ISSUE 5

ISSUE 5

SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

SPRING 2010

Hot water at Warsash

Great Scott Getting down to business

CONTENTS

1.

Scott Mills

2.

4.

Flame throwers

Sound advice

6.

Bright sparks

10.

Global goals

12.

Film boffs

13.

Wearing well

14.

15.

Sports star

16.

Intern scheme

Ocean going

Welcome By way of introducing the latest edition of ISSUE, I would like to briefly comment on the recent universities’ funding announcement.

Some of you will have seen that many universities face a cut in funding next year.

Indeed, only 29 institutions will receive an above inflation rise in funding, mainly universities given extra funding for teaching to cover additional student numbers.

Overall, I am very pleased to inform you that Southampton Solent University’s funding shows a 6.25% increase, the sixth highest percentage increase of any HEFCE-funded higher education institution.

This is much better news than expected for 2010/11. It effectively gives us a year to complete a significant number of change projects.

It also enables us to continue to enhance the student experience and deliver some wider cost savings as part of the ‘pre-positioning’ for more difficult times.

HOW TO CONTACT US: Send your news, views, queries and comments to: the Press and PR Officer, Southampton Solent University, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0RB T. 023 8031 9040 E. press.office@solent.ac.uk

Designed and published by: Southampton Solent University’s Marketing and Communications Service.

Printed by: Cedar Press.

Solent, through careful and effective management of student numbers and rigorous control of costs, currently expects to achieve a higher than budgeted surplus for 2009/10. This is a sound starting point for what is to come over the next three to five years, as public expenditure is reined in sharply.

It is my belief that our University’s commitment to delivering higher education that is in tune with students’ needs and the contemporary agenda is proving the key to our continued success.

And I trust you will find this amply borne out in the content of the pages that follow.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Van Gore

PROFILE | ISSUE 5

DJ Doc sounds off BBC Radio 1 DJ and Solent University Honorary Doctor, Scott Mills, talks to graduate intern, Melissa Lewis, of busy beginnings and an enduring industry.

You have the title of youngest radio presenter in the UK after starting at just 16 at Power FM. What drove you to get and keep that gig?

I just knew it was something I wanted to do, since I can remember. I wanted it so badly that I wasn’t going to let anything stand in my way – I was so determined.

I got several knock backs, and rejections, but I truly did believe I could do it – and I worked my way up at the station from voluntary helper at weekends, to presenter.

call to prayer to me at 3am to wake me.

It worked!

How did you hold your nerve when you got the job at Radio 1? Was there anyone you just had to call?

I had been trying to get on Radio 1 three years previously and had sent them so many demos. They met me in a restaurant in London to offer me the job, and I remained composed throughout the meal, then got in a cab and called my mum and screamed and cried!

Did you enjoy growing up in Southampton and do you still go back?

I love Southampton and still know it so well, even though I haven’t lived there for years. It was so nice to spend a week there recently. I try and get back when I can. All my family are there.

After all that time, why do you still love radio?

Because I was (and still am) a very shy person as a kid, and it’s a great way to communicate without meeting anyone!

Have you always been naturally talkative? Does a radio DJ need to be a talker or a listener?

No, quite the opposite. I was never talkative. But I enjoy building up a personal relationship with the listener, so they feel like they really know you and your life.

Students are notoriously bad at getting up. Any advice to Solent students on how to get out of bed for those early morning lectures?

No, because I never did it and am so bad in the mornings myself. I got up at 3am for five years to do earlies on Radio 1 and had five alarm clocks all at the other side of the room so I had to get out the bed to switch them off. Four of them were from my holidays in Dubai and were mosque alarm clocks which wailed the

You skipped the Higher Education route into your career and you’ve been very successful. You’ve got your honorary doctorate, but would you ever be tempted to sign up and study?

If so, what would you like to do?

I have absolutely no idea what I would do if I didn’t do radio and it sometimes scares me. I can’t think of anything else I would be good at.

What’s Southampton’s top spot and grot spot?

I just like to go to all the great country pubs around Southampton as there’s nothing like it in London where I live now. I enjoy going down to Hamble and even out towards Locks Heath and Warsash where I used to work at Power. I think West Quay is the best thing to happen to Southampton for a while!

