. The second and greater part of the day was taken up with Kyorugi or sparring. Here, two competitors are placed in a ring and over 2 rounds attempt to score points by kicking the opponent on the body or the head. While both competitors are fully covered by protective body armour, this is still a very dangerous sport and careful training is essential to ensure no serious injuries result. A sport where headshots are positively encouraged is one where a high level of nerve is required just to compete and all entrants should be congratulated for entering. Almost 200 matches took place over the day and some very elegant and sometimes effective Taekwondo was on display. It took much time and effort from all members of TTA Durham to organize the event, as hosting a national competition is no small undertaking. The event ran well and smoothly as noted by the attending Grandmasters and competitors. Host Durham University came away with 8 medals, quite a feat considering the young club was formed only 3 years ago by Mr. Mark Saunders, a Ph.D. physics student at Durham University. University of West England came away with the team trophy, while Birmingham came in second, and fellow northeast university Newcastle University came in third place.
TTA DURHAM TRAINS ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAY FROM 7-9PM AT USTINOV COLLEGE, DURHAM UNIVERSITY. FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING TAEKWONDO OR TTA DURHAM, PLEASE GO TO WWW.DURHAM.AC.UK/TTA.DURHAM
WWW.DURHAM.AC.UK/TTA.DURHAM
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USING ICT TO PLAN FOR YOU What do you feel are your main skills and personal qualities? What are your aspirations or future ambitions? Have you got an ideal career in mind for the future? Do you have an idea of which qualifications you will complete in the future, and where you can study for them?
Few of us can answer all of the above questions with confidence? If your answer is no or not sure, then read on to find out how ICT can work alongside the Information, and Guidance provided by Connexions County Durham and within your school, college or work based learning centre. Three new ICT tools are being made available to young people in County Durham, to help them plan for the future; n An online area wide prospectus linked to the Connexions County Durham Website n CAP – an electronic application system n Plan-It – an electronic individual learning plan
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www.help4teens.co.uk
YOUR FUTURE! THE ONLINE AREA WIDE PROSPECTUS Help4teens (www.help4teens.co.uk) is a the Connexions County Durham Website, it provides lots of useful and up to date information on a wide range of topics, such as Careers, Education, Training, Work, Finances and Relationships. It is currently undergoing a huge revamp and the new site will be able to be much more interactive, with better functionality and the ability to stream video. If you want to search for courses or qualifications available in County Durham or near where you live then the link for the area wide prospectus is on the Help4teens homepage. You can use it to search for qualifications and courses by subject, by entering your own keyword or by searching all courses available through a specific school, college or work based learning provider. You can access information on the prospectus about qualifications and courses including GCSEs, A Levels, BTEC courses, Diplomas and Apprenticeships.
PLAN-IT Plan-It is an electronic individual learning plan or eILP for short. It is being made available to young people through schools, colleges and work based learning providers across County Durham. Plan-It provides the opportunity to complete exercises and activities to think about:
The prospectus also contains an events diary for details of providers’ open days, taster days and information sessions, as well as a travel planner to help you plan your journey to and from your chosen learning institution.
WHERE AM I NOW? You can better understand your own personal qualities and skills. You can also review your current learning with access to current grades for attendance, effort and achievement. You can also consider you preferred learning style……..do you learn better visually, through listening or by actually taking part in activities or tasks?
CAP – AN ELECTRONIC APPLICATION SYSTEM Making an application to school or college has never been easier, you will be able to make an online application to whatever learning opportunity you have found on the area wide prospectus. From September 2009, a Common Application Process (CAP) will be available for all Year 11 students in County Durham. Schools or Connexions will be able to provided with an unlock code to get you onto the system; this will activate a personal CAP login for the application process to begin applications to begin. Once you have created an application it can be submitted to the school, college or work based learning provider for the course or apprenticeship that you are interested in. Completed applications can then be saved and used again, so you don’t have to keep typing in lots of details. You can manage your applications by checking their progress through your own CAP area. If you want to communicate with learning institutions, or they want to confirm dates and times for interview or make the offer of a place this will all be managed in this area.
WHERE DO I WANT TO GET TO? You are supported to identify your most important goals and develop a timeline for your own aspirations which could include part time work, learning to drive, going to university and owning a home. You can also search a wide range of future careers and occupations and save into your own eILP. Alongside this, you will be able to integrate the results of other Careers software available in school and at the Connexions Centres such as Kudos explore future qualifications and courses with a direct link to the online area wide prospectus.
HOW AM I GOING TO GET THERE? You will be given the opportunity to develop a CV, which you can print off or save. The program will allow support you to develop action plans, to help you achieve goals or aspirations for the future. Plan –It also contains the facility to enable you to have an electronic 1 to 1 review with a tutor, learning mentor or Connexions personal adviser.
www.help4teens.co.uk
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HE GAP
YEAR n
MIND TH
THE GAP YEAR - A MUST FOR ANY SELF-RESPECTING STUDENT Once the preserve of the rich and wellconnected whose parents could arrange a trek with Masai or a job in Mother Teresa’s Calcutta soup kitchen, gap years are now a must for any self-respecting student. They offer a chance to see the world, grow up and have colourful tales to tell during freshers’ week. Despite tuition fees and student debt, almost a third, or 130,000 sixth-formers, set out from the UK each year on a gap-year adventure before heading off to university, according to Mintel, the market analyst. Few who take a year out ever regret it and most say they have made far more of their time at university as a result. But experts urge young people to plan their trips carefully and be aware of the pitfalls before they embark on the journey of a lifetime. Gap years are now big business with students spending an average £4,800. Dozens of firms have sprung up to get their slice of the money. At the last count there were 76 operators in Britain and one gap-year company, i-to-i, was so successful it was bought for several million recently by the package holiday group First Choice. These firms typically offer package trips combining flights, in-country transport, support and even language courses at an average cost of £4,000. However, it is their foray into charitable work that has provoked controversy. Students
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are increasingly eager to get off the backpacker trail and see real life, so they want to take on some voluntary work during their travels. The Year Out Group, a trade association made up of 35 different gap-year travel companies, says that 80 per cent of young people now opt for a trip with a volunteering element. But the big overseas volunteering charities are furious that these companies are charging students to volunteer. The charities also say there is little evidence that the thousands of students, who have few skills and little experience, are benefiting local communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America when they swing through for a month or so. Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), one of the biggest charities, has even taken the unusual step of urging young people to lie on the beach rather than get caught up in “voluntourism”. The companies have defended themselves, saying that not everyone has a year or more to devote to voluntary work but still want to make a contribution to the local community where they are travelling. Companies that sell gap-year package deals with a stint as a volunteer will soon face a new code of conduct. Tourism Concern, a development charity, has begun work on a scheme that will give a quality mark to companies that offer up sustainable, long-term projects to customers.
E GA
Judith Brodie, director of VSO, warned students to ask plenty of awkward questions when signing up with a commercial company. “With the growth of the gap-year market, it is worth taking the time to do your homework before embarking on any trip. By asking the right questions you can ensure that the gap-year providers won’t be the only ones who benefit from those taking time out.” She advises checking on whether the project already exists and has not just been created to satisfy customer demand. “If you are keen on making a sustainable difference, it is worth finding out how many people had been on the scheme before you, how successful the project has been and how the work is set to continue after you leave. “Effective development projects work in partnership with the local community. Be clear on how your project works with the local community, and how the work you do will have a lasting impact.” Brodie also urges students to ask how the cost of their trip breaks down. “A good organisation will be honest and upfront about where your money is going and why, as well as how much your flights and accommodation will be subsidised, if at all.”
“WITH THE GROWTH OF THE GAPYEAR MARKET, IT IS WORTH TAKING THE TIME TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE EMBARKING ON ANY TRIP”
GAP YEA R
n MIND
THE GAP
BY JOHN DEAN AND FRANCES GRISS DEANGRISS@BTINTERNET.COM
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Thinking of going into higher ‌..don’t let anything stop you! The amount not depend you get does on your or that income of your household Unlike a student . does not loan, it have to be repaid !
higher to in g in o g t u o b a r and thinking e rn a le d le b a is d s. These may n o ti s e u q y n If you are a a m no doubt have l il w u mination yo xa ) e E d (H n a n t o n e m s s educati e s the course, as f o s re tu a fe e rt available to th o p p u s f o s be about e p ty d mmodation an o c c a t of the law, g n n e vi m li e , s ir d u o q re a meth s a d practice and o o g f es more o lv r e e s tt m a e m th a g in k a m you. As continually re a s ie it rs e iv n u d e you with the d vi ro p to t colleges an n a w y learners. The d le b a ts and is s d re to te in le r ib u s yo r ve acces erience, whate xp e g in rn a le le es you need to ib c n e ri e xp e best poss d n a ls gain the skil u yo lp e h d n a , s ie abilit of life. get the most out
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www.aimhigher.ac.uk/lancashire
higher education‌
you!
What is Disable Student Allowance (DSA)? The DSA is an allowance for full-time and part-time disabled learners including those studying through the Open University and other distance-learning methods. Part-time learners must be studying at least 50% of a full-time course to qualify. DSAa are awarded by the Local Education Authority to learners who can show that they have a disability, a medical condition or a specific learning difficulty that affects their ability to study. They help pay for extra costs that you may have in attending a HE course as a direct result of your disability. They includen Specialist equipment allowance n A non-medical helpers allowance n A general allowance n Extra travel costs you have to pay as a result of your disability
Is Higher Education right for me?
The amount you get does not depend on your income or that of your household. Unlike a student loan, it does not have to be repaid!
Colleges and universities are committed to breaking down the barriers that face some learners. There are many reasons why learners need support. Some learners may experience difficulty with reading or writing. Some may be unsure how to structure a piece of coursework or how to approach an exam. Others may need support due to physical or sensory impairment. Whatever your needs, there is help and support available.
Application process When applying to a college or university, it is important to get your application in early as popular courses fill up quickly. Also the process of applying for Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) can take some time. It will help with your application if you contact the Disability Advisor at the college or university before hand. They will be able to give you more information about the extra support that can be provided. Colleges and universities aim to ensure that support is available to all learners who require it.
Disclosure of your disability You may start thinking about whether or not you should disclose your disability to the institution you are applying to. Many disabled learners who have gone into HE have given positive feedback about informing the institution of their disability at the time of applying. At the time of applying HE providers really need this information on the UCAS form to start planning the support arrangements.
