College Staff Briefing Hartlepool College Summer 2016* of Further Education
*scheduled for a Wednesday this year, apparently
Welcome Welcome to another issue of Staff Briefing, continuing to share and celebrate the many achievements of staff and students around all areas of the College. It’s been another busy couple of months, and in that time we’ve had some brilliant events and amazing news (see right). We’ve also been the subject of some rumours and press misreporting regarding the Area Review and Sixth Form College merger, which Darren Hankey clarifies on page 12. If you have a story, or anything planned, please contact Briefing directly by getting in touch with Gary Kester (Ed Honcho) in Room 2.42 or gkester@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk or via Darren Hankey (Head Honcho), dhankey@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk HCFE Snapshot | Which member of staff, renowned for never letting anything hold her back, fell foul of the Bungie Cord Challenge on NCS Takeover day? See page 9 to find out!
HCFE Snapshot is a part of the Monthly Staff Briefing that captures day-to-day life around the College on camera. If you take an image you think we should feature, email it to the above with some details (but please make sure you have the permission of those in it), or if you want to arrange photography contact Gary Kester on extension 4020 or email gkester@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk. Please give as much notice as possible though, as schedules are often busy.
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Apprenticeships: HCFE is the 2nd best in the entire country (Don’t worry, we’ll try harder next year!)
As you’re all doubtless aware, Apprenticeships have been pushed into the spotlight by the current Government as one of their key policy areas - and, with decades of experience and many major partners, we’ve always been rather good at them. Even so, last year’s success rates (published in May) were an especial source of delight and pride when they reported that for apprenticeship success rates, Hartlepool College was, out of 215 others (source: AOC), the second best general further education college in England - an amazing reflection of the excellence and dedication of our staff. When the figures were expanded to include all providers, such as the likes of Rolls-Royce and BAE, we were still in the top 20!
Summer holiday It’s the summer holiday again, and that can only mean one thing around here - bucketing it down on the barbecue! Ah well, the north east eh? Still, as the story above and those through this issue of Briefing highlight, 2016 has already proved to be an epic year for the College, despite the many challenges we face. For those of you going away, enjoy your holidays. For those working over the summer, enjoy the relative quiet! Whatever you’re doing, please accept our very best wishes and gratitude for your hard work.
@hartlepoolfe #BeTheNext
Women in Engineering Day was a real inspiration For the second year running Hartlepool College played host to a major event to mark Women In Engineering Day, a national campaign to encourage females into the various areas of this highly skilled, highly important sector.
Above: Helen Gott and Paula Tinkler (front row, left and right respectively) with some of HCFE’s female Engineering apprentices and visitors from the schools.
As with last year the event was organised by Engineering lecturer Helen Gott, who is also one of the College’s Advanced Practitioners. As someone who came to teaching after working in the Engineering sector, Women in Engineering Day is something about which Helen is passionate. Taking place on Thursday 23rd June with a host of events across the UK, Hartlepool College places particular emphasis on the annual scheme, and on Tuesday 21st several dozen female pupils from English Martyrs, Dyke House and St Hild’s schools came along for a day of information, inspiration and hands-on activities.
The girls heard from special guest Paula Tinkler, Commercial Director for Middlesbrough-based Chemoxy, who took to the stage to explain her work. Current female engineering students at the College were also on hand to demonstrate the work they do and answer any questions from the visiting pupils. There were visits to Hartlepool Power Station, run by prominent HCFE partner EDF Energy, and Caterpillar in Peterlee, and various College-based activities demonstrating a variety of Engineering disciplines. Helen said “It was a really busy day with a lot packed into it, but I’m really pleased with the way it went and I hope the students took a lot out of it.”
“The beauty of events like this is that the students can pick things up that they would be unable to do in a classroom. I truly hope that they will be inspired into a career in this sector.” As a matter of fact guest Paula, a prominent figure in the local Engineering community, shared that she was inspired to go into engineering by a similar event when she was younger, saying “It is fantastic that once again Hartlepool College has supported this event, and it is great to see the girls from the schools not only coming along but taking a real genuine interest in what is going on. If it plants a seed in their mind then that can only be a positive.”
Above: One of the tasks involved learning about the principles of wind energy, and designing and building a working windmill.
Above: Engineering staff and HCFE apprentices were on hand throughout to offer guidance and knowledge.
Above: The “S” in STEM stand for science, and pupils were given the chance to participate in areas such as metallurgy, in this case materials strength testing.