You’re a bit of a prankster. Have you ever hit trouble over your prank calls or flirt divert? Would you ever have used the service yourself?

I have given out the flirt divert number once, yes!

Would you do another Most Haunted?

Do you scare easily?

I’ve done three Most Haunted things now: Most Haunted itself, then Ghost Hunting with Radio 1 (same but on a different channel), and then last summer another haunted house for my show with David Hasselhoff. It’s the same every time, so no I don’t get scared anymore. If something happened where I saw a ghost or something my opinion would soon change!

Is the future bright for radio?

It is, as long as radio stations give talented people a chance to be themselves, without too many constraints.

Grot spot? A scary place I went to in Totton! There was a fight. I’m not giving names of places!

Is radio about the music or the chat?

People don’t want to just listen to somebody talking. I do music radio and the music is very important.

However, people can listen to their iPods, so I think a good balance between entertaining speech and good music wins an audience.

SPRING 2010 | 1

ISSUE 5 | ??????

2 | SPRING 2010

TRAINING | ISSUE 5

Burning bridges It’s 3am and a crew member on fire patrol spots smoke coming from beneath a pantry door on board passenger ship ‘Star Vega’, en route from Los Angeles to Tahiti. The bridge is alerted and trained fire teams are immediately mobilised to investigate...

This is just one of the scenarios given to all seafaring personnel undergoing potentially life-saving training at Warsash Maritime Academy’s Fire Fighting Centre.

During a four-day course, trainees are coached in the correct use of all fire fighting equipment usually found onboard before taking part in a daunting search and rescue exercise wearing full fire kit and breathing apparatus. The exercises are carried out in the Centre’s smoke-filled, purpose-built, three deck fire fighting unit.

John Abell, Senior Lecturer in Maritime and Offshore Fire Fighting, points out that while being able to operate portable fire extinguishers is important, the correct use of breathing apparatus is crucial: “Fires produce smoke in which you can’t see or breathe, so it’s important that trainees are familiar and comfortable with wearing protective fire clothing and breathing apparatus to enable them to safely get on with the job of fighting fire.”

Students take part in a search procedure in darkened conditions to determine whether they are claustrophobic, before taking part in the final exercise where fires are set and casualties are placed. Any students who are nervous or unsure of wearing the kit are given full support to enable them to wear breathing apparatus in good visibility before exercising in darkened conditions.

Having served as a ships officer on container and cargo ships for almost two decades, John – a former class of ‘64 Warsash cadet – knows full well the importance of the fire training.

He said: “If a fire breaks out in the middle of the ocean, you can’t call up the fire service and wait for them to deal with it; as a ships officer you’re responsible for

…If a fire breaks out in the middle of the ocean, you can’t call up the fire service… your crew’s safety and realistic training is essential.”

The Warsash Fire Fighting Centre was set up in 1970, just before it became compulsory in 1973 for all ships officers to complete a fire fighting course. The Centre now trains employees from major shipping companies, as well as ferries, coastal tugs, fishing vessels and commercial yachts, alongside its own cadets. Training, fire drills and other methods of early detection mean that, with the correct initial reaction by the crew, most small fires remain small.

Where there are well trained crews, today’s seafarers and passengers have never had it so safe.

John is quick to point out that the Warsash safety training doesn’t come at a cost to the environment or to neighbouring residents. “All smoke is contained within the fire unit, brackish water is drawn from the adjacent pond and once this has been used for fire fighting it feeds through a series of separators to a further sluicecontrolled pond before being released into the River Hamble. The use of oils on the fire ground is minimal as the main fire pit is fed by propane. The water is tested monthly by the National Rivers Authority.”

SPRING 2010 | 3

ISSUE 5 | ??????

SMILE ‘10!

Solent University staff and students were treated to live performances and talks from top names in the music industry at this year’s Solent Music Industries Live Event (SMILE).

In its second year, SMILE ‘10 gave industry professionals the chance to share their knowledge with students poised for a career in the music industry.

Guests included founding Deacon Blue member Jim Prime and author and music journalist Garry Mulholland, who gave an insightful talk on the importance of persistence and research within music journalism, as well as providing entertaining anecdotes on interviewing Pharrell Williams and The Sex Pistols.

