Network News 6.3

Volume 6: Issue 3

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The National Title for BME Graduates and Young Professionals

Pick Me Up, I'm Free!

BAFTA Award-winning actor Noel Clarke on life, family and the future.

In this Issue...

FASHION Spring Dresses PG14

news

TEACH

The Essential Courses and Careers Guide to Teaching

TEACH UK

A step-by-step guide on how to pursue a career in Teaching. PG17

Also...

Entertainment: Lenora Crichlow Keisha Knight Pulliam PG12-13 Careers advice: Work in the Fire & Rescue Service PG26

VISIT STUDENTTIMES.ORG & NETWORKNEWSUK.COM For News, Culture, Careers, Education, Industry Guides, Housing, Travel, Sport’s and much much more!

THE HOME OF STUDENTS.

CONTENTS

Did you know...

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating its letters is uncopyrightable.

PG13

Welcome to the New and Improved Network News!

Dear readers,

Welcome to the new and improved Network News, still packed full of all the current events, interviews and careers advice you’ve come to know and love.

In January, weren’t we all glued to the television as Barack Obama was inaugurated as the President of the United States? But many decades before he was able to achieve this historic victory, our televisions had a different first family, as the Cosby Show took over the airwaves. We talk to “Rudy” actor Keisha Knight Pulliam about life after the ground-breaking television show.

Our cover star this issue is the always fantastic Noel Clarke, recent winner of the Orange BAFTA Rising Star. We talk to Clarke about his “Hood” films, family life and what drove him to write and direct.

This issue also sees the first of several diaries written by Clayton Brown, as he travels to Ghana to work as a volunteer, helping in his own way to teach safe and safer sex. Read this truly inspiring story on page 11.

In addition to all the great features above, we also have the regular dose of news and careers advice you expect from us. This issue, we focus on the opportunities presented by a career in teaching. Find out more about this rewarding career by reading our guide. And if teaching is not for you, then maybe being a fire fighter would be a more valuable career choice.

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Until then, keep your eyes on the prize.

Isabel Appio

PG17 4-9 UK News 10 World News 16 Sports News

Features

11 Clayton Brown goes to Ghana Clayton Brown decided to uproot from his life in the UK to go to Africa to help himself and others. Here he tells of his journey of self-discovery as an HIV+ black man.

15 “Anorexics are Skinny, I’m not” Laura Foster explores how more and more women are suffering with the mental effects of Anorexia.

Entertainment 12 TV

Dead Girl Talking

Publishers Ian Thomas, Isabel Appio & Adam Hayes

Life can be hard when you’re dead and sharing a house with other supernatural misfits. Lenora Chichlow talks about the joys and troubles of playing ghost Annie in new drama Being Human.

Senior Office Manager Marcia Abrahams Business Development Director Darren Waite Senior Sales Executive Gurpreet Kundi & Bridget Rodricks Editor Isabel Appio Art Editor: Jon-Paul Daly – design@sugarmedia.co.uk Senior Designer: John Blanco – web@sugarmedia.co.uk

Published by Sugar Media Ltd, Studio 4 Hiltongrove, 14 Southgate Road, London N1 3LY Tel: 020 7407 7747 Fax: 020 7407 6800 Email: info@sugarmedia.co.uk www.sugarmedia.co.uk © Copyright Sugar Media Ltd Cover image courtesy of BBC.

Design Intern: Nicholas Holmes Please recycle this publication.

13 Interview Kid Cosby From being the worlds’ cutest television kid to playing major movie role, Keisha Knight Pulliam has come far. We talk to the girl who won us over as Rudy Huxtable.

30 Cover2Cover Britain’s Rising Star Fresh off the heels of his BAFTA award, we talk to Noel Clarke about the trouble with finding roles, his heroes and who supported him through the lean years.

Fashion 14 Showcase

Dress to Impress High fashion look at a high street price.

Careers

PG4

17 Teach UK

There are many ways to get into teaching. If you want to help develop others skills, why not look more closely at a teaching career.

26 A Career as a Firefighter Confidence, good communication skills, initiative, fitness, adaptability, commitment to diversity. Have you got what it takes to be a firefighter?

NetworkNews.co.uk 3

UK NEWS

Quote of month

“I was just standing doing an interview with her and I said ‘someone please slap me, this is amazing!’ And she went boof! I got graced by her, yeah… I got graced by her slap, it’s amazing!” – Slumdog star Dev Patel meets Sharon Stone at the BAFTAs.

It’s a right laugh!

Fun nie s Outrageously funny stories from around the world.

--------------------------------------------Rock ‘n Roll: The best kept secret of our time is finally solved. A Professor from Huddersfield University claims that Stonehenge is an ancient Glastonbury – with the stones set up to offer the best resonance.

Young love: A German couple decided to elope to Africa with the Bride to be’s sister – only to be stopped on the way to the airport as all three were between five and seven.

Queuing robber: A bank robber in the US patiently waited in line while wearing a ski mask. Police caught the 24-year-old after a brief car chase, where it was revealed he’d committed the robbery with a toy gun. £100Bn error: A 38-year old from Ayrshire got the fright of his life when his Barclay’s online statement showed two £50Bn withdrawals. After resolving the error, the bank offered him a meagre £10 for

his troubles.

Pumpkin protection: Nigerian motorcyclists have started wearing dried pumpkin shells as helmets, following the introduction of a law on New Year’s Day making driving without helmets illegal.

Tarzan gone bad: A sex shop in Australia was broken into, with the only objects stolen being three rubber dolls from the Jungle Jane range – later found abandoned and used in a nearby alley.

ILvU2: A 13-year-old in California managed to send 14,528 text messages in one month or one every two minutes she was awake.

War of the Worlds: In a fit of mass hysteria that would make Orson Welles proud, thousands of Germans called a UFO hotline on New Year’s Eve after mistaking a Chinese-style balloon for a full scale space invasion.

Bitter divorce: A man in America is demanding his estranged wife returns a kidney he donated to her or pay him US$1.5Million.

Funniest Student 2009 Competition Launches The channel that brings you South Park and Two And A Half Men have teamed up once again with Off The Kerb Productions, management of Lee Evans and Jonathan Ross, to bring you the hottest comedy event of the student calendar – Paramount Comedy On Tap! Back for its seventh year, Paramount Comedy On Tap brings thousands of students

the very best in rising comedians as well as established names performing at 16 universities and over 150 gigs nationwide.

Past performers include some of the nation’s most popular comedians, including Jimmy Carr, Dara O’Briain and Alan Carr.

The search is also on for the nation’s Funniest Student 2009! 2008’s competition saw Geordie lad Ric Wharton from Southampton Solent University walk away with (money can’t buy prizes) guaranteed gigs courtesy of Off The Kerb and the opportunity to develop an idea

Comedy: The ninth series of South Park kicks off Sunday 5th February on MTV

Tapped in: Paramount home of comedy.

with Paramount Comedy.

Ric was the second student from Southampton Solent to bag the title. Hannah George from the same University was the 2007 champion and is now a regular on the comedy circuit, so it’s a great opportunity for students to progress in the world of stand-up.

So if you think you’re the next Chris Rock and would like the once in a lifetime opportunity to perform at the Funniest Student final at the Comedy Store (plus those top prizes), simply send a short clip of your stand-up act to Paramount Comedy, 180 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1DS, or upload your clip online by visiting www.paramountcomedy.com/ backstage/comedy-on-tap/ funniest.

News Briefs Glass ceiling still in place for minorities Over three decades since the Race Relations Act was passed, a leading equality campaigner has alleged that there is still a glass ceiling preventing BME employees from rising to the top.

“Ethnic minorities don’t and, as the investigation Business in the Community’s Race for Opportunity campaign has recently concluded shows, won’t ever hold a representative share of jobs,” warned Sandra Kerr, the national Director of the Race for Opportunity campaign. Kerr made the comments

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in the wake of a recent report on employment trends.

Zee ties up with Asian Woman for Carnival Zee TV will host its annual Zee Carnival from 13th to 15th February at Olympia, London, despite worries that the recession will hold back Asian visitors.

Asian Woman magazine announced it was partnering up for the event to host the fashion catwalk.

The publication said it was also looking to bring

more wedding related products and services to the event at what is dubbed the Asian Woman Runway.

“Our renowned catwalk show, on 4 times a day, will inspire, captivate and leave you wanting more - featuring the latest fashion and beauty trends, world class Asian Woman models, and dazzling choreography,” said a spokesperson.

Zee TV said Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan would also be attending the Carnival.

Asian Woman magazine and Zee TV also teamed up for the Carnival last year, with events in London and Manchester.

Did you know...

The average distance between the stars in the sky is 20 million miles.

Slumdog Millionaire: Film and media students Students can access a series of activities and resources based on the film Slumdog Millionaire, which allow them to consider questions of representation and narrative through a range of activities. In addition, the resource has an exclusive interview with Danny Boyle the film’s director discussing this and other films he has worked on www.filmeducation.org/slumdogmillionaire/

The dizzying heights of success: Slumdog was a runaway success at both the BAFTAs and the Oscars. Right: Stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto.

Do we need role models?

Brent-based voluntary organisation BTWSC’s NARM (Naming And Role Models) Project needs your role model nominations and participation at its Do We Need Role Models?

Some have described President Barack Obama as the “ultimate role model”.

But who are the British male roles of African descent?

BTWSC’s NARM Project hopes to uncover role models closer to home, be they famous or unsung from 1907 to 2007. It hopes nominations

may be made by individuals, or by community organisations, schools or classes working together researching deserving role models to contrast the same frequently repeated foreign (mainly African-American) personalities, The results will be compiled into free resources including a booklet and DVD, and updated on a

dedicated online micro-site.