Above: Another activity involved creating model vehicles that use a simple drive mechanism of a propeller rotated by compressed air. By varying the pressure the visitors were able to analyse variations in speed and power.
Above: Hey, work boots are still shoes technically, and therefore were worthy of a quick fashion display when the visitors were given PPE to put on!
Above: Safety was also a vital part of the Fabrication & Welding demonstrations, with the visitors all having a hands-on go.
You can view all the photos taken at the event here:
bit.ly/hcfenwedpics
Project Presentation Day put innovation on show Hartlepool College hosted its annual Projects Presentation Day on 27th April, with dozens of students once again showcasing their innovative work to some of the biggest names in the engineering sector. The day is a highlight in the College’s annual calendar, and is the culmination of a year-long project designed to highlight students’ advanced practical and technical skills. The majority of students taking part are apprentices, with many projects having been actually adopted by their employers.
Many of the projects on show are linked directly to the workplace, having been used in practice to offer a positive impact on operations. Whether it be to save costs, improve health and safety or get a new potential product or service to market, employers value these projects greatly.
The students exhibited their work over a period of three hours from 1 to 4pm, using up most of the College’s expansive atrium space. Employers, staff, students and other stakeholders from the College took part in the event by asking probing questions to the exhibitors.
Industrious creatives exert their influence on Hartlepool College
Help Briefing get all the facts
The College’s Creative Show and Young Awards Show are now open for viewing, after a busy preview to an invited audience on 22nd June. The theme of many projects is “Propaganda”, as well as work from many of the live projects Briefing has reported on throughout the past year. Visitors were impressed by the maturity and depth of many of the ideas on display, as well as the exceptional level of skill and artistry used in their execution.
Amongst the most common bits of feedback we receive about the Briefing are “We did something perfect for the Briefing, but it wasn’t in” or, if a story runs without a pic, “But I had a photo you could have used!” To these the most common answers are “We didn’t know anything about it” and “You didn’t send us anything”. Briefing relies on staff keeping us informed about the things you’re doing, and also sending us information detailed enough to allow us to make a proper story out of them.
This is especially true of those pieces contributed by local schools as part of the Young Awards competition, which completely bely the ages of the contributors. This must-see exhibition can be viewed until the end of term, 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday on the first floor atrium balcony and Learning Core 1. The exhibition is also open to the public, so feel free to invite people along to see it.
Some staff have admitted assuming we know all about everything that goes on, or that we can fill in the gaps to any story we’re made aware of, but this is far from the case - please keep in mind that Briefing is only one of many jobs undertaken by Gary Kester and is time-consuming to produce. It can cause deadline problems if stories require following up, or extracting from online sources. So, to help ensure your story appears, please in the first instance make sure Gary knows about, and in plenty of time to book it in his diary if photos are needed. Secondly, please provide as much detail as possible to minimise gaps in the story that could require chasing up, as these can cause more delays or even lead it to being pulled altogether as, regrettably, we have had to do a couple of times recently due to lack of adequate information. If you have your own photos, please also make sure you email the originals (please avoid embedding in Word or Powerpoint) and not just a link to them online - extracting them from a website or Social Media can cause other complications that again can unfortunately lead to delays or withdrawal. Many thanks!
Student Services gets right royal opening Prince Charles! Prince Harry! Her Majesty the Queen! These were just some of the people absolutely nowhere near Student Services on Friday 17th June for the grand opening of its recent revamp. Still, that didn’t stop us larking about! That said, while it’s true we did have to improvise with the Royals, we did indeed have some special VIP guests present in the form of Eldon Grove Academy, who also had the chance to learn about the College. Their feedback included “It was the best day ever”, “I’m definitely coming here when I get older” and “I don’t want to go back to school ‘cos the people here are lovely!”
Along with the Student Services team, the driving force behind the event was the College’s Travel & Tourism students who, as part of their course, have to plan, take part in and reflect on such activities as part of their qualification. After the cutting of the ribbon, attendees and the pupils enjoyed a special buffet lunch bought largely by staff.
Speaking of his visit, Prince Charles said “It was a right proper posh do, like them what we have at the palace. Cakes, Haribo, Wotsits and everything. I’d definitely come back.”
Above: The Student Services revamp was based on an extensive review of the requirements of staff and students, and work was done by Bill Bradley. The new layout more clearly divides it into separate zones - a waiting and casual discussion area, service desks, an administration area, meeting rooms and the IT area.