Highlights included Rob Da Bank, who inspired students by revealing how he started one of the UK’s most successful festivals, Bestival, as well as becoming a leading radio presenter, and running a record label and publishing company.

Top: Foreign Beggars. Middle: Lauren Pritchard. Bottom: Rob Da Bank

…Students really appreciated meeting professionals…

4 | SPRING 2010

Students were also given the opportunity to have their music heard by leading radio pluggers and A&R men at a demo surgery where Nick Halkes (Incentive Records), Tony Thorpe (Moody-Boyz), Steve Ager (radio plugger) and Mark Hoborough (1917 Promotions) gave precious feedback on tracks provided

by Solent music students. The ‘judges’ – who have worked with top artists such as Muse, Oasis and The Prodigy – were impressed with the quality of production and planned to attend live gigs for some of the acts, including Fire Farm and Le Martells.

There were eclectic performances from Universal Records’ new signing, Lauren Pritchard, the award-winning Foreign Beggars, and a mesmerising solo set from charismatic festival favourite, Rodney ‘two guitar’ Branigan. Musical multitasking was given an airing as the Texan demonstrated a deft display of playing two guitars at once. After a soulful cover of ‘Creep’ and a guitar stunt from

standing position to seated, he vowed to re-visit Solent for future gigs and masterclasses.

SMILE organiser and Senior Lecturer in Popular Music Studies, Dr Martin James, said: “Students really appreciated meeting professionals whose careers they hope to emulate. This year we covered all the areas touched on by degrees that make up the popular music programme, so there was a real sense of relevance, and we once again showed why Solent is fast becoming the first choice university for students wishing to enter the music industries.”

Fate SMILEs on Widowmaker As a direct result of SMILE, Popular Music Journalism student Ian Easton, aka The Widowmaker, has been invited to perform at Camp Bestival.

Alongside new Universal signing, Lauren Pritchard, and UK hip-hop group, Foreign Beggars, Ian performed at SMILE to a packed audience.

Radio 1 DJ and Bestival founder Rob Da Bank spotted The Widowmaker’s talent and invited him to perform at this year’s Camp Bestival, joining a line-up which includes the Friendly Fires, Example and Rob Da Bank himself.

Ian has been performing as The Widowmaker for more than two years and has recently recorded debut album Soundtrack to a Reality.

The album takes influences from the 1960s folk revival, such as Joni Mitchell and Pentagle, as well as modern performers Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons.

Ian said: “I can’t wait. Without SMILE, I would never have got the chance to chat to Rob Da Bank and get this fantastic opportunity.”

?????? | ISSUE 5

Multi-tasking Texan: Rodney ‘two guitar’ Branigan SPRING 2010 | 5

ISSUE 5 | ??????

Bright Sparks This spring, for the first time, Solent University flexed its entrepreneurial muscles at FLUX 500 – the annual interuniversity competition aimed at bridging the gap between education and the work place.

More than 35 teams spent 36 hours solving real business problems under the watchful gaze of some of the country’s top business brains. They were then judged in an Apprentice meets The Dragon’s Den-style series of business pitches and challenges.

Five of the major players in team Solent were: James Headspeath – BA (Hons) Marketing with Advertising James’ practical knowledge of the marketing industry and ‘never say die’ attitude proved to be a killer combination.

Currently training for an Ironman Triathlon, James loves a challenge and, thanks to his course, believes he has the knowledge and skills to come up with winning businesses strategies to forge a successful career.

Denise Holden – BA (Hons) Tourism Management with Cruise and Travel Operations With her passion for travel and the tourism industry, Denise helped to steer the team. The second-year student enjoyed putting her public speaking and problem solving skills to the test.

Ibrahim (Ibby) Azam – BA (Hons) Football Studies with Business Ibby aspires to own his own company but will settle for working for Manchester United football club in the meantime!

The second-year student – who is a keen boxer in his spare time – says he has ‘business in the blood’ and his ability to develop and deliver high quality work as

6 | SPRING 2010

an individual and a team player shone through at FLUX. Steven Davies – HND Business Management As the oldest member of the team with previous business experience and knowledge, Steven was well-equipped to help guide the team through the challenges. Steven – who hopes to one day run his own hotel consultancy and inspection company – said the team’s individual skills in research, strategy and time management, produced a confident performance.

