colleges

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FE Week & Me
What it’s all about?
We launched the FE Week and Me
competition back in September.
We had over 2000 entries, and after intense judging
and discussion, we have whittled them down to just
five remarkable stories.
We did it because we wanted to hear more about your
students. We know that there are many reasons why
students come into FE, and we know it’s not just about
skills, knowledge and career opportunities.
FE changes lives, and we wanted to share some of
these amazing stories, and bring them to a wider audience.
Sadly, there can only be one winner, and this is where
we need your help.
We need you to vote for your favourite
story. It won’t be easy for you to decide.
We asked students to send in a 500-word article
explaining what brought them to college, along with
their hopes, fears and aspirations. By submitting their
entries, they were in with a chance of winning a brand
new MacBook Pro or £1000 of John Lewis vouchers.
It was a creative way for students not only to express
their feelings about the courses they’ve enrolled in, but
how their college will help them to meet their goals for
the future.
The competition
How to vote
Step 1: read these stories, they really
are incredible. Stories of bravery of
conquering fear, overcoming adversity,
determination and discovery…
Step 2: choose your favourite (there are no
rules, the reason is up to you) and then go to
www.surveymonkey.com/s/feweekandme
and cast your vote by 1st February.
The winner will be announced in FE
Week on the 6th February.
Tactical voting is encouraged!
Jade Scott
Peterborough Regional College
The print-based media course is like a pretty package wrapped in ribbons and glitter, with a lot of
interesting aspects such as visiting courts to write
court stories and meeting important people for
interviews, But with a package wrapped up so neat
and tightly it takes effort to open it up.
This course is balanced by fun and hard work, it’s
for anyone with an urge to write, voice opinions or
design newspaper or magazine pages.
Leaving school and going to college was never
something that really fazed me. Then the day came
when I actually left school and was on the verge of
beginning college. My first day was terrifying.
I thought that I was old enough now to go out in to
the big world and no longer become nervous when
starting at a new place. I couldn’t have been more
wrong! I began going to a college in Kettering taking A-levels.
I enjoyed a lot of my time there but always felt I
wasn’t going in the right direction. I became fully
aware of this when I applied for an apprenticeship
at a local magazine company and they pointed me
in the right direction. From here I was led straight
to Peterborough Regional College.
Writing is something I have always enjoyed doing and always felt I was good at; along with other
things I enjoyed doing such as acting and driving
people up the wall with my ‘Dad jokes.’
When I noticed a print-based media course with
PRC I knew I had hit the jackpot! The first two
weeks of induction made me feel completely confident that I was in the right place.
Surrounded by teachers and other students who
all had the same passion as I did was amazing, I
couldn’t belong here anymore than I wanted to.
My course is based at the Media and Journalism Centre separate from the main college but we get plenty
of interaction with the main college and can access
everything as though we were based at the main site.
My dream for the future begins with traveling as a
freelance photojournalist, culture related, selling
my stories and photos to magazines or newspapers
that are interested.
Along the way I would love to visit third world
countries and do what I can to help first hand. From
this I aspire to write for a successful newspaper or
magazine in either England or New York.
I do not doubt that I can achieve my ambitions.
Many successors will inspire by stating that if you
put your mind to something then you can accomplish anything and this is the attitude I now bare
upon my shoulders.
With the help of PRC and the tutors sharing there
knowledge and raising my confidence, along with
my friends and family having faith in me, I am certain that I will come at least close to my dream.
Ineke Ely
City College Southampton
Let people think it’s all artistry! My bruises are hidden by my jeans, so who’s to know?
Because of the circumstances, I have mainly photographed close ups of all sorts of things and the odd
landscape. Things that move are a problem, and
that includes people! Children and animals constantly move into my blind spot, and then I’ve lost
them.
City College and me.
First of all, I’m not your average college student. I
probably could be your granny, but that’s only on
the outside of course. On the inside I’m not more
than ten years older, than most of you.