The general public have up to February 28 2009 to make their nominations at www.btwsc.com/ NARM, where further information and rules can be found.

To make a nomination, or for further information: www.btwsc.com/ NARM. Please note: anyone,

regardless of race, gender or age can participate.

A photographic exhibition of some of the role models will go on display May-August 2009 at Brent Museum.

NetworkNews.co.uk 5

UK NEWS

Quote of month

Did You know...

“It was Gorgeous George or the Inauguration … or Gorgeous Barrack. I was at the inauguration that week.” – ER actress Angela Bassett on missing George Clooney’s return to the show.

Birmingham designer gives back to community A Birmingham designer has gone about reclaiming the Union Jack for all those from British multicultural backgrounds.

Lee Blake, son of a Jamaican and an Englishwoman, decided it was time to claim back the “hijacked” British flag after he ran into some trouble followingan England football match.

“50Fifty clothing started in 2004 after England beat Croatia in the European Championships. I was with a small group of multicultural Britons and on the way back, English fans racially abused us,” Blake recalls. “We decided we had to do something to reclaim the Union Flag and flag of St George from these people who had hijacked these symbols of nationhood.”

After T Shirts and hoodies that merged the Jamaican flag with the British sold well, other clothes were also designed.

Now, 50Fify clothes can be bought with Polish, Indian and even Italian flags immortalised on the front.

Having come from a somewhat troubled background himself, Blake also decided to use his influence to give back to the community. “We have worked with many teenagers who were just like me all those years ago and who could so easily go the wrong way. Our social dimension tackles issues like drugs, gang warfare and knife crime. These young people need to see that they can make it in life and can make money within the law,” explained Blake.

If you dug a well to the centre of the Earth, and dropped a brick in it, it would take 45 minutes to get to the bottom – 4,000 miles down.

Survey shows some parents shun nursing A recent healthcare survey found that nursing as a career is seen as low status by some Asian parents. Although the government is planning improvements to the Health Service some Asian parents see nursing as ‘hands on’, dirty and non-professional. The findings showed that some Asian parents prefer their children to undertake professional careers as doctors, solicitors or pharmacists and at present nursing is not regarded as a professional career within the Asian community.

Parental views often play a major role in young Asian adults’ choices of career. There is often pressure on some Asian young people to ensure that their career choice is in keeping with certain cultural expectations. For example women opt-

ing for careers in nursing should remain close to home, and travel arrangements, and the related security of children, is paramount. Many parents who took part in the survey were also concerned that if women are allowed to join courses in nursing they will leave the area in pursuit of a career after completion of the course, splitting their community.

The recommendations included providing more information about nursing via schools and colleges, perhaps through the use of videos to provide information for Asian parents.

The situation could only be made worse by the current recession, which is predicted to see young graduates have the hardest time in many years finding employment.

News Briefs Halal on the go Previously a problem when it came to ordering take away from big chains, one Domino’s store has now tackled the problematic issue of making sure your pizza is halal.

Promising to be 100 % halal, the Domino’s store in the Hall Green suburb of Birmingham will offer such pizzas as halal pepperoni and halal cured turkey.

The owner of the Hall Green store, Abdul Mumtaz, commented: “The halal store has been launched following huge demand from the people of Hall Green, where a high

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proportion of customers are followers of the Islamic faith.”

The store, accredited by the Halal Food Authority (HFA), is not the first to offer 100% halal takeaway, but the move marks an important step by a mainstream company to recognise the buying power of halal customers.

Masood Khawaja, President of the HFA, comments: “We have been delighted to work with Domino’s to create its first 100% halal store. Our team has been extremely impressed by the Company’s commitment to halal and we hope to work with them to open other halal Domino’s stores in the future.”

British Muslim Women get power list The Equality and Human Rights Commission (ERC) has launched a new list highlighting successful British Muslim Women. Winners will be announced in Manchester in late March, with all British Muslim women over the age of 18 eligible for entry. “I hope our first Muslim Women Power List will make the rest of Britain sit up and take note – many members of the Muslim community are making a valuable economic and social contribution to our future,” said Trevor Phillips of the ERC.

Carnivals, melas and the ombudsman Mukhtar Singh-Rai joined the Financial Ombudsman Service – the free service that settles complaints between consumers and financial firms – when it was set up by law back in 2001.

Mukhtar is one of a small team of technical experts who goes out into the community to explain the ombudsman’s role in resolving a wide-range of complaints – from pet insurance and pensions to mortgages and motor insurance.

Come and meet the ombudsman!

As part of his role, Mukhtar takes part in melas and carnivals around the UK. Network News tracked him down to find out more …

“I’ll be at the Zee Carnival, London in February and will be taking part in other community events throughout the summer.”

“People are sometimes surprised to see me and my ombudsman colleagues at melas and consumer shows,” he says. “But it’s a great opportunity to let people know about the ombudsman service and what we can do to help.

‘top tips’ on how to get your complaint taken seriously

You’d be amazed at the number of people who come up to me with a problem that they want to sort out with a bank, insurance company or finance firm – but they’re unsure how to go about it.

In most cases, they just need to be pointed in the right direction and the firm can resolve matters for them, without the ombudsman’s formal involvement. But if they aren’t able to

1. What’s the problem? Get what you are unhappy about clear in your own mind.

sort matters out themselves, people are reassured to know that the ombudsman service is there – as an independent expert with real powers, who they can turn to.”

Some complaints recently investigated by the ombudsman Mobile phone insurance

Personal loan

A second-year student accidentally left his mobile phone in a shop. When he returned to collect it, it was missing. The phone was insured, but his insurer rejected the claim, saying the phone had been left unattended and that the claim would not be paid.

A recent college-leaver responded to a marketing letter she received from a loan company. She was offered a loan of £5000 which she used to buy a car. But she later fell seriously behind with the payments. She complained that she shouldn’t have been given the loan, as she had no income and was reliant on benefits when she took it out.

The ombudsman agreed there was an exclusion in the policy for items left ‘unattended’.

But because this severely restricted the cover, we said this should have been brought to the customer’s attention when he took out the policy. As the insurer could not prove they had done this – or that the consumer had acted carelessly – the ombudsman told the insurer to pay the student’s claim.

Mukhtar Singh-Rai, outreach officer

2. Try to stay calm! Even if you are upset, try to stay calm – this will help you to get across your points clearly.

3. Write or phone? Decide whether you want to write or phone and have any relevant policy or account numbers to hand.

Make a note of the date, time and full name of anyone you speak to.

4. Keep it brief! Tell the firm what you are unhappy about and how you would like them to put things right.

5. Taking it higher! If you aren’t making progress, say you want to register it as a formal complaint.

Investigating the facts, the ombudsman decided that the company hadn’t made an error when they offered the loan. The application was in joint names – with her former partner – and was affordable on their joint income. However, though the complaint was not upheld, the company agreed with the ombudsman that the customer was in financial difficulty, and it offered to help her by re-scheduling her repayments.

Find out more about the ombudsman at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk or phone 0845 080 1800.

The power to settle financial complaints.

UK NEWS

Quote of month

“That woman Obama had singing for him…she’s gonna get her ass whupped. The great Beyonce…I can’t stand Beyonce.” – Soul Diva Etta James after Beyonce sang At Last to the Obamas.

Voice of the Nation Lester Holloway, one of the UK’s most respected black journalists and ex-Editor of Britain’s leading black newspaper, the New Nation, addresses the questions raised by the newspaper’s recent demise.

Greetings. I’m loathed to start this column on a downer but when it comes to the future of the black press, a little pessimism is inevitable right now.

You see, I’ve just been laid off as editor of the black weekly newspaper New Nation, along with my staff and contributors.

The reason is simple – we just couldn’t keep our heads above water in the current economic climate.

Of course all media are struggling because the first thing companies cut in hard times is their advertising budget. We really are canaries in the coalmine. But much of the black media was already feeling the pinch long before ‘credit crunch’ crunched.

To understand why, we must go back to the early 1980s, when civil disturbances in Britain’s inner cities forced this country to confront the extent to which society excluded African and Caribbean people.

It wasn’t just criminalisation of our people on the frontline, but a glass ceiling at the front door of public institutions.

Suddenly the political classes were desperate to get black people into town halls, and The Voice offered that vehicle.

Yet those times of plenty were squandered with little investment for the future of the paper. Exactly ten years ago, the Macpherson report into the death of Stephen Lawrence helped reinvigorate advertising but this dramatically fell away again several years ago.

The new agenda of ‘single equalities’ and abolition of the old Commission for Racial Equality didn’t help. And Trevor Phillips’ recent pronouncement that institutional racism no longer exists may well prove to be the final nail.

Some say isn’t the issue about demand for the products from black people? And can’t we seek advertising income from within the community?

Sadly, the reality of newspapers is that they are much more expensive to run than websites, and just can’t exist by newsagent alone. And while some black-run

Hollaway: Ex-editor of New Nation

businesses want to advertise they simply don’t do it regularly enough. That’s why public sector adverts remain crucial.

Ironically the fact that belts have been tightened in black newspapers has actually focussed minds on offering quality, and I genuinely believe that at New Nation we kept up the standard of news reporting and entertainment interviews despite existing on half the resources my predecessor enjoyed.

But while quality remained top priority, quantity inevitably fell and the paper shrank. It also became harder to find. A

combination of these circumstances put readers off, and the current economic downturn has made it even harder to survive.