Tim Benson – BA (Hons) Television and Video Production As a strong team player, Tim relished the prospect of getting stuck into FLUX and tackling the business problems thrown at the team. Tim – who hopes to produce and direct live events in his future career – enjoyed the pressure of the three-day FLUX event.

Why FLUX? Solent students got a unique opportunity to interact with potential employers.

The demanding elements of FLUX echoed those at recruitment ‘assessment centres’, helping students prepare for interviews.

From left to right: Tamarah Ackland, Ian Attard, Maj Hartmann, Liam Camps

BRIGHT SPARKS | ISSUE 5

SPRING 2010 | 7

ISSUE 5 | ??????

…The Bevois tale is truly epic and very dark…

Filming a

LEGEND A little-known tenth century legend – said to be behind the origin of the city of Southampton – is making its screen debut in Cannes, thanks to a project headed by Solent lecturer and film director, Gela Jenssen.

Gela’s 15-minute film of the legend of Sir Bevois – which was told by storytellers across Russia and Europe up until the 17th century – is a fascinating insight into Southampton’s heritage.

It follows the life of Sir Bevois – son of Sir Guy, Earl of Hampton – sold to slave merchants by his mother and ending up in the court of Ermyn, King of Armenia.

Accompanied by his page, Ascupart, Sir Bevois encounters many adventures, with the help of a magic sword and charmed horse. He falls in love with Muslim princess, Josian, before returning to England to reclaim his father’s land.

Although much of the original story may 8 | SPRING 2010

have been lost in translation over the centuries, evidence of it can be found in the medieval Auchinleck Manuscript, at the National Library of Scotland.

Southampton itself bears place names – Bevois Valley, Josian Walk, Ascupart Street – that hark back to its origin. The stone lions at the city’s Bargate represent the two lions Bevois is reputed to have killed while defending Josian.

Gela has spent many hours pouring over old-English documents to piece the story together: “It’s fascinating and intriguing and I’ve done alot of research.”

The story – set just before the Crusader wars in the Middle East – is given a modern spin by Gela, who said: “The Bevois tale

is truly epic and very dark, a filmmaker’s dream, and very relevant in the context of post-9/11 and the perception and representation of Muslim/Christian relations.”

The film, using Southampton actors, was shot around the city’s medieval landmarks, including the underground vaults and God’s House Tower, home of the city’s archaelogy museum, and, by special permission of Queen’s College, Oxford, inside St Julien’s Chapel.

The finished product – developed by Solent production experts, film experts, and local historian, Genevieve Bailey – will feature in this year’s Cannes Short Film Festival.

?????? | ISSUE 5

Nisha Chand (Princess Josian) and Leo Rand (Sir Bevois) SPRING 2010 | 9

ISSUE 5 | DEVELOPMENT

NEWS IN BRIEF

Fair play Holt’s heroic achievement Solent University alumnus, Geoff Holt, has become the first quadriplegic sailor to complete a solo voyage across the Atlantic.

Geoff set off on his epic trek from Lanzarote to the Virgin Islands, arriving at Cane Garden Bay, where a diving accident left him paralysed 25 years ago.

The voyage was the fourth Atlantic crossing for Geoff, but his first as a disabled sailor. In 2007, he became the first quadriplegic to sail singlehanded around Britain.

Help for young rowers Pupils from Bridgemary Community Sports College tested their fitness at Solent’s sport science labs, ahead of a competition to search for young rowers to represent Hampshire at national level.

The eight young rowers – from the College’s newly formed indoor rowing team – were put through their paces at the University’s sports science labs, ahead of the Hampshire county trials.

The programme tested the 14-16 year olds’ endurance, strength, power, flexibility and overall sports specific fitness. The pupils were also given expert advice on fitness, nutrition and training.

10 | SPRING 2010

As the most highly paid sportsmen descend on South Africa for the world cup, the chasm between rich and poor will be brutally visible.

Football is played all over the globe by the richest and poorest people, but as the likes of Wayne Rooney book into top hotels and enjoy top notch training facilities, children in the local townships will be playing the beautiful game in the dust, with balls made of plastic bags.

