College News Spring 2012

college

SPRING 2012

YOUR college. YOUR magazine.

news

Fairtrade Festival Page 4

Hair and Beauty Championships Page 4

What’s on in Plymouth

Students Make Film for NHS

Page 9

Page 5

Award Winning Students

take a look inside!

Page 13

YOURS. free.

Hello!

Contents

Welcome to the latest issue of College News, the magazine for students at City College Plymouth.

Principal’s Welcome

1

SU President’s Welcome

1

Peter Jones Enterprise Academy

2

New A Level Subjects

3

Fairtrade Festival

4

Hair and Beauty Championships

4

Students Make Film for NHS

5

Student of the Term Winners

6

Theworkspace Inspires You!

7

Introducing the New Activity Coordinator

8

Equality and Diversity

9

What’s On in Plymouth

9

Spring really has arrived and it’s the time of year when we look forward to the summer and what lies ahead. All of your hard work since September will begin to pay off - you’ll be taking exams and finishing coursework ready to complete this year of your course.

It’s also the time when you will be thinking ahead to next year. What will you be doing in September?

It seems so far away right now, but it will come around quicker than you might expect!

Whether you want to continue on your course, change to another course, begin an Apprenticeship, move into the workplace or on to higher education, the College can help you get where you want to be.

Please do use the services that are here for you - speak to our Reception teams if you’re not sure where to go, or drop-in to the Student Services Help Desks for information, advice and guidance.

I really hope that you enjoy reading this issue of College News. If you would like to contribute to the next issue, e-mail marketing@cityplym.ac.uk or phone 01752 305393.

Catherine Sims Editor

HELLO/contents

Next Steps

10

Student Intranet Update

11

Student Voice

12

Award Winning Students

13

Safeguarding

Back cover

If you would find it easier to read this magazine in a larger type or different format, please call 01752 305300 or e-mail info@cityplym.ac.uk.

Principal’s Welcome As the newly appointed Principal at the College, I wanted to personally welcome you to this issue of ‘College News’. It is a tremendous honour to become the Principal of City College Plymouth - a job I firmly believe is the best in the city! We are an organisation that is really important to Plymouth and the wider region, and we play a key role in providing the local economy with a highly-skilled workforce and excellent employability skills.

If you are reading this and considering joining the College, then I’m sure you will find lots of useful information that will help you make that decision.

At City College Plymouth we aim to provide you with the best possible student experience, offering high quality vocational and academic courses in a wide range of subjects.

If you are already a student at the College, then I hope that you are enjoying your studies here, and have had the chance to experience the fun-side of College life too. Perhaps by now, you are considering what to do next. Whether this is progressing to the next level of your course, finding work or progressing to university - you will find lots of useful information in this edition.

Good luck in your studies.

City College Plymouth is a highly successful college.

Overall, the College is rated among the top ten per cent in the country. I hope you feel proud to be part of this success and continue to work hard to help us achieve this.

Regards,

Phil Davies, Principal

Students’ Union President’s Welcome HI THERE! I hope you are all enjoying your studies and life here at the College. We are fast approaching the ‘business end’ of the academic year and I wish you all the best in your studies.

Your Students’ Union has been increasingly active, and I was voted in to be your SU President at the most recent student conference. We have recently launched the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender society, been helping to promote

Fairtrade products, and have been planning lots of exciting activities for the rest of this academic year!

On Wednesday 9 May, we will be raising money for Devon Air Ambulance as part of the wider ‘Love Plymouth’ campaign, come along and show your support. You’ll also be able to find out what we can do for you.

If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail at president@ccpsu.org.uk.

See you around, Chris Hemmings

principal’s WELCOME/STUdents’ union president’s welcome 1

College Joins the

Peter Jones Enterprise Academy

City College Plymouth is proud to be working in partnership with the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy to offer aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to realise their business dreams.

The Academy was founded by entrepreneur and star of Dragons’ Den, Peter Jones CBE, with a view to encouraging more entrepreneurial activity within the UK, based on a philosophy of ‘learning by doing’.

The Academy’s courses are designed to be different, with much of the learning time being made up of guest speakers, master classes and workshops - truly bringing the boardroom to the classroom!

‘Strive to be the best you can be.

In doing so, your vision may be closer than you think’.