The type of support you can expect includesn A meeting at pre-entry stage to agree support
n A reader and note taker in lectures and exams
n Specific testing for dyslexia
n Extra time in exams
n Provision of specialist equipment such as IT hardware and software, audio facilities and laptops.
n Advice with finance
n Extra help with literacy, numeracy and study skills
n An individual learning support plan
Further information can be obtained includingfrom various organisations Student Finance England www.studentfinancedirect.gov.uk
Equality and Human Rights Commission www.equalityhumanrights.com
The National Bureau for Students with Disabilities www.skill.org.uk
Aimhigher Lancashire www.aimhigher.ac.uk/lancashire/home
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“I signed a contract for Durham as a ‘Development Player’ and then went to spend a winter in Sydney with a cricket team over there to help me develop my game”
. . . T E K C I R C E K I L WE DON’T
! ! T I E V O L WE
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By John Dean and Frances Griss deangriss@btinternet.com
Mark Stoneman is typical of the crop of young cricketers making Durham such an exciting place to be at the moment. The county has earned itself a reputation for bringing young talent through into the first team, a policy which has helped provide a string of England players and also saw the team win the County Championship for the first time in the club’s history last season. Born on Tyneside in 1987, and a former pupil of Wickham Comprehensive School, Mark is another of the young players exciting attention. A left-handed batsman who has broken into Durham’s successful team over the past two years, he has already built a reputation for run-scoring.
Here, we ask him how we developed as a young cricketer. When did you realise that you had a talent as a cricketer?
It was in my early teenage years. I was playing in senior squads, doing quite well and being selected in Durham’s age group teams.
When did you START to BELIEVE you could become a professional player? When I was selected for the Durham Academy.
Who gave you the most help in your school years as you tried to become a cricket professional?
Definitely my parents. They provided me with all the equipment I needed and provided me with transport to the matches. Their all round encouragement was invaluable.
How difficult was it to balance your education with your sporting development? ll I wanted to do was play cricket which I think was a bit frustrating for my A parents and teachers!
What happened to you when you left school? I signed a contract for Durham as a ‘Development Player’ and then went to spend a winter in Sydney with a cricket team over there to help me develop my game.
Do you remember the moment you signed for Durham and when was that? I had been aiming to sign a professional contract for a few years so when I eventually did get offered one in October 2007 it was very special.
Once you were with Durham County Cricket Club, what kind of apprenticeship did you serve?
I spent time playing for the Academy and the Second Eleven. There was a lot of physical and technical training and there was always opportunity to learn from the senior professionals.
What did you make your first team debut?
July 2007, when we played Sussex away at Horsham.
What do you regard as your greatest achievement in cricket to date? Scoring my maiden first class century.
What are your ambitions for your cricketing career?
To make the best of myself and, hopefully, to one day gain international honours.
Who are your heroes in the game?
My dad, Graeme Smith (the South African captain) and Michael Di Venuto [the Durham team mate with whom Mark opens the four day batting)
What is it that allows Durham to continually produce talented young players?
Riverside has excellent facilities and top coaching staff which is hugely important. The players themselves continually drive the standards high to make each other improve as individuals. Competition for places prevents people from getting into a comfort zone, which is especially important for younger players.
If you were not a cricketer, what would you have been? I have no idea!
What advice would you give to any would-be player?
Success is never guaranteed and that the ability to learn from failure is key.
What do you hope to do once you have retired from cricket?
I ’d like to remain in the game in some capacity, unless I win the lottery of course, then I’d live a life of leisure! Helping others achieve success in cricket would be very satisfying.
www.durhamccc.co.uk
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BRIGHT SPARKS TUNE IN TO SCIE
Youngsters from Sanderson’s Wynd Primary in East Lothian get up close and perso nnal with science and engin eering
Interested in finding ou t how combustion engin es work? Ever wondered h ow you power an underw ater robot or go about meas uring carbon dioxide emissions in the atmos phere? Youngsters of all ages are discovering the answers to all these questions and more by joining the rising tide of Young Engineers and Science Clubs (YESC) which are popping up in schools across the country. Geared towards inspiring primary and secondary school pupils to pursue careers involving science, mathematics, engineering and technology, clubs provide a forum for budding inventors to try their hand at a range of exciting experiments and construction challenges which build on what we learn in the classroom. Run by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry with support from OPITO – The Oil & Gas Academy, more than 4,500
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boys and girls have joined over 320 clubs operating in villages, towns and cities throughout Scotland. Similar clubs also operate across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
WORK ON THE “SINCE STARTING R I HAVE LEARNT GREENPOWER CA E ILLS AND HAD TH LOTS OF NEW SK PEOPLE” W NE ET ME TO OPPORTUNITY JUSTIN THOM S4 The clubs offer an opportunity for pupils to experience the rewards and challenges of science, electrical, mechanical, robotics and civil engineering a well as a
WWW.OPITO.COM
wide range of technology applications in an interactive, hands-on way. Most clubs are run as lunchtime or after-school activities. Students get the chance to test their problem-solving skills and to develop their creative and innovative skills working alongside real engineers. The emphasis is on team working, so every team member contributes to the projects with clubs invited to compete for the coveted title of “Young Engineers Club of the Year” at the annual Showcase and Technology Challenge event which takes place in Glasgow.
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING THE COMPETITION IS SPLIT INTO THREE CATEGORIES:
tries where science, Oil and gas is just one of the indus skills are needed ology techn and g eerin engin maths,
The Goblin Formula for primary schools involves each team building a standard kit car, giving them a basic knowledge of the engineering skills needed to put a car together. At Formula 24, aimed at secondary schools, the specification becomes much more open-ended, with only a 24 volt electric motor and four 12 volt batteries being the standard issue to each team.
Among the many projects which some of the clubs are participating in this year is the MATE Scotland ROV Challenge which tasked youngsters with using their science skills and imagination to design and build a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) capable of completing a series of challenges connected with a submarine rescue. Each ROV had to be fitted with an underwater camera so teams could pilot their vehicle around a number of obstacles. Pupils were supported with mentoring from real-life oil and gas industry engineers and equipment designers to give students a better understanding of how their ideas could translate into real life.
S GIVEN “YOUNG ENGINEERS HA RTUNITIES ME LOTS OF NEW OPPO HAD THAT I WOULDN’T HAVE WITHOUT IT” IAN TAYLOR S4 The top school will travel to the Maritime Academy in Massachusetts, USA, this summer to compete against teams from around the world for the overall winners title. Other clubs have been working hard on an eco-car construction challenge in which they have to design, build and race their own electric racing cars for a competition run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Assisted by real-life engineers, hundreds of young people aged from nine to 21 are hard at work building chassis, putting engines together and testing their prototypes in the run up to a showdown final at Goodwood racing circuit.
Dyce Academy, Aberdeen, pupils with the ROV design which won them a place at an international competition in Massachussetts, USA.
Finding out how technology works and what it is being used for with help from real engineers
For teams aged 16-21, Formula 24+ allows older competitors to both take their experience from Formula 24 and build a more competitive, faster car or to join the competition and compete with other teams of their age and ability. This continuous development within the competition itself encourages its participants further into developing their own skills and knowledge, and allows a team to stay with the competition throughout their education, getting more enthusiastic as they go.
David Pirie, co-organiser of the Banff club in Aberdeenshire, said: “Young Engineers has been the best thing I have ever done. Through the club I have met a lot of really nice people and have travelled as far afield as Edinburgh, Birmingham, Southampton and Sunderland to take part in events. I would highly recommend that everyone try doing something similar.”
E S GIVEN ME TH “THE CLUB HA LE TO MEET PEOP OPPORTUNITY R INTERESTS WITH SIMILA ART OF A AND TO BE A P ” RACING TEAM FORMULA 24 S4 NATHAN WEST Dave Duthie, principal teacher of design and technology at Bankhead Academy in Aberdeen, said: “We have embraced Young Engineers fully. These activities enhance our core curriculum and contribute hugely to the wider experiences of pupils in the school. They develop attributes such as practical skills, problem solving, teamwork, personal and shared responsibility, to mention but a few.”
pit their wits - and Clubs offer students the chance to s from all over the their designs - against competitor country
WWW.OPITO.COM
To find out about starting your own YESC contact the Academy’s Education Manager Maureen Traquair on (01224) 787815 or visit www.yescscotland.co.uk
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S E T A R B HLF CELE ! S R A E Y C I T S A T N A F 15 e th om fr le op pe g un yo t ha w at ok Take a lo … to up g in tt ge en be ve ha t as E th or N This year the HLF celebrate its 15th Anniversary. To mark this special occasion there will be events and celebrations happening all across the country. The North East will be investigating 15 of their best projects that have happened over the past 15 years. This is your chance to have a look at how lottery player’s money has made a difference in your area. The Heritage Lottery Fund has long been committed to working with young people and have so far invested over £1 million to almost 50 Young Roots projects that have benefitted children and young people in the North East . Last year we ran the hugely successful Portrait of a Nation campaign. It was one of the biggest youth events in the country with young people from 17 cities across the UK showcasing their heritage, culture and identity. The North East group working closely with Tyneside Cinema and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, created a series of short films showing the hidden history of the North East and what it meant to them to come from the region.
“IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO GET INVOLVED, IT HAS LED TO OTHER THINGS. I AM CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN VOLUNTEERING AT THE YMCA CHARITY SHOP AND I AM A EUROPEAN COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVE.” We do not define heritage. We listen to people, letting them tell us what is important to them about their past and what they would like to see saved for the future. We believe that it is important to engage young people in particular in exploring their roots and opening up their past. Being involved in a heritage project can lead to many opportunities including volunteering and future job prospects. Heritage can be anything, from restoring magnificent historic buildings to refurbishing your favourite parks, to smaller projects that enable people to uncover the mysteries of their pasts. In this issue, we want to show you how truly diverse our heritage funding is and take a look at some of the best youth led projects in the region that have happened over the last few years. Often these stories can be applied to the present, enabling us to learn more about the society we live in today.
