Thursday 20 December EDITION NO 24
Calling all teaching and support staff Have you ‘Got the Maths’?
Sign up for a Level 2 Adult Numeracy Course. As well as gaining a qualification you will improve your ability to: Do the maths for your current job Calculate percentages and averages Do as much maths as your students
Support staff L2 Adult Literacy
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Bright Spark features in electrical magazine A Mid-Kent student on the City & Guilds Electro-Technical Certificate Level 3, was picked to feature in Professional Electrician and Installer magazine last month. Ben Scofield was nominated by his tutors at City Way for the “Bright Sparks” column - a feature run monthly which sees training course leaders from colleges across the UK nominate their best apprentices, who can then go on to be awarded a bursary by tool manufacturers C.K Tools - the sponsors of the column. Ben, who as well as studying at the College also works as an apprentice with
After the success of last year’s Staff Awards we are pleased to invite you to nominate individuals or teams of staff for the 2008 extravaganza!
Summer term, Fridays from 25th April to 11th July Time 13.00 – 15.00, in Horsted Room 603
Support staff L2 Adult Numeracy Summer term, Fridays from 25th April to 11th July Time 11.30 – 13.30, in Horsted Room 603
Outstanding Lecturer of the Year Award? Perhaps you are a member of a team you think should win the Unsung Heroes’ Award? To make your nominations, complete the nomination form and send it to Rosie Douglas, Learning and Development Manager, at rosie.douglas@midkent.ac.uk by 14th January 2008. Forms can be found at the end of the Staff Awards information document posted on the Communications page of the intranet, or online at: Staff Awards 2008 Nomination Form.
Teaching staff L2 Adult Literacy
Spring term, Fridays from 11th January to 28th March Time 13.00 – 15.00, in Horsted Room 603
The 19 year old discussed the importance of working safely within the industry, having the necessary qualifications and discussed his own pride at passing all his subjects in one year, saying: ‘It was hard work but it has been worth it, as it has provided a great foundation for the rest of my career’.
Staff Awards 2008
Spring term, Fridays from 11th January to 28th March Time: 11.30 – 13.30, in Horsted Room 603
Teaching staff L2 Adult Numeracy
Maidstone Electrical Limited, answered a variety of questions including ‘what has been your biggest achievement?’, ‘once qualified, what are your intentions for the industry?’ and ‘to date, what would you say the most important thing is about the industry that you have learned?’
For an online application form, click: www.quia.com/sv/148981.html The closing date is now the 14th January 2008. If you would like help or advice with your application please contact Chrissie Wells on ext. 3370 or Rosie Douglas on ext. 5872. Good Luck!
Contact Joan Ostheimer on 01634 884620 or e-mail joan.ostheimer@midkent.ac.uk to discuss your needs
Do you work alongside a colleague that you think deserves to be a 2008 winner or believe you are part of an award-winning team? Here is your chance to enter!
Or contact Joanna Ringwood on 01634 625937 or e-mail joanna.ringwood@midkent.ac.uk to enrol
There are 12 Awards to be won, with 10 individual and 2 team categories. Do you know someone who should receive the Best Newcomer Award (Support Staff)? How about the Innovation Award? And who should be the recipient of the
Timeline of events 14th January - CLOSING DATE for nominations 28th January - Final selection 4th February - Announcement of 2008 winners of Mid-Kent College Staff Awards 28th March - Night of celebration!! Winners will receive £100 worth of Bluewater vouchers, with winning teams invited to a celebration dinner at a local restaurant. All winners will receive a framed certificate.
Monday 14 January EDITION NO 25
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Calling all staff! Have you ‘Got the Maths’? Do you need to ‘Refresh your English’?
Student Competition!
Sign up for a Level 2 Adult Literacy/Numeracy Course
Your chance to win a student!
(Especially support/corporate staff)
As well as gaining a qualification you will improve your ability to:• •
Do the Maths/English for your current job Refresh your skills and move on to further training
Only joking... Students themselves are being invited to take part in a Mid-Kent College competition to design an external area for their own use at the Oakwood Park centre.