Above: The new area is cleaner and brighter, and is decorated by the Perspex panels originally created for Gray’s Bistro in the old building. The revised “front of house” clearly defines waiting and service areas in a way the old layout didn’t, and significantly doesn’t require any intrusion into the Atrium as before.
Above: The IT/information area is still a major feature, and is located where it was before. However, the wall space is now used more flexibly, offering a mix of advice, information and promotions that are updated much more regularly than before.
HCFE Snapshot | College staff get a “little Chewie”
HCFE Snapshot | Putting the “briefs” in Briefing
HCFE Snapshot | High-flying Sophie aims higher still
On Friday 29th April the College held a “Dressed by the Kids Day” to tie in with Oxfam’s first ever national campaign. It aimed to raise £500,000 to help people living in poverty around the world - an amount some would probably regard as paltry (Vote Leave received a £600,000 donation from a millionaire former BNP-member in the run-up to the referendum for example) but which goes an incredibly long way in parts of the world .
Everyone loves a good mystery, but even Sherlock Holmes might have been as puzzled as a member of staff who returned to their desk to find an impromptu washing line had been stretched across it, complete with underwear. In the interests of fairness we’ll give those involved a chance to, erm, come clean, and give us the full story for the next issue.
The achievements of award-winning Painting and Decorating student Sophie Willingham have long been reported by Briefing. Now Sophie has gained a new feather in her cap, becoming the first P&D student to progress directly to Higher Education. Sophie will begin studying Interior Design at Teesside University from September, having breezed the interview with her amazing portfolio of work and achievements to nab herself an unconditional place. Our best wishes go with her!
Lecturer Katherine Allen had also worked very hard behind the scenes, but unfortunately was nowhere to be seen during the opening...
Meserani Projects fundraisers get a chance to work on their nails
Gameathon gets packed, man
In the November/December 2014 issue of Briefing we brought you details of a visit to Tanzania and Kenya by Joinery Lecturer Graeme and Administrator Bev Fallowfield as part of the Meserani Project, which helps to build schools and increase education opportunities in impoverished areas of Africa - a project they continue to support.
Hartlepool College students gave up their half-term to raise money for Changing Futures North East, a charity that supports young people across the town. Student ambassadors and staff (pictured below) dug out their games consoles and put on a great games event for all ages, inviting students from HCFE and local schools, as well as their families. Contrasting the retro systems was the College’s cutting edge flight simulator, used to train Aerospace Engineering
In April this year Cache Level 3 Year 1 Early Years students carried out some fundraising activities for the pair, and as a thank you Graeme invited them to the joinery workshops to make a small wooden stool. Twelve students attended, and used a variety of hand and portable power tools the girls gained an insight into a very different set of skills to the ones they employ in their own specialised area, and as you can see by the photos below had a great time!
Back row, L-R: CACHE Level 3 Year 1 Childcare and Education students Angela Rae, Gabrielle Popplewell, Sophie Booth, Rebecca Popplewell, Chantelle Shout, Emmie Martin, Caithlan Isgate, Jessica Heckles and front row: Chloe Robson, Chloe Nixon and Katie Oram, with lecturers Graeme Fallowfield and Fiona McCabe.
students at college. Teesside University, who work in partnership with Hartlepool College brought along some of its games design students and a Virtual Reality system. Event Planner Mark Lee also thanked Domino’s Pizza for sponsoring the event in the form of free pizza every day. With entry being a bargain £1 for a fantastic half-term event, along with raffle tickets, prizes and cakes to be bought every day, the team raised a fantastic total of £208!
Above: Boris Johnson tries out “The Fast and the Furiously Trying to Distance Myself from Brexit Promises”...
Gail Arnold’s students also raised £200 for the Meserani Project with a summer raffle, which they presented to Graeme in June. Above, L-R: Margaret Smithson, Dorothy Knox, Stacey Grieveson, Callum Swanson, Kristy Balderson, Emily Magson, Darren Hankey, Graeme Fallowfield, Gail Arnold, Courtney Gibson, Beth Renwick, Maryann Harman, Kennady Gavillet, Lisa Brown
Above: ...while Jeremy Corbyn asks Teesside University if their VR rig has any programs that can immerse him in a world where The Sun, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail and New Labour simply don’t exist.