We have allowed ourselves to be lulled into a sense that we are being adequately served by the mainstream media, yet the mainstream will never get to grips with the debates and stories that appear in the black press. After 60 years in Britain, our consumption habits have become hopelessly Europeanised – from food to choice of partner to choice of media - and many of us have also got comfortable being uncomfortable.

Yes, black newspapers have their failings, but I believe we will be poorer without them. When a crisis befalls us we want them there but most weeks the majority of black people do not go out and buy the papers.

I hope, and am quite confident, that New Nation will return. But its temporary demise should be the spur to debate not just what we want from a black press, but whether we want it at all.

I believe it is still needed. Multiculturalism has brought a lot of different people together, and we’re all talking, but without our own newspapers how do we make the distinctive African and Caribbean voice heard, and where is our own space to work through issues together?

RAF history honoured The diversity of the Royal Air Force along with its multi-ethnic past and present is celebrated in a new permanent exhibition at Royal Air Force Museum Cosford.

To celebrate the contribution that members of the African-Caribbean, Asian, East European and other ethnic communities have made to the growth and development of the Royal Air Force, as well as the defence of the UK during times of adversity, the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford will be honouring their achievements with a permanent exhibition “Diversity in the Royal Air Force”.

Exhibition: Sqn Ldr Pujji, Diversity in the Royal Air Force.

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The exhibition was officially unveiled on 14th January 2009 in the presence Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji, an Indian national who flew Hurricanes for the RAF during World War II. The exhibition tells the story of the RAF’s diversity from 1918 to the present date. It highlights brave men such as Group Captain Larry Osbourne, OBE the first African-Caribbean Officer to reach this rank having joined the Royal Air Force from Trinidad as a Navigator in 1943; and women like the Indian Princess Noor Inayat Khan (WAAF) GC MBE, who was the first woman operator to infiltrate enemy occupied France during World War II and received the George Cross.

Did you know...

Then & Now: Former Newsround and current Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy and current CBBC star Sonali Gudka.

Your body sheds 10 billion flakes of skin every day.

Get expert advice on how to make it in TV bored of life If you’ve sat at home watching a soap thinking “I can do better than that” or always wanted to be one of the young writers on Skins, then now is your chance to get your foot in the door.

As part of the Media Guardian’s International Television Festival in Edinburgh, people over 18 can apply to take part in several days of free television masterclasses and lectures.

Successful applicants will be able to attend lectures by leading TV personalities, with previous

NETWORK NEWS COLUMN

speakers at The Network being as diverse as legendary newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald, Russell T Davies, writer of the new Doctor Who and Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

“I think The Network is really important so young people can see how there are ways to get into the TV industry, because so

many young people want to be in TV but don’t quite know how to get a break or what area they really want to work in,” argued Sharon Osbourne.

The festival this year takes place from 27 to 30 August, with applications due 17 April. The 150 successful applicants will also be offered the chance to apply for six months worth of paid work experience in the industry.

For more information and to apply, go to the Network website at www.mgeitf.co.uk/thenetwork.

BME representative for the NUS

Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy Black students still need a voice In the wake of the retooled NUS Constitution, Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy discusses its impact for BME students.

Under the new Constitution the Black Students’ Officer will no longer have a guaranteed place on the most powerful decision-making body in NUS, meaning that Black students needs and concerns are even more likely to be disregarded. Black students opportunities to influence NUS’ priorities will also be greatly reduced. Moreover participation in the events which determine NUS’ policies and priorities will also be affected. The powers of Annual Conference, the only event at which the

number of Black students participating comes close to reflecting the number of Black students who are members of NUS, would be undermined. Instead smaller conferences, at which Black students would be less likely to gain representation, would have greater power to influence NUS policy and hold elected officers to account.

This year the need for a Black Students’ Officer at the highest level of NUS has never been clearer. This summer a students’ union officer held up a sign reading ‘Bring Back Slavery’ at an NUS event, while another suggested widening participation in education from the Black community could cause an increase in gun and knife crime. Only the campaign initiated by the Black Students Campaign led to NUS taking action against the individuals responsible, including banning one of those responsible from future

NUS events.

Earlier this year, NUS excluded Muslim students by failing to provide an alcohol-free venue at a training event, and refused to take action against a student advocating support for the fascist BNP at an NUS event. The Black Students’ Officer plays a crucial role in ensuring NUS is held to account for such failures to meet Black students’ needs.

Throughout their review process NUS has shown complete disregard for Black students’ concerns. Since the summer the NUS Black Students’ Officer and Committee have repeatedly requested that an Equality Impact Assessment be conducted to identify the impact of the new Constitution on Black students.

The Race Relations (Amendment) Act recognises Equality Impact Assessments are vital tools for ensuring discrimination against Black people is identified

and challenged. Our call for an impact assessment was supported by the NUS LGBT Campaign and many high-profile members of the Black community, including Doreen Lawrence OBE, Dr Benjamin Zephaniah, Diane Abbott MP, Cllr Salma Yaqoob, Keith Vaz MP, Lee Jasper and many others. NUS refusal to conduct a basic procedure designed to tackle institutional racism, before voting on the constitution, shows an appalling disregard for the needs of Black students.

We will have to work twice as hard to have our needs addressed in the student movement. The Black Students Campaign is more determined than ever to see that the voices of Black Students are heard and that we have the representation we deserve. All of history’s fights for equality took time and suffered many blows. We may have lost this battle but we have not lost the war.

NetworkNews.co.uk 9

WORLD NEWS

Did you know...

The average human will eat 8 spiders while asleep in their lifetime.

UK urged to follow Obama lead on Green Engineering The Engineering and Technology Board (ETB) has responded to recent calls for an integrated green strategy by highlighting the pressing need to increase the supply of trained engineers in the renewable energy sector. The organisation has also called for increased opportunities for skilled individuals who find themselves without work as a result of the downturn, to re-skill or retrain in renewables.

Following US President Barack Obama’s announcement of his New Energy for America plan there have been a calls from across the political spectrum for a similar approach to be adopted in the UK. The ETB supports these calls but highlights the need for hundreds of thousands of engineers and technicians in the sector if such a strategy is to succeed.

Statistics from the ETB’s recent Engineering UK 2008 publication indicate that the UK must train an Mr. Green: Barrack Obamas Environment additional 170,000 proposals are way a head of the UK’s workers in Solar Water and Heating alone, not to mention 75,000 in Micro Wind Energy and 76,000 in Rainwater Harvesting, plus hundreds of thousands more in other ‘renewable’ sectors such as fuel technology and hydro generation (water power).

More optimistically, Engineering UK 2008 also reports that many people say a genuinely green agenda would inspire them to take up a career in engineering.

Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of the ETB said: “It is important to remember that there is an ongoing and vital role for engineers in our economy and our society at large, particularly when it comes to overcoming increasing environmental challenges.

We know that people are motivated by a desire to make a difference and by the green agenda.

We need to make sure that there are sufficient training opportunities available to them.”

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Kenyan choir from Obama’s inauguration land record deal A Kenyan youth choir were flying high today after signing a recording deal with the largest record company in the world.

The Boys Choir of Kenya sealed the deal with Universal Music under unusual circumstances – they were in the transit lounge at Heathrow Airport on their way back from Washington D.C. where they had performed as part of Barack Obama’s inauguration celebrations. At the event, they performed a number of distinct pieces - from traditional Masaai and Samburu chants to contemporary pieces from around Africa.

“The choir have already taken the US by storm. Their sound is amazing and when I saw them on YouTube, I knew they could light up the world. You can’t help but smile when you hear them sing,”

Singing for success: The choir give an impromptu concert.

said Tom Lewis of Universal.

Within 48 hours of being tipped off about the choir, Lewis had finalised a contract and gone to meet them off their plane when they transferred in London between Washington D.C. and Nairobi.

The choir are delighted with the record deal, not least because of its financial implications.

Not only has the choir raised school fees for its members but several orphans have also found the choir to be their home.

News Briefs Tsangirai sworn in as Prime Minister Following months of power struggles, Morgan Tsvangirai has now been sworn in as Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister.

Long negotiations have finally led to a successful powersharing deal being brokered between Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party and the Tsvangirailed MDC, leading to the hope that the country will finally be able to fight an inflation that has seen the economy all but disappear, along with a cholera epidemic that wiped out thousands of people.

The move comes after months of uncertainty when President Mugabe disputed the election results, leading to widespread unrest in the country.

While it was hoped by many in the international community that Tsvanirai’s ascent to power would stabilise the country, reports have surfaced saying that over 70 white farmers have been driven from their farms, a tactic used often by Mugabe.

Men and Women sin differently Women are prouder than men, but men are more lustful, according to a Vatican report

which states that the two sexes sin differently.

A Catholic survey found that the most common sin for women was pride, while for men, the urge for food was only surpassed by the urge for sex.

The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by Fr Roberto Busa, a 95-year-old Jesuit scholar. The Pope’s personal theologian backed up the report in the Vatican newspaper.

“Men and women sin in different ways,” Msgr Wojciech Giertych, theologian to the papal household, wrote in L’Osservatore Romano.

FEATURE

“

They say that many who volunteer abroad do so for many reasons. Did I choose to volunteer in Africa choosing to focus on HIV and AIDS in order to deal with or come to terms with my own HIV diagnosis?

Clayton Brown Travels to Africa with a real purpose Clayton Brown decided to uproot from his life in the UK to go to Africa to help himself and others. Here he tells of his journey of self-discovery as an HIV+ black man.

