The Rocket April 2015

The RocketApril 2015

Principal’s UpdateThe work we undertake during thesummer term helps to prepare ourstudents to successfully completetheir courses and for our plans fornext year to emerge.It is more important than ever thatwe have the best possible successrates which reflect the high qualityof teaching and learning atStephenson College. For individualstudents success means bothcompleting their course andprogressing onto further study oremployment.  It is extremelyimportant that we take thefollowing actions;1. Ensure all students on class-

room based courses completetheir main vocational qualifica-tion by 15th June. This is thedate when results should berecorded by lecturers in Mark-book. This means thatfinal assessments will need tobe completed by early June atthe latest. We will be reviewingoutcomes on our Markbooksoftware on 17th

June to assess overall collegesuccess rates.

2. Ensure that “Next Steps” meet-ings take place as part of thecompletion of Individual Learn-ing Plans (ILPs) for all stu-dents. These are the meetingswhere we record students’ in-tended destinations. Given theimportance of this informationthere will be a review of theextent to which ILPs have beencompleted on the 17th June.

This is a crucial time of year forfinishing assignments, completingportfolios and making sure thatqualifications are signed off beforethe end of term. As many aspossible of our full time FEstudents will have completed theirmain vocational qualification by15th June. We have time foradditional maths and Englishsupport, CV building and otherwork that goes beyond therequirements of the qualificationbefore the end of term in mid-July.Lots of students will be planning tocome back to Stephenson Collegein September, progressing ontohigher level courses or studyingtheir existing specialism in moredepth. If you do intend to comeback to the College in September

it is important that you have your‘passport to progression’ signed offby your lecturer and that this isrecorded in your ILP in ourProMonitor software. This tells usthat you have been recommendedfor progression by your lecturerand it will make your re-enrolmentfor September straightforward.

The week commencing 15th Junewill be a crucial week for getting“passports” signed off. Studentscan ask lecturers to complete this“passport” earlier if you are ontrack to successfully complete yourmain vocational qualification, havepositive reports from your Englishand maths lecturer where relevantand have good attendance.Once we have confirmation thateach student’s “passport toprogression” has been signed offour lecturers will support studentsto complete enrolment forms fornext year before the end of thisterm. There will be a few thingsstudents need to do on enrolmentday in August but the wholeprocess will be as quick and easyas possible.

College staff will be engaged with

prospective new students toStephenson College over thesummer term to provideinformation, advice and guidance,including information about StudyProgrammes which will emphasisethe importance of English andMaths.  Advice will be providedregarding employability skillsrequired for career progressionand how students can besupported at College.  Prospectivestudents will have the opportunityto view our College environmentand the resources we can offer.Staff will also be available duringthe summer holidays to answerqueries and give advice.In the meantime there is specificinformation I would like tocommunicate regardingarrangements for the GCSEEnglish Exam day on 5th May2015.Students taking the GCSE Englishexam will attend college all day.Students from Nottingham willtravel to Coalville by minibus.There will be morning exampreparation followed by the examafter lunch.

At the Coalville campus full timeFE students who are not taking theGCSE English exam will beassigned home study for 5th May.Attendance at college for thesestudents on 5th May is notrequired. Lecturers who have fulltime sessions scheduled for the 5th

May will need to make sure thatsuitable home study is preparedfor the students prior to the 5th Mayand that this is reviewed on thestudent’s next session with thelecturer. For students who areunable to study at home and wishto attend college, a cluster will beassigned where they can haveaccess to PCs and study areas.Lecturers will be available forthese students should they haveany queries or need help with theirstudies.At the Nottingham campusesnormal attendance is required forall students except those whoneed to take the GCSE exam whowill travel to Coalville by minibusfrom Nottingham.At all campuses Apprentices(block and day release) andcommercial course students willattend college as normal. GCSE

exams will take place in cluster 6,cluster 7, cluster 8, 9.3 to 9.6 andthe Early Years Practical room atCoalville so it may be necessary tomove some of the unaffectedclasses to alternative locationswithin the College.Finally, we will hold our StaffDevelopment Event on Friday 1st