It is because of the pivotal place sport occupies in society that Solent’s new MA Sport and Development is such a step forward for social justice.

It is hoped that the MA will help prepare leaders both in the UK and abroad to shape the future of sport, fostering development and peace to create a more level social playing field.

The course will give students the tools to make positive changes in the developing world and its focus on research aims to foster knowledge and scientific evidence of how sport impacts on development.

They will learn how to increase sport participation in the developing world, and examine ways that sport can be used as an effective tool for social inclusion, health, education and conflict resolution.

It is a subject close to the heart of Zambian-born Sociology of Sport lecturer, and course developer, Oscar Mwaanga. He

said: “As a sports captain at high school in Zambia, I can recall many occasions when we used sport to address problems affecting players. Through monetary contributions and peer support, we helped each other. These were the years I began to appreciate sport as a tool for social change “During the early years of Zambia’s HIV/ AIDS epidemic, it was natural for me to look to sport for answers. I began to explore ways in which sport could contribute to the fight against a disease that was ravaging my community. To stand aside and watch felt like a spiritual crime.”

Over the past 15 years, Oscar – a national Zambian basketball coach – has pioneered world-renowned community development programmes in sub-saharan Africa, including Kicking AIDS Out, Go Sisters and EduSports (Education through Sports). He heads Zambia’s largest football academy, which provides sport psychology and counselling for young Zambian footballers and he chaired the UN forum on productive youth development through sport in Kenya.

Above: Oscar with Auma Obama and Tegla Chepkite Laroupe at the UN forum on Productive Youth Development through Sport, Nairobi, Kenya 2009

DEVELOPMENT | ISSUE 5

…The course gives students the tools to make positive changes in the developing world…

SPRING 2010 | 11

ISSUE 5 | AWARDS

NEWS IN BRIEF Numbers swell at Warsash The shipping industry’s continued commitment to cadet training, and its faith in the University’s Warsash Maritime Academy, has been demonstrated by an above-target intake for the year.

More than 320 potential officer cadets attended this year’s annual careers open day to hear about sponsored training, professional qualifications and career prospects.

Director of Warsash Maritime Academy, John Millican, said: “Shipping is a vital international industry that is still offering sponsored training, leading to real jobs and exciting careers. In the current economic climate this is really good news.”

To find out more about careers in the Merchant Navy visit www.warsashacademy.co.uk

Competition killer A Solent murder mystery film has scooped the South’s top student award from the prestigious Royal Television Society.

The RTS Southern Region prize for Best Student Entertainment Programme was awarded to Motive – a cross between Deal or No Deal and Cluedo.

Tom Stewart and Rob Snelgar – director and producer of the winning show – received their awards from hosts Fred Dinenage and Sally Taylor, at the prestigious awards ceremony at Winchester Guildhall.

Ernie bags top award Solent University’s ‘eco-float’, Ernie, has bagged a top national award for helping clean up the city’s student area.

The Ernie project – a partnership between the University, Southampton City Council and charity, Bag It Up – encourages students to recycle unwanted end-of-term rubbish. The recommissioned milk float clinched the best community involvement project at the Local Government Chronicle awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of local government’.

Solent and Council staff, students and volunteers with Ernie.

Southern Daily Echo

12 | SPRING 2010

The film, which goes forward to the RTS national awards, was part of the finalyear project for 20 BA (Hons) Television and Video Production students, who were asked to come up with an original idea for a 25-minute live TV show that would fill the University’s high definition studio.

Recent graduate Tom, the show’s creator and director, said: “I studied the Deal or No Deal format and played around with the idea of a murder-mystery themed show, where a contestant has to decide who the murderer is in front of a live studio audience.

“It was our final student show and we went all out, hiring professional actors and presenters, perfecting the technical requirements, and creating a website to capture an audience for the live recording.”

…It was our final show and we went all out…

Senior Lecturer in Television and Video Production, Trevor Curtis, added: “Motive was praised for its original concept and outstanding professional production values.

The hard work, production quality and creative focus the students have shown will certainly help them enter the industry.”

Since graduating in 2009, Tom has worked at Glastonbury and on One Born Every Minute – Channel 4’s documentary series set on a maternity ward of Southampton’s Princess Anne Hospital.

