The Rocket February 2015
Principal’s Update I would like to welcome you to this the first edition of our combined student and staff newsletter The Rocket. We have refreshed our previous means of communication to enable our college community to be aware of issues and events affecting everyone. The Rocket was named as it was the most popular suggestion received following my recent request for possible titles. Although this refers to an invention by Robert Stephenson, the son of George the engineer who lived and worked in our area, it is clearly an appropriate name for our newsletter as it is derived from the family name that the college bears. This first edition is produced at what represents “half time” in the current academic year. We are all aware that our focus is to ensure that all elements of study programmes and apprenticeship frameworks progress to successful conclusions. We have paid particular attention to
English and mathematics and have introduced a mentor system whereby college staff members support students to secure what are widely seen as the most significant qualifications for future employment. Earlier indications illustrate that attendance at English and mathematics classes has improved in recent weeks and is now comparable with vocational classes. The “second half” of this year requires us to continue our good work and to ensure assessments across all elements of our programmes are scheduled to allow our students their best possible chance of success. Our college encourages the development of all our students and staff members. On the 11th March we will host a Health Fair provided by a range of organisations who aim to promote healthier life styles and our Health and Social Care students will contribute to the event as it is directly relevant to
their courses. The activities planned for this event include a Football Cage which we envisage should stimulate a significant amount of interest and fun. This event takes place during National Apprenticeship Week and our college will promote our work with apprentices throughout the week. We will be visited by our local MP Mr. Andrew Bridgen during the week and by a number of local employers, all of whom are enthusiastic supporters of our college apprentices. We will also hold an Open Evening on the 11th March at our Coalville campus to promote the opportunities we offer to our local communities and businesses. Our Nottingham campuses also have activities scheduled for Apprenticeship Week, which includes current apprentices visiting local schools to act as ambassadors. We recruit many apprentices for local and national companies and this is an increasingly
Principal’s Update Continued
important part of our work. We will work to convert many apprenticeship vacancies into opportunities for future students and seek to extend the opportunities we offer. A recent success for our college can be seen through the commercial courses we offer in conjunction with the National Association of Motor Auctioneers (NAMA). All colleges seek to support the businesses in their localities and our work with NAMA has been enabled through a strong partnership with the Fleet Auction Group, located on Stephenson Way. The courses devised for this programme assist consistency in the valuation of second hand cars. This is a significant market and the course we deliver, devised by Noel Gibbons in our Motor Vehicle and Engineering Faculty, provides revenue for our college and is seen by our local Chamber of Trade as a model of best practice in partnership working.
The breadth of activities our college engages in cannot be underestimated and our college values have been reflected in a recent initiative where staff and students have volunteered to support women with cancer. The Look Good, Feel Better charity provides hair and beauty treatments to encourage the confidence and well-being of cancer patients and I know that we are all proud of members of our college community who have volunteered to engage in this initiative and wish them well with their future efforts. Prior to half term a number of our students enjoyed a skiing trip to Bulgaria and you will see photographs of their visit later in this edition of The Rocket provided by Kay Liddle and AnnMarie Rudkin. Experiences such as these are often discussed with our Student Council and I would encourage all our students to pass items for our meetings to your Course Representatives. Our next meetings take place at
Coalville and at Lenton Lane on 3rd March. We are fortunate to have positive course representatives who express the views of our students and contribute to improvements in our college life. I hope that you enjoy The Rocket and the remainder of the academic year and I look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks. Please continue your hard work and together I’m sure we will convert our efforts into successes. Kind regards, Nigel Leigh Principal and Chief Executive
Beauty students looking to use make-up skills to help cancer patients Beauty students from Stephenson College are looking to use their make-up skills to help Leicestershire cancer patients face their illness with more confidence. The first year trainees have been inspired to volunteer with Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) after attending a presentation about its work at the college’s Coalville campus. Widely supported by the beauty industry, LGFB is an international charity which helps women to combat the visible side effects of their cancer treatment. It holds regular 12-step skincare and make-up workshops at hospitals across the UK, including at the Macmillan Centre, situated in Leicester Royal Infirmary’s Osborne Building. In their voluntary role, the girls will be joining qualified beauty consultants and make-up artists in running Leicester sessions for groups of up to 12 patients. And, as well as giving their time to a worthwhile cause, the trainees will also gain valuable work experience which counts towards their course work. Sue York Regional Co-ordinator with LGFB, explained how the workshops helped women to counteract the skincare problems often caused by chemotherapy, such as dryness and reddening.