L2 Adult Literacy (Spring Term) Fridays, 18th January to 4th April 11.30 - 13.30, Horsted Room 603 L2 Adult Numeracy (Summer Term) Fridays, 25th April to 11th July 11.30 - 13.30, Horsted Room 603 Contact Joan Ostheimer on 01634 884620 or joan.ostheimer@midkent.ac.uk to discuss your needs Contact Joanna Ringwood on 01634 625937 or joanna.ringwood@midkent.ac.uk to enrol
Skills for Life Teaching Centre LEVEL 3 COURSES IN LITERACY AND NUMERACY SUBJECT SKILLS LAST CHANCE TO OBTAIN THIS QUALIFICATION SHORTENED VERSION OF COURSE OFFERED 9 CREDITS ONLY (15 CREDITS FOR FULL PROGRAMME) ACCREDITED BY OCNSER Weekly attendance courses:OCN Numeracy Specialists Level 3 Starting Tuesday January 22nd 2008, 16.00 - 19.00 OCN Literacy Specialists Level 3 Starting Wednesday 23rd January 2008, 18.00 - 21.00
Numeracy course contents: A Selection from:• • • •
Getting to Grips with Resources Getting to Grips with Delivery for All Getting to Grips with Core Curriculum Numeracy in Practice
Literacy course contents: A Selection from:• • • •
Getting to Grips with Resources Getting to Grips with Delivery for All Getting to Grips with Core Curriculum Literacy in Practice
For further information and enrolments contact: Joanna Ringwood on 01634 625937 (Please ensure you seek your Line Manager’s approval before taking part in any CPD activity)
The recreational area should include seating, tables and a paved area and students are also invited to submit designs for the new smoking area that will be designated at the site. The competition is open to ALL College students, so it’s an opportunity for our learners to put forward their ideas for a comfortable, relaxing yet practical outdoor area that everyone can utilize. Further details can be found on posters that will be displayed in all centres in the next few weeks, but in the meantime can you please let your students know that this competition is taking place. Entries are to be sent to Sharon Goulden, OP Campus Manager. The closing date for design entries is Friday 4th April 2008.
It’s just another manic Monday! New for 2008! Insight, the weekly staff newsletter, is to be delivered to your inboxes on Mondays instead of Fridays, giving you fresh College news at the start of each week! Remember, if you delete the email containing the link for the latest edition (obviously an accident) you can access this, and/or previous editions, by going to the staff intranet and clicking on the Communications page in the Links section. The Marketing sharepoint site is coming soon and details on how to access Insight from this will be sent out in due course. Happy New Year from all of us in Marketing, and we look forward to continuing to receive stories and news from across the College at insight@midkent.ac.uk
8 JUNE 2007 EDITION 5
Army Training for Sport Science Students
SUPPORT DEPARTMENT SURVEY UPDATE An overall summary of the outcomes from the support department survey can now be found on the communications website, along with a breakdown of the feedback for each individual department.
Throughout the year, groups of sports students have attended a day at Shorncliffe Barracks in Folkestone where they have taken part in Team Building exercises. The whole day is run by Army personnel who put the students through their paces in an energetic and fun way. This month's group came from City Way and represented the NCFE, First Diploma and Sports Science groups. The students were split into groups and
given a range of tasks to undertake, which required their problem-solving and leadership skills to be used to their maximum. Sports Tutor, Sue Ellis said: 'The day ended with a very energetic session in the gymnasium which every one of our students was able to keep up with, which was a credit to their fitness and determination. This was followed by a five-a-side football knockout competition where both sexes took part and were able to exhibit well-honed skills.'