May, to which a group of ourstudents and some of ourGovernors will attend. This is akey way in which all members ofour college community can discussour plans and recent activities andI look forward to seeing thoseattending.I appreciate that there is a lot ofinformation in this update and ifyou require any clarification inrelation to any elements please donot hesitate to contact a lecturer,or for college staff requiringsupport, your line manager.We are all working hard at themoment and I would ask that thisis maintained to secure oursuccesses.Thank you.Best wishes

Principal’s UpdateContinued

From softwavesto big hair, studentsput on the style at

College fashion showFrom the soft and glamoroushairstyles of the 1940s through tothe backcombed ‘big hair’ of the1980s, hair and beauty students atStephenson College certainlyknow how to recreate a look.And the students were able toshow off their considerable designtalents – plus their imaginativeinterpretation of the theme ‘timetraveller’ – on the catwalk at thecollege’s fashion show.Working to a brief which looked atthe business aspects of putting onthe event as well as all the hair,beauty and fashion elements, eachstudent picked a specific style era.In less than a fortnight, they helpedto plan and cost the show, puttogether a mood board, madeslide shows, organised a photoshoot and sourced outfits as wellas practised their models’ hair andmake-up.Beth Tagg, a 19-year-old level 3hair and beauty student fromAshby, opted for movie starglamour by taking style inspirationfrom screen icon Marilyn Monroe.

Beth said: “My mum went to afancy dress party as Marilyn andshe looked great. I love the wayMarilyn’s hair is in her pictures. It’smy idea of style and by changing afew bits I managed to make thelook my own.”While Beth worked on creatingMarilyn’s soft waves for her modeland fellow course memberCourtney Laund, level 3 studentOlivia Brookes was getting busywith the hair gel.Nineteen-year-old Olivia fromIbstock chose the 1980s as herera, with friend and model AmandaAdams agreeing to a Bananarama-style big hair do with purple streaksrunning through it.Olivia said: “I wanted to go a bitcrazy and I really love big hair. Mymodel wore leg warmers and a tutuwhich we managed to find in afancy dress shop.”“My mum was a hair stylist and it’ssomething I’ve always wanted todo too. I used to help sweep up inthe salon when I was little and Iwouldn't mind working in a salon orbeing a mobile hairdresser.”

Beth and Olivia were among 50students all at different stages oftheir hair and beauty training whotook part in the show.Hair and beauty tutor ClaireStocker said: “All the hair andbeauty tutors are so proud of whatthe students have achieved. Theyput on a brilliant show which wasfun and upbeat.“Some of our students have beento events such as The ClothesShow at the NEC but staging andtaking part in your own show isreally special.“Quite a few of our clients camealong to watch and were able tobook 10 per cent off hair andbeauty treatments while they werehere. We are also very grateful toJosh Bowman, one of our paintingand decorating students who puton a disco for us for free.”

Renault Trucks UK has chosenStephenson College in Coalville todeliver its national apprenticeprogramme.The commercial truck company,one of the leading brands in theVolvo Group, has selected thecollege because of its state of theart facilities and excellent trackrecord in working with employersto provide bespoke training.Under the new arrangement,Stephenson College in North WestLeicestershire will be responsiblefor training up to 100 apprenticesemployed by Renault Trucks’distributors and repairers acrossthe UK.This development furtherstrengthens the college’s links withthe Volvo Group for whom italready delivers a nationalapprenticeship training programmeon behalf of Volvo Trucks.Gino Costa, managing director ofRenault Trucks UK, said: “Overthe past three years we haveworked hard to improve theapprenticeship programme to itscurrent excellent level. Thetransition of the programme toStephenson College is the next

step in driving our Renault Trucksbrand forward.“Stephenson College is a veryexperienced HGV and automotiveapprentice programme providerwhich has put in place a strong,dedicated Renault Trucks’ team tofocus on recruitment, retention andlearning for our apprentices.