I have taken up photography as a hobby, and have
enrolled in the beginners/improvers course, in the
hope to get from one to the other and beyond. I am
so far totally self taught, and not doing too badly.
It’s the missing bits of information and technical
knowhow that I hope to master on this course. After
that ... Who knows? The sky’s the limit as they say.
And a good sky is always worth photographing.
That I did know, even before I enrolled.
Some decades ago, I lost most of my sight, so photography would not seem the first thing I’d think of
as a hobby. Well, it wasn’t.
I’ve done other things first, but got bored. Digital
photography however, offers so many possibilities
that it will keep me busy for a long time I hope.
Even for someone with huge blind spots (literally!)
photography is possible. There are aspects that are
difficult, but finding a way round them, is part of
the fun. I often don’t ‘see’ things, till I stumble over
them, so I do a lot of low angle shots.
People think I am very artistic, with my different
look on the world, and of course I don’t tell them, I
actually fell over the blasted thing, before I photographed it. Some secrets are best kept that: secrets.
For partially sighted photographers the old rule:
‘never work with children or animals’ certainly
holds. But adult people can also be a problem, as I
cannot see their facial expressions, or where they
are looking.
But I hope to discover more possibilities during my
course. Things I haven’t thought of, or haven’t tried.
In short: new insights.
I have come to City College to learn, but, I must secretly admit, I was also attracted by the IT facilities
that I get to use! Beautiful Apple Macs, and Photoshop and Lightroom!
What more can a budding photographer want?
Well, actually knowing how to use the software,
would be a good start, but all in good time. Granny
will get there!
Hopes and aspirations I am asked to talk about.
Hmmm ... I hope to become a really great photographer, one of those, who is quoted in books and
magazines, and whose pictures are immediately
recognised. Well ... that is ... well, that is Hope!
And I have always aspired to a MacBook Pro!
Jayde Kirkup
East Durham College
I believe that if you believe in yourself and you don’t
give up, anything can be possible.
In my course, I need to achieve the highest marks
possible which I really hope to get, even though I
know I wouldn’t EVER settle for anything less. I need
to get either 2 Merits and 1 Distinction or 2 Distinction and 1 Merit.
Hello there, I’m Jayde Louise Kirkup.
My life long desire is to help young, physically
disabled people in a job like Occupational therapy or
Physio therapy.
I’m 16 and I’m attending East Durham College in Peterlee. The subject I’m taking is the ‘Btec Health and
Social Care Level 3 Diploma’. I’ve chosen this course
because I know it’s going to give me the greatest
foundation for me to achieve my life long wish.
With me having the experience of having physio all
my life and the benefits from help will hopefully be a
great benefit for them to see.
I’ve wished all my life that I will eventually inspire
and help others like I’ve been helped all my life. With
me having Cerebral Palsy it’s obviously paid a great
deal with my attendance at school.
Since I was only 8 years old I’ve had operation’s to
better myself, so for the future, where I am now, I’m
able go to college and walk around just like everyone
else.
I mean, it’s still painful and I get very fatigued easily
and I get a lot of spasms but I have so much ambitions and aims for myself I cant just let this little
part of myself stop me when I know there’s other
people worse off!
Furthermore, I’ve had to learn to walk again four
times, I’ve pushed myself all my life to be where
I am now, and I’m still not going to stop until I’ve
achieved everything I wish for.
In school, like I’ve previously said my attendance
was very poor, so I had to work twice as hard as
most people, therefore, my aim for myself before I
left school was to get 100% attendance in year 11
which was succeeded with hard work, effort and not
giving up even if I was in pain or had hospital appointment’s.
Not just to have people surrounding them to help
them but to have someone beside them which would
not only help them but actually know what there going through which will then hopefully inspire them
to help themselves and believe that nothings impossible. Also, I hope I can eventually say that ‘If I can
do it, you can do it’.
I know in my heart that if I wasn’t disabled, I
wouldn’t be inspired or as strong willed as I am
today. I’m so lucky to have a great family who have
always encouraged me that I can do whatever I set
my mind too.
