West Kent College

The last day of West Kent College!

2010-11-12T11:17:00.000Z

As tomorrow sees the launch of the newly merged College, it means today is the last ever day of West Kent College!

Not much will be changing in terms of the College - we’ll have new ID cards, a different email address, things like that - but the day-to-day teaching will be unaffected and we’ll just be the same College with a different name.

A number of people have asked why we need to change the name and we’re doing it because we feel that the new, merged College of South Kent and West Kent needed a new name and identity to take forward as one brand new College, taking the best of both and hopefully moving forward to be the best in our field.

As it’s the last day why don’t you share your thoughts and memories of West Kent College by adding a comment below. What was your best moment here? Have you made great friends here? Met your future husband or wife? Worked here? Many thousands of people have studied and worked at West Kent College so let’s not forget the great times that people have had here.

Here’s to West Kent College!

Open Day – 13th November

2010-11-09T19:56:00.000Z

The launch event on Saturday 13^th November is when we’ll announce our new College to Kent and beyond and we’re planning an exciting day at our Ashford, Dover, Folkestone and Tonbridge campuses, but it’s also our main Open Day when anyone can come and have a look at the College, see the facilities we have and the courses we offer, plus it’s a chance to talk to tutors and ask any questions you might have.

It’s from 10am to 4pm at each site and there’s food and drink available so feel free to stay for a few hours, look around, talk to members of the teaching staff and take in some of the fun events taking place on the day. To see what courses are available at each site, please see this link. We do offer many courses at our Tunbridge Wells campus but this will not be open on Saturday 13^th November and instead all the tutors will be at Tonbridge.

To see a schedule of the events and performers (which includes X Factor stars!) for the day then you can check the facebook page. There’s also still time to register for the chance to win £100, but make sure you also ‘like’ the page to keep up to date with all the latest news. You can also register interest in the open day on this page.

We hope to see you there – it’s an exciting day for us when the colleges of South and West Kent finally come together under the same name and identity, but it’s also the chance to find the perfect College and course for you.

Win Backstage Passes for The Main Event!

2010-11-02T12:00:00.000Z

On Saturday 13th November we’ve got the launch event to celebrate the merger of South & West Kent Colleges. The whole day will be a showcase of what we have at our campuses across Kent in Ashford, Dover, Folkestone and Tonbridge (we’ve also got a campus in Tunbridge Wells but there’s no event there on the 13th) and we’ve got a big open day featuring a chance to look around the campuses and see what we’ve got to offer for you or friends and family, we’ve got a chance to win lots of prizes and we’ve got X Factor stars Lloyd Daniels and The Reason, plus Nicole Jane and a number of great College performers to keep you entertained throughout the day!

All the details are on the facebook page – www.facebook.com/kentsnewestcollege - and this week we will be running a competition each day to win backstage passes! We’ve got five passes for each location and each day a different town will have their allocation up for grabs. Entering the competition is easy… each day a different photo will be posted to facebook and anyone who wants to enter needs to ‘tag’ themselves anywhere in that photo. We will then randomly draw five lucky people from everyone who tags the picture to win the passes. Each picture will have a 24 hour time limit on it and any tags made after that time won’t count. The winners will be announced soon after the time runs out! Got it? It’s simple!

If you haven’t signed up for it yet then you can do so on the facebook page where all the information about the event is and all the latest news is posted. The schedule is now on there and we’ll be adding the College performers to the list very soon, plus you can see directions of how to get to each campus. If you sign up then you could also win £100!

We hope you can make it to one of the campuses on the 13^th November – we can’t wait for the day, it’s going to be lots of fun!

Oh, and we’ll also be announcing our new name to the College on the day…

Maritime for a Career at Sea

2010-10-18T11:48:00.000+01:00

Principal Bill Fearon with Performing Arts students from Folkestone

Opening eyes to careers at sea, the Kent Maritime Festival attracted thousands of school pupils from across Kent who spent the day at Cruise Terminal 2 in Dover on Thursday 14 October.

The College was a key sponsor of the event with Principal Bill Fearon telling ITV Meridian that the town was central to future plans for the College: “I can’t think of a better place than Dover to meet the needs of employers in the maritime industry. We want a national reputation for our College in Dover for training for this sector.”

Bill said the College was working with the Council in Dover to match training to employers’ needs. “There is nothing more important than upskilling adults and training young people in an area where there are jobs. People in the town will really notice a new emphasis on maritime skills at the College from next September, but we can, and do, offer short courses to local employers now.

The Kent Maritime Festival sets out stalls where 14-19 year olds may be inspired to consider the Marine and Maritime sectors for their future working life. There were more than 75 interactive stands from Marine engineering to extreme water sports, as well as specialist workshops in subjects like logistics and navigation. The College had stands and exhibitions from a range of departments and disciplines including Catering, Engineering, Body Workshops, Travel & Tourism, Creative Arts, Performing Arts, Hair & Beauty and Furniture Studies.