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E GIBBET
WILLIAM JOBLING – TH LOCAL HISTORY
Finding out about your local history can be as useful as it is fascinating, and it can help you really understand where you come from. In Jarrow, Durham, a group of young people from local schools, interested in finding out about the history of their town, uncovered the grisly story of William Jobling who murdered a colliery owner and local magistrate called Nicholas Fairles in 1832. William, a miner, was hanged for the crime. Delving into the local law and living conditions of the 1800’s, the group researched corporal punishment focusing on the gruesome act of hanging and gibbeting. After the hanging Williams body was loaded into a cart and toured around the area before arriving at Jarrow Slake where the crime had been committed to be put into an iron gibbet cage. The cage was used to show other would be criminals the price they would pay if they were to be caught. The bodies would hang in the cage for days, sometimes weeks and in some cases bodies would be left until their clothes rotted or even until the bodies were almost completely decomposed, after which the bones would be scattered. Whilst uncovering this fascinating story, the young people who took part had the opportunity to chair meetings, improve their communication, literacy and team work skills.
WWW.HLF.ORG.UK
LLS OUR ICE AGE WA
BEOWULF, GA POETRY/FILM
NGS AND US
Heritage isn’t all about old buildings and fine art; it can be about story telling and film too. It is also not just about the past, it is also about the present and the future. When a group of twelve young people aged 16 and 17 made a five minute film based on the the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf, they used their experiences working with a film maker and actor to discuss themes in the ancient poem that gave them a greater insight into questions about human relationships that we still encounter today. Beowulf is an Old English epic poem of unknown authorship, dated between the eighth and eleventh centuries. It describes relationships and warfare in what is now Denmark and Sweden. The poem speaks of turbulent times, striking a chord with the group making connections with today’s society.
ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY Many of us overlook our beautiful surroundings such as our wonderful architecture and ancient walls. Taking a closer look, this group explored the magnificent dry stone walls that dominate the North East, some dating back as far as the Ice Age. Using art, models and photographs they worked with the landscape to show how important these walls are – carving out the landscape we know today. A replica dry stone wall was created - acting as a lasting memory of this fascinating project. Many of these young people have special needs and live in the Pennine Dales of Teesdale and Weardale on farms. By working with the landscape and uncovering their natural heritage this has helped them to learn new skills, whilst having fun and promoting sustainability in the local environment.
WE HAVE T U O S IP TR R U O “ON OBSERVE TO D TE A IN C S A F BEEN RENT TYPES E F IF D E R A E R E THAT TH GEOLOGY G N TI C E L F E R , E OF STON CHNIQUES OF TE T N E R E F IF D D AN BUILDING.”
If you would like more information on these projects or the work of HLF, please contact the North East team on :0191 255 7570 Or log on to our website www.hlf.org.uk
WWW.HLF.ORG.UK
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New feature for Way2Go on young people who made their aspirations come true
Name: Clair Bell, 26, based in South Church, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham Job title: Customer Involvement Manager, Dale & Valley Homes, the not-for-profit company which runs the council houses in the Wear Valley area of County Durham. Clair was a depressed single mother with an abandoned career in hospitality when she decided to find a new life for herself and her daughter, Chloe Marie, with a modern apprenticeship. In only three years she rose from apprentice to be a manager training a new intake of apprentices. This year, she was named the company’s Employee of the Year.
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By John Dean and Frances Griss deangriss@btinternet.com
What were you interested in a school?
I went to Sunnydale Comp in Shildon, County Durham, and my favourite subject was hospitality and catering. According to my GCSE results, my best subject was design and technology. The teacher said I would be lucky to come out of the exam with a grade C but I went in with an A and I came out with an A* so that showed him!
What career did you want?
I always wanted to be policewoman. I don’t know why but I wanted to make a difference – make the world a better place or something like that.
What did you do when you left school?
With hospitality and catering being my favourite subject, I decided to go down that route. I went to college to do a two year course in that but, after a year and a half, I realised it wasn’t for me and I stopped going. I got into trouble from my Mam because she had spent a fortune buying all the equipment.
Was that when you chose an apprenticeship?
No, I went to work at the Manor House Hotel in West Auckland as assistant head housekeeper. I was there for a couple of months when the head left and I took over that role. Then I found I was pregnant at 19 and went on maternity leave. I got post-natal depression and didn’t go back to work.
You were at rock bottom?
Yes. But as I recovered it was a real turning point. My daughter, Chloe Marie, gave me a real opportunity to re-assess my life. They say that the higher parents achieve, the higher children will achieve. That was when I decided to do something and went to Bishop Auckland College for an apprenticeship in accountancy. Everything that has happened since has been for my Chloe.
Accountancy?
That was the idea, but my lecturer said I would be better off in business administration so I started on that.
Why did you choose the apprenticeship?
You get the experience as well as the qualification, you are actually learning on the job. My catering course had been college-based and it wasn’t until I did work experience that I realised that was not the career for me. Experience is more important than qualifications, being able to put it into practice.
How did you find a company to work for?
The college arranged interviews for me. I was going to work at an accountancy firm but they were slow coming back so I went to Wear Valley District Council in the housing department. I started there in November 2004 and by February I had a temporary job as a customer involvement officer covering maternity leave.
Did you stay there?
After the maternity leave I applied for a job as a customer service assistant and did that for approximately 12 months. When the customer involvement job became vacant so I applied for that. It was the job I had done for maternity cover. It was only about a year before the manager left and I went for that job.
That was ambitious at such a young age.
Yes, but I didn’t do brilliantly in the interview and my lack of experience counted against me. I was very fortunate in that they gave me the chance to act up for a year and be re-assessed after that. After only six months of that they gave me the job permanently.
Did you make the right choice of career second time around?
Nobody decides to go into housing. You just fall into it but I love my job at this organisation. My boyfriend says that if you cut me in half I would have Dale & Valley Homes written right through. I don’t think I would have got as far in another organisation. I worked for the council then the housing service morphed into Dale & Valley, an arms length management organisation. It is a great place to work because it is small and everyone works so well together. The communication is very good.
What does the future hold?
Everything that has happened to me has happened so quickly I’ve never really had time to sit down and think about what my next steps are. I do aim to go higher eventually.
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F O S S E N I THE BUS
North Tyneside students on the Young Apprenticeship Programme took part in The Business of Sport enterprise day at Marden City Learning Centre. Students worked closely with entrepreneur and Managing Director of Calool Limited, William Kombo, Martin Williamson Way 2 Go magazine and Liz King, CEO of Visible Media, to look at Sports PR and Marketing. Barnardo’s Hair and Beauty students were on hand to lend their expertise in making the models look as professional as possible. High-flying, creative and innovative students were invited to take part in this exciting venture to gain an insight into the latest marketing tools within the industry and were put to the test as they raced to create
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promotional copy for a double page spread in this months issue of W2G. Together with the employers they organised and put together a photoshoot for the website as well as video footage for the Youtube and social media market. Working closely with technical experts, the students learned how to use state-of-the-art equipment and multi-media to produce industrystandard marketing materials.
WWW.NORTHTYNESIDE.GOV.UK
T R O P S . . . OF “I ENJOYED THE PHOTOSHOOT AND WORKING WITH PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS” LEANNE YA SPORT
“WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES WAS REALLY DIFFERENT. EDITING THE PICTURES WAS FUN AND IT WAS GOOD TO LEARN NEW THINGS” SEAN AND ROSS YA SPORT
“I ENJOYED THE WHOLE THING FROM THE BEGINNING. WORKING WITH ALL THE STUDENTS HAS GIVEN ME LOTS OF IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE IT HAS BEEN REALLY BENEFICIAL TO MY BUSINESS” WILL KOMBO
“IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS THE STUDENTS CAME UP WITH” LIZ KING
“I ENJOYED GETTING MY HAIR AND MAKEUP DONE” BECKY YA ART & DESIGN
WWW.CALOOL.CO.UK
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WAY 2 GO
! ! Y T I N U M M O C R U O Y ...IN
The Way2Go team headed up by Creative Director Martin Williamson have been out and about since our last issue. Attending two amazing events, the first of which was the, Newcastle semi final of the RTC North Futures Challenge, hosted by Alison Machin were Martin Williamson took the part of one of the Dragons in a ‘Dragons Den’ style contest based around Clever Clothing fabric design. Following this came the The Business of Sport event organised by Jo Lyons from North Tyneside Education Business Partnership, here Martin assisted by senior designer Dave Milburn held graphic design workshops, giving the students opportunities to contribute by creating their own ‘live’ designs for this issue. The team also gave an insight on how Way2Go has evolved from its first North East issue to now a nationally distributed magazine while keeping to its main aims of Live/Learn/Aspire/Achieve.
NORTH TYNESIDE EDUCATION BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP - THE BUSINESS OF SPORT EVENT
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WWW.THEWAYTOGOONLINE.CO.UK
RTC NORTH - FUTURES CHALLENGE
WWW.THEWAYTOGOONLINE.CO.UK
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E G N E L L A H C S E R U T U F G N I H T O L C R E V E L C S BRING M O O R S S A L TO THE C ‘Clever Clo
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Futures Challenge is a stimulating 3 stage competition that makes a practical crossover between science, technology and business. 9-14 year olds from the North East take part to help develop their skills in creativity, innovation and enterprise. Each Challenge invites pupils to consider the next generation of innovative products and services and how they meet the needs of a future world. This year’s theme is Clever Clothing with our 10 finalist teams embarking on a design brief set by Peratech Ltd and The Crimson Closet, two regionally based design and innovation led organisations. Working closely on a brief to design a prototype for a new, innovative school uniform which will interact with a student’s learning environment and offer flexible educational experiential learning, the ten teams will present their design solutions at the Grand Final on Wednesday 1st July 2009. This year’s finalists are St Theresa’s Primary, Druridge Bay Middle School, Hetton Lyons Primary, Bellingham Middle School, Lumley Junior, Mortimor College, Redcar Community School, Durham Johnston, Roseberry Sports & Community School and Lindesfarne Middle School. Congratulations to all team members and staff involved! Having successfully completed the Gateway stage which looked at clever clothing for the 2012 London Olympics the winning teams beat off stiff competition at the 5 teamwork regional heats held in April this year. A series of smart materials and clever clothing designs for the Healthcare environment helped the teams secure a place in the final as well as £500 for their schools.
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For further details about Futures Challenge contact Barrie Mullen at RTC North on 0191 5164400
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The Grand Final of Futures Challenge will take place at St Peters Campus, University of Sunderland on Wednesday 1st July 2009 as part of The Big Bang North East.