HCFE volunteers thanked by Slovak Ambassador Over the past two Briefings we’ve been telling you how the College has, in various ways, been helping Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines, one of 669 child immigrants who in 1939 were saved from certain death in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia by Sir Nicholas Winton. May 20th saw an extraordinary gathering of survivors as part of memorial activities held in London on the anniversary of Sir Nicholas’ birthday - and our very own Mark Elliott was there. Last issue we reported on how Engineering’s Mark Elliott and Marketing’s Gary Kester collaborated to produce a 1/6th scale model of a proposed sculpture, commissioned by Winton survivors for installation at Prague Railway Station as a memorial to the man who saved so many lives. The sculpture will be a life-sized vintage train door, cast in bronze, representing the (more often than not final) goodbyes of parents as they sent their children to safety on the trains Mr Winton organised. The windows will have handprints pressed into the glass; those of parents on the outside and those of children on the inside, a poignant representation of those last heartbreaking moments of togetherness. Starting with a sketch and doing some research on period European railway carriages, Mark brilliantly modelled the sculpture in CAD and arranged for it to be 3D printed by a contact at Teesside University, Mark Beckwith. It was then passed to Gary, who painted and textured the model and rendered the hand prints in PVA with a fine paintbrush.
Above: A photo taken by Mark of the some of the Winton “children” - Milena (86) and her younger sister Eva (80), also on the train in 1939, are highlighted. Eva, a retired school principal, had travelled from Massachusetts.
Milena was delighted with the final result and it has been used all around Europe to raise awareness of the project. She also presented it to fellow survivors at the London gathering, and invited Mark and Gary
to attend. Unfortunately Gary was still away on adoption leave and couldn’t go, but Mark travelled down to the Slovakian Embassy, where he was introduced to survivors, Sir Nicholas’ daughter Barbara Winton and Ambassador L’ubomir Rehák, who thanked Mark and the College for the work it has undertaken. In addition to Mark and Gary’s contributions, Brian Barnes has also created a website for Milena’s project, which can be seen at http://valedictionmemorial.org/
Above: Mark with Milena and His Excellency Mr. L’ubomir Rehák, Slovakian Ambassador to the Court of St. James.
Above: Mark and Milena with Mrs. Barbara Winton, daughter of the late Sir Nicholas Winton.
Above: Two copies of the maquette - on the right as first 3D printed and after hand-painting and finishing.
Designs on spreading Sir Nicholas’ legacy As we also reported last issue, Gary Kester agreed to produce an interactive multimedia presentation for Milena to use on her talks around the world, which was completed and delivered via FTP to Milena in London on the day Mark attended the Embassy. Once again Milena was delighted and grateful for the work (a selection of screengrabs pictured right) and has already used it several times, debuting it to an audience of fifty doctors.
Above: Gary and Milena with a DVD of rare archive footage of Sir Nicholas, which was converted for use in the multimedia presentation.
You can view the film of Milena’s story at bit.ly/HMDNicky
HCFE joins the rotory club
Anson fella
On Wednesday 13th April Hartlepool College hosted a recruitment and awareness day by the Army Air Corps, who brought along not only a helicopter but a large-scale military band.
Anybody who has visited the College’s Aerospace hangar already knows we have an amazing array of kit down there - from two full Jet Provosts and a Gazelle helicopter (see opposite) to a Rolls-Royce airliner engine, a nose-mounted radar and all other manner of aviation tech. Now all of these assets have been joined by another fantastic piece of engineering, one that is very much a piece of aviation history - and it came to us in a most unusual manner.
Students and staff were invited to check out the nimble helicopter, used mostly for scouting - though Aerospace students were already familiar with the type, the College having one in its hangar in the Skills Academy. The AAC team were on hand all day, during which time they attracted large amounts of attention - and a few disappointed faces when they left, taking the helicopter apart and loading it onto a truck instead of flying it away as some had been expecting (not naming any staff!)
Currently sitting next to the equally iconic Viper engine from one of the Jet Provosts is a huge Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah, a 350hp seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine measuring 48 inches in diameter and with a dry weight of 289kg. The Cheetah was in production from 1935 to 1948 and was the first engine of its type to be certified for 1,200 hours of flight time between overhauls. The main recipients of the 37,200 examples built were the Airspeed Oxford and Avro Anson, our example coming from one of the latter. The Anson was a sleek British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Canadian Air Force and numerous other air forces during the Second World War. Developed from the Avro 652 airliner and named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally developed for maritime reconnaissance (hence its large windowed areas) but found its real strength as a trainer. Many examples operated across the north east of England.
Above: Staff and students were given a detailed inspection of the Gazelle.
Above: Mark Lee thinks this makes him look like Samus Aran (Google it, it’s a Mark thing...)