“Solent was the best educational decision I could have made,” said Tom. “The mixture of theory and practical experience has given me the knowledge, skills and attitude I need to work in the industry.”

Pictured above (L-R): Sally Taylor (BBC South); students Rob Snelgar and Tom Stewart; RTS Southern Centre Chair, Jan Beal; and Fred Dinenage (Meridian) at the RTS Awards ceremony

FASHION | ISSUE 5

Cast off Solent Fashion and Media Styling student Stacy Vallint is a woman on a mission. As part of her final-year project, she has vowed to kick her high street retail therapy habit in favour of charity shops and hand-me-downs.

Stacy has set herself the ‘Clothing Cast Off Challenge’, which will see her wearing only pre-owned clothes every day for three months. She is documenting her ‘look of the day’ by posting photos and comments to her blog. One aim of the project is to raise awareness of the ethical issues surrounding throwaway fashion trends and the environmental impact of over-consumption.

The self-confessed shopaholic was inspired after reading about the ‘Uniform Project’, an ongoing experiment in which New Yorker, Sheena Matheiken, is wearing the same dress every day for a year in the form of seven identical cotton tunics.

To kick start her challenge, Stacy stored her clothes at her parents’ home – out of the way of temptation – and, using a £60 monthly clothing allowance, began buying only charity shop stuff.

“I’ve learnt that you don’t need many clothes to create a different look each day.

In the last couple of months I’ve only worn

the same outfit twice. You just need a few key items and a selection of accessories to create a different outfit. It’s definitely curbed my shopping habits!” said Stacy.

Stacy is also involved in some very practical, hands-on research, working one day a week in a Heart Foundation charity shop.

to live in second hand clothing and raise money for charity.

To follow Stacy’s progress and pick up some handy tips visit her blog at www. clothingcastoffchallenge.blogspot.com Pictured above: Stacy with Twiggy at London Fashion Week

The 21-year-old points out that you don’t need to be a fashion designer to create edgy outfits from charity shop finds. “I bought a floral skirt from one charity shop and, with minimal needlework, created a great off-the-shoulder dress,” she said.

“It’s just about being open-minded when selecting your items and seeing the possibilities. Because I can’t pick up new items of clothing from high street stores, I look at what they have and then scour charity shops for items that I can use to recreate the look.”

By the end of the challenge Stacy hopes to promote the idea of recycling old clothing, see if it’s possible for a ‘fashion junkie’ SPRING 2010 | 13

ISSUE 5 | SOLENT PEOPLE

Kick start Sports Writing Lecturer, John May, on how he gets his kicks...

In the beginning...

Until the age of 12 I wanted to be a cartographic draughtsman for the Ordnance Survey. I’ve always loved maps.

Later, I realised I enjoyed writing. My decision to be a sports journalist was prompted by several professional football clubs deciding I wasn’t good enough to be a professional player. I decided the next best thing to playing professional sport was being paid to watch it.

When I started, there was no direct path into sports journalism. You had to work on the news desk and use your elbows and knees when a sports vacancy came up. My journalistic career began on the Bexhill Observer, where I did the trainee’s rounds of council meetings, magistrates courts, and flower shows. I loved every minute of it.

Your first pieces of writing – and your most important early lesson About a week in, I got a call at 1.30am to go to the beach where a dead whale had been washed up. It was huge, and two days later when the rapidly rotting corpse was stinking the whole town out I had a better story.

I also remember having to put my head in a guillotine, as part of a piece about a famous magician. No matter how many times the trick was explained, I had a nagging fear my head would end up in the basket.

The best lessons I learned were: assume nothing, believe even less, and check your facts. And then check them again.

How you got into sports journalism I volunteered to go to Sussex County League matches on Saturdays to submit reports and I ended up playing for one of the teams. I made myself useful on the sports desk, and when a vacancy came up, I was in like Flynn.

I started covering sport at the Hastings Observer, principally local club football and cricket, along with athletics, motor sport and racket sports. Covering such a wide range of sports stood me in good stead later.

Best job/worst job Working for BBC Sport. Who would not want to work for such a prestigious organisation? I spent 10 years there, moving between BBC Sport website, and production stints with Radio Five, Match of the Day, and Football Focus.