“We are very excited about themove. The college provides afantastic and modern learningenvironment which we believe willbe highly beneficial to theapprentices and to ourdealerships’ businesses.”Renault Trucks’ competencedevelopment team will be workingwith existing apprentices to ensuretheir learning paths are notdisrupted.For new recruits, apprenticevacancies will be handled byStephenson College, with collegestaff liaising with Renault Trucksdealers and the competencedevelopment team to ensurevacancies are filled with highcalibre candidates.Apprentices, their parents anddealers will be invited to awelcome session, including a tour

of the college campus, in thecoming months.While on block release theapprentices will be placed withlocal families approved byStephenson College as part of itsduty of care.Apprentices will continue to beassessed in the workplace, with alltheir qualification and trainingrecords automatically transferringto the new training provider.Access to higher levelapprenticeships will also beavailable to those apprenticeslooking to further develop theircareers.Simon Kibble, director of qualityand development at StephensonCollege, said he was delightedRenault Trucks had joined thegrowing list of UK employers towhom the college deliversbespoke apprenticeship training.He said: “It’s great news and we’relooking forward to working withRenault Trucks UK and welcomingthe company’s apprentices toStephenson College thisSeptember.”

Renault Trucks UKchooses StephensonCollege to delivernational apprenticeprogramme

North West Leicestershire MP AndrewBridgen was able to see for himself thevalue of apprenticeships during an“Apprenticeship Challenge” event atStephenson College in Coalville.At the event to mark NationalApprenticeship Week, he metemployers and talked withengineering, construction and motorvehicle apprentices who were takingpart in practical team-building events.During a tour of the campus, Andrewspoke with representatives fromseveral major national companiesincluding Volvo Trucks, BAM Nuttalland Aggregate Industries – allemployers who have chosenStephenson College to deliver theirtailored training programmes to theirapprentices nationally.Andrew added: “We need employerslike these to provide apprenticeshiptraining if we are to avoid skills gaps inthe future.”“Research indicates that it has beeneasier to promote apprenticeships inbusiness administration, retail andcare than it has in engineering,construction and IT, yet it is theseareas which deliver the best returns oninvestment.”“Colleges like Stephenson College aredoing a great job in publicisingapprentice vacancies to young peopleand employers but schools too must

do more to promote apprenticeshipsas a viable alternative to A levels anduniversity.”Among the employers taking part inthe college’s apprenticeship event forthe first time this year wasmultinational construction group LaingO’Rourke.The company is looking for waterdistribution apprentices for itsMidlands’ utilities business and plansto start its recruitment drive by takingon an initial 18 trainees over thecoming months.Craig Moorhouse, constructionmanager with Laing O’Rourke, said:“We have a lot of older heads in ourindustry but the sector is becomingmore and more technical and we needto train young, technically mindedpeople.”“We chose to come to StephensonCollege as it’s in the Midlands wheremuch of our utilities work is based andit has a good reputation for nationalapprenticeship training.”One company which already has awell-established relationship withStephenson College isM-EC Consulting DevelopmentEngineers in Ibstock.Currently employing four apprenticesin the area of civil engineering andgeomatics, the firm is now looking totake on six more during 2015.

And, taking up an apprenticeshipoffers great potential for a rewardingcareer, explained civil engineeringapprentices Taylor Worringham andCameron Green, who were lookingafter the M-EC stand. Taylor, who is18 and from Hinckley, joined M-ECover a year ago, while Cameron, whois 17 and from Moira, started with thebusiness last September.Taylor said: “We’d definitely encouragepeople to think about apprenticeships.We are really enjoying ours. It’s greattraining and I’ve started to go out onsite now. I particularly like working onthe road design and highways aspectsof the job.”And Taylor’s sentiments were echoedby Aggregate Industries which islooking to fill 28 engineering vacancies– 10 at BTEC apprenticeship level anda further 18 at higher apprenticeshipfoundation degree level.Hefin Jones, learning anddevelopment manager at AggregateIndustries said: “We’ve worked withStephenson College for about fiveyears a now and there is a lot to besaid for having bespoke trainingdelivered by one college. Ourapprentices are scattered across thecountry but they all receive aconsistent standard of training which isdelivered by a college with a clearunderstanding of our training needs.”

Stephenson Collegewelcomes

MP Andrew Bridgento apprenticeship

event

Nottingham City Homes hasnominated Stephenson Collegeapprentice James Garrett as itsApprentice of the Year.James, who is 21 and fromBulwell, joined the housingorganisation nearly three yearsago and is due to complete hisNVQ level three in Plumbing andGas this summer.His role involves assistingplumbing maintenance teams withjobs such as repairing leaks andreplacing boilers at council homesacross Nottinghamshire.James, who attends StephensonCollege’s Coalville campus onday release, has impressed hisemployer with his commitment tolearning and aptitude forplumbing.But it is not only his day to daywork which has prompted thenomination; he is also involved ina community project viaNottingham City Homes (NCH) tosupport national children’s andyoung people’s charity BrathayTrust.James is part of a teamrenovating a scout hut near

NCH’s premises and has alsohelped to raise more than £300towards the project through cakesales and raffles.