The engine was given to the College free of charge by the family of an elderly relative after he passed away. He had bought it to restore himself, not realising the large size of the engine. Kept in a garden for a while, the engine has some corrosion but is far from beyond repair, and plans are now in place to get it back to working order.
Above: The accompanying band drew a big crowd, playing everything from Michael Jackson to James Bond.
Literally a revolutionary design The Gazelle is a five-seat light helicopter used widely for training, observation and general transport duties by the British Armed Forces. Fondly referred to as the “whistling chicken leg” due to its shape and sound, it was designed in the late 1960s by Aérospatiale in France and manufactured under licence by Westland Aircraft. The innovative helicopter was the first to carry a Fenestron (or fantail) tail rotor, which allowed considerable noise reduction and enhanced stability. Also, the rotor blades were made of composite materials, a feature now used widely in many modern helicopters. The Gazelle has seen active service in the Falkland Islands, Kuwait, Iraq, Kosovo and also for air patrols in Northern Ireland, and is used by numerous other nations. A heavily disguised Gazelle formed the basis of the fictional police super-helicopter Blue Thunder in the 1983 film of the same name (the tail is a dead giveaway). Many of the then-fanciful systems on board, such as voice control and helmet-led targeting, inspired numerous aerospace and military engineers, and are now very real technologies!
Above: A restored Avro Anson in RAF colours in flight. Note the raised bumps on the engine cowlings to accommodate the large cylinders.
Above: The innovative nature of the Gazelle made it a perfect choice as a teaching asset on rotary technology.
Above: This view of the engine near one of the Jet Provosts gives you an idea of the size of the Cheetah.
Above: Blue Thunder, a fictional helicopter build from a Gazelle due to its stunning performance and futuristic tail.
Hey, Jude tells pupils that they can make it better
Students have store covered
We doubt anybody needs to be reminded of the EU Referendum result, and Hartlepool’s newfound notoriety at national level because of it.
When it was decided that the College’s Carpentry & Joinery area in the Skills Academy needed extra space for storage, it was only natural that we’d turn to our own talent to get one built. Below are a couple of pics of First Year Joinery Students building the roof frame, taken by Workshop Safety Superintendent Dave Watts.
The media took an interest in the town after the vote for “Brexit”, when nearly 70% of local voters chose to leave the EU. Many stated immigrants and “pressure on public services” as a factor, despite us having one of the lowest immigrant populations in the country and many Hartlepool public services actually being underused. On May 20th, then with a month to go, North East MEP (Member of European Parliament) Jude Kirton-Darling visited the College for a tour and the chance to speak to young people from Dyke House and some of our own adult learners studying English. Jude put forward a strong case for why our region relies on EU support more than any other, and the benefits enjoyed by workers due to EU legislation on areas such as health and safety, and answered questions from the attendees on a number of aspects of the Referendum.
Above: Darren Hankey and Jude discuss EU green legislation by the wind turbine in the Skills Academy.
Above: Jude outlines the case for Remain to the boys, who were supporting Leave...
Above: ... and the girls, who were supporting Remain. Jo Potts’ adult English students had a range of views, with some undecided at the time
Above: The then-current Big Picture, based around the EU Referendum, represented the points of views of both sides to allow students to make their own decision.
The store is now finished and has blended into the College so effectively very few have even noticed it - it’s at the gate between the kitchen entrance and the rear car park, nestled in the top corner!
Rich creates grand, deft auto logo Smiles better The RESPECT team are planning to hold a fundraiser on World Smile Day, Friday 7th October, in aid of the more than 170,000 children in the developing world who are born annually with a cleft lip and/or palate. These children often live in isolation, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing, and speaking. A number of the College’s vehicles in the Automotive workshop have been spruced up with a new variation on the College’s logo created by Art & Design Lecturer Richard Peacock, who replaced the shards of the “Luminary” (as it is named) with tools used by motor mechanics. The graphics were produced and installed by Signs Express, and sponsored by our friends at Pagid, one of the leading manufacturers in the automotive and brake industry who have long supported the College in a variety of ways, such as a test car (see previous issues).
Plans are currently at an early stage but are expected to lean towards the silly end of the spectrum, so please keep the date in mind as this kind of thing can only be successful with full staff and student support.