Which is why I’m hoping that I’ll succeeded in everything I try in life so I shall get the chance to help
people the way I have. I cant just lay back and not do
anything with my life and keep watching people who
have never got given the chance to get operations
and get better the way I have.
It makes me upset sometimes, why was I the one
who got given theses chances to change into someone I’ve always dreamed of being.
I’ve always dreamt of being like everyone else, to be
able to do things like everyone else can do because
its hard to come to terms with things you mentally
can do but physically can’t.
Adam Martin
Rotherham College
Towards the end of college, I realised what I needed
to do, and jumped with both feet into university. I
spent a long morning searching through universities and courses but found that I was limited to local
universities, due to financial issues beyond my
control, which would deeply affect my family.
Hey there FE Week,
Well, I’ve been instructed to write about myself,
college and my future in 650 words or less, so here
goes;
I’m Adam; everything but your typical teenager.
Since the middle of secondary school, I knew what
I wanted to do with my life; every step I’ve taken
since then has had my desired career in my crosshairs.
All I’ve ever wanted to do is work with visual effects. I won’t lie, this may be due to an unhealthy
addiction to films and movies, but that was all I ever
cared for - I knew what I loved and I knew what I
wanted to do with my future.
As the end of school drew near, I headed straight for
college to raid through their prospectus in the hope
they’d have a course to send me in the right direction. Like your average fairytale, on the last page
(well, second to last!) was the Media, Animation and
Games course.
Now, I’m not what you’d call an athlete, but believe
me when I say, I sprinted for the application forms.
After the best two years of my life I finished college,
coming out with best friends, useful qualifications,
improved confidence and many other skills, but
most of all, a crystal clear vision of what I wanted to
do and how I needed to get there.
Now, Visual Effects isn’t your average career, and
I knew I had some more qualifications to achieve
before even attempting to start this dream job.
Still, I was in good shape, and managed to send my
application to a local university on a course made in
heaven, “MArt- Animation and Visual Effects”. This
was a 4 year course, offering a work placement or
international exchange at the end of the 4th year. I
was on my way to something great, until I found out
that all my options had been unsuccessful.
Gutted, I asked the University for some feedback
and was told there were too many applicants and
the people who gained a place had somewhat “better applications”. Building on the negative, I have
since returned to college, determined to upgrade my
skills and qualifications.
I am more committed than ever to get into university, but I need your help FE Week, as I’m limited
to only a handful of universities, there is only one
course for me.
If my application is successful next year, I’ll need to
produce a demo reel for a selection meeting. I have
so many ideas for this but the main problem is that
I’m limited to produce this demo reel on a PC as old
as the dinosaurs.
As I’ve finished the previous course, I’m no longer
entitled to use their equipment. I have experience in
the visual effects industry but I have no equipment
to turn my ideas into reality, and the £1000 would
allow me to upgrade my equipment and give me the
final push on the path to my dream career.
It would provide me with a huge edge when it
comes to gaining a place on that course, and I’m
sure there are others just like me, that may even
deserve this fund more than me, but I’m asking you,
please, give me the helping hand I need to grab my
future with both of mine, and follow my dream.
Alison Powell
Boston College
to Higher Education course at Boston College. I’ve
been at Boston for two weeks now and have found
myself waking up in the mornings with a renewed
vigour, knowing that I have something to get out of
bed for each day.
For a long time I always thought dreams of college
and university were just that – dreams. When I left
school at sixteen I went straight into the workplace
as that was what was expected.
I feel a new sense of fulfilment because I am doing
something with my life that I thought was impossible. I am not just a housewife any longer, I am a
student and though looking after my children has
been a wonderful experience, there was always a
niggling voice deep down inside me that used to
whisper “what if…” Now I am at college, that voice
has been silenced.
No-one in my family had been to college or university so it didn’t really enter my head to aim for that
goal. Life for me was all about getting a job and
supporting my family and that meant menial work
and minimum wage.