Using skills learned on theircollege courses, he and his fellowteam members have organisedand completed much of the workto the hut themselves.Additionally, the NCH team hasalso been busy promotingapprenticeships at schoolassemblies, youth groups andjobs fairs and is continuing to doso throughout NationalApprenticeship Week.Lisa Porter, learning anddevelopment officer withNottingham City Homes, said: “Sofar the scout hut project hasincluded installing new windowsand doors, fire safety andsecurity, lighting, new kitchenunits and toilet facilities as well asclearing the garden.“Our volunteers negotiated thesourcing of all materials fromNCH contractors – includinggetting paint to give the place aface lift. This project will allow

local scouts to continue to runtheir unit after a run of bad luckwhich has included leadershipchanges due to ill health and theftof new garden equipmentfollowing a break-in.

“We are sure that all the hardwork that James and the rest ofthe team are doing will bring backa smile to the scouts’ faces.”James, who is looking forward toworking as a qualified plumberand central heating engineer, isso pleased the apprenticeshipopportunity came along.He added; “My brother is anelectrician and when I left school Iknew what I wanted most was tolearn a trade.“I really like my job and college isgoing well. We have regular testsand we’ve all managed to passafter just a couple of weeks’revision.“I’m also enjoying the renovationproject. We normally finish workat 1pm on Fridays but we’ve beenputting in some extra hours to getthe job done.”

Nottingham CityHomes nominates

Stephenson Collegeplumbing apprentice

for Apprentice of theYear

James Garret Picture above and below

�

A pair of talented StephensonCollege students were recentlycrowned the regional winners oftwo top national plumbing andelectrical competitions held onhome soil in what was a huge dayfor the College.Apprentices and their lecturersfrom across the United Kingdom,along with industryrepresentatives were invited to thecollege’s Coalville Campus lastmonth to judge and take part in aday of fiercely contestedcompetitions organised byapprenticeship publicationsSPARKS and HIP magazines.Stephenson College’s AdamCrook Rumsey was namedMegger National ApprenticeElectrician of the Year for theMidlands.Matt Gray his College tutor says“This the second running that Ihave had a student of StephensonCollege successfully winning theMidlands Regional event, it is acredit to both Adam and theCollege that we are training ourstudent to competitive standards.I wish Adam all the success in hisApprenticeship and in the National

Final that takes place inBirmingham.”

Jack Reynolds was namedCopper Initiative NationalApprentice Plumber of the Yearfor the Midlands.Jack’s tutor says “The duo fought off strongcompetition from 16 other collegeswith Adam coming up top againsta host of apprentices frominstitutions such as LeicesterCollege, City College Coventryand Warwickshire College whileJack beat apprentices fromSheffield College, Burton & SouthDerbyshire College and theCollege of West Anglia.

Both students have now advancedto the finals where they’re both inwith a chance of winning a prize tothe value of £1000 and the title ofNational Apprentice Electrician orPlumber of the Year.The plumbing competition final willtake place on the 29th & 30th ofApril at ADEY ProfessionalHeating Solutions in Cheltenhamand the electrical competition finalis set to be held a month later on

the 19th and 20th of May atBirmingham Electrical Training inHockley.Mick Hinds, Faculty head ofConstruction said, “It was anabsolute pleasure to host such aprestigious event, being part of itwas an honour in it itself, but toactually win was the icing on thecake.

“I’d like to thank the organisersand sponsors for their input intowhat was a great competition.”Simon Kibble, Director of Qualityand Development, pictured lefthanding out the awards to bothAdam and Jack, said ‘Competitionactivity has an important role toplay in sharpening the vocationalskills of apprentices. StephensonCollege is proud to have beenchosen to host the SPARKScompetitions and even prouderthat apprentices trained at theCollege were winners in bothcategories’.

Stephenson Collegecompetitors win

Electrical & PlumbingApprentice of the

Year 2015

Adam Crook-Rumsey (above) andJack Reynolds (below) receiving their awards