Best event was the Olympic Games. I have been lucky enough to cover three, of which the highlight was Michael Johnson winning the 100/200m double in Atlanta.

We all have our bad days, but if you can’t enjoy working in sports journalism, you had better find something else to do.

Memorable sports person John McEnroe. I had a 20-minute one-toone interview with him when he opened an LTA initiative at a tennis club. A charming, erudite and intelligent man. We hardly talked about tennis, it was mostly about art.

What you enjoy about lecturing Passing on my knowledge. After a 27-year career in sports journalism, I get a kick out of seeing my students understand a concept, and then put it into practice.

Student projects Course colleagues and I continue to work in the industry and have good contacts.

We’re developing our course website (www.solent-news.com/sport) and our partnership with Hampshire Cricket

14 | SPRING 2010

Club, where students spend the season working with the club, providing material for their website. We’re also developing a graduate scheme with Sky Sports.

The future for sports journalists Challenging! Despite all the apparent doom and gloom, sports journalism is not dying. But it is changing. The media platforms are converging, which means sports journalists need a wider range of skills, including the ability to shoot and edit video, to record and edit audio material, to run a website content management system, as well as write print and text versions of the story. We teach all these skills and are confident that our students emerge equipped to work in any sports desk environment.

There’s also the battle for media access.

Clubs and sporting bodies increasingly control access to players and coaches. The next generation of sports journalists will need to be innovative and inventive in the way they access interviews, and the way they use information to tell their stories.

Advice for future sports journalists Diversify, adapt, and find a niche.

Everyone wants to cover Premier League football. Not everyone will be able to.

Make sure you have a deep knowledge of a wide a range of sports. I was lucky enough to go to three Olympics (as well as Commonwealth Games, World Cups and other top sporting events) because my bosses knew I could cover just about any sport they asked me to.

SOLENT PEOPLE | ISSUE 5

Sail force Senior Lecturer in Yacht Design, Giles Barkley, on success and super yachts.

In the beginning....

When I was 11 years old I pestered my woodwork teacher father into building a plywood 10-foot, 10-inch ‘Mirror’ dinghy. He later had the daunting task of sailing it with me. After winning the wooden spoon several years in a row, he gave me the helm. My mother’s side of the family have a seafaring background, as pilots, or pirates! My father’s side are furniture designers and artists.

This, and my mathematics and physics led me to yacht design.

As a student I was sponsored by British Shipbuilders and gained a lot of experience in ship design and manufacture. I even have a downhand welder certificate. I went on to be a graduate trainee with Lloyds Register and in between stints in Belfast, Southampton and Malta I specialised in yacht structural plan approval. I joined Solent in 1991 to pass on my skills as a lecturer.

Best projects My specialist area is tank testing motor vessels and sailing yachts. I veer towards the design of ‘high tech’ racing yachts. The Open 60 single handed Vendee Globe yachts and the Volvo 70 race yachts are both being raced by our graduates. I’m involved in projects requiring 3D design of hulls and high technology prototyping methods.

I tested a series of hulls for a large motor yacht manufacturer and I’ve helped small businesses test ideas in the University’s towing tank. I’ve helped graduates test craft ranging from classic sailing yachts to an amphibious car for a super yacht tender. It was rather sleek and broke most speed limits both on and off the water.

NEWS IN BRIEF New jobs celebrated by city consortium Southampton’s key employers have celebrated the creation of more than 100 jobs for youngsters in the city, after scooping a government funding award.

The Southampton Skills Development Zone (SSDZ) – set up a year ago by the city’s major employers and trainers – has clinched £1.76 million from the Government’s Department of Work and Pensions Future Jobs Fund to help young people into employment, while retaining and boosting the region’s skills base.

The award – following a successful bid from Southampton City Council – will create 274 jobs for youngsters not in employment, education or training in Southampton by 2011, largely through apprenticeships.

The shape of the maritime industry It needs to regain customer confidence to get back to the levels of design and manufacturing experienced in 2007/8.

The industry took a big hit with the decline in sales of 30–40 foot craft.

Hopefully this area will re-emerge as quickly as it disappeared.

On a positive note, new manufacturing methods should lead to improved job prospects for Yacht Production and Surveying graduates who will be able to advise the industry on safer, cleaner methods of hull laminating technology.

