Shrewsbury’s Cineworld cinema complex has premiered a film about the Red Cross made by students from Shrewsbury College and the British Youth Film Academy.
The 80-minute documentary follows a year in the life of the International Red Cross as seen through the eyes of the students, who have formed a close relationship with the worldwide humanitarian body in recent years.
“Our students wanted to do something to get the message out to the wider world about what a remarkable organisation the Red Cross is, and a documentary following its work through every month of the year seemed the best idea,” said Travel and Tourism lecturer Phil Castle, 16 of whose students were involved in the film.
“They were the driving force behind the project but the BYFA really made the production of a highly professional film possible, doing much of the filming and all the post-production work. We are very grateful to them and also to teams of Catering students and Performing Arts students from our college whose help was invaluable in making the film and in ensuring the premiere was a great success.”
A group of Travel and Tourism  students attended the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Red Cross, in Italy last year, and Mr Castle said it was hoped the link between the college and the Red Cross would grow stronger in the future.
The students have now been nominated for the Humanitarian Citizen of the Year award.
Cineworld made a 200-seat cinema available for the premiere.

Two Shropshire students have been offered work experience opportunities at Scotland’s world famous golfing hotel, Gleneagles.

Joe Powell, 19, of Shrewsbury, and 18-year-old Kerry Jackson, of Whixall, near Whitchurch, are both students at Shrewsbury College, where they are studying for the National Certificate in Hospitality Supervision. They are both also working for a City & Guilds qualification in Food & Drink Service while Joe is also taking the Foundation Certificate in Wine.

“Work placements are an important part of our hospitality and catering programme and because of the college’s high reputation in Shropshire many of our students get work experience at prestigious local restaurants and hotels,” said tutor Brenda Norton.

“But getting two of our students placed at a world-famous hotel like Gleneagles is exceptional. They are both very hard-working young people with a real flair for catering, but a lot of students from colleges all over Britain compete for such prestigious work experience placements and we are very proud that Gleneagles has chosen to take two of ours.”

Kerry and Joe will do their four weeks of work experience some time in the next two months. Details are still being finalised.

The five-star 232 bedroom Gleneagles Hotel is internationally known in its own right and for the three golf courses set in its 850 acres of countryside. One of them, the PGA Centenary Course, will be the venue for the 40th Ryder Cup Matches in 2014. Gleneagles hosted the G8 summit of world leaders in July 2005.
 

Shrewsbury College is about to publish the new edition of its Higher Education prospectus, which shows Shropshire people just what they can achieve at university level without the heavy expense and other problems associated with going away to university.
The College  offers courses in partnership with Edge Hill and Staffordshire universities, so the degrees awarded are actually from those universities. It also offers courses on behalf of several professional bodies, including the Association of Accounting Technicians.
In addition, the College has greatly increased the range of Foundation Degrees it offers. These are taught part-time over two or three years and provide students with qualifications for careers across a wide range of subjects, including:
 

• Creative Arts
• Complementary Therapies
• Computing
• Construction
• Counselling
• Electrical & Electronic Technology and Manufacturing Technology.
• Hair or Beauty Salon Management
• Leadership and Management

Foundation Degrees, like the many Higher National Diploma courses available at the college, can be ‘topped up’ to a full BA Honours Degree through part-time or full-time study at a university.
There are more HNCs and HNDs on offer from September 2010 too, including:

• Applied Information Technology
• Business (BA Hons also available)
• Fashion
• Health & Social Care
• Law
• Music Production (Technology)
• Interactive Media
• Performing Arts (Theatre)
• Sport Studies
• Travel & Tourism Management

You can study full-time or part-time at Shrewsbury College to suit your circumstances, which makes degree level education a real possibility for people with family or work commitments.
Every summer Shrewsbury College holds a graduation ceremony - the only one in the county town - to honour the students who have gained Higher Education qualifications, usually about two hundred of them.
Last year, for the first time, students gathered in the Square in their academic robes and then processed through the town centre to the historic Abbey for the formal ceremony.
The new prospectus should be available in March. To find out more about the many opportunities open in Higher Education at Shrewsbury College call the  Course Advice Team on 01743 342333.

Pictured are a few of the hundreds of students currently working for High Education awards plus some of those who received their awards in June 2009 at the Abbey ceremony.

Public Services students at Shrewsbury College held a dance with a difference for Valentine’s – combining fund raising with a strong health and safety message. The 300 ticket ‘black tie’ event was held at the Lord Hill Hotel, with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation.
 

Among organisations supporting the dance were Shropshire Council Road Safety, which will be serving non-alcoholic beer to young drivers; the Police Hate Crime team; and the sexual health group Risq.
 

“We have a close relationship with the British Heart Foundation which comes in every year to do Heart Start training with our students,” said tutor Paula Cleaver. “So the students had no hesitation in choosing it to benefit from our evening. They also wanted to make the evening socially valuable by asking other organisations with important messages for young people to get involved.
 