Peter Jones CBE

71% of the Enterprise Academy students have been offered jobs with companies including Everything Everywhere, L’Oreal and Laing Rourke

2 PETER JONES ENTERPRISE ACADEMY

If you’re coming to the end of your course then the Level 3 BTEC in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship might be your next step ...

This pioneering qualification focuses entirely on developing and furthering the aspirations of young entrepreneurs. Equivalent to two A levels, this one-year course will either help you to set-up and run your own business or to thrive within an existing organisation. It’s all about developing functional business skills, to equip you for the real world.

As a Peter Jones Enterprise Academy student at City College Plymouth you will receive: s l earning from tutors with real business experience s work placements tailored to your specific interests

s m aster classes led by entrepreneurs and business leaders s opportunities to work on regional and national business challenges.

If you’d like to take the first steps in business, enterprise and entrepreneurship call 01752 305300 or visit www.cityplym.ac.uk/pjea.

New A Level Subjects

from September 2012

City College Plymouth’s A Level Academy has expanded its extensive offer of subjects in arts and humanities, and performance. The new A levels in dance, drama, music, art, English language, French and geography will be offered from September 2012.

The A Level Academy, which is based at Goschen, now offers 23 A level subjects, which can be mixed and matched into a programme of A levels to suit your ambitions.

AS and A levels are demanding qualifications.

Although many contain an element of coursework they are mostly assessed by exams throughout the year. Don’t worry though - our staff will make sure you’re fully prepared for exams, and can give you regular feedback on your ongoing performance.

For more information on the A Level Academy give us a call on 01752 305300.

NEW A LEVEL SUBJECTS 3

Fairtrade Festival

Held at Kings Road

Traidcraft stall

Students working on our stall selling Fairtrade goodies!

Business, admin and finance diploma students organised a festival to celebrate all things Fairtrade. The festival was a huge success and more than 600 people attended! It featured music and performances from PIPPA students, and stalls from businesses including Lush, the Body Shop, the Co-op and Riverford, all selling their Fairtrade

goods. The event is run annually by students on the course, and is part of national Fairtrade Fortnight in February. The shops within the College already sell Fairtrade goods, and the festival is a fantastic way for students to get involved and learn about the importance of the Fairtrade ethos.

Students Compete in Hair and Beauty Championships!

Our hair and beauty students were challenged to take part in the Hair and Beauty Championships on Wednesday 21 March! Lots of students took part, each designing hair and make-up for their models, and all to the theme of the 2012 Olympics.

The night was made extra special with a top local hairdresser, Craig Chapman, giving a demonstration, and Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Michael Collings, performing twice!

Louise Harrop, Programme Area Manager for Hair and Beauty, said: “It was another amazing hair and beauty show from our students. Their work was spectacular and the show gets better every year!�

4 fairtrade festival/students compete in hair and beauty championships

Students Make Hard Hitting Film for the NHS

College media students have been working with staff from the NHS to produce a short film to portray the message that children who are sexually exploited are the victims of sexual abuse. Funding from the Learning and Skills Improvement Service and the Skills Funding Agency enabled the students to use up-to-date equipment and utilise the skills of a production manager.

Media student, Jessica Linden, tells us more ‌ Staff from the NHS Safeguarding team visited the College’s media department because they wanted a documentary made about child trafficking in Plymouth. Myself, Chloe Adams and Millie Steel took on the challenge and so far we have found the project very interesting, yet the topic difficult to deal with.

To prepare for our filming, and to learn about the issue, we spent a day attending lectures about safeguarding, which gave us a real insight into the

topic. The day inspired us with ideas about what the documentary should cover and who we could interview.

We arranged a series of interviews with a senior nursing manager, a doctor, a police officer and a member of the Children and Adolescent Mental Health Team, with each person providing a different perspective on the issue. We filmed in a variety of places around Plymouth, including Derriford Hospital and the city centre. The filming was very carefully planned and we were always liaising with the NHS team to make sure we were on the right track.

Throughout the filming process, we have worked closely with the Safeguarding team at the College, and with nurses who come into contact with trafficked children. We have found the whole process quite challenging and a steep learning curve, but we are really looking forward to seeing the finished film being used to educate people about this often overlooked issue.