She also told the group how clever use of eye-liner, eye shadow, eyebrow pencil and mascara can provide definition where patients have lost their lashes and brows. Sue added: “Each patient receives a goody bag containing products donated by cosmetics houses such as Boots Number 7, Clinique, Clarins and Benefit, which they can use at home. “Looking good provides a visible boost for patients, some of whom might not have used make-up before. But the benefits are not just skin deep. Patients tell us how much more confident and feminine, and better able to cope, they feel after coming to one of our sessions. “Since we started running the Leicester workshops in 2007 they have increased from once a month to every three weeks, which clearly shows the level of demand.” Among the students planning to enrol as a LGFB volunteer is 19year-old Lauren Perry. She said: “Showing cancer patients how to put on their makeup would be such a rewarding thing to do. I’d like to work in a spa one day and ultimately have my own business, so work experience like this will really help me in my career, too.” And Lauren’s sentiments are shared by student Katherine
Barker from Mount sorrel, who plans to open her own salon one day. Katherine, who is 28, added: “It would be brilliant to use my makeup skills to make someone feel better. Volunteering will also help boost my confidence too.” Tutor Claire Stocker said she was delighted with her students’ response to the presentation and their enthusiasm for volunteering. She added: “Sue’s presentation was extremely inspiring and has shown our students how make-up skills can be used in a holistic way.” “Volunteering will be rewarding on a personal level but will also be useful in helping the girls to further their careers. “Many cosmetic houses expect their staff to be able to demonstrate their make-up skills in front of an audience, for example, so it’s this sort of confidence-building our students will also gain from. Stephenson College Principal Nigel Leigh added: “Our college, like colleges across the country, plays an important part in the communities we serve. I am proud that our beauty therapy students and staff have embraced this worthwhile initiative and will apply their training for the benefit of others.”
National Apprenticeship Week 9th-13th March National Apprenticeship Week is just around the corner (9th 13th March) and all of us here at Stephenson College are incredibly excited as to what we’ve got planned for a very exciting week. Between 2013 and 2014 the government invested £1.5bn in apprenticeships and there are now 1,500 different apprenticeships on offer across more than 170 industries. Here at Stephenson College we’re proud to offer our students such a diverse range of amazing opportunities, with reputable local and national companies, and we’re just as proud to showcase what we have to offer to a wider audience as the big week approaches.
Co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service the week is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy across the United Kingdom. Companies continue to see them as a way to attract the talented people that they need for their organisation to grow. Here at Stephenson College we’ll be doing our bit by inviting local businesses onto our Coalville campus to help increase awareness of apprenticeships. We aim to do this by highlighting why the process of hiring an apprentice is easier than many initially think, dispelling myths and misconceptions many people
often have about apprenticeships. We will also be showing off our talented students and apprentices through a number of competitions, including the rowing challenge and pit-stop challenge and much more. Photos (left) are just some of last years competitors. Over in Nottingham we’ll be out and about with some of our topachieving apprentices, educating young people from local schools on the benefits of undertaking an apprenticeship with us here at Stephenson College. We can’t wait to get underway and get you all involved in what we hope is a week to remember!
Scott Steele’s career success Training to be an accounting technician via Stephenson College in Nottingham is adding up to a whole new career in teaching for former AAT student Scott Steele. Scott recently returned to the College’s Finance and Management Business School in Maid Marian Way – but as an accounting tutor, not a student. Scott initially enrolled with the College to study for the AAT, Association of Accounting Technicians, level one qualification, but soon found he had a real knack for accounting. In fact, Scott progressed so rapidly on his course that he completed levels one to three within 10 months.
He said: “I enjoyed every module and the enthusiasm and confidence this created in me was evident. “It was this, along with friendly, experienced tutors and small class sizes, which enabled me to complete all three levels so quickly.” When Scott had finished his level 3 and was waiting to begin level 4, he set out to look for suitable employment within the accountancy sector. And although he found his newly acquired skills were very much in demand, a whole new career in teaching also opened up. Scott added: “I was approached by the Finance and Management School’s Centre
Manager who discussed the possibility of me applying for a tutoring position, sharing my new found knowledge with people like me. "Before I knew it I was planning my first day teaching my new class. “I’m now happily settled in my new role and am enjoying the daily reward of teaching. “I’m very grateful to Stephenson College as none of this would have been possible without my AAT qualifications and the fantastic tutors at the Finance and Management Business School.”