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Apprenticeship special!

What employers look for in an Apprentice

Apprentice interviews

Apprenticeship Week Roadshow

Ali Hadawi, our new Principal

Vocational students enterprise

Launch of the official CBC Facebook group

College library 2nd in the country!

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Sugarcraft student success

Leighton Buzzard students putting their skills to good use

New Ladies Football Academy

Creative Arts YCN visit

Fashion Show

Performing Arts Musical

Feedback from the Student Conference 2010

Creative Arts masters success

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3Apprenticeship Special!

If you are considering your next step and interested in Apprenticeships, the National Apprenticeship Service website has everything you need to know. This site also provides a search facility to check out opportunities and available positions.

Apprenticeships will allow you to gain a qualification, as well as experiencing a workplace environment. As an employee, you will earn as you learn and gain valuable skills. This month’s newsletter aims to educate you about Apprenticeships, as well as talk to students currently taing part in the scheme and those who have successfully finished their Apprenticeship.

We also talk to an employer, to find out what they look for in an Apprentice.

For more general information, please visit www.apprenticeships.org

Message from the Vice Principal

Warren Edwards, Vice Principal - Curriculum & Standards

“The College sees Apprenticeships as a very important part of it’s curriculum, in delivering progression opportunities for our students into jobs and future prosperity. We have been developing Apprenticeships across our curriculum to provide opportunities for as many of our students as possible, whilst at the same time, building excellent partnerships with employers.”

4What employers look for in an Apprentice

This month’s employer is Caroline Green from the Fielding Group. The Fielding Group are a manufacturer and importer of clothes, and have been employing Apprentices since 2001. Currently they have on offer a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Business & Administration.

What qualities do you look for in an apprentice?A minimum of five GCSEs at grade C or above. We look for confident, self-assured candidates.

What do you feel are the benefits of Apprenticeships for young people?It gives young people a foot in the door of an employer and experience of working in the real world. Also, it allows the Apprentice to be taught in a work-based environment and earn a competitive rate.

Do National Apprenticeships offer young people a good progression route into permanent employment?At The Fielding Group we appraise each apprentice at the end of their year to assess whether we feel they have a future working on a permanent basis in the company. On several occasions we have offered the apprentice a full time permanent position.

Caroline’s Top Tips

Before applying it is important that you • research the company to ensure that you will be happy doing the sort of work they offerApproach the apprenticeship with a • positive attitudeAt the workplace – work hard, learn your • role quickly and perform tasks efficiently, be approachable and willing to take on responsibilityAt College – work hard, attend lectures, • complete work on time and keep on track of your NVQ modules.

5Apprentice Interviews

Name: Anthony CooperOrganisation: Central Bedfordshire CollegeDepartment: Human ResourcesDuration: 12 monthsCourse: 16 weeksIn Post: 5 months

Why did you choose an apprenticeship?The fact I could learn and gain experience while earning money was perfect.

What do you enjoy about your role?The variety of the work and how everyday is different.

What valuable skills have you developed in your role?I have gained confidence in dealing with people face-to-face and on the phone. I have gained further skills and knowledge through my Business and Administration course that I do at College.

What are your plans once you have finished your apprenticeship?I have been looking into the next level NVQ and then, I would like to study for HR qualifications.

Name: Tehmeena Arif Subject: Business & Administration Level 2 & 3Post Held: Adminstrative Assistant

Tehmeena has successfully completed her Apprenticeship as a Business & Adminstrative Assistant, and now works full-time for the College as an Advisor.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship?I chose to do an Apprenticeship as I enjoy practical work and did not want to study full-time in order to obtain a qualification.

What skills did you develop during your Apprenticeship?Communication, confidence, problem solving, customer services, time management, organisation, computing and working under pressure

Would you recommend an apprenticeship to others?Yes, you get great support whilst on the course, especially your NVQ Assessor. My confidence grew within a couple of weeks and I was able to apply the skills I had developed to all aspects of my work.