L

ife in the UK was going badly.

Continually, I was depressed and down. I knew I needed a holiday and a very long one at that. But because I had limited funds I racked my brains as to how I could get out of the UK. And then it hit me. If I volunteered my services abroad and for a considerable period I would be given cheap accommodation and provided with free meals. Even better, I would only have to work a few hours a day leaving me with copious amounts of time to do my own thing – relax.

Within a short space of time I set up a placement in Ghana. It was agreed that I would travel to schools, churches and community groups teaching individuals about HIV and AIDS. The only problem was that I knew very little about either subject despite been HIV positive myself.

In short, I lied about my knowledge. For example, god forbid someone asks me to actually define the term CD4 count or ask me to tell them what was the difference between ARV and combination drugs. Is there a difference? Who cared! All I had to do was go on the Internet and print off a

few bits of information and communicate to others using a caring voice. As I saw it, if countless Africans couldn’t be bothered to protect themselves or learn about HIV why should I bother my arse and for their benefit? No, all I wanted was a long holiday in the sun and therefore had other things to do.

A few days passed and I decided that it was time to get some information about HIV and AIDS. Reluctantly, I sat down at my computer and typed the words ‘HIV’ ‘AIDS’ and ‘AFRICA’ into Google search engine. I started to read the information contained on the various websites. When I was finished, to my surprise I realised that I had been sitting at the computer for over three hours. And what was more shocking was that I was close to tears.

In 2007 alone 1.5 million people in Africa died of AIDS whilst in the UK the figure was less than 500 (Source: Avert). This thing they called ‘the virgin cure’ where it is believed that if you sleep with a virgin you can cure yourself of HIV also saddened me.

I became even more depressed to learn that many African health workers were selling Antiretroviral drugs to non-HIV patients.

Simply, individuals were crushing some of these drugs and rolling it with tobacco before smoking it. The result: an hallucinogenic high. And what of the stigma and

discrimination towards those African individuals known to be HIV – ostracised from their communities. Also, young adults in Africa were the biggest group of people who continually became infected with HIV. And a staggering 270,000 children died of AIDS each year. These facts I could not ignore.

Over the next couple of days I was incredibly ashamed given my blasé and uncaring attitude towards the AIDS epidemic in Africa. So, with much gusto I tried to make myself feel better.

I began by fundraising and I can gratefully inform that both Myriad Public Relations of Durex Condoms and Ansell UK Limited of Mates Condoms were kind enough to donate 100s and 100s of condoms, which I would take to Africa and distribute. And, Maria Vick from thepencilproject.com kindly donated over 5000 pencils that I would be able to give to various schools. The HIV/ AIDS organisation Avert also provided much assistance in the way of advice. Of course I started to learn or study about HIV and AIDS in as much detail as possible as well as research specifically about AIDS in Africa.

In other words I am now travelling to Africa with a real purpose.

They say that many who volunteer abroad do so for many reasons. Did I choose to volunteer in Africa choosing to focus on HIV and AIDS in order to deal with or come to terms with my own HIV diagnosis, which I have always struggled with? This, is a secondary issue because right now I am more than excited to think that through teaching safe sex, safer sex or HIV prevention and AIDS awareness I will be able to help curb the AIDS epidemic in Africa – albeit in a small way. Or, as a volunteer I now have the chance to try and stop one person from contracting HIV. If I do so then everything that led up to this trip was meant to be. I would like to think so. But I cannot debate the issue any further as the boarding call has just been announced or I have a plane to catch bound for Ghana. Will keep you informed.

NetworkNews.co.uk 11

ENTERTAINMENT

Did you know...

The Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters.

Sunnydale has Buffy and her Scooby Gang, Cardiff has rogue and lovable Torchwood, now Bristol gets its own batch of supernatural oddballs in the new series Being Human.

Network News talks to star Lenora Crichlow about life as a ghost.

Life as a twentysomething is confusing at the best of times, but imagine you’ve got to cope with being dead as well. Such is the life of poor old Annie, a ghost stuck haunting her fiancée’s house and living with two other oddballs – a werewolf called George (Russell Tovey) and centuriesold vampire Mitchell (Aidan Turner).

When you’re Lenora Crichlow, this is just another day at the office and ghosts, werewolves and vampires are the guys you hang out with. Might seem odd, but when your office is the set of BBC Three’s new drama Being Human and you’re playing Annie, you better get used to it. The actress, best remembered as the titular character from Channel 4’s Sugar Rush, was keen to be part of the show as soon as she heard about it, although she didn’t know what to think at first.

“I thought ‘That’s a bit out there!’,” she admits, but was happy to go on a ghostly journey. “Annie’s very unsure when we first meet her. She’s confined by routine and other people’s approval, and she’s quite insecure and vulnerable, and a little bit needy because she’s at the whim of so many things outside of herself.”

Playing a ghost may sound fun, but does come with certain disadvantages.

“Annie doesn’t change [clothes] throughout the whole series. I don’t get to do any costume stuff. I got to watch,” she complains, laughing.

12 NetworkNews.co.uk

“

Annie’s really charmed and bowled over at the beginning by Tully, just the attention from a guy who’s a very alphamale type character, she gets a bit flustered.”

Watching was something Crichlow had to get used to, as often only Annie’s flatmates are able to see her. Undead Mitchell is the more sympathetic of the two, something of a father figure to her and despite looking about the same age, the 118 year old vampire does have a few years on recently deceased Annie. “He’s so old, he’s been there, done it all, he seems to be a bit more knowing,” Crichlow confesses.

Sadly, it’s not that easy with the other flatmate. The actress thinks Annie’s

relationship with werewolf George is more like one between siblings. “There’s some bickering at first and they’re sussing each other out,” she admits, adding that they do eventually learn to get along.

And just because she’s dead and invisible to almost everyone doesn’t mean that a visiting werewolf will not notice Annie’s charming presence.

Hinting at some romance for her character in the third episode of the series, Crichlow admits: “Annie’s really charmed and bowled over at the beginning by Tully, just the attention from a guy who’s a very alpha-male type character, she gets a bit flustered.”

Luckily, the 23-year-old wasn’t invisible on set herself and had a great time with both Russell and Aidan. “Both of them were fantastic, we learned a lot from watching each other,” she admits. “We found our chemistry on and off set, which was very helpful, spending that much time together.”

Again, luckily the trio got along, as working with people you don’t like could be a bit daunting. “We joked about ‘What if we hadn’t got on?’. It would have been an absolute disaster.

But we didn’t really have to consider it, because we’re all just good friends.

It [three months] would be a long time if we didn’t like each other. Our apartment is in the same block as well, so there’s no escape,” she adds.

The next question, of course, is if all the hard work, days in identical wardrobe and cold studios paid off. “We had a screening for the cast and crew just before we wrapped, of Episode 1 at the big Cinema Deluxe in Bristol. Seeing it on the big screen was really exciting.

Personally, it exceeded my expectations.

“The characters definitely have the potential to hold another series, the writing is just very original and I’ve never been on a series where I’ve anticipated the next edition so much,” the Londoner admits. So, will there be more series of Being Human for Lenora Crichlow? “I’d love to come back and do it all over again.”

Kid Cosby

From being the worlds’ cutest television kid to playing a heroin addict, Keisha Knight Pulliam has come far. But a quarter of a century after the Cosby Show premiered, Jonathan Williams finds out what it’s like living in the shadow of Rudy.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, Bill Cosby danced onto our screens as the lovable Dr. Cliff Huxtable, introducing us to his entire brood. There was his nononsense lawyer wife Claire, who kept the five kids in line with equal measures of carrot and stick, the loving grandparens and an array of Uncles and Aunts who all seemed to be retired Jazz musicians.

For the eight years The Cosby Show aired for, we got to know all the offspring well.

We met Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa and the youngest, Rudy, who became the epitome of the cute kid that made you go “Aww”. Of course, if everyone around the globe watched you growing up on screen and only remembers you as the wellbehaved, sweet, youngest Huxtable with eyes the size of saucers, you might want to eventually break free – and that’s exactly what Keisha Knight Pulliam has done.

Pulliam latest role, as a prostitute in Tyler Perry’s comedy Madea Goes to Jail, should finally allow her to break away from typecasting. “I don’t

think you can get more different than a heroin-addicted prostitute from Rudy,” she argues, laughing.

“Perry wanted me to play the safe, district attorney-type role. And I said ‘No, that’s not the one I want to play, I want to play the prostitute,’ because it’s so different, so out of the box for me and I just wanted to do something very different.”

That’s not to say that the actress resents her involvement in the recordbreaking show. She still speaks fondly of her time on set and, unlike many other fellow child stars past and present, was able to stay firmly on the ground.

“My family very much made sure I did remain and stay grounded and played with my friends. I came home and had chores just like any other kid had,” she says, adding that she did not feel like she missed out on a childhood.

“I had the best of both worlds. You know, I had a childhood and I went to school and played with my peers but

“

My family very much made sure I did remain and stay grounded and played with my friends. I came home and had chores just like any other kid had.”

I also had a job and got to have life experience that people never experience so I think I was very fortunate.”

Once the Cosby Show finished its successful run in 1992, the 29 year old took some time off away from acting and attended college, studying sociology.

She has since returned to the limelight, dabbling in quiz shows, the odd piece of reality television and again pursuing acting full-time. The next step is opening her own production company.

Still, it is hard to escape the shadow of Cosby.