Gender Equality Scheme Update Did you know that 72.5% of college principals in the UK are men? Are you aware that 99% of plumbers are men or that 97% of people working in early years and care professions are women? I'm sure that you've all noticed the new Disability Equality Scheme leaflet that has been around the college and on the website since last December. Well we have now added another equality scheme, this time for GENDER which is still in draft at the moment and can be found on the website. The gender equality duty became law in April and is designed to address the fact that despite 30 years of gender equality legislation, there are still a lot of inequalities between the sexes. It is this duty that requires us to produce our Gender Equality Scheme which sets out what we at MKC intend to do to 'level the playing field' between men and women.
The law also requires us to ensure that transsexual people are given equal treatment. The scheme has caused a lot of lively discussion when it was presented to the Equal Opportunities Committee, SMT and most recently, to the Governing Body. The general consensus seemed to be that our scheme is somewhat biased towards women. Interestingly though, the women consulted didn't agree and some even thought the scheme isn't radical enough! The key issues that produced the most debate were the actions to ensure that support staff (who are mostly women) have access to career progression opportunities and payments upon achieving job-related qualifications. The point was also made that we need to include more about opportunities for men to take paternity leave. See what you think about the scheme and the action plan by following the link on the website. Jude Staples Director of Skills For Life
The aim of the survey was to look at ways in which we can improve and to help us reach our goal of an outstanding college. With this in mind, an action plan will be posted on the communications website next week that will address the feedback from staff. This will include each individual department as well as general college issues. With regard to a query that has been raised about the support department survey, areas such as the canteen, library and information centre and student support services are all included in the learner surveys, which are sent out at key times in the year. These are rated in exactly the same way using the 1 (excellent) to 5 (very poor) scale.
UPCOMING MEETING DATES Thursday 14th June Quality & Academic Standards Committee Boardroom, Horsted at 2pm. Thursday 28th June Academic Board Boardroom, Horsted at 8.30am. Thursday 5th July Equal Opportunities Committee (extra meeting) Room 320, Horsted at 8.30am.
4 7 Diary Dates JUNE
JUNE
Tuesday 12th June City Way Open Evening
Please send any items for future editions to insight@midkent.ac.uk by midday each Wednesday.
Friday 14 December EDITION NO 23
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Student mums meet College Principal Stephen was interested to hear how many students used ICT and he spoke to them about the advantages of the new technology, which would help them with their own studies and their children’s homework, as well as other activities. He was pleased to hear that students were keen to progress and viewed Key Skills not only as a qualification in its own right equivalent to GCSEs, but also as a means to step up to higher level courses.
The Literacy/Numeracy group discussed their aspirations for the future with Stephen and their lecturers Stephen Grix, on behalf of the College Governors, took up the offer to visit students at Wayfield Community Primary School last week. However, the students weren’t of the infant kind but are in fact the mothers of a number of the pupils, now themselves studying on a Family Learning Course being held at the School in Chatham. The programme is being run by Key Skills Lecturers Jacqueline Irvine and Melanie Sibley with assistance from Roni Bhunnoo, a PGCE student on work placement from the University of Greenwich. Stephen’s first stop was an ICT class where he chatted with learners about their reasons for returning to education and the importance of ICT skills in today’s workplace. He spoke to Clare Yates, who is now studying a Level Two ICT course following her completion of Level One last year.
Student Clare Yates discussed her work with Stephen Grix
She said studying again had helped her realise that she was far more capable than she gave herself credit for: ‘It gets my brain working for a start, and I’m learning new skills in each lesson that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.’
Sarah Bunton discussed the possibility of going on to do an Access course, with the ultimate aim of becoming a midwife: ‘I’ve always wanted to be a midwife and I feel more confident now that I am learning again. I didn’t think I could do the things I am, and if I pass these courses I would definitely look to continue studying.’ The programme at Wayfield has been particularly successful in its student achievements, with all learners having achieved at Entry and Key Skills up to Level Two in ICT, Literacy and Numeracy.