Students Make Film for NHS 5

Student of the Term Student of the Term Winners Autumn 2011

Student of the Term Winners Spring 2012

s Faculty of Arts and Sciences: Antanis Shearer, Stephen Foulds s Faculty of Business and Leisure Industries: Richard Gilliam, Josh Wood s Faculty of Construction: Lee Jenkins, Laura Taylor s Faculty of Engineering and ICT: David Walsh, Ben Dorrell s Faculty of Health: Kirsty Sigsworth, Sophie Tolman s Faculty of Higher Education: Kristiina Woollard s Faculty of Skills for Life: Paul Thyer s Work-based Learning Department: Zoe Buxton, Harry Sharp

s Faculty of Arts and Sciences: Carla Terry, Stephen Roberts s Faculty of Business and Leisure Industries: Frazer Wyse, Abbi Stanbury s Faculty of Construction: Nicola Grimshaw, Dwight Read s Faculty of Engineering and ICT: Luke Gentle, Tom Wharton s Faculty of Health: Stephanie Lewis, George Fitzsimmons s Faculty of Higher Education: Vankat Bakthavatchaalam s Faculty of Skills for Life: Clare Furnell s Work-based Learning Department: Callum Butler, Kiera Robinson

Governors’ Award: Harry Sharp, Work-based Learning Department SU President’s Award: David Walsh, Faculty of Business and Leisure Industries Principal’s Award: Sophie Tolman, Faculty of Health

Governors’ Award: Callum Butler,Work-based Learning Department SU President’s Award: Abbi Stanbury, Faculty of Business and Leisure Industries Principal’s Award: Carla Terry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

6 Student of the Term Winners

Inspires You! Anyone who has been to the College’s Kings Road site since the academic year began will have seen the College’s employability centre, theworkspace.

Since opening its doors to students in September 2011, theworkspace has provided over 150 different events, talks and sessions, and has been accessed by almost 1,600 students looking to enhance their skills.

Lee McQueen talking to students in theworkplace

Theworkspace is a place for you, where you can improve your chances of gaining employment, an Apprenticeship or a higher education place.

In theworkspace you can develop your skills and abilities in communications, the ability to work as part of a team, self-confidence and self-worth. You can also go there to develop your CV writing and job hunting skills, and interview techniques.

In February, Lee McQueen - winner of BBC TV’s The Apprentice - visited the College to deliver a talk about his extraordinary route into business.

He also shared some of the secrets of his success with students. His visit kick-started National

Apprenticeship Week at the College and was inspirational to students.

Why is theworkspace important? Well, it’s a chance for you to make sure that you stand head-and-shoulders above the rest of the competitive employment and higher education markets.

If you would like to gain that competitive edge, enhance your skills and increase your employability, come and meet the team in theworkspace at Kings Road, or call us on 01752 856825. Further information about theworkspace can be found by visiting the student intranet or you can e-mail us at theworkspace@cityplym.ac.uk.

Theworkspace Inspires You! 7

Meet your ...

Activities Coordinator Hi, I am Lucy Sings, and I’m the new Student Liaison Activities Coordinator.

I joined the College in January, and am hoping to get to know as many of you as possible!

I have always loved keeping fit and healthy, I love going surfing and doing pilates, and I spend my weekends travelling around Cornwall in my campervan.

Here at the College, I am hoping to develop a fun and inclusive activity programme that is varied and appeals to lots of people. The summer programme will be come out soon (keep your eye on the student intranet for details), and it will include dance, fitness, crafts and Futsal.

If you haven’t already got yourself to the gym, the summer term is the time to do it!

Membership will be half-price, so students will pay just £10 for the rest of the College year.

For more information check out the gym page on the student intranet, or visit the gym for a look around. Qualified instructors are there to ensure the equipment is used correctly and to offer advice on how to achieve your personal fitness goals.

The Activities team is always looking for ways to improve our service so if you have any ideas or feedback, we would love to hear from you.

Drop me a line at lsings@cityplym.ac.uk or visit your Student Centre.

8 Introducing the New Activities Coordinator

Celebrating Diversity at the College

The College is home to a diverse community and we like to celebrate this with events throughout the year. Recently, students based at Goschen held a special exhibition to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, which included a pledge tree where visitors were able to make their pledge against genocide across the world.

Sexual health and general wellbeing were highlighted in the Affairs of the Heart campaign, and a support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students was launched by the Students’ Union. Check out the student intranet for more events and activities that will be coming up over the next few months!

In February, students organised the Fairtrade Festival, which featured stalls from businesses around Plymouth and celebrated all things Fairtrade, including food, clothing, beauty products and gifts. There was also music and performances from the PIPPA students.