People credit the show with breaking down the walls that divided the country, even in the ‘80s, and paving the way for Barack Obama’s successful presidential bid. “It really shows black people in a ‘people’ light, not just the ‘black’ part,” Pulliam agrees. “People were able to watch regardless of their race, religion or socio-economic background, you know, any of those things. And it’s still watched and available today, so I think that shows it stood the test of time.”

Armed with a degree, eager to take risks with her choice of roles and happy to dabble in production, the actress has come a long way from her Emmynominated turn as Rudy (the youngest person to ever have the honour, aged 6).

The next few months will show if her turn as heroin-addicted Candace will pay off.

The Cosby Show Season 4 is out now on DVD.

REVIEW: FILM

Notorious

When phrases like “Cut down in the prime of life” are used, they tend to reference victims of knife or gun crime. One such victim would be US rapper Notorious B.I.G., killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997 that the police famously failed to solve.

Biggie Smalls, born Christopher Wallace and at home in the roughest part of Brooklyn, was cut down at a time when his career could only continue to rise. But Notorious, despite starting with his death, is not a film about his murder, rather it shows how his experiences not only shaped his songs but his life.

Discovered by Puff Daddy (played as a squeaky clean, unthreatening career man by Derek Luke) back in the day before he became P-Diddy, Wallace becomes a massive success, with all the adoring women and shedloads of money that come with fame.

But the heart of the movie is not Wallace cheating or his relationships with Lil Kim and Faith Evans, but rather the row that erupted between East Coast and West Coast rap following a robbery that leaves Tupac blaming Wallace for his injuries.

Jamal Woolard does an excellent job as the Notorious rapper, making you believe in a character who was too ashamed to leave his house in anything but the clothes his mother would approve of, only to have a secret stash of trendier clothes on the roof that he would change into before he went off to deal drugs.

The film shows both the rapper’s caring side and his womanising one, not sugarcoating the way he jumped from one woman to the next, even after he vowed to stand by his first girlfriend when she fell pregnant.

As the end of the film, we’re left with the impression that had Christopher Wallace lived, he might have been a better father to his children and a more mature man overall. We’ll never know, but instead can judge him by his legacy in shape of his two albums. Jonathan Williams

NetworkNews.co.uk 13

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Dress Impress to

Spot top £25, yellow tulip skirt £25, yellow gem bracelet £12.

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14 NetworkNews.co.uk

Yellow floral print cotton dress £35, Wicker barrel bag £15.

W

“Anorexics are Skinny, I’m not” Laura Foster explores how more and more women are suffering with the mental effects of Anorexia.

e can’t open a paper or magazine without seeing another story about obesity. What is less documented is the everyday turmoil of women and even children as young as eight or nine who are suffering from eating disorders.

Anorexia nervosa is defined as ‘selfinduced weight loss caused by avoiding fattening foods and excessive exercise’. When we picture an anorexic person, we see a skeletal figure with hollow eyes and papery skin. But anorexia is a mental disorder that affects more women than we would think.

A shocking study showed that thirty-five percent of girls aged six to twelve have been on a diet. The same study showed that fifty to seventy percent of healthy-weight women believe that they are overweight.

Nicola* is one of these women. She is 5’9 and weighs 11st 3lb, giving her a healthy BMI of 21.9 (a healthy BMI ranges from 18 to 25). But she still worries about her weight, her life filled with excessive gym visits and diet pills.

“I go to the gym for two hours a day. I make celery soup for lunch, because celery burns off fat by just eating it. For dinner, I’ll have five blueberries and another piece of celery. I love going to bed hungry, I feel like I’m burning calories off in my sleep. I take diet pills, and I’ve bought laxatives but haven’t used them yet- I share a house with other girls and it would be embarrassing. ” When asked had she always dieted she replied “Not really. It started when I really liked this guy and his ex girlfriend was very skinny. I had to get skinny to get him.”

When asked would she view herself as having an eating disorder, Nicola* replied “Not at all! Anorexics are really skinny and I’m not!”

A lot of women’s anxieties about weight are based on the types of women we see in he media every day.

Models are seen as “plus-size” if they are a size twelve, when in fact the average UK woman is a size twelve.

Considering this, it’s little wonder that in this “size-zero era” that more and more average sized people are being diagnosed with eating disorders.

The Priory rehabilitation centre in Bury, Greater Manchester, is an eating disorder specialist clinic. Treatment is offered to female patients aged fourteen or over who are suffering from anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorders. According to the official Priory website, the treatments are given in

FEATURE three stages; “The first phase involves correction of dangerous physical disturbances and treats suicidal or psychotic symptoms. The second phase promotes weight gain to a normal level..The third phase is relapse prevention while living in the community, with families involved.’

Another major issue is the use of the internet to promote anorexia. Earlier this year, a number of websites gloryfying starvation were closed down by Microsoft. One such site gave tips such as “take up smoking” and “if your stomach rumbles, hit it” to curb hunger. Another site included personal blogs from teens who had the disease. One shocking blog said “Today was good. Only 200 calories and five hours on my feet.

I feel a little dizzy but the proud feeling is 100x better. Although I’m dreading tomorrow, I have to meet some friends at a restaurant for lunch.”

There are lots of signs to look out for in a potential anorexic. Some of these are: • Dramatic recent weight loss unrelated to an illness • Excessive and/or compulsive exercising • Pretending to eat or lying about eating For the more symptoms, visit www.medicinenet.com/anorexia_nervosa *Names have been changed.

Male Anorexia Anorexia is still considered a disorder that largly affects women, but in recent years, Britain has seen a dramatic rise in “manorexia”, or males with the disorder. A recent survey showed that eight out of fifty men had experienced the disorder in the past, two of whom were still battling it. Reasons for anorexia to occur in men are unknown, but some are the same as those seen in women; such as occupational goals and the ever increasing emphasis on outward apperance. Anorexia is statistically more common in homosexual men. Males often cover up the problem with drugs and alcohol abuse, and also excessive exercise in sports like jogging, cycling and tennis.

As with the websites used to target teenage girl anorexics, there are also blogging sites aimed at male anorexics, however these seem less extreme then those aimed at the females. One blogger wrote, “The more I thought about it, the more obvious it was. I’m anorexic. I still think it looks good. There is, for me, something incredibly more attractive about underweight people, but right now, I realize I’m a skeleton dipped in yellow wax.” The blogger’s sexuality isn’t revealed.

NetworkNews.co.uk 15

SPORTS NEWS

Did you know...

It would take a modern spaceship 70,000 years to get to the nearest star to earth.

Asian Sports Personality of the Year Role call of honour in the British Asian Sports Awards The winners of the British Asian Sports Awards were revealed at a gala event held in London in February. The coveted Sports Personality of the year award went to cricketer Samit Patel.

The award was collected by Mr Patel, father of Samit Patel. Samit is currently representing England in the West Indies.

Mr. Patel was thrilled to accept the Sports Personality of the Year Award for Samit: “Samit was up against some very talented people and he is very honoured to have won the award. Being chosen by the public and a panel of expert judges makes this award a great personal achievement for him.”

• Salil Navapurkar, aged 9 from Northwood in Middlesex for Young Sports Personality of the Year (under 10) • Manisha Chowdhary, aged 16 from Pinner in Middlesex for Junior Sports Personality of the Year (under 18, female) • Joshua Sharma, aged 14 from Swindon for Junior Sports Personality of the Year

(under 18, male) •S unny Hira, aged 25 from Birmingham for Most Up and Coming Sports Personality of the Year •B arinder Singh, aged 25 from Leicester for Outstanding Achievement Award • J agtar Singh Johal, aged 41 from Leicester for Coach of the Year •S amit Patel, aged 24 from Nottingham for The British Asian Sports Awards Sports Personality of Surinder Arora for Community Business in Sport •M ahendra Singh Dhoni for International Sports Personality of the Year

•V ijay Amritraj for Lifetime Achievement Award Former England cricketer Mark Ramprakash, who was honoured with a champagne moment for scoring one-hundred 100’s in first class cricket enjoyed the event. “Today’s ceremony was spectacular! I am truly humbled to have received this award for what I would describe as the most cherished moment in my cricketing career. I would also like to give my heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and their proud parents.”

L-R: Keith Vaz MP and Joshua Sharma winner of Junior Sports Personality of the Year Male at the BASAs. Manisha Chowdhary winner of the Junior Sports Personality of the Year Female at the BASAs. Lemar at the Awards. Salil Navapurkar Winner of Young Personality of the Year Award at the BASAs. James Caan and Barinder Singh winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Mark Ramprakash at the BASAs. Denise Lewis OBE at the ceremony.

16 NetworkNews.co.uk

news

TEACH

The Essential Courses and Careers Guide to Teaching

TEACH Thinking of going into teaching?

Teaching is a wonderfully rewarding career but it can also be challenging and you need to be realistic about what you hope to achieve by entering the profession.

You are considering a career that is interesting, rewarding and stimulating. Of course, it can also be stressful and demanding at times, but most teachers wouldn’t do anything else. As a teacher, you’ll get to work with a wide range of people of all different ages and backgrounds – moreover, you’ll also have fun.

Brighter school careers.

Career Opportunities in Schools Teaching and Support Staff If you are looking to begin a career in a school, or look for a new challenge, our high standards in education make Essex one of Britain’s brightest places to start.

With over 570 schools in the County, we can offer superb opportunities for everyone from teaching assistant to Headteacher, from catering staff to school Bursar.

Visit essexschoolsjobs.co.uk or call 01245 436252 to find out more.

www.essexschoolsjobs.co.uk 18 NetworkNews.co.uk

What are the types of teacher-training courses available to you?