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Fair for 11 - 19 year olds! Incorporating: - CREST Fair The North East’s - Young Engineers FairBiggest - K’NEX Challenge Science and Engineering - Futures Fair forChallenge 11 - 19 year olds! - Year in Industry Celebration - STEM Clubs Showcase Incorporating: - CREST Fair - Young Engineers Fair North East - K’NEX Challenge Futures Challenge Wednesday 1st July, University -of Sunderland - Year in Industry Celebration - STEM Clubs Showcase
The Big Bang
The Big Free toBang attend including all refreshments North East
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Wednesday 1st July, University of Sunderland Wide range of prizes available including attendance at national fair and cash prizes
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Free to attend including all refreshments Meet likeenthusiastic minded and enthusiastic teachersall Freestudents, to attend including Meet like minded and students, STEM industry professionalsrefreshments teachers andand STEM industry professionals Wide range of prizes available including attendance at national fair and cash prizes Meet Jon Tickle from Sky TV’s Brainiac
Meet Jon Tickle from Wide range of prizes available including Sky TV’s Brainiac teachers attendance at national fair minded and cash prizes Meet like and enthusiastic students,
and STEM industry professionals To register please contact Helen Weddle from NEPIC on 0191 516 4400 or helen.weddle@nepic.co.uk Meet Jon Tickle from Sky TV’s Brainiac
WWW.RTCNORTH.CO.UK To register please contact Helen Weddle from NEPIC on 0191 516 4400 or helen.weddle@nepic.co.uk
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E T A R B E L E C S R E N R A E L T S E NORTH W S S E C C U S S D AWAR enter Konnie Huq honours apprentices Television pres egion. r e h t s s o r c a m o and students fr
Winners of Cumbrian Final with Dragons’ Den Richard Farleigh
Konnie Huq with winners from the Merseyside Final
Learners from across the North West are celebrating after picking up prizes at the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) North West Learner Awards 2009. Former Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq was the guest of honour at the heats in Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Greater Merseyside, while former Dragons’ Den ‘dragon’ Richard Farleigh presented the awards to Cumbria’s winners.
otherwise I would have grown up in a Bangladeshi village with no education. You have no control over where you’re born, and everyone here is lucky to have the opportunities available to them in the North West.
Cheshire’s Advanced Apprentice of the Year Nathan Wilson, AstraZeneca and Total People Ltd.
Konnie Huq with Tamima Mulla Lancashire’s Apprentice of the Year and Ian Kinder from the LSC.
Konnie Huq with Jignesh Madhavji Manchester’s Apprentice of the Year and Janet Nevin.
Konnie said “To us, education and training are basic rights. My parents came to the UK from Bangladesh to give me and my sisters a better start in life,
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“I’ve filmed for Comic Relief in Africa where children play schools and pretend they can read and write, because they want so much to be able to do it for real. There are so many people in the world who just don’t have the chance to learn or develop skills, and we should value our opportunities every day.”
The Learner Awards celebrate individual successes in five categories; Young Apprentice, Apprentice and Advanced Apprentice of the Year, Further Education Academic and Further Education Vocational. There is also an additional category for Apprentice Employer of the Year. The winners in each category will now go head to head in the regional final to find out who’ll take home the awards for the whole of the North West. Winners in the Apprenticeship categories could also go on to the national awards in London in July.
E
A DAY IN THE LIFE MAERSK TRAINEES SPEND THREE YEARS AT COLLEGE GAINING THEIR HND’S OR FOUNDATION DEGREE, ALONG SIDE THE ACADEMIC LIFE THEY ENJOY PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH WORLDWIDE TRAVEL. HERE WE HAVE TWO DECK OFFICERS SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES OF BOTH ACADEMIC AND SEA LIFE;
ROSS MCBURNIE
WARSAH NAUTICAL CO
LLEGE
First Few days oF college:
First Few days at sea:
My first few days of college at Warsash maritime academy were mainly based around trying to settle in to a new routine, meeting new people and getting acquainted with my new surroundings. The college itself used the first week to introduce us cadets to the new environment as well as completing the necessary paperwork, handing out timetables for our first phase and making the colleges expectations of us clear. The college also produced a series of daily lectures by guest speakers from the maritime industry which were designed to inform us about our future careers from a variety of perspectives. I found these lectures to be a good way of learning more about the path we had all chosen with the merchant navy. At the end of the week, as Maersk cadets we were flown up to Newcastle to participate in a two day company induction which was proved to be good fun and a good way of meeting fellow cadets from the company as well as gain more of an insight into the values of the company and what we all have to come over the coming years!
Boarding my first ship, the ‘Maersk Bentonville’ in Busan, South Korea was a very exciting time. When myself and a fellow cadet arrived at the dockside with the agent, seeing the ship for the first time was a great experience, she was massive! It was very exciting to think that I would soon be part of her crew for four months. Once onboard I was shown to my cabin by the third officer and given a few minutes to settle in before going up and meeting the captain and completing the necessary paperwork. My next job quickly followed as I was called by the chief officer to the aft mooring station to help recover the mooring lines as we left port. This busy few hours set the trend for the next few days as we had a busy schedule which meant I was either called to a mooring station to assist the officer or called up to the bridge to assist the captain. Although I had busy few days I really enjoyed them and it confirmed to me I had chosen the right career path.
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WWW.SEACREERS.CO.UK
Kenny McGee
SOUTH TYNESIDE COLL
EGE
Sea PhaSe Day One - The airPOrT I am surprisingly relaxed. I am relaxed about the long flight ahead, although I’ve never had a problem with flying previously; I am also relaxed about the next few months on board the Maersk Brownsville. The challenges that I’ll face, I don’t even know if I get sea sick! My mind wonders, dreaming of the possible situations I may face. I board my flight, destination Los Angeles, for everyone on that plane except me, my destination was the future. My future!
Sea PhaSe Day TwO - The VeSSel Before I knew it, I was stood at the bottom of the gangway, completely unprepared for the butterflies in my stomach! The 3rd Officer comes up to collect us, two new cadets, and this vessels first cadet! The 3rd Officer shows us around the accommodation block, “In here you’ll find the library” “Over here you’ll find the officers day room” “This is the laundry; the steward can show you how to use the machines!” Was it all a blur? We were walking and talking at normal pace, but it seemed so fast. My cabin! My home! It’s so spacious. Clean and tidy, I unpack, it’s still clean and tidy and I’m informed that on a Sunday the Captain and Chief Officer do the cabin inspections, noted. I take a look at my watch, 1157hrs local time, I head down to B deck, to the officers saloon for lunch. My first meal on ship, and greeted by a smell of food that was pleasing to the nose I ate my lunch, which was just as pleasing to the stomach. The 3rd Engineer sits down and introduces himself. We talk about life at sea and before he heads back to work, he shows me around the galley a little more and gives me some tips. It was at this moment in time that I became aware of the sense of camaraderie that engulfs an environment such as this. I am still in awe.
Sea PhaSe Day FOur - we are Sailing I awake for my next watch. Back on the bridge; 12 noon. More plotting points and more looking at very expensive pieces of equipment and I ask more and more questions trying to understand them. We receive a call over the radio, San Francisco Pilots. Pilot will board on arrival. We arrive into Oakland after passing the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The sun is setting. I go with the 2nd Officer to Stations. We’re at the Forecastle. After we moor up and get on the berth we head for dinner. I then head to my cabin and get my head down. A 6 hour cargo watch entails from midnight.
Day SeVen TO The ThirD week in. The weather is still incredible. Force 10 Winds, Sea Swell higher than I ever imagined. I made a joke in Oakland that I wanted to experience bad weather so I could find out if I get seasick. After being at sea until the 26th December, we arrive in Dalian, China. I reflect on the past 11 days. 11 Days crossing the pacific, where for the first 10 days we encountered next to no traffic. Then we came close to China, fishing vessel after fishing vessel, coaster after coaster, and plenty of large container ships too. On bridge at night it is just a spectacle of lights. I grab my light rule. The light rule is a large ruler that has a sliding piece on it. It slides along and helps you identify lights. I look through the binoculars focusing on various lights and trying to identify them. Also throughout the crossing I have been into a Water Ballast Tank, Checked the Fire Extinguishers with the 3rd Officer, learnt about the different Buoys and Buoyage regions, had Christmas onboard, had Christmas dinner onboard, sent and received dozens of emails with friends and family back home. Right now the Maersk Brownsville is sat just outside of Xingang, at anchor. There is a lot of fog, the port is closed. We are informed berthing will be at 2100hrs. It’ll be a long night.
WWW.SEACREERS.CO.UK
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MONEY MATTERS FOR KIDS OF THE FUTURE
Young people not financially equipped to face life after school
A survey released today has found that 60% of young people are not educated in simple but vital financial information. The survey results show that they are unable to manage their finances when they leave school and are totally baffled by terms such as credit cards, loans and mortgages. Leading enterprise education charity, Young Enterprise, commissioned the poll of 1000 young people and found that they don’t feel they have the right information to be able to handle their finances when they leave school. This sense of uncertainty is greatest amongst 17 year olds with 70% of this age group lacking in confidence and 72% saying they don’t know where to turn for help, despite being old enough to walk into any bank and set up their own account. Overall, girls are the least confident, with 66% saying they aren’t prepared to manage their finances, compared to 50% of male respondents. This lack of financial awareness is reflected in young people’s general misunderstanding of the cost of living. Respondents were asked to guess the cost of various items, displaying a startling lack of awareness in such areas.
Key research findings here include: n The average cost of a loaf of bread was thought to be £4.31 n Half a dozen eggs were believed to cost as much as £4.41, with some
respondents guessing as low as 10p n The average cost given for a house was £1.2 million - £978,000 more than the
average of £222,077, specified by Rightmove. The highest answer given for the cost of the average house reached a ridiculous £350 million
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However, it appears that young people do keep themselves up to date with the price of popular technology, indicating an imbalance of financial awareness between essential and luxury items. Awareness around the cost of IPods was much higher, with the average estimated cost of an IPod Nano thought to be £105 – only £2 less than the standard retail price. To help ensure that young people have the opportunity to develop the skills and confidence to understand their own finances and the economy in general, Young Enterprise has launched the Personal Economics Programme. Volunteers from local business come into schools and share firsthand experience of entering the world of work and managing their own finances, bringing the real-life aspect of the programme closer to the students. The programme aims to help young people make plans for the future, and build confidence, knowledge and skills in personal finance through games, activities and role-play exercises.