Do you feel your Apprenticeship enhanced your future job prospects?Yes, the experience has given me the confidence to work more effectively and be career focused.

6Apprentice Interviews (continued)

Name: Drew, Fraser & LeeSubject: EngineeringDuration: Drew, Fraser & Lee are all in their fourth and final year

All three students have enjoyed their experiences as Apprentices. An Apprenticeship offers the opportunity to meet new people and widen personal skills through work and study.

What qualities are useful to an Apprentice?A willingness to learn, as well as good time management skills in order to successfully balance work and College.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship?Fraser’s father is an engineer, so he chose to follow suit. Drew joined the family business and Lee wanted to earn money whilst gaining a qualification.

What do you enjoy about your role?Drew became an Apprentice straight out of school. Fraser had completed a National Diploma in Engineering before taking on his apprenticeship and Lee’s experience of work was within the leisure industry.

What valuable skills have you developed in your role?The ability to work in a team, good time keeping, self-motivation, and commitment.

What are your plans once you have finished your apprenticeship?Drew is interested in completing a Business Management course and hopes to be running the family business in a few years’ time. Fraser plans to continue with his current employer and eventually take over from his Dad and Lee is considering further learning to increase his skills and may like to complete another apprenticeship.

7Chiltern Business Training Roadshow

Chiltern Business Training, the business division of Central Bedfordshire College are hosting an Apprenticeship Week Roadshow; an informative and educational Roadshow for potential Apprentices, to highlight the many options available to them. The Roadshow will begin on Monday 7 February at Central Bedfordshire College’s Leighton Buzzard Campus and tour the Central Bedfordshire area throughout the week.

Monday February 7 February 10.30am - 12.00pm Central Bedfordshire College, Leighton Buzzard Campus 3.00pm - 5.00pm Tactic Centre, 17 Hockliffe Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1EZ (Under 21s only)7.00pm - 9.00pm Grove Corner, Dunstable

Tuesday February 8 February 10.00am - 12.00pm Lewsey Farm Community Centre 1.30pm - 4.00pm Houghton Regis Library 5.00pm - 8.00pm Carnival Arts Centre/Starlight Youth Club Wednesday February 9 February 9.00am -11.00am Life Long Learning Centre, Luton 12.00pm - 1.00pm Cedars Upper School 1.30pm - 3.30pm Vandyke Upper School 4.00pm - 7.00pm Open Day, Central Bedfordshire College, Dunstable Campus

Thursday February 10 February 9.00am- 12.00pm Purley Market, Marsh Farm 1.00pm - 4.00pm Mayfield Centre, Dunstable 5.30pm - 7.30pm Dallow Development Trust Friday February 11 February10.30am -1.00pm Central Bedfordshire College, Dunstable Campus 2.00pm - 4.00pm Central Bedfordshire College, Houghton Regis Campus 6.00pm - 7.30pm Hockwell Ring Community Centre

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Ali Hadawi CBE

Ali Hadawi has been awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours list. Having recently joined Central Bedfordshire College as the Principal, this is a great start to 2011 for Ali. His previous role was as the Principal of Southend Adult Community College, where he was responsible for improving the College to achieve ‘Beacon status’, the first in its sector. Having obtained a BSc(Hons) in Electronic and Computer Engineering from the University of Birmingham, and a PGCE from the University of Huddersfield, Ali has gained extensive experience working within the IT industry, Further and Higher Education.

Ali has achieved this prestigious award for his services to Further Education in the UK and Iraq. He is a founding member of the Rawabit steering group, which is a UK-Iraq strategic partnership aimed at developing the education sector within Iraq. By providing an insight into how the further education sector is run within the UK, College Principals from Iraq educational establishments are able to adopt elements to help their students and provide them with the skills base needed for rebuilding the Iraqi economy.

Ali commented, “I am really delighted by the honour and the recognition from Her Majesty the Queen and also for coming to lead Central Bedfordshire College. So 2011 has been a really good start for me! I am looking forward to serving the people and businesses of Central Bedfordshire by delivering the best education and training in the area”.