There are a range of ITT courses available and it is important that you find one to suit your circumstances. For more, see What course will be best for me?

What kind of qualifications will you need to become a teacher?

You are considering a career that is interesting, rewarding and stimulating. To become a fully qualified teacher in state schools in England and Wales, you’re going to have to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This will almost certainly mean completing a programme of initial teacher training (ITT). In order to find out more about the qualifications

required for different ITT routes, please see: Qualifications you need.

Changes to rules for obtaining QTS For all UK trainee teachers, the current limit of five years in which you can be employed as a teacher without having passed the skills tests and obtained QTS has been replaced by a deadline of 31 August 2008. After this date, no one can be employed as a teacher in a maintained school, non-maintained special school or pupil referral unit in England without having passed the skills tests and obtained QTS

What kind of experience will you need to become a teacher?

Experience of working in schools or with youth groups, for example, are important

Case Study Shirin Patel (age 28) I have always had the love of learning and always been curious as to how young children learn and understand. I therefore chose to teach, as I wanted to help each child fulfil their potential for learning and make a real difference to their lives.

After completing a BSc and MSC in Media Science and IT, I decided to move into teaching ICT to ensure I am continually learning about a subject that inspires me. I completed a School Centred Initial Teacher Training Course (SCITT), which was undoubtedly the best route I could have chosen, as it was hands on training. I spent the majority of my time in schools observing and teaching.

When I was two thirds into my course I started to job hunt. I looked on the TES, sent an updated CV and covering letter to various LEA’s. I also approached placement schools.

I think your covering letter is definitely the most important document as you can really “sell” yourself. I received a massive amount of help from my tutor with this.

I am currently a Teacher of ICT at working at an Academy. I teach KS3, KS4 and KS5 ICT and truly enjoy it.

When will you join South London’s school workforce?

This is your opportunity to read, surf and apply! www.southlondongroup.co.uk South London is an exciting and diverse part of the capital that defies general description.

Schools in South London aim for all ethnic backgrounds to be represented in the school workforce and there is a strong shared commitment to attract and retain quality staff in areas where they are under-represented.

The South London Group continually promotes the recruitment and retention of Black and Asian teachers as the group consider it imperative to have role models for young people within the education system www.southlondongroup.co.uk puts you in contact with Local Authorities across South London, that recruit teachers and support staff for over 900 schools across the Primary, Secondary and Special sectors.

The South London Group website provides an overview of employment opportunities in 12 boroughs and it gives you direct links to individual borough websites where you can: ∑ apply for jobs ∑ register for recruitment talent pools ∑ sign up to receive electronic vacancy bulletins You will also be able to find out more about: ∑ continual professional training available to school staff ∑ housing schemes for affordable accommodation to rent and to buy Each borough recruits slightly differently but common across all schools in boroughs is the desire to recruit and retain the best quality teachers and support staff.

So if you have the qualifications and drive to make a difference visit www.southlondongroup.co.uk and click through to the borough’s of your choice South London Schools look forward to hearing from you soon…

NetworkNews.co.uk 19

TEACH aids to learning more about what it might be like to be a teacher and also in getting onto the ITT course you want. For further details, please see: Gettting on a course.

Other issues to consider If you have thought seriously about a career in teaching, you will already have thought through many of the issues below.

Use these points as a checklist to ensure that you’ve considered the impact of your decision on every area of your life.

Your current financial commitments: will you be able to support yourself during a year or more of study?

Opportunties: are there many teaching/ ITT opportunities in your area? Would you be willing to relocate if not?

Travelling: how far are you willing/ able to travel for work/training?

The structure of the academic year: what’s the impact of the termly structure on how you like to work? What impact might it have on the holidays you and your family/friends can take? How will you manage with the ‘peaks’ of busy times within the school year?

Work/life balance: will you find the time for lesson planning, marking etc?

n i a r T h c a e to T

Age groups: what age group do you wish to teach? Do you have any work experience with that age group?

Our PGCE programme

•

•

•

•

is well respected nationally, and has received an outstanding OfSTED report has an excellent record of employment for trainee teachers on completion of the course promotes the highest standards of teaching in a stimulating academic environment enjoys a close partnership with a wide range of urban and

rural schools where you will develop the skills to establish your own identity as a successful teacher.

Secondary (11-18) subjects: English, History, Information Technology, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Physical Education and Science (with specialisms in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental Science and Physics) Middle Years (7-14) subjects: English, Mathematics and Science Important reminder • The University has an active equal opportunities policy and applications are particularly welcome from graduates from ethnic minority backgrounds and those with disabilities; • TDA bursaries are available.

email: pgce@bath.ac.uk

www.bath.ac.uk/education/pgce 20 NetworkNews.co.uk

Subjects: would you prefer to teach one or two subjects in depth (secondary) or a broader range of subjects (primary)?

School culture: what kind of school culture would support how you wish to teach and interact with pupils?

Depending on how long it’s been since you’ve been in a classroom, you may need to consider the extent to which it will have changed in that time.

Challenges and difficulties ahead: how do you cope with challenges?

Teaching is a rewarding and also challenging career. Pupil/parent behaviour, the national curriculum, structures of school buildings, school culture, community profile are among the issues that can be the cause of either support or challenge for teachers. It may not always be possible to find the perfect school for you at particular points of your career and it’s worthwhile considering how you would meet the challenges that such a situation can present.

When making your decision, question any assumptions you have about what

it is like to be a teacher; talk to others in the profession; and even think about visiting your local school.

Your placement The road ahead may appear a little daunting right now but don’t worry.

By the time you finish your course you’ll have all the skills, knowledge and confidence you need for that first step into the classroom.

To help you get there, these pages feature lots of advice and information to help you through your placement. You’ll find everything here, from advice on behaviour management to suggestions about how to build up a good working relationship with your mentor.

School placements are a vital part of your course, bringing together knowledge of children and their learning, of schools and different educational settings as they are currently organised, and the knowledge gained during the taught course.

While on placements, the expectation is that you will show yourself to be as hard-working and committed to teaching and children’s learning as the practitioners you work alongside.

Support from your university while on placement Each university will have established strong contacts with many schools and nurseries/early years’ centres. They are very dependent on the ability of the schools and nurseries to take students at the stipulated times; there are many reasons why accepting students may not be convenient; something to bear in mind when allocations to placements are made. Some universities may have a strong emphasis on preparing students for each particular type of setting, e.g. multicultural, urban schools, and will therefore try and ensure a placement in each setting.

Whilst this may vary from university to university, the following are some of the topics likely to be included: • an outline of roles and responsibilities of the student, class teacher, mentor/tutor • procedures for problems/difficulties – who to contact, necessary paperwork, etc • attendance procedures • guidance notes and/or checklist for your files • examples of planning formats

Are you interested in training to teach at a top-ranked School of Education?

Ranked as one of the top 15 Schools of Education in England and based on the £120m purpose built de Havilland campus, we provide state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities as well as some of the best university-based sporting and fitness facilities in the country.

We offer a range of full-time and part-time PGCE Secondary programmes including: • Modern Foreign Languages (French, French with Spanish, French with German and German with French) • Science • Maths • Art and Design • English • Business Education

We also offer Primary PGCE full-time and by distance learning.

The University encourages applications from under-represented groups.

For more information on courses, please visit

go.herts.ac.uk/education T: 01707 285732 E: admissions@herts.ac.uk

TEACH Observations and assessments of teaching students in schools is a vital part of the course

Attendance on placements

The expectation is that there is 100% attendance for all school experience placements across the year. If you are ill or unable to attend nursery/school at any time you must: • contact the nursery/school as early in the day as possible indicating how long you think you will be away • inform your university/supervising tutor of your absence • inform your university/supervising tutor when you return.

• Please note that there is a requirement that PGCE students have a minimum of 90 days in school across the year and you may have to make up extra time in school if you are absent for more than three days.

Observations • assessment procedures • examples of observation forms • information on university resources specifically for placement, e.g. the ‘Teaching Practice’ section of the university’s library.

Whatever setting you are in, you will have a university tutor to support and advise you. This may be an internal tutor or an experienced external, parttime tutor. Increasingly schools will have a mentor; an experienced teacher who will have undergone training from the university, and who will play a significant role in supporting and guiding you throughout your placement.

Distance travelled There will usually be a form to complete prior to placement giving details of your term-time address, nearest public transport and any personal circumstances that affect your ability to travel.

However, you should understand that you might have to travel to your placement and you should expect a journey time at least equal to the time it takes you to travel to university.

You should make the journey first to ascertain how long it will take before voicing any concerns. If you feel the journey is unreasonable, this should be stated in writing to the person responsible for placements.

22 NetworkNews.co.uk

Observation and assessment of students in nursery/school is a vital part of the whole course, indicating that you are on the way towards meeting the Standards required for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Much of this is carried out informally on a daily basis. However, there are, of course, formal observation visits, made by the supervising tutor, mentor or class teacher, which are recorded on the appropriate forms, with written recommendations and advice for you to follow.

The number of observations may vary according to the course and to the placement. It is important that formal observations take place at an agreed time between the student and the observer including time for prompt feedback afterwards.

Observations will be based on meeting the Professional Standards appropriate for the placement with a particular emphasis on the following: • appropriate relationships formed with children, all staff, parents and carers • demonstration of progression from teaching small groups to large groups/ whole class with employment of successful management strategies • growing insight into and understanding of the ways in which children learn and of the role their languages play in this • progression in monitoring and assessing children’s progress, both intellectual and social • understanding of the importance of

Would you make a good teacher?