Deborah Meaden, business woman and Young Enterprise spokeswoman, said: “The results of this survey have shown that 76% of all young people feel scared by what they hear in the news about the current economic situation. At a time when terms such as credit crunch and
recession are in constant use, I believe it is vitally important that the financial concerns of our young people are taken seriously. The Young Enterprise Personal Economics programme is specifically designed to help students understand terms that are used in the news every day, treating financial education with the sensitivity it requires, whilst ensuring young people understand the importance of managing their money now. These young people are the future of our country and a programme that supports them in preparing for this is something I am delighted to support.” Andrew Grimley, Development and Communications Director at Young Enterprise said: “This overwhelming uncertainty felt among young people when it comes to understanding and managing their personal finances is something we want to address with the Personal Economics programme. The “Learning by Doing” approach that provides the basis of all our programmes means that students gain a hands-on, practical introduction to personal finance, credit and debit, savings and investments and budgeting. Students are encouraged to appreciate their current and future role in society, creating a generation of young people who are clued up and ready to face the world of work.”
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. . . S A W T A H T R A E Y HE
T
Jan 22
8 British SAS troopers are deployed in Iraq during the First Gulf War, as part of mission Bravo Two Zero. Several men are captured and two of them, Chris Ryan and Andy McNab, would later write books on their experience
Feb 18
The Provisional Irish Republican Army explodes bombs in the early morning, at both Paddington station and Victoria station in London
Mar 13
The United States Department of Justice announces that Exxon has agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska
apr 14
In the Netherlands, thieves steal 20 paintings worth £350 million from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
May 16
Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the US Congress
Jun 17
Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which had required racial classification of all South Africans at birth
Jul 10
Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected president of Russia.
aug 6
Tim Berners-Lee releases an article describing his idea for the “World Wide Web” on the alt.hypertext network
Sep 21
Iraq disarmament crisis: IAEA inspectors discover files on Iraq’s hidden nuclear weapons program.
Oct 2 nOv 14 Dec 22
1991
Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton announces he will seek the 1992 Democratic nomination for President of the United States Kidnappers in Lebanon set Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland free One month after Freddie Mercury’s death, Queen’s re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody returns to the top of the British singles charts, 16 years after the original version
Top 10 games... Super Mario World og Sonic The Hedgeh osts Gh ‘n ls ou Gh r Supe Street Fighter II Civilization e LeChuck’s Reveng Monkey Island 2: es rtl Tu nja Ni Teenage Mutant Lemmings e Kindred Police Quest III: Th e Fuji Golf and Ski Fre
I AM COMING FOR YOU MARIO!!!
HOW DID I END UP ON THIS LIST?
Top 10 movies... Terminator 2: Judgment Day Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Beauty and the Beast The Silence of the Lambs City Slickers Hook The Addams Family Sleeping With The Enemy Father Of The Bride The Naked Gun 2/12
Top 10 SongS... It For You Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do sody Rhap mian Queen - Bohe Kiss) Cher - Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Sexy Right Said Fred - I’m Too Jason Donovan - Any Dream Will Do Chesney Hawkes - The One And Only The Simpsons - Do The Bartman y Vic Reeves & The Wonderstuff - Dizz nity Insa Oceanic 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This
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ENGINEERING’S “GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH” RETURNS TO NORTH EAST FUTURE engineers will descend in their thousands on what is the engineering equivalent of the Greatest Show on Earth. The world’s most advanced humanoid robot, heat seeking missiles, a team attempting to break the landspeed record and the technology that powers the world’s gaming industry will all be featured in this year’s Youth Engineering Show, which rolls into the region in June. Last year, YES provided an opportunity for around 4,000 year 7 and 8 students (11-14 year olds), to sample first hand the importance of engineering in modern day life and appreciate the range of career options available in this diverse field.
“The YES provides a fantastic opportunity for youngsters from the North East to see the diverse range of career options available, whether it’s in manufacturing, production and construction. “The North East has a proud history of nurturing creative engineering talent – from the men who built our railways to the man who designed the iPod, the region has played its part in some of history’s great engineering feats. Hopefully YES will help inspire future innovators and demonstrate how engineering can change the world.” YES 2009 promises to outdo last year’s event with a host of new interactive presentations.
Held in the North East for only the second time, YES is a fast moving 85-minute event featuring presentations, interviews, demonstrations and video about the world of engineering – as well as a visit from Honda’s ASIMO, the world’s most advanced humanoid robot. ASIMO is the culmination of more than two decades of humanoid robotics R&D. The latest version of ASIMO made its UK debut in the region in 2008 and returns this year to inspire the North East’s next generation of engineers. One North East Manufacturing and Productivity Manager, Dr Colin Herron, said: “The Youth Engineering Show was a huge success in the North East and I am delighted to have the opportunity to host it again. “Engineering is an exciting, fast-moving career and applies to all industries, from designing satellites that will chart new worlds to creating something that will squeeze juice from an orange!
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BAE Systems hope to demonstrate their new thermal imaging and heat seeking equipment and show how it is used in both daytime and at night. The company will also bring the popular BAE Panther vehicle - one of the hardiest Army vehicles on the planet - to the show once again. Sub-sea company, Perry Slingsby will demonstrate their remote controlled machines used to maintain oil pipelines on the North Sea bed. The vehicles perform lots of the more dangerous tasks required by oil rigs, and help submarines when they get into difficulty.
www.networkevents.ltd.uk/events
Nissan will again attend the event. The Japanese motor giants will focus on the engineering skills used in car safety and design improvements. This is only one of Nissan’s school activities, the other being a follow-up factory programme for local schools, which is automatically offered to all the schools attending the YES show. A rare opportunity to see live manufacturing in the region’s largest employer. Software giant IBM will focus on its computer gaming equipment on the market, which is used in all gaming platforms, such as the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox. The Bloodhound SSC Team is attempting to break the world land speed record by reaching a speed of over 1,000mph. The challenge is to run their specially designed car at this speed, then slow it down to stop, then run it again to 1,000mph and bring it to a complete stop, in order to qualify as a record breaker. This pioneering project already works closely with schools all over the country and the team hopes to offer school workshops over the coming months as a follow up to the YES.
TH EAST RON, ONE NOR ANAGER DR COLIN HER ODUCTIVITY M PR D N A G IN R MANUFACTU of s a proud history “The North East ha – engineering talent nurturing creative to the built our railways ho w en m e th from on has the iPod, the regi man who designed eat gr some of history’s played its part in help Hopefully YES will s. at fe g in er ne gi en strate vators and demon inspire future inno ld.” or w n change the how engineering ca
Jarrow School was one of the schools attending last year’s event. Teacher Barry McGregor said: “Engineers are a vital part of our lives and we need to ensure that the engineering profession continues to attract pupils from our schools. “Pupils need to see why engineering is so important to our economy and an attractive career option. We need to inspire pupils in their career choice and demonstrate how subjects such as maths, science and design and technology can be used in the future. ASIMO is one of the great examples of how to inspire pupils in schools; it shows how ‘engineering’ has developed the worlds most advanced humanoid robot.” William De Braekeleer, Corporate PR Manager, Honda Motor Europe Ltd. said: “Honda has supported the Youth Engineering Show since 2005 and I am delighted that we are back in the North East this year with ASIMO. “ASIMO is a real machine designed and developed through the passion of many of our own scientists and engineers, so we hope that what they have achieved can act as an inspiration to the region’s aspiring engineers. Hopefully one day they will be designing and building the machines, and robots, of our future.” The Youth Engineering Show, organised by One North East in conjunction with NetWork Events Ltd, will once again be held at the Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton le Spring, Tyne & Wear in June.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK YOUR PLACE AT THE EVENT CONTACT NETWORK EVENTS LTD ON 023 9263 1331 OR BY EMAIL ON YES@NETWORKEVENTS.LTD.UK
WWW.ONENORTHEAST.CO.UK
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EXAM RESULTS ONLINE!!! Candidates registering online will require: n n n n n n
Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) Name Date of Birth e-mail address (must be unique) When this information is entered the first line of the address we hold for the candidate will be displayed and you will be asked to confirm this. If it is the wrong address you will be asked to go back to your school or college to get them to submit the correct address to us. When you complete this process we will send a letter containing an activation code to your home address. You can then activate your account online.
When the candidate activates their account they need: n n n
Activation code SCN Create a username (must be unique) and password. You will also be asked for a secret question and your birth town.
When fully registered you will be able to see: n Current entries n Results awaiting certification n Certificated results
Emails and text messages containing exam results will be sent out on Wednesday 5 August between 8am and 9am. To receive exam results by email and text message candidates must sign up by Thursday 16 July 2009 and activate their account by Friday 24 July 2009. Registration for MySQA is open now. More information available on www.mysqa.info
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www.mysqa.info
YS, RESERVING SEATS FOR DA LI HO G IN OK BO , DS DV OR S OK ORDERING BO DONE ONLINE TODAY. BE L AL N CA NG PI OP SH T KE AR GIGS – EVEN SUPERM rely so It’s a fact of modern life that all of us want we use beca ces servi e much on onlin possible, as kly quic as s good and on mati infor an online if not instantly. So it is inevitable that ation sector educ the in ands service to meet dem d. lope has been deve (SQA) has The Scottish Qualifications’ Authority ned desig ce servi e onlin launched MySQA an your get to want who you of e thos for especially sage, track mes text and il e-ma by lts resu exam check progress towards your qualification or send to ess addr ct corre that the SQA has the SQA what er matt n’t does it And to. e a certificat you have as long As g. doin are you ion ificat qual (SCN) you got a valid Scottish Candidate Number QA is MyS hell, nuts a In QA. can register for MyS e onlin ter regis s idate cand lets that the service text and il to receive their exam results by ema for exam on Wednesday, August 5, the BIG day results this year.
enough Exam results’ day is nerve-wracking drop to post the without having to wait for the SQA why s that’ and – box through the letter system. on mati infor e vativ inno this ed has devis your have By registering with MySQA you can first text or il e-ma by exam results sent to you r pape your er deliv still will thing. The postie to need t won’ you that ns mea also It e. certificat the over you have someone read your results to ll get that phone if you’re away from home. You’ may be. you ever wher kly, quic long-awaited news is relevant It should be pointed out that MySQA g any SQA doin SCN to all candidates with a valid e the awar be to rtant impo it’s qualification - so s. exam t abou just not is service ter – and But to take part you will have to regis ll need You’ ler. simp be not d registration coul ) and a (SCN ber Num idate Cand tish your Scot you’ve Once unique e-mail address to start with.
www.mysqa.info
ct home confirmed that the SQA has your corre address that to letter a sent be will you address, to use you h with your activation code, whic te your crea You e. onlin unt access your own acco will be and word pass and e nam own unique user town. birth your and tion ques et secr a for asked to able be will When you are fully registered you ion ficat certi ting awai lts see current entries, resu and certificated results. must You should note that to take part you and JULY 16 AY RSD register BEFORE THU 24 AY FRID BY T OUN ACC R ACTIVATE YOU your results have to se choo then can You . JULY il. Texts sent to you by text as well as by e-ma 8 am and 9 een betw out and e-mails will be sent registered you If fifth. the of ing am on the morn to need no ’s there then year, last QA for MyS re-register. you chose You will receive your results again as and site the to on go you ss last year, unle check the ld shou You es. renc prefe your ge chan and you gh thou address details we hold for you ficate certi r pape l tiona will also receive the tradi as normal.