“The planning for the dance has largely been done by first year students on the National Diploma course, who have mainly come straight to college from school. After two years here at Shrewsbury College many of them will go on to careers in uniformed services such as the police, ambulance service, fire service, or armed forces.
 

Pictured preparing for the evening are (from left) Jayme Thomas, 19, Scott Hopkinson, 16, Laura Marrs, 19, Tom Burrows, 17, and Jamie Roberts, 16.

These two schoolgirls are among those who made the most of an opportunity to learn the basics of hairdressing at the latest Shrewsbury College Junior Hair Academy.

Melody Jones, of New Mills, and India Jones, of Kerry, are both aged 15 and thinking about what to do when they finish their GCSEs. So when the chance came up to find out first-hand about such things as basic cutting, colouring, setting, dressing and styling they were quick to get their names in.

Now Shrewsbury College is set to launch another Junior Hair Academy, starting on February 24 and running every Wednesday evening from 5.30-7.30 for six weeks.

“It is open to school pupils aged between 12 and 16 and the aim is to help them find out what hairdressing is all about, both for their own enjoyment and as a possible career path," said tutor Jackie Swan.  “For the older ones who are starting to think about their options when they finish school it is an excellent introduction and anyone who wants to know more about it can call the college on 01743 342333.”

Melody and India are seen practising their new skills in one of the hair salons at the Radbrook campus of Shrewsbury College
 

When BOC presented awards to several Apprentices at Shrewsbury College the multinational company was doing more than acknowledging their skill and commitment – it was sending a message to the employers of Shropshire.

The four Apprentices had done well in the first round of the BOC Apprentice Welding Competition. “The importance of this competition can’t be overstated,” said John Pearsall, from BOC. “This competition goes on to national level, but it is here that the next generation of skilled welders is created. The training workshops at Shrewsbury College and others like it are crucial to the future of British industry.”

He said the average age of welders in Britain is about 55 – “We need more young people coming in. We were at Shrewsbury College to get the message across to employers and young people, because without employers there can be no Apprenticeships.”

The winners of national competitions in England, Scotland and Wales will go on to compete in World Skills, which is being held in London next year.  The BOC competition aims to inspire employers and young people to ensure companies large and small have the skilled workforce they need for the future by supporting Apprenticeships.

John Pearsall (front left) and his colleague Leslie Ness are pictured with the Apprentices and their tutors Dave Morris and Dave Pittaway

Other Apprenticeships news:
One Shropshire business where Apprenticeships are valued is Acorn Electrical at Market Drayton.  Owner Lee Payne has been in business 10 years and has trained seven apprentices with Shrewsbury College. He is seen presenting Adrian Hubbard with his certificate. Said Lee: “One of our plans is to help provide local skilled people for local businesses.  All being well we will take on more Apprentices this year or next.”

Kirsty Dunning is not only her employer’s first female apprentice, but also their first apprentice. Condover-based Shropshire Stoves saw that she had the potential they needed for the future. “I was studying Motor Vehicle and that was really good, but as part of it you learn some welding skills and doing welding made me realise that it was what I wanted to do as my career, so I swapped courses,” said Kirsty.

Broseley-based Syspal - one of Europe’s leading suppliers of stainless steel and aluminium products to the food, pharmaceutical, veterinary and leisure industry - has a long history of working with Shrewsbury College to train its Apprentices.  Chris Truman, the managing director, began his own working life on an Apprenticeship and is pictured congratulating Ben Oliver on completing his Apprenticeship.

Accounting Apprentice Charlotte Taff celebrates a unique moment in her life – receiving her certificate at her employers, Uniq Desserts, part of Uniq plc, based at the old Creamery in Minsterley. Charlotte is continuing on to her Advanced Apprenticeship and is now working towards the Association of Accounting Technicians level three qualification.

A Telford company that began as a home-based enterprise 20 years ago now employs more than 20 people. The founder of GM Heating and Plumbing, Grant Mitchell, is an ardent supporter of Apprenticeships, seeing them as the best way of ensuring he has enough skilled and enthusiastic engineers, electricians and fitters. He has worked with Shrewsbury College for many years and is seen with some of his current Apprentices.

Shrewsbury College is keen to hear from companies, large or small, that would like to know more about how Apprenticeships can benefit their business, and from individuals interested in becoming an Apprentice. For information call 01743 342333.

Shropshire student Yvonne Furber leads two lives. By day she is training to be a car mechanic at Shrewsbury College while in the evenings and at weekends she is in demand as an Army bugler.

Yvonne, who started learning the bugle while in the Army Cadets at Sir John Talbot School in Whitchurch, has played in many parts of England and next year will be going to Malta with the Shropshire Army Cadet Band to play in the island’s National Tattoo.