Warwick Institute of Education offers Initial Teacher Education courses in: • PGCE Early Years (3-7), • PGCE Primary (5-11), • PGCE Secondary (11-19) • PGCE Diploma (14-19) in: – Creative and Media – Society, Health and Personal Development – Business Administration and Finance

Learning to teach at Warwick will provide you with a PGCE from one of the top Initial Teacher Education providers in England PGCE: pgce@warwick.ac.uk or +44 (0)24 7652 8148 GTP: gtp@warwick.ac.uk or +44 (0)24 7652 2918 or go to our website: http://go.warwick.ac.uk/education

UEANewtworkNews:Network News

16/01/2009

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ADVERTORIAL: University of East London A Teaching Career Withstands the ‘Credit Crunch’ Turmoil!

Arthur Findlay graduated in Pure Mathematics and, after spending 25 years working in commercial accountancy, decided that he needed a change of career. Teaching was high on his priority list. He was offered a position to lecture in accountancy at his local Adult Education College and this then led him to pursue Qualified Teacher Status.

Arthur is currently studying the Postgraduate Certificate in Education Secondary Mathematics programme. The one year, full-time PGCE at the University of East Anglia leads to 60 credits at Masters Level and Qualified Teacher Status.

“I have always wanted to teach Maths because of my Cost Accountancy background. The PGCE Secondary course is centred around teaching Mathematics using ICT and the ‘tried and tested’ methods of teaching modern Mathematics to secondary pupils around the Key Stage 3 and 4 curriculum. The course is quite different to undergraduate study as a lot more self-

motivation is needed, as well as good time management to ensure that you are able to focus on the demands of this highly intensive academic programme as well as creating time for your family commitments.”

Arthur goes on to comment, “The University of East Anglia came highly recommended, and in light of the current ‘credit crunch’, I am confident that I will achieve a good teaching position at the end of the course. Although I am a teacher trainee at present, my working day is no different from a normal teacher. In fact a trainee’s day seems to be even more demanding as we are continuously juggling lesson plans and actual teaching with meeting assignment targets.”

School of Education and Lifelong Learning

Teacher Training (PGCE ‘M’ Level) The University of East Anglia offers the Primary and Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) which leads to Qualified Teacher Status and 60 credits at Masters Level.

The UEA PGCE involves a combination of schoolbased placements, lectures, practical workshops and group work and has been awarded outstanding OfSTED grades in recent inspections.

We place great emphasis on nurturing the skills needed for managing the classroom and on developing the ability to teach effectively to a wide range of youngsters.

For more information, please visit our website

www.uea.ac.uk/edu/pgce or contact us tel 01603 592855 or email eduinfo@uea.ac.uk

NetworkNews.co.uk 23

TEACH You should record your teaching experiences

reflecting on and implementing equal access to the curriculum, taking into account the issues that may adversely affect learning and progress • completion of all tasks required by the taught courses • a final reflective review, which addresses your own professional development, shows your growing confidence in planning, teaching and assessing and which draws on relevant learning and curriculum theory.

Feedback Feedback should take place as soon as possible after the observation and offer: • a two-way process where you reflect on the lessons together • a copy of the actual observation - notes and a short overview of the lesson’s content, resources and successes • non-judgemental statements • constructive feedback

• advice - offered and received sensitively and professionally • alternatives and solutions to emerging problems • a clear indication of strengths, setting clear targets for development.

Importance of your file You will be required to keep a file/s throughout the course, in which to record your teaching experiences and your professional progress. These documents are a significant source of evidence for monitoring your school-based progress and the ways in which you link the taught courses to your own teaching.

They therefore need to be clearly organised, professionally written and maintained.

Writing and maintaining your file can seem a very onerous task.

Writing and evaluating session plans, reflecting on your own teaching and curriculum provision, recording and

Turn your Talent to Teaching at the University of Portsmouth Postgraduate Certificate of Education and Qualified Teacher Status Start building cultural bridges in the classroom and at a professional level.

Consider opportunities for secondary school teaching in:

Modern Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science, English, Geography or Business Studies.

Be a part of a diverse community where all individuals are valued.

At Portsmouth, we welcome applicants from all ethnic backgrounds and are committed to equality of opportunity.

A training bursary of £9,000 awaits for students of Maths, Science and MFL. Students of Business Studies, Geography and English will receive a bursary of £6,000. Grants are available to assist with course fees.

Early Years Professional Status Want to have the Early Years Professional Status?

The “new status open to graduates … designed to improve the lives of young children and their families by driving up quality …” (CWDC 2008) The University of Portsmouth offers 3 pathways. Subject to eligibility, the cost of tuition fees and supply cover can be met.

t 023 9284 5204 f 023 9284 5365 e secs.enquiries@port.ac.uk w www.port.ac.uk

24 NetworkNews.co.uk

analysing observations and evidence of learning, developing children’s profiles, incorporating relevant theory are all part of the file and are all time-consuming.

But the aim is that by the end of the course you will have internalised many of these processes by constantly refining your thinking and writing.

Maintaining your file will support your progress as a reflective practitioner as you develop: • critical insight into educational settings and of being a learner in such settings • professional skills in planning suitably exciting and investigative activities which build on and

extend present knowledge • the ability to evaluate what children have learned and what you need to do next to enhance their learning • self-analysis, identifying and confidently building on your successes and identifying and remedying ‘failures’ • the links between theory and practice which lead to your becoming an intellectually informed teacher • your understanding of what constitutes an appropriate curriculum for children and to match tasks to children detailed records of required asks (from the taught courses) carried out in nursery/school.

For more information see www.new2teaching.org.uk

WE ARE MORE DIVERSE THAN YOU THINK Ofsted have found (December 2008) that we are a

Local Authority where ‘Priorities are clear, … , and

take account of equality and diversity issues well’.

Come and be a role model in our diverse learning community.

Are you a qualified teacher?

Come and teach in a Local Authority where Ofsted have found that ‘Levels of attainment at all Key Stages are above the national average and no schools achieve below the government floor targets’.

Contact us for details of our vacancies and ‘brokerage system’ for filling these.

Are you a graduate looking to change to a career in teaching?

Contact us for details of our very successful Graduate Teacher

• Are you a graduate or nearly a graduate in a shortage subject *?

• Are you thinking about a career in secondary teaching?

• Do you want to know more before committing yourself?

• We are offering: -

TASTER DAYS FOR TEACHING Wednesday – Friday 11th, 12th & 13th February @ Kent & Medway Training, The Leigh Technology Academy, Dartford, Kent DA1 1QE

Programme for graduates wanting to gain Qualified Teacher Status.

This three day course is free.

Contact us

For further details and an application pack please contact: Mrs Heidi King, KMT Administrator on 01322 620518 email hki@leighacademy.org.uk or visit our website www.kmtraining.org.uk

Website: Phone: Email: Post:

www.rbwm.gov.uk 01628 796628 ian.skelton@rbwm.gov.uk Recruitment & GTTP Manager Children’s Services, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF

* Secondary shortage subjects – Maths, Science, ICT, Modern Foreign Languages, RE, Music, Design & Technology

ADVERTORIAL: Bath Spa University

Teacher Training at Bath Spa University Teaching is an important and increasingly popular choice of career for all kinds of people.

Whatever your circumstances – whether you’re about to graduate or looking for a change of direction – now is the perfect time to start a new and truly rewarding career.

Teaching is a job where you can inspire inquisitive minds by bringing your own knowledge and creativity to your subject. It also offers job security and a structured career path, particularly important in the current economic climate.

Wide choice of subjects Bath Spa University has a long tradition of Initial Teacher Training and each year a diverse group of trainees are recruited to PGCE programmes in a range of subjects. These include art and design, design and technology, English, ICT, mathematics, music, modern languages, PE, RE and science.

Financial incentives You will also receive generous funding while you train, in the form of a tax-free training bursary of up to £9,000, depending on the subject you train to teach. If this is a shortage

(Applicants are required to send a £20 deposit, refundable following full attendance)

subject you may also be eligible to receive a ‘golden hello’ bonus of between £2,500 and £5,000 once you’ve completed your first year of teaching.

PGCE events Bath Spa University regularly hold PGCE events for those wanting to find out more about becoming a teacher and the full range of PGCE courses on offer. The next one is an open evening on 10th February, followed by drop in sessions in Bristol on 14th March and Bath on 25th April.

Bath Spa also recognise the importance of building a teaching profession that reflects society’s wide range of ethnic and social groups. They will therefore be running a taster course for candidates from a black and minority ethnic background later in the spring.

For further information visit www.bathspa. ac.uk, email teaching@bathspa.ac.uk or telephone 01225 875624.

Make a difference

Teach.

Are you thinking of becoming a teacher of the future?

At Bath Spa University we offer teacher training PGCE courses in a wide choice of subjects for both Secondary and Key Stage 2/3.

You will receive excellent support from dynamic and highly committed course tutors, a tax free training bursary of up to £9,000 plus a golden hello bonus in some subjects at the end of your first year of teaching.

If you feel you can turn your talent to teaching please join us for a coffee to find out more.

We have PGCE events on 10 February, 14 March and 25 April 2009 – see website for full details.

We particularly welcome applications from groups under-represented in teaching, notably black and minority ethnic candidates.

Tel: 01225

875624

teaching@bathspa.ac.uk www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/teaching Email:

NetworkNews.co.uk 25

FIRE RESCUE

Firefighter

Confidence, good Communication skills, initiative, fitness, adaptability, commitment to diversity.

Have you got what it takes to be a firefighter?