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When building a caree Amid all the talk of recession and credit crunches, young people looking for jobs this summer could be forgiven for overlooking construction as an option. After all, did not the housing market collapse and didn’t the commercial world implode, bringing an end to building work? And didn’t that mean that the jobs disappeared? Not quite. As the economy starts to bottom out and turn upwards again, there is a sense of growing optimism in the industry. Building projects are starting and - re-starting - and that means the industry needs young people. At the heart of the campaign to attract young people into jobs across the North and in Scotland is ConstructionSkills, the UK’s Sector Skills Council for construction. Ken Parker, area manager for the NorthEast, North West, Yorkshire and Humber, is optimistic. He said: “Building will never stop. It may slow - and nobody wants to see the slowdown we have seen over the past 12 months - but it will not stop. There will always be construction. Young people thinking about their futures should consider construction as an option.”
Ken is eager to point out that the job offers much more than the traditional image of bricklaying and plastering. These days it needs everyone from designers and architects to those specialised in materials technology. He said: “The industry needs young people with different capacities and aspirations. The opportunities are there. Take the heritage sector, for instance. There are plenty of pre1919 houses which require work doing on them and we need to train people in the skills needed to work on them. “Or take carbon emissions reduction. We need people to work on that and to work with modern building materials. On the building site of the future you probably will not see so many bricks, instead there will be materials such as glass and fabrics. There are opportunities for people who can work on these futuristic designs. It is a much broader career than the traditional idea of construction.” However, the industry has had to acknowledge that the recession has brought problems and a major campaign was recently launched to protect those apprentices whose placing are under threat because of the downturn.
ConstructionSkills says that there are hundreds of ‘at risk’ apprentices in the North and Scotland, particularly bricklayers and joiners. Russell Buckley, Apprenticeship Manager for ConstructionSkills North East, said: “The severity of the economic downturn means that the construction industry faces many challenges this year, and continuing the development of the next generation of workers is at the forefront of these. “Increasingly, more apprentices are becoming at risk of being laid off, and to stem this tide we need more employers, who have the capacity to offer training opportunities to these young people. “If this doesn’t happen, then the UK’s construction sector risks seeing the continuation of skills shortages that have plagued the industry since the last recession, caused by laying off experienced workers and reducing the number of new recruits.” To make sure that does not happen, the Apprenticeship Matching Service (AMS), which seeks to find new work placements for apprentices who cannot continue training with their original employer, has been expanded. AMS, which was established with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) at the end of last year, helps businesses retain their apprentices through the downturn through a programme of mentoring, advice and help with paperwork.
By John Dean and Frances Griss deangriss@btinternet.com
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www.cskills.org
reer makes good sense One firm which made use of the service was JD Joinery & Building, of Newcastle, which was able to help a 19-year-old apprentice complete his training, Company director Joe Dixon said: “I’m so pleased to be able to accommodate apprentices in spite of the downturn. They should all be given a chance to start out on the right foot when they enter the professional world, and I’m proud of the training I can offer them.” Paul Mitchell, the apprentice in question, was made redundant last August when he was coming to the end of his NVQ Level 2 in Bricklaying. He said: “At the time, I was worried I might not be able to go on to do my NVQ Level 3, but in October I got a call from ConstructionSkills, asking if I could see Joe at JD Joinery for an interview. I was so relieved when he offered me a job. The company has a great atmosphere and I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to continue working in construction.” Another young worker grateful for the support is Stephanie Shields, who was half way through the second year of her Painting and Decorating apprenticeship in the Blackpool area, while also studying at Fylde College. The start of the downturn meant that her original employer could no longer keep her on, leaving her struggling to finish her course and out of work for almost three months. ConstructionSkills identified Blackpool-based painting and decorating firm Sherwood Décor, which took her on. Stephanie said: “It’s so important that employers take on apprentices and give young people the opportunity to develop their skills, especially through the recession. I’m in this industry because I enjoy it and I give everything to do my job to the best of my ability.” Gillian Cain, Apprenticeship Manager for ConstructionSkills North West, said: “Apprentices that come through the AMS are often close to the end of their training and may only have a short amount of learning time remaining, so require only limited financial investment from employers. “In many ways, apprentices are the lifeblood of the construction industry. ConstructionSkills is committed to maintaining appropriate training levels in the construction sector to retain the skills we need now, avoid future shortages and invest in the skills the industry will need in the future.”
Other initiatives being run include:
* Group Training Association: launched predominantly for small and medium sized business, allowing a collection of employers or clients to act as one organisation and share the responsibilities of training an apprentice. Host Employer model: a scheme where major contractors (usually medium and large companies) act as the ‘host employer’ and take on a number of apprentices, then secure work placements for them within their supply chain. The industry is also supporting the establishments of an academy programme, which is designed to further improve the training of people entering the sector. * For further information on the ConstructionSkills Apprenticeship Programme please visit www.cskills.org or call 0844 875 0086.
COMPETITION
Apprentices from across the North and Scotland are battling it out to become this year’s best trainee tradesperson. The Skillbuild competition, which has been running for more than 20 years, celebrates the importance of apprentices and their skills and gives companies a chance to highlight the quality of their workforce and their commitment to training. Regional heats will be taking place up until July and will culminate with the national final in October, which will take place in Scotland. National winners from this year’s competition could be in with a chance of competing in the 2011 international WorldSkills competition. WorldSkills is held every two years, with this year’s competition being held in Calgary, Canada in September and then in London in 2011. Sponsors for this year’s SkillBuild include Crown Paints Ltd, British Gypsum, Stabila and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC). Please visit www.cskills.org/skillbuild to find out more information about the competition and to download an entry form.
www.cskills.org/skillbuild
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K O O C 2 T ME
to cook it!... ve lo e w , so e or m en ev d an od... Here at W2G we love our nfoand pull on that old oven glove. It’s... so tie on that apro
Budget bolognese INGREDIENTS n n n n n n n n n n n n
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil 450g pork mince butter (about 10g) mushrooms 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 cloves of garlic 1/2 a mug of vegetable stock tin of chopped tomatoes 400g spaghetti a small carton of double cream salt, pepper finely chopped parsley
METHOD... 1. hot fry the mince until browned then remove from a pan with a large Heat a frying pan and add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Once the oil is spoon letting the fat drain away
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the butter in the mushrooms and stir fry over a high heat for about 3-4 3. Tip minutes until any moisture has evaporated 4. Turn the heat down and return the mince to the pan the tomato paste and garlic and cook for a minute then add the 5. Add tin tomatoes the stock, stir and leave the sauce simmering over a low heat 6. Add while you cook the spaghetti
7. 8. 9.
Once the spaghetti has drained add about two thirds of the cream to the sauce and heat through gently Season the sauce with salt, pepper Stir in some chopped parsley I don’t think this needs cheese but feel free if you fancy it.
Serves:
4
TIME: 25 MINS COST: 80-90P A HEAD MORE EXCITING RECIPE’S FROM MARTY THE MIT NEXT TIME!!!
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t!...
POLES APART?? Scores of young people in the North East have been helping to develop the entrepreneurial and teaching skills of Polish adults thanks to Tyne and Wear Education Business Links Organisation (TWEBLO) and one of its consortium members. Youngsters from three schools in Sunderland, aged 9 to 14, spread their ‘learn by doing’ approach to skills development to nine Polish visitors when they spent a week in the North East city gaining an insight into how TWEBLO strategically supports the engagement of businesses in the work of schools with the overall aim of developing entrepreneurial flair and work readiness in young people. The Polish visitors were hosted by leading TWEBLO consortium member Education Business Connections Limited (EBC) which had been commissioned by Polish partner the RC Foundation of Gdansk to train teachers and trainers in the third sector. The training focussed upon how to deliver innovative and creative enterprise education and work related learning programmes to young people and how to actively engage businesses in that work. Initially EBC Chief Executive Barbara McClennan spent a week in Gdansk training the Polish visitors before they travelled to Sunderland to shadow EBC staff and put their learning into practice through assisting EBC in delivery of activities to young people, backed by a number of its business supporters. The pilot project partnership between EBC and the RC Foundation has been funded by the European Union with the aim of developing transnational links which can see EU countries sharing best practice and new ideas. Barbara, a previous runner up in the North East’s prestigious Social Entrepreneur of the Year awards, said: “The Polish education system is much more formal than the English system and teaching has historically been quite rigid compared with the approaches now used in the UK. Traditionally businesses have had little or no involvement in working with schools. Preparing young people for the world of work is done in a very theoretical way. The purpose of the project has been to show the value that can be added to young people’s learning, development and preparation for the world of work and adult life by real employer engagement in their experiences – the whole ethos behind the work of EBC and TWEBLO.”