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Vocational Students Enterprise

The Vocational Studies students will be running an enterprise from February for approximately 10 weeks.

The students are planning on selling selections of doughnuts, with an offer of 5 doughnuts for the price of 4.

Please support the enterprise in Reception, 1-2pm every Tuesday.

10Launch of the Official Central Bedfordshire College Facebook Group

After being given the go ahead to introduce the College to social networking, a new Facebook group has been set up.

The group will be a resource for potential and existing students to find out about future events at the College, as well as give prospective students a place to meet before they start at the College. Click on this link to ‘Like’ the group and access the resources available: www.facebook.com/centralbeds

11Library Ranked 2nd for E-Book Usage

The College library have ranked second in the country for student use of e-books.

The online resource ‘ebrary’ is a digital library that allows students and staff to read books online, and it has proven to be a very convenient and environmentally friendly way to study. The College came in at number two in the top 350 list of academic e-book users, with nearly 15,000 page views in December alone. The most popular subjects were business, child care, psychology and teacher education, with some students even logging on on Christmas Day to read the books.

Staff and students have been invited to inductions on the use of the e-resources, including on a one to one basis. We tell users about how the e-books can support their studies when they are in the library. Library staff have visited the smaller sites to give a practical demonstration to staff and learners using Smartboards. It is also important that prospective users are offered a ‘hands on’ training session.

The books are acquired through JISC Collections http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/News/e-Select-launch

The books can be accessed 24/7 from home or college. A certain amount can be copied and printed. Searches for more information on a selected word can link to Google, YouTube and BBC amongst others. This allows the tutor or student to find other relevant information and when used in conjunction with a Smartboard can extend the learning outside the classroom.

We would like to encourage more students to use ebrary, if you have any questions or would like to find out more information, please contact Liz Leighton or Malcolm Jackson in the Library at the Dunstable Campus.

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Sugarcraft Success

Central Bedfordshire College Sugarcraft students have again excelled on a national level, with Samantha Harris being awarded a City & Guilds Medal for Excellence for Outstanding Performance.

The City & Guilds Medals for Excellent recognise and reward inspirational and exceptional work in both learners and their Tutors. The coveted medals are awarded annually to those who have shown outstanding talent through the learning / teaching. Samantha has shown an excellent flair for Sugarcraft techniques and has worked hard to ensure her work is of a high standard. Having been awarded this medal, Samantha has now been shortlisted to win one of eleven Lion Awards, which is a prestigious annual awards ceremony taking place at The Roundhouse in London on 26th May.

Denise Connor, Course Tutor, commented “This is an exceptional achievement for Samantha and we wish her luck at the Lion Awards and every success in her future”.

13Skills put to good use at the Leighton Buzzard Campus

College students Christopher Brewster and Dale Kane are currently studying Level 1 Plumbing at the Leighton Buzzard Campus. The campus itself gave the students an ideal opportunity to practice the skills that they have gained to date.

A damaged toilet in the building needed to be removed and replaced, and the students volunteered to undertake the task. Some minor problems were encountered but these were resolved in a competent manner.

Once they had replaced the toilet it could be seen that it had been completed to a very professional standard. Dale and Christopher were very proud of their achievement and this will remain as a permanent testimony to the skills and achievement they have gained on this course.

Tutor Graham Fensom commented; “Dale and Christopher thrived on this challenge and I would happily have paid a professional plumber if this work had been undertaken at my own home. Many thanks to the Estates Department for supplying the materials, but more importantly, putting their trust in the students”.

14Central Bedfordshire College launch Bedfordshires only Female Football Academy

Central Bedfordshire College are to provide Bedfordshires only Female Football Academy. Students in the Academy will have the option of studying BTEC Extended diplomas or A-Levels whilst training on outstanding facilities for up to 10 hours per week.