“The first time I tried to play a bugle I got three notes out of it, which I’m told was good,” said Yvonne, who is 17. “I have loved it ever since and there are so few buglers around that I am always in demand, particularly around Remembrance Day. I think it’s less popular than other instruments because it is quite difficult to learn.”

Yvonne’s days are spent at Shrewsbury College, where she is studying for Motor Vehicle qualifications. “I got reasonable GCSE results and did A levels for a while, but I didn’t like it. This is much more to my taste,” she said.

“I don’t want to be a musician or to join the Army, although I really value those two things and want to become an instructor in the Army Cadets. My long-term ambition is to own my own garage and in a perfect world I would specialise in looking after Bentleys, which are just the ultimate car.”

Meanwhile, Yvonne is getting on with her course at Shrewsbury College and planning to build a kit car – after she gets her driving licence.

Learning to weld is part of Yvonne’s motor vehicle course at Shrewsbury College and she is pictured in the wleding workshops and also playing the bugle.

When it comes to getting work experience two Bridgnorth students did it with a touch of class. Michelle Gretton, 20, and 17-year-old Megan Bratt both managed to get places at Shrewsbury’s prestigious Drapers’ Hall Restaurant, where one of them refined her skills in the kitchens and the other front-of-house.

Both girls are in their second year of studying for the National Diploma in Hospitality at Shrewsbury College, but the same course is taking them down very different routes.
Says Megan: “Even though we both want careers in hospitality and catering and are on the same course, we are learning different skills. Really, this is a management course that can lead into any of the numerous careers available under the general title of hospitality and catering.

“Being offered work experience at Drapers’ Hall was brilliant for us because the restaurant has very high standards and is therefore a challenging place to work. For me, the experience of working in their kitchens was demanding but fascinating and something I would really like to do again.”

When she completes her Shrewsbury College qualifications, Megan plans to go on to university and study for a BA in Hospitality and Management.

For Michelle, who lives in Morville, the experience working front-of-house at Drapers’ Hall has given her the taste for more of the same. “When I qualify next summer I want to get a job in a restaurant like this,” she says.  “Dealing directly with customers, taking orders, making suggestions, solving problems, is exactly the kind of thing I would like to do for my career. Front-of-house is exciting and challenging.”

From the college’s point of view, work experience does more than just give students a taste of practical hands-on experience in a particular field. It builds good relationships with local businesses and often opens doors for students to get regular part-time work.
“That’s happened at Drapers’ Hall, a former student at college was offered a part-time job and has been able to take the first step in his professional career,” says Michelle.

Christmas is long gone, but in the run-up to the festive season there’s nowhere busier at College than the Radbrook kitchens, where Hospitality and Catering students turn out high quality, elegantly served dishes for Descartes Restaurant.

Here’s just a glimpse of two Christmas lunch services in full flow, under the guidance of tutors Sean McNulty and Brenda Norton.

Sean’s group broke new ground, serving 180 Women’s Institute members over three days. The WI members from around Shropshire broke with tradition and held their festive lunch at the College’s Descartes Restaurant rather than organise their own events.

The Shropshire Federation of WIs block-booked the restaurant for three consecutive days.

Descartes is part of the hospitality and catering department and is based at the Radbrook campus, with all cooking and restaurant operations run by students.

Davinia Wickstead, food and beverage manager, said: “Descartes is open to the public several days a week for lunch and dinner service and some weeks ago we had an enquiry from a WI group about booking a date for 60 people. We were pleased to do so, but after we had a meeting with them they came back and said could we treble the booking to three consecutive days for 60 covers each day.

“This is wonderful recognition for the quality of the restaurant and is also important for our students. Being able to train in a real working environment is very important for them and at Descartes they come under the same pressures they will face when they go out to work in the commercial world.”
 

Two leading names from the music world were in Shrewsbury this week to launch a new music academy.

Charlatans drummer Jon Brooks and Perry Ap Gywnedd, the guitarist from Pendulum, joined music technology students at Shrewsbury College to open the new Roland Music Academy at the London Road campus.

Roland is one of the world’s biggest manufacterers of musical instruments and it has chosen Shrewsbury College as home for its latest specialist academy in the UK.

Jon Brooks formally opened the Roland Academy and then held a drums workshop, while Perry Ap Gywnedd held a guitar workshop in the afternoon.

Jon is a founder member of the Charlatans, which has notched up record sales of over two million and had three number one albums. In a long career as a session guitarist, Perry worked with such artists as Fatboyslim, Natalie Imbruglie, Kim Wilde and Mylene Farmer before joining Pendulum in 2008.

Other workshops were staged during the day using the new purpose-built Synthesiser, V-drums and Production suites – as well as the Roland studio. Shrewsbury College is one of only two colleges in the UK to have such a facility.