Student employment Our graduates are leaving Solent with the design and manufacturing skills required for the 21st century. The Yacht and Powercraft Design and Yacht Production and Surveying courses are world renowned and many graduates are being snapped up by global design offices run by our graduates from 20 years ago. With determination and perseverance most find work in this competitive market. The scope for an exciting future is out there.

It will provide a new apprenticeship scheme giving youngsters the chance to gain six months of paid employment, training, mentoring and support to progress into permanent employment.

Solent’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Van Gore, said: “The new apprentices will have the opportunity to progress and gain further qualifications and higher skills in colleges and universities.

The graduate retention strand offers apprentices, and graduates, a range of job opportunities in the local area through its strong contacts with employers.”

The 274 places in Southampton will be created at Southampton Solent University, NHS Southampton City, Southampton Universities Hospital Trust, Southampton City Council, Groundwork Solent and the Wheatsheaf Trust.

SPRING 2010 | 15

ISSUE 5 | EMPLOYMENT

NEWS IN BRIEF

UK Enterprise Alliance Solent’s Business School Director, Dr Simon Brown, delivered a speech at the Houses of Parliament recently to support the launch of The Enterprise Alliance UK. The event – hosted by Mark Prisk, MP – brought together more than 70 delegates from academic, business, political, educational and student communities.

The launch encapsulated the beliefs of the three founding organisations – Enterprise Educators UK, The Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs – that there is a need for a stronger focus on entrepreneurship and enterprise education within the UK’s universities.

Dr Brown – Chair of Enterprise Educators UK – emphasised the impact that entrepreneurship education makes in improving the employability of students and graduates, and students’ ability to create jobs in a recovering economy.

He said: “The Enterprise Alliance UK is set to become the most powerful voice for the promotion of enterprise and entrepreneurship education in the UK. Our involvement reflects the University’s commitment to support and nurture entrepreneurial talent with the student, graduate and regional business communities.”

16 | SPRING 2010

Graduate gain The region’s graduates and local employers are set to benefit from a successful funding bid to run a Hampshire-wide internship scheme.

Southampton Solent University – in partnership with the universities of Southampton and Winchester – has been awarded a £128,000 slice of Central Government funding to create 80 internships in the Hampshire area by the end of the year.

The Government funded internship programme – supported by the Federation of Small Businesses – will support businesses to recruit and get maximum benefit from a graduate intern.

Solent University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Van Gore, said: “This is great news for graduates and the local economy. The scheme will boost graduate job prospects and help retain much needed higher skills that will benefit the region’s business community.”

Graduate Jobs South – the regional graduate retention initiative – will co-ordinate the scheme in Hampshire.

Each internship will run for a minimum of 12 weeks. 2008–9 graduates will be

…great news for graduates and the local economy… targeted, and the scheme is open to any unemployed graduate who wishes to find employment in Southampton, Winchester and the South. Businesses will receive £1,350 towards the intern’s salary and GJS will advertise and short-list prospective candidates for employers.

More than 60 businesses have already expressed an interest in the scheme which is now live on the GJS website: www.graduatejobsouth.co.uk. For further information about the scheme contact GJS Project Manager Meredith Smith on 023 8031 9734 or email meredith. smith@solent.ac.uk

DEGREE SHOWS | ISSUE 5

Degree Shows 2010 As the 2009–10 academic year draws to a close, the University’s final-year students will be putting their talent on public display in showcases ranging from fashion to fine art, product design to photography.

The degree shows can be viewed at Southampton Solent University, East Park Terrace, Southampton SO14 0LY from 11–17 June 2010. For further information email ask@solent.ac.uk

SPRING 2010 | 17

ISSUE 5 | ??????

w o h S n o i h s a F e t a u d a r l G rmina 0pm Te .3 e 6 J s i @ u r 15 1A 0 C O 1 S . y , n t 5 20.0 mpton Ci s, Southampto k a n Doc r e t South s e oad, W R t n e Sol

‘ Tickets available from: www.solent.ac.uk/fashionshow £1018 | SPRING 2010

Photographers: Lisa Stanbridge, Pippa Gower, Rachel Brookes.

Model: Lisa Stone. Stylist: Alexandra Rigby.

Make-up artist: Lucy Barnes.