A partnership between TWEBLO and the RC Foundation was one of those forged and TWEBLO hopes to be able to support the RC Foundation in the development of a consortium based on its own model. Graeme Miller, Managing Director of TWEBLO said: “This project was a huge success and TWEBLO was delighted to be able to support the sharing of best practice by one of its key consortium members to an international audience. TWEBLO is considered one of the best business links organisations in the country and it is fitting that we have played such an important strategic role in the fostering of international links and sharing of best practice to a country that is still at a development stage in terms of education business partnership work.” TWEBLO was one of several organisations, including the City of Sunderland, to provide vital funding to support some of the activities delivered by EBC during the Polish visitors’ stay which saw them delivering three of EBC’s programmes which had originally been developed thanks to TWEBLO funding: n Welcome to the World of work n Enterprise Day n Skills for Work Fun-focussed hands-on activities saw key employability skills developed including team work, communication, task management, time management, task prioritisation and listening to instructions. The young people also explored ethical and moral dilemmas in the workplace, identified the characteristics of good and bad employees, gained an insight into job descriptions and job roles as well as taking part in a mini enterprise which saw them becoming part of a company charged with developing and producing a product with the aim of making a profit. During the week the Polish EBC also organised an International Partnership Speed Networking event bringing together the Polish visitors and representatives of leading organisations across Sunderland in the hope that other, similar partnerships could be forged. The Polish visitors met with representatives from both the public, private and third sector and this was backed up with fact-finding visits to several projects to further drive forward the partnerships. The group also enjoyed a Mayoral reception and visit to several local cultural bases. The RC Foundation hope that, following evaluation of the pilot scheme, it can be rolled out across the Pomorski region and potentially the whole of Poland.
With both practical and theoretical learning under their belts the visitors returned to the Pomorski region of Poland to put their learning into practice by delivering five events for young people themselves – based on the EBC model – and to strengthen the partnerships they had forged during their visit to Sunderland.
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT BY VISITING: WWW.EBCLTD.ORG.UK/EBCSPOLISHLINKS.HTML
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a H t l a e H g Puttin on tHe MaP iianl STEPS into Health and Soc
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www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
e r a c l a i c o S H and t S a e H t r o n e in tH t, Lumley Castle
ocial Care Celebration Even
STEPS INTO HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE HAVE RECENTLY HELD AN EVENT TO CELEBRATE: • 5 years of Health and Social Care learning programmes. • More than 5000 learning experiences and thanking their partners for the support, enthusiasm and opportunities they have provided over these years!
The celebration was held at Lumley Castle and was hosted by Avis Mulhearn – Director of Skills Academy for Health and Susan Goldstein – STEPS Programme Manager (pictured above)
e are working as part STEPS into Health and Social Car a division of Skills for of the Skills Academy for Health; health sector develop Health which helps the whole UK workforce in order to a skilled, flexible and productive healthcare. The STEPS improve the quality of health and oss Northumberland, programme works with schools acr tle and Tees Valley North Tyneside, Gateshead, Newcas to Young Apprentices to provide vocational opportunities aged 14 – 16.
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
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Entertainment was provided by mind magician Kennedy, who bamboozled the audience with his routine.
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www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
Young Apprentices work in various settings whilst undertaking their studies at school. These setting include: Early Years (nurseries, primary schools etc), Social Care (residential/ nursing homes, disability settings etc) and Health (hospitals, pharmacies etc). In these settings the Young Apprentices develop the skills to help them in working life and also assist them decide educational and career choices for in the future. The celebration was held at Lumley Castle and was hosted by Avis Mulhearn – Director of Skills Academy for Health and Susan Goldstein – STEPS Programme Manager. Invited were a selection of Young Apprentices, Employers, Teachers and representatives from various Local Authorities. Entertainment was provided by mind magician Kennedy, who bamboozled the audience with his routine. A number of current Young Apprentices made presentations describing their experiences whilst on the STEPS programme. Katherine Wakenshaw and Lisa Coulson from Walbottle Campus, Ben and Theo Stewart from King Edward VI in Morpeth and Jess Bullock from Acklam Grange in Middlesbrough all made speeches. One former Young Apprentice Josh Connor who is now studying Health and Social Care
“THIS WAS A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE PRESENTATION AND IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY ENJOYABLE PROGRAMME TO BE INVOLVED WITH. THIS WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH YOUNG APPRENTICES BOTH PAST AND PRESENT AND WAS ALSO GREAT TO BE ABLE TO NETWORK WITH OTHER PROVIDERS INVOLVED WITH THE STEPS PROGRAMME” JON BARNETTE
MANAGER OF DOVECOTE CARE HOME at Middlesbrough College came to the event and made a speech about how the STEPS programme helped him to confirm his career plans; he now wants to be a midwife. All of the young people who spoke all commented on how helpful the STEPS programme has been to them and how it has helped them in making informed decisions regarding their education and their aims for careers in the future.
Jon Barnette – Manager of Dovecote Care Home attended the event: ‘This was a thoroughly enjoyable presentation and it has been extremely enjoyable programme to be involved with. This was a good opportunity to meet with Young Apprentices both past and present and was also great to be able to network with other providers involved with the STEPS programme’.
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
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STORY D ND UN OU BO D AR TW OU MY JEMMA, AGE 15 A few years ago I was terrified of new situations. My ability to have confidence around strangers was non-existent. On the other hand I was bored. There are only so many Saturdays you can sit in Starbucks before the novelty of a cappuccino wears off. The only way to overcome this was to meet new people and do new things. So, determined to overcome my phobias, I decided to do an Outward Bound® course with The Outward Bound Trust. I spent a week in The Lake District, braving the elements with 10 strangers. I was not particularly fond of the idea of mountain walking, the rain or camping without a tent, so when I came back from my first expedition I went straight to my room and begged my mum to fetch me. Reluctantly I agreed to try it a little longer and see if things picked up. That afternoon we went gorge walking. I struggled at first but my group was really supportive and I still swear that it was one of the best experiences of my life. Between the 11 of us, we came from entirely different backgrounds with entirely different attitudes towards the challenges we faced. By the end of the week we were a team and great friends and we still keep in touch. It proved to me that new situations aren’t as bad as I had thought. When I got home, in an effort to carry on my enthusiasm for outdoor activities, I joined the air training corps where I learnt more skills and made more friends. I’m now studying for a Gliding Scholarship. Now I talk to strangers with complete confidence and I don’t panic every time a new situation presents itself. I have overcome my fears and when, on the odd occasion, I do sit in Starbucks with my cappuccino in a red cup, I have the best stories to tell.
BEST BITS... n n n n
Meeting a whole bunch of new people and making new friends Gorge walking – absolutely amazing and entirely different Caving - I had convinced myself I would get stuck in every crevice - and I didn’t! Bivvying - I have never had such an amazing sense of achievement as I did when I looked back on the bivvying. This was when I realised I was capable of so much more than I’d ever thought I was.
If you’d like the opportunity to experience Outward Bound for yourself, log onto our website to find out more at www.outwardbound.org.uk. Check out our instructors’ blog, photo gallery and video. We have Outward Bound bursaries available to help towards the cost of your course, more information and application forms are on our website or call 01931 740000.
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WWW.OUTWARDBOUND.ORG.UK.
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N O I H S A F Y A W IN ASSOCIATION WITH
FUSShop is an Online Streetwear and Street Art store based in the North East. Stocking clothing brands such as: Carhartt, Obey, Vans, Clae, Pointer, New Balance, MHI by Maharishi and many more... Your chance to own a special edition Hype Type Studio screen print by Andy Howell. All prints are hand numbered and very limited. Only 100 produced worldwide.
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higher is hat W like really education Higher education means a lot more than just getting a qualification. It also offers you the chance to meet new people and take advantage of new opportunities.
What is higher education all about? Unlike school, you’re at university or college because you want to be, learning more about a subject or job you’re really into. You’ll have more control over how and when you study - though it’s up to you to make the most of it. You’ll find higher education challenging - getting used to new ways of learning and thinking may take time - but you’ll have a lot of fun along the way. You’ll also have lots of opportunities to experience new things and meet new people.
What you can study You can study lots of interesting subjects at university or a college offering higher education courses. Most people study one or two subjects, but in a lot of detail. There are higher education courses in subjects you studied at school, like maths or English. Or there are more unusual options, such as criminology (the study of crime) or software engineering (learning to write computer software - games or other programs). Other courses lead to a specific job: for example, journalism or medicine. It’s possible to study ‘combined’ courses. For example, someone wishing to follow a career in politics but with an interest in art might study both subjects together.
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Studying and Social Life Studying: Higher education is a very different experience to school or further education. You are expected to do far more work for yourself. Lectures and seminars will provide guidance, but you’ll need to widen your knowledge through background reading. Subject staff will offer lots of advice to help you get used to this new way of working. Library staff will be able to help you find the materials you need, and advise on referencing and avoiding plagiarism when it comes to writing essays.
Socialising: Making new friends is a key part of the higher education experience. If you’re worried about fitting in, remember that students from all backgrounds and of all ages go to university and college. One way to form friendships is through student societies or sports. It’s always easier to bond with someone if you share a common interest. There will probably be a full list of societies available on your students’ union website, and you’ll have an opportunity to join up to most at the ‘freshers’ fair’.
? like really
Most institutions have a sports centre of their own or an arrangement with the local centre. As a student you’re likely to have access to sports facilities, and you may get a discount on gym membership.
At these events you’ll be able to find out from lecturers and students all the good and bad points of university life, take a tour of the campus and sit in on lectures and seminars.
Getting a taste of student life
UNIAID’s online games are another way of getting a handle on what day-to-day life as a student is really like. By taking you through a term as a virtual student, they may well raise some issues you hadn’t even considered.
Most universities and colleges run open days. They’re generally held two or three times a year, allowing members of the public to look around the institution and see what’s on offer. Many insitutions also offer short courses over the summer period, giving prospective students the chance to get a taste of higher education.
By John Dean and Frances Griss deangriss@btinternet.com
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SPORTS AND LANGUAGES
AS THE FOOTY SEASON DRAWS TO A CLOSE AND MAKES WAY FOR A SPECTACULAR SUMMER OF SPORT, WE LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE SKILLS OF SOME SPORTING HEROES, LOCAL AND NOT SO LOCAL, AS WELL AS BRINGING YOU ALL THE VOCAB YOU NEED TO ORGANISE A KICK-ABOUT WITH YOUR NEW FRIENDS ON HOLIDAY THIS SUMMER. JENSON BUTTON This man seems unbeatable in this year’s formula one championship. Jenson spent many of his teenage years racing in Italy. During his time there he picked up the language and used to converse with the mechanics before races. Age: 29 Height: 1.89 m Weight: 69 Kg Sport: Formula 1 Languages: English, Italian
ENGLISH Football Volleyball Tennis Race Goal! To run To tackle
ANDY MURRAY When Wimbledon begins, there’s only one man we’ll be cheering for. When he won the Madrid Masters last year Andy Murray apologised to the crowd for not being making his acceptance speech in Spanish. As a youngster he lived a year and a half in Spain and he promised his fans in Madrid that he would learn the language by next year. He has since been swatting up on his Spanish skills.