If you have any equality and diversity issues or comments then please contact Cathie Maddock by e-mail on cmaddock@cityplym.ac.uk.

What’s on in Plymouth Looking for something to do over the summer months? Why not check out these events that will be going on in and around Plymouth ... s F riday 27 to Monday 30 April - Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival, Plymouth Barbican s Sunday 3 June - Plymouth Half Marathon, Plymouth Hoe s Saturday 21 July - Saltram Summer Jazz Picnic, The National Trust Saltram House, Plymouth s Throughout August - Beetlemania exhibition, Women in Art exhibition,

Endless Summer - The Evolution of Surfing in the South West exhibition, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery s Thursday 2 August - Plymouth Bike Night, Plymouth Hoe s Tuesday 14 to Wednesday 15 August British Firework Championships, Plymouth Hoe s Friday 17 to Sunday 19 August - Plymouth Flavour Fest, City Centre Piazza.

Creative Writing Sessions Are you a poet but you just don’t know it? Or have you got an idea for the next best-selling novel?

Well, why not come along to creative writing sessions? Try out a range of creative writing styles and get your creative juices flowing!

Sessions are run in the Kings Road Student Centre, every Friday from 1.30pm - 2.30pm.

Equality and Diversity/ What’s On in Plymouth 9

Next steps ...

what are your plans?

It’s that time of year when you need to start thinking about what your next steps will be.

It can mean making some big decisions, so here’s your guide to what’s available ... s Next level of your course Continuing on to the next level of your course means that you can get a much deeper understanding of your subjects, as well as a wider variety of skills. Completing the next level of your course also means you might get the next qualification! s Apprenticeships An Apprenticeship is a great way to earn while you learn! There are a variety of ways that you can complete an Apprenticeship, for example you might spend all your time with your employer, or you might spend four days a week at work and then one day at the College developing your knowledge. Whilst completing your Apprenticeship you get paid and you get valuable work experience.

10 Next Steps

s Going to university Going to university can be a great chance to study a subject that you love. It can also be the stepping-stone to independence if you move away from home, where you will make new friends and learn to fend for yourself. If you’re not keen on living away from home, the College offers foundation degrees in partnership with Plymouth University. A foundation degree is the equivalent of the first two years on an honours degree, however the College has much lower fees than universities! s Going into employment If you are keen to get on with your career, then maybe going into employment is for you. Not only will you start earning some money, but you’ll start gaining the valuable experience that can help you to progress in your career. If you’re not sure about CV writing, or job hunting, then drop-in to theworkspace at Kings Road for help and guidance.

Your site Your way!

The student intranet has been up and running for six months now, and, after talking to you about how it is all going, we’ve improved some of the key features.

The student intranet is an information portal designed to keep you updated on what’s happening at the College and make access to facilities like Moodle or eILP much simpler.

You will have seen the student intranet on all College PCs, but you can connect to it from anywhere (including from your mobile) using the address studentintranet.cityplym.ac.uk.

One log in Logging in to the student intranet automatically logs you in to your College e-mail account, eILP and Moodle, so you can get to them in just one click! Logging in also gives you access to all the intranet features.

New this term s Better search facility - you can now search for things on Moodle as well as the student intranet, all from the search option that appears on every page. s Customisable calendar - now all the events on the calendar are grouped by type, meaning you can show or hide the things that you want to see. You can also add your own personal events that will only be visible to you. Soon, your timetable will also show on your intranet calendar, so you’ll only ever need to look here to plan your week!

Customise your pages A key feature is that you can customise your dashboard page by adding or removing ‘widgets’, adding bookmarks to your favourite websites, importing your own calendar items and changing your viewing settings to make the pages suit you.

s Moodle course list - go straight to your courses from your dashboard. s Twitter feed - if you are one of the 140 million tweeters, you’ll be pleased to see the addition of a Twitter feed to the dashboard - coming soon! s Discussion pages - also soon to come, these will work like a forum and will be a great chance to share your views.

So take a look - and let us know what you think!

Please send all thoughts, comments and suggestions to marketing@cityplym.ac.uk.

Student Intranet Update 11

Student Voice -

Speaking for You

By James Rimmer, Student Liaison Assistant

It has been a busy term for Student Voice and we are happy to say that we believe that the Student Voice activity around the College is at an all time high.