My hopes for the future are to attend Lincoln University next year to study Psychology with Child
Studies. If I am successful in that endeavour I want
to become a school counsellor or maybe even teach
Psychology myself.
I got married, had children and have spent the last
eighteen years being a Mum and Wife. My children
are now at an age where they are considering their
own futures and they both want to go to University
after school. I have been with them to quite a few
Open Days and UCAS Days and from the moment
I set foot on a campus something changed inside
me…
The sky is the limit now and just because I am a
mature student I realise now that age is no barrier
to furthering myself and achieving a lifelong ambition that I always thought was just a pipe dream.
I felt envy at seeing hundreds of young people
embarking on their exciting journeys and I wanted
some of that for myself. I picked up a few leaflets
and a prospectus or two and began to browse the
different subject areas, finding a few that piqued
my interest.
After talking with lecturers at these open days I
found that colleges and universities really encourage mature people to enrol on their courses and
from then on, the seed was sown.
I discussed my plans with my family and after
hearing how enthused they were at the thought of
my going to university I took the scariest step of
my life, applied for and was accepted on an Access
NCFE, supporting Further Education students into work
NCFE, one of the UK’s
In the wake of rising unemploy-
help them take a decisive step
ships and those jobs within the
largest qualification
ment qualification provision
from education into employment.
hidden labour market, enabling
providers, discusses Further
must continue to respond to
Education and its vital role
the needs of the market. It was
With competition for each job
in providing young people
perhaps very poignant that
position fiercer than ever before,
with the skills needed
news broke during the 2011 AoC
learners must be supported in a
The offering will also ensure that
to secure the right jobs.
Conference that youth unemploy-
way which helps them to develop
students will have the mindset
Alasdair Downes, Director
ment had broken through the one
their confidence and at the same
to appeal to potential employers
of Business Development
million barrier.
time, job search and interview
as well as realistic expectations
skills which will provide them
for their first job. There is clear
With that figure rising, we must
with a solid base knowledge to
evidence that if learners have the
continue to commit to developing
help them succeed.
correct mindset, they are far more
explains...
colleges to draw down significant
and taking on solutions that address this very challenging issue.
additional funding.
likely to be attractive to employIn that respect, our innovative
ers. In a recent survey of 1,264
joint venture with Reed in Part-
employers conducted by REED,
We work with a large number
nership has been developed to
97% put mindset ahead of skillset
of Further Education providers
adapt to the needs of learners and
when recruiting.
across the UK who deliver our
employers in a local area.
suite of Employability Qualifica-
The need for learners to be ‘work
tions including Levels one, two
It will positively enhance em-
ready’ really has never been
and three in Employability Skills
ployment outcomes for colleges
greater and with that, we look
and Job Search and Interview
and communities by brokering,
forward to continuing our work
Skills qualifications.
managing and offering learners
with colleges across the UK, help-
These qualifications enable col-
a wide variety of suitable job op-
ing their cohorts on to brighter
leges to prepare their learners
portunities. Our experienced con-
futures in the face of tough global
with skills and tactics that will
sultants can access apprentice-
economic conditions.
Last year alone, over 340,000 learners
from over 2,000 colleges, schools and
training organisations chose NCFE as the
awarding organisation to help them move
their careers forward.
Dynamic and responsive with a buzz that
sets it apart, NCFE is proud to be recognised
for its exceptional customer service and
friendly approach.
Our product portfolio is made up of:
Apprenticeships
Progression to Apprenticeships
National Awarding Organisation, NCFE,
is passionate about designing, developing
and certificating diverse, nationally
recognised qualifications and awards.
Foundation Learning qualifications
Key/Basic Skills/Functional Skills
Enrichment qualifications
Accreditation Services
A range of vocational qualifications
for schools
Visit us at www.ncfe.org.uk and use our qualification finder to view all of the qualifications
that we offer, or call us on 0191 239 8000.