Do you want a game? Foul! Shoot! Catch it!
Age: 22 Height: 1.90 m Weight: 84 Kg Sport: Tennis Languages: English, Spanish
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www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk
FRENCH le Football le Volleyball le Tennis la Course
d
But!
T
Courir
L
Plaquer
A
Tu veux jouer?
W
Faute!
Fo
Tirer!
Sc
Attrape!
Fa
?
DALE BENKENSTEIN After growing up in South Africa, Durham Cricket Club’s star all-rounder speaks both English and the South African language Afrikaans, he has played for Durham and South Africa and has an average batting score of 46.39 in first class cricket. Age: 34 Sport: Cricket Role: Batsman and Bowler Languages: English, Afrikaans Did you know? Afrikaans is a language spoken in five African countries including South Africa, Nambia and Botswana. Despite its name it is actually derived from Dutch and sounds very similar.
GERMAN
SPANISH
der Fußball
el Fútbol
der Volleyball
el Vóleibol
das Tennis das Rennen Tor! Laufen Angreifen Willst du spielen? Foul! Schießen! Fasse es!
el Tenis la Carrera ¡Gol! Correr Entrarle a ¿Quieres jugar?
JONNY WILKINSON After 12 years of entertaining the North East Jonny has finally moved away to start afresh in Toulon, France. His move outlines the importance of languages in sport as Jonny’s French held him in good stead letting him converse confidently with the French media on arriving in the south of France. Age: 30 Height: 1.78 m Weight: 88 Kg Sport: Rugby Position: Fly Half Languages: English, French Did you know? Jonny has said if he ever went back to university it would be to do a language degree in Spanish and French.
Foul! Disparar! Agarrala!
www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk
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Experience & an open mind pave the way for Sarah Sarah’s sitting comfortably in a role she enjoys as a Research and Development Chemist, with a varied job description and unexpected opportunities to travel, but the way she got here was through determination and gaining the right experience. Of course her bubbling enthusiasm helped her along the way. ‘I decided what to do at A-level by choosing the subjects I enjoyed most at the time – Geography, Chemistry and Physics. I liked the experimental side of Chemistry and being able to get my hands dirty and felt that chemistry had the most opportunities for the future. When I was choosing my degree course I knew I didn’t want to leave home and luckily found the perfect course at Liverpool University which was a MChem Chemistry with Industrial Chemistry. I was able to gain the Masters level by doing distance learning on my industrial placement year, rather than having to do an additional year at the end of the course. I had to find the industrial placement myself whilst on the course and wrote lots of letters to companies and had a number of interviews and job offers at the end. I chose SAFC Hitech as it sounded like what I wanted to do with synthesis (experimenting with chemical reactions in order to get a product, or several products). SAFC Hitech is part of the Sigma Aldrich group and the chemistry done in the labs eventually ends up creating the silicon chips and compound semi conductors for the telecommunications and LED markets. This means they end up in everyday products such as traffic lights, mobile phones, DVDs, television screens and solar energy panels. The people at SAFC really made the year for me and I had lots of guidance from the rest of the team. I was sorry to leave at the end but kept in touch as I knew it was the type of company I wanted to work for. When I finished my Masters I took a job as a Lab Technician for a paints and coatings company until I got my degree results and went on to work for a company on the Wirral as a Technical Service Chemist. This company developed fuel additives and also personal care items (e.g. moisturisers, sunscreens, shampoo etc). I found these jobs through specialist science recruitment agencies that you can find on the internet. The following spring a graduate job came up at SAFC and I wanted to move back to work in synthesis rather than the analytical work I was doing. I was fortunate enough to be successful in my application and interview to get the job. The role ranges from doing small scale experiments to get chemicals to perform better, up to developing processes to apply to large scale manufacturer. The best bit of the job is the variety and recently I have been working on a major project for solvent recycling which is really interesting and is working towards a greener environment. This project has meant I have travelled to other SAFC sites to see how they do things and I can incorporate the best ideas. Having worked in other companies I have also managed to bring in some ideas from them and I have helped the company to develop a training programme for future industrial placement students.’ As Sarah sees it you need to find out as much as you can about different careers as there is so much out there and then get some experience to see what you like. She kept her subjects open and worked at a number of companies on the way to SAFC and to help fund her way through university. Each job helped her personal development in different ways and as her employers say ‘Sarah will achieve her goals as she exudes enthusiasm and drive and will be an asset whatever her plans for the future’.
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“The people at SAFC really made the year for me and I had lots of guidance from the team”
www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk
D
SAFC Hitech is a specialty chemical supplier to the semiconductor industry. Its products are of necessity ultrahigh purity and require highly focused chemical processes to achieve the target specifications. A dedicated team of expert chemists work in the research area to develop new compounds and processes. The company approach to the wider chemical community is to encourage young scientists and generate interest in chemistry by performing demonstrations at schools and accepting placement students to its state-of-the-art laboratories. Employees are also supported in their endeavours to obtain higher qualifications and a comprehensive training program exists to allow career development.
WWW.CHEMICALSNORTHWEST.ORG.UK
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Get out and about
Nexus can help yo u get out and abo ut in Tyne and Wear th is summer – from ideas for things to do that you can get to by public transport to info rmation on how t o get there, and how to save money on fa res. How2get2.co.uk is the place to go to for timetable, route and ticket information – it’s a special site for secondary school pupils and sixth form and college students. And if you’re looking for ideas of places to go – look for Great Days Out on nexus.org.uk (or pick up a copy of our guide from a Nexus TravelShop) – it gives you details of loads of places in Tyne and Wear you can get to easily by public transport – from beaches and castles to cinemas and shopping.
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HOW2GET2.CO.UK
OUT THIS SUMMER! Here’s some information that’ll help you save some money on bus and Metro fares – and the right one for you will depend on how old you are. IF YOU’VE JUST FINISHED YEAR 8, 9 OR 10 Your Under 16 Card is valid until you go back to school in September – so you’ll still be able to travel at concessionary child fares when you show your Under 16 Card. If you haven’t got an Under 16 Card, now’s the perfect time to get one – they’re free of charge, and could save you loads of money this summer.
IF YOU’VE JUST FINISHED YEAR 11 Your Under 16 Card expires at the end of July. Until then you can travel at concessionary child fares when you show your Under 16 Card. Then in August you’ll have to pay adult fares – check out nexus. org.uk for the best ticket to buy for the journeys you make. If you just use Stagecoach or Go North East buses though – you could continue to buy a Stagecoach Under 19 VIP ticket or Get Around ticket. If you’re going back to school/college in September – you’ll be able to save money as soon as you go back to school or college. Buy a Network Ticketing Teen Travelticket, to use on Metro and bus in the zones you choose. Or if you only travel on one operator’s buses – just buy a pass valid on their services – there’s a Go North East Get Around ticket, a Stagecoach Under 19 VIP ticket or an Arriva Student Ticket. Or, if you just travel by Metro, buy a 16-18 Metro Student Card. See how2get2.co.uk for full details of these tickets If you’re not going back to school/college – you’ll have to pay adult fares from now on – but there are lots of season tickets to help reduce the cost – see nexus.org.uk for details
IF YOU’VE JUST FINISHED YEAR 12 Go North East Get Around tickets, Stagecoach Under 19 VIP Cards and 16-18 Metro Student Cards are valid over the summer holidays, and you can continue to buy them when you start Year 13, along with Network Ticketing’s Teen Traveltickets and Arriva Student Tickets.
IF YOU’VE JUST FINISHED YEAR 13 You can continue to buy Go North East Get Around tickets, Stagecoach Under 19 VIP tickets and 16-18 Metro Student Cards until the end of the summer holidays, and then if you’re staying in Tyne & Wear to go to university, you can start saving with tickets for university students – see nexus.org.uk for full details. If you’re not going on to university, check out nexus.org.uk for details of adult season tickets. And of course if you’re going away to university – Nexus can’t help you save money on public transport outside Tyne & Wear, but your new university should be able to provide you with information.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE RIGHT TICKET FOR YOU – AND FOR HOW TO GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO – GO TO HOW2GET2.CO.UK
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LANGUAGES AND THE OLYMPICS After last summer’s spectacular Beijing Olympics, Britain is gearing up to host the world’s greatest sporting event in 2012. We bring you some language facts about the Olympics and the Olympians who compete in them. Sure, the sporting events at the Olympics are exciting, but seeing the opening parade, the flags, the people, the cultures and the languages is just as extraordinary. At last year’s Beijing Olympics, there were 5,000 translators working to make sure all of the 55 languages being used were understood. Most of these were students. Maybe you could get involved at London 2012!
QUICK OLYMPIC FACT FILE Number of countries who participate: 192 Number of athletes who compete: 11,883 Number of languages spoken: 55 Number of translators needed: 5,000 Number of people who watch: 3.5 billion
OLYMPIC QUIZ See if you can work out the names of some Olympic events from the French below. 1. Athlétisme 2. Base-ball 3. Basket-ball 4. Boxe
DID YOU KNOW…? The Chinese gymnast Lu Li was the smallest ever person to compete at the Olympic games. She was just 1.36m when she won the uneven bars at Barcelona in 1992.
5. Canoë-kayak 6. Cyclisme 7. Escrime 8. Football 9. Gymnastique 10. Lutte 11. Natation 12. Sports équestres
The longest ever games were held in London in 1908 and lasted 187 days starting in April and ending in October!
13. Tennis de Table 14. Tir à lčarc 15. Volley-ball de plage
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ANSWERS: 1. Track/Athletics, 2. Baseball, 3. Basketball, 4. Boxing, 5. Canoe/Kayak, 6. Cycling, 7. Fencing, 8. Football, 9. Gymnastics, 10. Wrestling, 11. Swimming, 12. Equestrian, 13. Table Tennis, 14. Archery, 15. Beach Volleyball.
At the 1900 games in Paris, athletes competed in an event called poodle-clipping where a farmer’s wife won gold for trimming 17 poodles in two hours!
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