Student volunteers let nothing hold them back (well, except the bungie cord) Teenagers from Hartlepool and beyond signed up to benefit from a life changing summer experience, when Hartlepool College joined forces with the country’s fastest growing youth movement. The College confirmed its commitment to the National Citizen Service (NCS) when we hosted a fun-filled “takeover day” on Thursday 19th May. Students and staff joined in fun games and activities like an inflatable bungie run, while Scream for Pizza was also on site serving up free food from their vintage camper van. Students also learned more about the scheme by speaking to NCS staff and
graduates about their summer experiences. NCS offers teenagers aged 15-17 the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones and take part in an adventure packed residential programme and make a positive difference in the local community. NCS participation represents amazing value for money, costing less than £50 and covering accommodation, transport, food and other expenses. As part of its commitment to helping Hartlepool students to get ahead on life, the College agreed to reimburse those of its students that complete the summer programme. Darren Hankey said “I have
been extremely impressed by the new skills and experiences students gain after taking part in NCS. It is a pleasure to further consolidate our partnership with NCS, as we work together to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed.” Kim Smith, Contract Director for NCS in the North East, said: “I’m delighted that Hartlepool College are committed to enhancing their learner offer through NCS. Teenagers in Hartlepool have the exciting opportunity to get a whole host of skills and experiences that will help them thrive as they take their next steps in life.”
Answer from page 1: it was of course Sam-Amy Kidson!
Siobhan makes a world of difference to Travel & Tourism students A former celebrity travel agent has returned to Hartlepool College to share her years of experience with the next generation of travel, tourism and aviation students. The Travel & Tourism section has an exciting new qualification which, alongside existing travel and tourism courses, will help students gain the knowledge to be cabin crew. Siobhan Osborne completed her Level 3 Travel & Tourism course at Hartlepool College after leaving High Tunstall College of Science, and then spent eight years in the industry, travelling around the world. Siobhan, 26, said “After leaving my course I started working in a travel agency, and after a year and a half in that role I moved onto another agency in a more responsible position. I’d learned about the industry as I’d gone along, and by the time I was 23 I started working as cabin crew for EasyJet based in Gatwick. I was working five days on, three days off, with around four flights a day. It was tough, but it was interesting and no two days are the same”. That experience helped Siobhan into her next role, which saw her based in Manchester for luxury tour operator Carrier. “That gave me a different angle to look at the travel sector; I was arranging holidays
for celebrities through their agents and had to know every single detail about the resorts they were going to. Some asked how big the beds were, others wanted to know where the doors were located within the rooms. I had to know every detail, but it gave me the opportunity to travel to places like Barbados, Antigua and the Grenadines. I travelled the world, learning about marketing, how we could develop our products and targeting potential new properties. It all stemmed from my knowledge on the Travel & Tourism course, and even though I’m still relatively young I’m well experienced in all areas of the travel sector”. Siobhan has now returned to the College, and is studying for her Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training as well as lecturing in Travel, Tourism and Aviation. Sara Paterson, Lecturer in Travel, Tourism and Aviation at Hartlepool College, added “I am really proud of Siobhan my ex-student and her achievements and welcome her back to the department now as a teacher” Fellow lecturer Nicola Bird added “By introducing aviation, we will be able to open even more doors in the travel and tourism sector. We have already had contact from Emirates and British Airways who have helped us with various aspects of the course.”
Aaron brings home gold for HCFE
Katmex gets the cream
Hartlepool College of Further Education and Wimpey homes apprentice Aaron Armstrong was recently awarded the gold medal at a prestigious regional skills competition.
College students were given a behind-the-scenes look into the world of welding after being invited to a top Teesside engineering firm. The ten students, who are currently studying their BTEC Level 1 in Fabrication and Welding at Hartlepool College of Further Education, visited Katmex in Stockton-on-Tees.
The Guild of Bricklayers is a national competition to find the very best young bricklayers in the UK. Aaron, from Hartlepool, was award the gold position having competed against students from nine regional colleges, companies and training providers. He will now represent Hartlepool College and his employer Wimpey at the National Finals in Devon having proved to be the best in the region.
The tour was led by tutor Cliff Downs, who said the experience and opportunity to get an insight into a real working environment would be invaluable for the students. During the visit, students saw staff carrying out their daily work as well as being given an explanation on how the business operated and which machinery was used. Cliff said: “We have great facilities in the workshops at Hartlepool College and they are working hands-on a lot of the time, but nothing beats the sounds and smells of a working plant. It makes me want to get back on the tools myself. Hopefully the students who visited Katmex will now have a better understanding of what goes on in a business of this nature, and that will help them as they continue to progress through their course” Katmex has more than 100 employees and provides the large steel parts to build heavy machinery such as diggers and cranes. It has the capacity to process 2,500 tonnes of steel plates each month.