As a firefighter, you will be called upon to tackle various emergency situations where your problem solving skills and initiative will be vital to resolve issues quickly and calmly. Incidents vary from tackling fires and rescuing people from burning buildings to dealing with chemical spillages and Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs). A sensitive approach will be required when dealing with members of the public who may be distressed and confused.

Today’s firefighter also works closely with the community to increase their level of awareness and so prevent incidents from occurring in the first place.

Being able to communicate effectively to schools, community groups, voluntary organisations and others is important, as is treating people with dignity and respect regardless of their background or culture.

The attributes required There are certain personal attributes you will need to help you fulfil your role as a firefighter.

These include confidence, resilience, adaptability, ability to communicate effectively, integrity and have a commitment to diversity. The role of the firefighter is continually changing as new techniques and equipment are introduced. As well as responding to emergencies, you will also be expected to work closely with the community: • To prevent fire and accidents from starting in the first place.

• Educating the community by visiting schools, community centres and people in their own homes.

• Advising people about planning escape routes within their own homes in case of a fire.

• Actively seeking to understand and to value diverse individuals and groups.

26 NetworkNews.co.uk

Training and Development As a firefighter you will be expected to undertake a continuous training programme by attending lectures, exercises, practical training sessions and other forms of training to maintain competence levels.

You will be expected to take responsibility for developing your own skills and ensuring that your fitness levels are maintained as the work can be demanding, both physically and mentally.

Retained firefighters Retained firefighters are an essential part of the Fire & Rescue Service. They serve rural communities, responding to pagers when an emergency call is received. A retained firefighter must live or work within five minutes of the fire station. Clearly, flexibility is key and you will need to be either self-employed or have an employer who is supportive and willing for you to leave work at a moments notice to attend an emergency.

If you are interested in becoming a retained firefighter, contact your nearest retained station and speak to the Station Commander to discuss your availability and to determine your suitability.

Applying to join the Fire and Rescue Service If you wish to join the Fire and Rescue Service as a firefighter, you will need to complete and pass the following stages, all of which are explained in more detail throughout the recruitment section: • Initial Application.

• Psychological Tests.

• Physical Tests.

• Interview.

• Medical and References For more information see: www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment

Firefighter It is important to know what an employer is looking for when it comes to passing an interview. Read on to find out what the Fire Service expects from recruits.

The National Point of Entry election procedure asks potential recruits to complete a detailed application form, which will be assessed against National Personal Qualities and Attributes (PQA).

If you want to move to a new role or indeed join the Fire Service, it would be unreasonable to expect you to know everything about that new job or role in advance. Instead, your personal qualities and attributes can be measured to see if you have the potential to carry out the new role. These PQAs cover your ability to work with others, to act appropriately in conflict situations, to be part of a team and to communicate effectively. Here are a few examples of some of the qualities and attributes which you will be expected to have:

Commitment to Diversity and Integrity Understands and respects diversity and adopts a fair and ethical approach in all situations.

• Is concerned to treat people fairly and ethically (e.g. completes work according to same high standards regardless of individual differences).

• Recognises the importance of an awareness of the community and understands its needs (e.g. is aware and respectful of differing cultures and backgrounds).

• Accepts change both within the Fire and Rescue Service and in their own role (e.g. willingly participates in Community Fire Safety activities).

Effective Communication

Confidence and Resilience

Communicates effectively both orally and in writing.

Maintains a confident and resilient attitude in highly challenging situations.

• Remains in control of own emotions during emergency situations (e.g. does not panic and considers risk).

• Concentrates on the task despite pressure (e.g. pressure of time, noise, conflicting information and tasks, and concern for casualties).

Working with Others Works effectively with others both within the Fire and Rescue Service and in the community.

• Works effectively with all team-members according to defined role (e.g. in teams of 2 and up to teams of 20), adjusting

his/her role in accordance with instructions and changing circumstances.

• Attempts to get to know everyone in working environment and liaises with community groups to promote fire safety; works well with other emergency services.

• Communicates verbal messages clearly, concisely and at a level appropriate to the audience so that message is understood regardless of individual differences.

• Is able to convey the importance of fire safety without distressing members of the public unnecessarily.

• Able to recall and apply correct, relevant job related information and procedures during incidents (e.g. training procedures for ladder erection).

• Able to adapt and apply standard or existing procedures and practices and personal skills to take account of a changing environment and to minimise risk.

Commitment to Excellence Adopts a conscientious and proactive approach to work to achieve and maintain excellent standards.

• Continually looks to improve standards of working and offers suggestions as necessary (e.g. provides feedback concerning new or existing work practices to influence change or improve service delivery).

• Adopts a conscientious approach to work (e.g. checks work to ensure all tasks completed correctly and with due attention to detail; maintains levels of personal fitness).

• Completes work according to correct procedures (e.g. refrains from taking unsafe short-cuts).

• Is clear about the role of the firefighter and operates within agreed levels of authority, within a disciplined environment (e.g. does not take action outside own level of control without seeking confirmation).

For more information see: www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment

NetworkNews.co.uk 27

“It’s not all

Black or W

We value dif

White,

Essex County Fire & Rescue Service is striving to achieve a diverse workforce one that is reflective of the community in which we serve.

If you want to make a difference visit essex-fire.gov.uk

fference�

Essex County Fire & Rescue Service

ENTERTAINMENT Fresh off the heels of his BAFTA award, we talk to Noel Clarke about the trouble with finding roles, his heroes and who supported him through the lean years.

Noel Clarke is the type of actor that’s been around a while, diligently playing the supporting parts. Starting off with recurring spots on Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Casualty, he was putting in the good work, but not often given the chance to shine – that is, until he decided to write his own parts and shot to fame with Kidulthood in 2006.

Hot on the heels of his two years as part of the Doctor Who phenomenon where he played Micky Smith, Rose’s hapless but ultimately heroic boyfriend, Kidulthood made a splash at the box office, leading to a sequel last year for which he not only penned the script and starred in, but also directed. For his efforts, he was rewarded with the Orange BAFTA Rising Star award this February.

He talks to Jonathan Williams about the trouble with finding roles, his heroes and who supported him through the lean years.

Was writing a way of creating the roles you identified with – but otherwise wouldn’t be offered?

Offered? The parts weren’t even there. I quickly realised that things I was going up for weren’t going to progress my career.

Parts just weren’t there or good enough for me and my peers.

So I started writing for two reasons. One so I could keep busy between acting jobs instead of going mad, and two so if anything I wrote got made, maybe I would get a decent part.

Britain’s Rising Star

What is your greatest ambition – both in life and for work?

I can’t tell you that. I have an ambition. I have a plan for me and my family and where I want to go both in life and work, but the last I would do is talk about it.

I’m just going to keep working to make it happen.

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up?

I wanted to be an actor.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I think Kidulthood is up there and the Lawrence Olivier award.

But Adulthood is the thing that has to be at the top of the pile. I think it was something that not many people believed I could pull off and was the hardest thing I ever did.

Talent: Noel wrote, directed and starred Adulthood.

30 NetworkNews.co.uk

Noel Noel: Christmas came late for Clarke this year, in the form of a BAFTA award

Working on Doctor Who has made you part of popular culture – what’s it like to have your own action figure?

Yeah doctor who was/is a big part of my life and having an action figure is really cool. I don’t know what else to say about it.

Quickfire

What’s your fondest memory of working on Adulthood, despite the stress of juggling the responsibility of being writer, director and star?

The whole thing although difficult was fun, I couldn’t pick out a moment because the very fact a second film I created was getting made was the fondest memory. I guess the best part would be the day we wrapped and we knew we had made the film.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Caring… secure… intense.

Kidulthood and Adulthood both have somewhat bleak views of young peoples futures – what do you think is the best way to have a successful and happy life?

I don’t think Adulthood shows a bleak future, and that’s the end of Kidulthood so when you put the two together as one long story it doesn’t show that. Plus the films are set now. I don’t have answers like that. All I do is work hard, try to live right and stay on the right side of the law and avoid people that don’t.

Who is your hero?

Mine is Maya Angelo, I’ve been reading her poems for years. If anyone is an inspiration then this women is. Life doesn’t frighten me is one of my favourite books.

Who’s been your greatest champion while you worked your way up to the top?

I’ve had a lot of support. My Family. My wife and my boys.

You’ll be shaken and stirred.

Much of the engineering and science taking place in the Ministry of Defence would not be out of place in the latest James Bond film - and yet it is a reality.

Technologies of breathtaking speed, power and capacity; providing a decisive technological edge.

We are: The Ministry of Defence, Defence Engineering and Science Group.

Organisation Description: Central Government. The DESG is the team of thousands of engineers and scientists within the MoD. DESG offers you many benefits including: 1. Probably the very best graduate development scheme for engineers and scientists available in the UK – fully accredited by IMechE, IET, ICE, RINA, IoP and RAeS 2. Massive investment in you. Over and above your salary, the investment in support of your personal professional development will be around £20,000 per year!

3. An accelerated path to Chartered status in your engineering or science profession; with the DESG it’s possible for you to achieve professional Chartership in just four years.

4. A truly rewarding career. MoD projects are fascinating, valuable, unique and sometimes highly classified.

Degree Disciplines required: A multitude of engineering disciplines - also sciences with an emphasis on Physics.

Applications: Apply on-line via our website (Click ‘How to Apply’) See www.desg.mod.uk for closing date.

Undergraduate Sponsorship: Visit our website (Click ‘Student Opportunities for details).

www.desg.mod.uk The MoD is an Equal Opportunities Employer.