‘It’s also good socially,’ she added.‘ I found out that the courses were being run at the School from another Mum who was studying here, and it’s been really nice to meet everyone in the group.’ Sessional IT Lecturer, Jacqui Irvine explained: ‘The courses are very popular, we have enough students for two groups. They are keen to learn and have come on in leaps and bounds.’ Stephen then joined a Literacy/Numeracy group and was interested to hear of the challenges faced by older people who have returned to learning. The students were keen to explain how they felt things had changed since they were at school themselves, and mentioned specifically that they found the teaching of Maths considerably different. The majority said a key driver for joining the Family Learning Course was a wish to be able to help their own children with their school work, and they also discussed how they preferred learning at the School as it was an environment they were familiar with. This sentiment was echoed by student Sarah Bunton, who joined the course in September: ‘Although I would have considered going to College I do prefer learning here at the School. It’s nice having the small groups and knowing everyone on the course.’
Stephen spoke to learners studying Level Two ICT Speaking after the visit, Stephen said he could see how the students were benefiting from the programme: ‘Studying again can help you hugely it is fantastic for boosting your confidence in learning and your ability to do so. It also prepares those students who are currently looking after their kids full-time for re-entering the workplace with key skills.’ He added: ’It’s also amazing to see the knock-on effect of the parent’s studying. Seeing their mothers learning has a positive impact on the children here and gives the parents themselves more confidence in helping with their children’s education.’
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The Newsletter for Staff at Mid-Kent College Monday 4 February EDITION NO 28
Insight
Please send any items for future editions to insight@midkent.ac.uk by 5.00pm each Wednesday.
Top Jobs 4 Girls The Top Jobs 4 Girls (TJ4G) programme visited Mid-Kent College recently, aiming to inspire young ladies to take up careers in traditionally male industries. Students from St. Simon Stock Catholic School and Cornwallis Academy, both in Maidstone, visited the Construction and Engineering Department at Oakwood Park to try their hand at painting and decorating, carpentry and bricklaying.
studying the Painting & Decorating course being run by Mid-Kent at the Oldborough New Line Learning Academy in Loose. They love it and, as has happened before, we do expect some to progress on to the fulltime courses offered here after they finish.’ Karen Weaver from St. Simon Stock agreed: ‘This is a brilliant opportunity for the girls and it gives them a much better understanding of what these jobs are about. ‘Many of our female students probably wouldn’t have given these industries a second thought if they hadn’t have come here today and seen for themselves that they are perfectly capable of doing this type of work.’
Chelsea Ward from Cornwallis Academy 14 year old Chelsea Ward from Cornwallis Academy said: ‘I would never have come down to find out about these courses on my own. It’s been really interesting and all things I have never done before.’ Technician/Instructor in Wood Operations, Stuart Dane said: ‘It’s a good idea having these days specifically geared towards the girls. They are a bit shy and hesitant at first, but once they actually have a go at doing the work they really enjoy it.
Stuart Dane with student Mel Clark In between the workshops, TJ4G Project Manager Liz Goodwin delivered a talk encouraging the girls to find out more about the construction and engineering industries and the jobs available within these sectors.
Liz Goodwin of TJ4G
Liz Simmons, Enterprise Officer at Cornwallis Academy, said: ‘It is wonderful for the girls to get a chance to visit the College and try it all themselves. ‘We have students who are currently
The subject taster sessions at the College’s Maidstone campus included learning and practising different styles of painting, getting to grips with woodwork and building a brick wall!
‘Of course it’s no different to teaching the boys, but the girls who do choose to undertake these courses really are focussed, study hard and produce excellent work - proving exactly the point it’s not just guys who can go on to build successful careers with these qualifications.’
Spring has sprung! And in Animal Care they’re having a quail of a time! The department has been incubating some quail eggs which were bought online and have started hatching. Currently, there are five little chicks but other eggs are vibrating and moving a little, suggesting they want out too. The eggs have spent 16 days in a special incubator and the hatched chicks stay
inside for another 24 hours to dry off. They have an internal yolk sac which feeds them for the first 24 hours but after this they need food and water. Animal Care students have prepared the chick nursery in their practical sessions ready for when the first born will leave the ‘nest’!