Guild of Chefs recognise top ability Hartlepool College recently hosted the Northern heats of the Major Chefs Series event, which sees students set a challenge of live and static displays as well as a hot culinary task and a restaurant skills class. The College was hand-picked by the Guild of Chefs for its excellent standards in catering and now two Hartlepool students will represent the region at the national finals of Hotelympia 2017 in Birmingham against students from the other heats across the UK. Former English Martyrs student and Hotelympia 2016 Finalist Amy Pattison, 17, was crowned as Best in Class overall and won gold in the live national competition class, followed by further awards in the street food and bakery classes. She will go on to represent Hartlepool College at the National Finals alongside fellow student Eljohn Latayan, another ex-Martyrs pupil, who also won gold. Catering lecturer Kevin Dove said “To be recognised by the Guild of Chefs in a competition like this is a major honour for us as a College, and is something we are extremely proud of. Since then this competition has been incorporated into the course and I’m extremely proud of the performance they have put on. Many of the students only joined us in September, so to be at the level they are now is a fantastic achievement.” Wayne Harris, from the Guild of Chefs, was part of the judging panel, and noted “Hartlepool College made us very welcome, there are some fantastic facilities here and it was a pleasure to bring the event to Hartlepool.”
Merger
Useful new resources
A note from Darren Hankey
A quick reminder that the College has produced a new brochure aimed at making sure employers who receive our students on work experience placements or apprenticeships are aware of our commitment to Safeguarding, and what measures are in place. The brochure also features information on Prevent, and this information is also available as a separate flyer if needed.
Colleagues, You may have seen the recent coverage in the Hartlepool Mail re the proposed merger. Just to clarify once more, the article came from the local authority and it was just reinforcing its endorsement of the Area Review team’s recommendation regarding our and the Sixth Form College’s (SFC) potential merger.
The brochures can be accessed online in PDF format at: Safeguarding for Employers http://bit.ly/SafeEmp
The article did make reference to BTECs being delivered at the SFC. Please don’t read anything into this - the SFC does offer some BTEC programmes and this is all the article references. Talks between us and the SFC are still very much at the early stage and the next meeting is planned for the end of June. As promised, I shall endeavour to keep you abreast of developments and please do feel free to contact me if you feel anything needs clarifying.
Forthcoming Events As the summer is upon us the Forthcoming Events column has tried on its cozzie, found it has mysteriously shrunk and complained that they don’t make cozzies to last like they used to. It is currently in a queue at a RyanAir check-in being argued with about luggage weight by someone will only say “the full terms and conditions are clearly available on our website” over and over again. It’ll be back next time!
Starters & Leavers Only a couple this time round: Starters Andrew Smith, Lecturer - Aeronautical Engineering Denise Jackson, Catering Assistant - Casual Leavers Anthony Foley, Lecturer - Travel & Tourism
PREVENT http://bit.ly/21qTNdk
Adult Course Guide Also now available is the College’s Adult Course Guide, which features Part-Time programmes, Higher Education and Professional Training opportunities. Also spread throughout are a number of inspiring “Be The Next” stories, which serve as a good reminder of why it is we all do what we do. This year saw the earliest the Adult Guide was ever produced, and it has been distributed widely via a direct mail campaign. However, we want to keep awareness raised, so if you know anyone who may be interested in this guide, or have any contacts, be them businesses, organisations etc., that would be willing to take copies and put them out, please see Student Services who can give you a supply.
raiders of the lost Archives Our semi-regular dip back into HCFE’s history. For occasional online pics from the archive follow Gary Kester on Twitter @ CreativeDirctr. This issue the loose link is “current affairs”.
21 years ago the EU was also at the forefront of a week of activities here at the College, as we celebrated new streams of funding made accessible by the Maastricht Treaty in 1993. Baroness Blatch visited the College to open the proceedings. Her visit was memorably punctuated by legendary caretaker Ted, who after cleaning up from two police horses sent along, shouted to those assembled “Anybody want a bucket of sh*** for their garden!?”
Hartlepool Mail and later Northern Echo editor Peter Barron was a frequent visitor to the College, and an ardent supporter of our activities. An old-school newshound more concerned with facts than sensationalism, Peter would often host workshops on the role of good journalism to students, and his career at the Echo was noted for the many social and moral campaigns and crusades he would through the weight of the paper behind.