If you would like to see more of the changes you have made to the College then take a look at the ‘you said, we did’ posters around the College and on the student intranet.

First of all, we welcome a new member of the Student Liaison team, Debs Royle who will be working with me on Student Voice issues. Debs will be based in the Student Centre at Kings Road, and is excited at helping to make your experience as enjoyable as possible!

You’ll see us around the College at the Student Voice drop-in sessions, in the faculty areas, the main corridors and the canteen. Come and talk to us about what the College is doing and where it can improve. Remember, it’s your College and it’s your experience, and you have the power to make it great.

We held the Student Conference in February in the College’s ABB Energy Centre and your support was sensational. Lots of course reps came along to grill the new Principal and other key members of staff.

We have also held our faculty-based focus groups, and it’s great to already see changes around the College as a result of these meetings. You have asked us for more information on progression routes earlier in your course, more options for food around the College and more funding information.

12 Student Voice

Finally, we will be publishing the Student Voice newsletter, which will be a monthly update on all things ‘Student Voice’. It will be sent to all course reps and will also be available on the student intranet - watch out for the next issue!

Please drop-in to speak to us at the Goschen and Kings Road Student Centres, or e-mail us on jrimmer@cityplym.ac.uk or droyle@cityplym.ac.uk.

Award Winning Students City College Plymouth’s students are award winning! Students from a wide range of courses regularly win awards and win competitions, from local awards to regional and even national ones!

Some of our award winning ones are ...

Ryan Walker

Sami Welhi

Ryan Walker is studying for an NVQ in Plumbing, and has been awarded the South West and West of England Training Award, for being the Level 2 Plumbing and Heating Apprentice of the Year.

Ryan collected his award at a ceremony in Bristol, and said: “I am proud of myself for what I’ve achieved and for winning this award. I’m now looking forward to continuing my studies at the College and can’t wait to use the College’s amazing new facilities.”

Sami Welhi celebrated after securing third place at the WorldSkills UK final for construction metal work. He competed against eight fabrication apprentices across the country, over a two-day period in order to be awarded his position. The four WorldSkills UK judges were impressed with Sami’s scaled-down crane jib, which was a complex fabrication requiring a wide range of fabrication skills.

Hospitality and Catering Students

Sarah Chapman

44 students from the College’s hospitality and catering courses entered the Major Series competition and in total, we won 13 gold medals, nine silver medals, 11 bronze medals and nine certificates of merit!

The competition is open to all further education colleges and the winners of the regional heats will go on to the national finals. The competition’s categories included static food displays, live culinary challenge, themed table setting, cocktail making and a cook and serve flambé demonstration.

Whilst studying for her Apprenticeship in Hospitality and the Diploma in Pattiserié and Confectionary, Sarah has won a long list of awards. Her latest award was the Medal for Excellence from City & Guilds, and she’s also been awarded first place in the regional heats of the National Apprenticeship Service Apprentice of the Year, and came third nationally! Her other awards include being the South West Apprentice of the Year and the Gold Award at the Major International Culinary Awards.

Award Winning Students 13

CITY COLLEGE PLYMOUTH.

Safeguarding at the College Do you feel safe at the College?

Do you feel safe at the College? If you feel that you are at risk from harm, or feel that another student is at risk please speak to your personal tutor, a member of Student Services or one of the safeguarding officers. You can call any of the officers directly, or e-mail safeguarding@cityplym.ac.uk.

Meet your safeguarding officers:

SamPhil Starkey Smale

EditorKI102 Kings Road Room Tel: 305296

Mary Smith Room K012 Kings Road Tel: 305841

Bridgette Henry Room KIB001 Kings Road Tel: 305757

Laura Killen Picquet Barracks Tel: 856827

Caroline Hewer Room 705 Kings Road Tel: 305798

Sam Starkey Karen Kingdom EditorK025 Room Tel: 305363 Kings Road

Rachel Jones Room GC019 Goschen Tel: 305286

Term Dates Summer term starts Monday 16 April

Autumn term starts Monday 3 September Spring term starts

Study review week Monday 4 June

Study review week Monday 29 October

Study review week Monday 18 February

Summer term ends Friday 20 July

Autumn term ends Friday 21 December

Spring term ends

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E-mail the Marketing team at marketing@cityplym.ac.uk

YOUR college. YOUR magazine. : www.cityplym.ac.uk ✆: 01752 305300

Monday 7 January Thursday 28 March