The Academy will be open to all female players who are currently in Year 11 or 12 at school. All players are required to attend an interview before attending the practical trial on the 1st June 2011. More information on the trial will be given at the interview stage.The College already hosts a highly successful male programme that has been running for over 8 years and the female academy will follow the same protocol.

Last year 14 of the 17 students on the male Football Development Programme gained university placements in this country and abroad, and we hope that the female students will be able to follow suit and achieve their academic and career ambitions whilst training and enhancing their football attributes.

This evidence shows that this course can meet the needs of all students allowing them to really enjoy their college experience and be very successful on all fronts.

Colin Sharpe, Football Development Manager, commented ”this is fantastic opportunity for all female players to study at these levels which will allow them to pursue their career aspirations whist receiving top class training.

The players will receive sports psychology lessons, nutritional advise, regular fitness testing, which will all enhance their performance. It really is a fantastic opportunity for female players within Bedfordshire. We are also very pleased to have the full support of the Bedfordshire FA with this programme”.

15Creative Arts YCN Visit

Creative Arts students from all years of the BA(Hons) Graphic Design for Print and New Media course visited YCN to find out more about the broader work of the agency, and to talk about the YCN Student Awards programme.

16Fashion Show

Creative Arts will be hosting the annual College fashion show on Thursday 31 March. This event is an exciting opportunity for students from different departments of the College to get involved in the event and for the Creative Arts students to showcase their work.

The show will be held at 2pm and 7pm, and will be held on the same day as a College Open Day to encourage the wider community to attend the event.

17Performing Arts to put on first ever Musical Production

Winner of the Outer Critics Circle award for Best off-Broadway musical in 2001 and seen in a super production at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2005, TICK, TICK… BOOM! is a musical about the courage it takes to follow your dreams. This is Jonathan Larson’s (author of RENT, pictured right) autobiographical (and posthumously produced) tale of a young composer on the brink of turning 30 and falling into oblivion. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city (TICK,), his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue (TICK…), yet Jon is still waiting on tables and trying to write the great American musical (BOOM!). Containing fourteen songs, ten characters, three actors, and a band, TICK, TICK… BOOM! takes you on the playwright/composer’s journey that led to the Broadway blockbuster, RENT. Set in 1990, this traditional book musical is filled with instantly appealing melodies, and a unique blend of pop and musical theatre styles. Everyone, regardless of age, will love this youthful, endearing, and thoughtful piece, and will surely embrace the universal ideal of holding onto your dreams through life’s most difficult challenges.

In our spectacular production, James Rathbone (ND2 Performing Arts) takes the lead of Jon, supported by Abbie Mead as Susan (First Diploma) and Daniel Fortune (Extended Diploma year 1) as Michael, alongside a cast made up of First and National Diploma Performing Arts students.

The production is directed by Laurie Asher, choreographed by Lyn King and will also feature a superb rock band Musically Directed by Peter Dodsworth (Royal College of Music).

18Feedback from the Student Conference 2010

Below is a list of feedback and facts from the Student Representative Conference on 15 December:

Organised by the Learner Voice group• Third event of its kind that we have held now.• Approximately 40 student representatives and student leaders attended from 3 sites• Students gave feedback about their experiences in the College• Workshops about the role of a student representative, understanding the student council budget, improving • communication with students, promoting the green agenda and money week - all led by staff from across the CollegeLots of good ideas and suggestions which have been passed to the Senior Management Team• Feedback from ET to the students is scheduled for the next Student Council meeting•

19Creative Arts Student Completes Masters Degree

Recent graduate from the College, Ravinder Follhea, has just achieved a distinction for his MA in Applied Imagination from Central Saint Martins.

Ravinder took part in the MA Design Studies 2010 Degree Show ‘63 Degrees Exhibition’, where he has exhibited his thesis The Unlawful Economy, and the developed digital media education tools for ex offenders.

Ravinder’s work can be viewed here: http://www.theunlawfuleconomy.info/