Media lecturer Graham Waite, who would move onto Teesside University, at the mic of Pool FM, a radio station the College set up in the mid-1990s. Designed to give students experience of broadcasting, it was a live station serving up a mix of music, news and chat. One memorable interview was with the organisers of the Hartlepool Arts Festival in 1995, when the announcer declared “You’re all obviously very arty, as our listeners can probably see by your clothes....”
This regular section of the staff Briefing aims to provide a platform for staff to share resources, tips and good practice which will complement the face-to-face CPD offer. The ideas forwarded won’t necessarily suit all lessons, but, as mentioned above, the aim is provide a platform for professional development and an enhanced learning, social and progression experience for our students. Feel free to send your good practice tips, suggestions and ideas to the Briefing team. This issue we take a look at some issues which have been raised during the past academic year with a view to us eliminating them once the September term begins.
Unlocked doors
Parking & access
During an recent evening walkabout around TWENTY unlocked doors were discovered around the building. A college visitor had a purse stolen earlier on in the year and there have been numerous incidents of suspicious folk entering the building, on all occasions challenged and removed. However, these are only the ones we come across.
It has come to light that some staff are parking on the College’s premises, e.g. in the service yard or gym/restaurant customer parking, to avoid paying car parking fees. Those bays are reserved for a reason and not for staff use. New measures are being implemented shortly, but before this we are giving staff who do park in this area to stop and pay the correct daily/ monthly fee.
Most rooms now contain some form of IT and this would be a target for unwanted visitors. Staff MUST ensure doors are locked when rooms are vacated. On a similar note, some staff are leaving doors unlocked during fire evacuations. Again, this must NEVER be the case.
Policy reminders Time in Lieu It is much appreciated that staff, on occasion, work outside of their contracted hours and it is only right and fair that these hours are given back. QAPP 4.3.26 highlights the College’s approach to time in lieu and, moving forward, can all staff and managers ensure this policy is used to ensure transparency and fairness. E-safety The College’s approach to e-safety has recently been refreshed and in the early part of 2016/17 this will feature as a mandatory CPD session. Currently, QAPP 9.1 highlights staff responsibility when it comes to using email, the internet and social media platforms - see below. 6.6 Staff need to take all reasonable steps to ensure that their own site(s) do not offer the possibility of bringing themselves or the College into disrepute in terms of the College Code of Conduct, RESPECT agenda, Equality and Diversity policy as well as the Institute for Learning’s Code of Professional Practice.
Similarly, some drivers continue to park selfishly in the front car park, and even outside of it. The road system in that area has been designed to allow access to Emergency vehicles, which cannot get through or around the area if people ignore markings and signs some recent offenders are shown below. If you see a vehicle parked improperly and know the driver, please inform them immediately that they need to move. Likewise, measures are being put in place to stop this, more on this in the new term.
Projectors on standby
Above: The College’s projectors use a high-visibility screen to alert when they are left on with no signal input. it is a warning some choose to ignore. This photo was not staged - when we needed this shot the above projector was found only nine rooms and thirty seconds along the corridor from the Design office.
As was noted in the February Briefing the use of projection is an essential part of many classes, and represents good value during taught time. However, we highlighted the fact that it is becoming increasingly common for some staff to simply disconnect the input (usually by turning off the PC) but not turning off the projector before they leave. Sadly, this continues to be the case, with numerous examples discovered over the past few months. We realise this might seem trivial, or that if you’re in a rush you can’t spare the ONE OR TWO SECONDS it takes to press the remote button - okay, we may be being a bit sarky there, but that’s literally all it takes. It might be the case that somebody will use the projector just after your class, but it could also be on for several hours. The average projector bulb uses the equivalent electricity of roughly five domestic 60W bulbs, which equates to roughly 4-5p an hour. The average projector bulb also lasts between 2,000 and 3,000 hours. Put like that projectors seem quite cost-effective and durable - but when that hour, or even several of them at a time (not all are set for standby mode), is simply projecting a “test card” to nobody, suddenly a major resource is being squandered. Electricity is wasted and bulblife reduced (and bulbs are expensive to replace). In one walkabout we found five projectors doing the above in empty rooms - make this a daily occurrence and suddenly the costs begin to mount up. This is money that, in these uncertain times, could be better spent elsewhere for all our futures. In addition, please turn lights off when you leave a room. We all know that they are set to go off after a few minutes anyway due to motion sensors in each room, but during those few minutes money is being spent and bulb-life reduced. It may seem trivial, but we’re a big building and it does add up.