Organised by the Education Business Partnership (EBP) in Kent, which works to bring together schools and employers, the day provided youngsters with the opportunity to work with marine employers and take part in hands-on activities with the overall aim of promoting careers in the maritime industry, a broad and varied area of work.

You can see a video of the event, including Bill Fearon, on the Meridian website here.

Kent’s Newest College: The Main Event!

2010-10-08T10:49:00.001+01:00

...it's coming very soon!

X Factor stars Lloyd Daniels and 2010 boyband The Reason are coming to the launch of Kent's Newest College on Saturday 13th November and you can see them for FREE!

You may have seen the news that Kent’s Newest College is coming soon… Since South Kent College and West Kent College merged in April 2010, we’ve been working together to establish one College and in November we’ll be launching the new College name.

Lloyd Daniels

The Main Event will take place across Kent in Ashford, Dover, Folkestone and Tonbridge and at each place we’ll have music from Lloyd Daniels and The Reason, plus College bands and performers. There’ll also be competitions, the chance to win £100 and an opportunity to look around the campuses and see what courses we can offer to you… and it’s all free!

The Reason

We’ll also have a brand new name (so we won’t be West Kent or South Kent anymore!) and new logo… but we can’t tell you what that’s going to be yet and we’ll be keeping it a big secret until the day – you’ll need to be there to find out what it’s going to be called!

It takes place on Saturday 13th November from 10am until 4pm and it will be at the campuses in Ashford, Folkestone, Dover and Tonbridge. A full schedule will be published on our facebook page soon but get the date in your diary now – you don’t want to miss this!

You can pre-register for the event on the facebook page here – everyone who registers stands the chance to win and we’ll be giving away £100 at each site. And make sure you ‘like’ the page to keep up-to-date with all the latest news! And you can follow us on twitter - @kentsnewcollege. We’ll be using these in the run-up to the event and on the day so follow us, like us, say hello and tell us if you'll be there!

See you there – it’s going to be a great day!

Tonbridge Arts Festival is coming - 15-24 October

2010-10-06T13:31:00.000+01:00

Tonbridge Arts Festival is less than two weeks away… beginning on Friday 15th October, it runs until Sunday 24th October with fantastic events such as The Original Bucks Fizz, internationally-renowned magician Jonathan Shotton, bestselling author Josephine Cox, 'Grumpy Old Man' Arthur Smith, sculptor Guy Portelli and Phil Collins cover band, No Jacket Required.

The Original Bucks Fizz

The festival aims to bring the joy of the arts to the people of Tonbridge and beyond and will focus on literary, performing arts and visual arts events. The festival is being organised by a committee of representatives from Tonbridge School, Tonbridge Library, West Kent College and Hillview School for Girls with the support of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council and events will take place in a wide variety of venues including the Media and Arts Centre at the College, Tonbridge School, a number of bars, restaurants and pubs in town, the E. M. Forster Theatre, the Angel Centre, Hillview School, the castle and more!

Arthur Smith

As reported by Tonbridge Blog, there were 13,000 programmes printed but they seem to have got lost somewhere… If you’ve seen them then let us know! In the meantime a list of events is on the Tonbridge Arts Festival website so you can see for yourself some of the fantastic things that will be happening around town. It’s not to be missed!

Here are some of the headlining shows taking place at the College:

No Jacket Required: Friday 15th Oct: Doors open 7pm

Arthur Smith: Tuesday 19th Oct: Doors open 7pm

Josephine Cox: Friday 22nd Oct: 2.30-4.30pm

Jonathan Shotton: Saturday 23rd Oct: 2.30pm & 7.30pm

The Original Bucks Fizz: Sunday 24th Oct: Doors open 7pm

The College’s music department is also holding an event on Friday 22nd Oct at Tonbridge Boys Main School. See the poster here.

Special Invitation for our Neighbours

2010-10-04T10:21:00.001+01:00

The Media and Arts Centre at Brook Street

The Tonbridge Arts Festival runs from 15-24 October with a number of events taking place at the College. As an exclusive invite to our neighbours we’re offering 50 free tickets to the opening night on Friday 15th October, plus a meal in The View restaurant.

The invite will combine a tour of the campus with the chance to talk with us and ask us any questions you might have. You will then be treated to a two-course dinner before seeing the Phil Collins Tribute ‘No Jacket Required’ in the Media and Arts Centre.

Join us from 4pm for the tour with dinner served from 6pm. The tickets are only available to residents who live in the Brook Street and Quarry Hill area, including all roads leading off of College Avenue, Masefield Way and Molescroft Way.

If that’s you and you’d like to attend then RSVP to Alison Prangnell on alisonprangnell@wkc.ac.uk with your name and address. There are only 50 tickets, and it’s limited to two per person, so act fast!

Here's the invite - click to enlarge. No need to print this out, just contact Alison who will tell you everything you need to know.

Freshers’ Fair Video!

2010-09-30T15:04:00.000+01:00

Here’s a short video we made from Freshers’ Fair at the Tonbridge campus. It’s a little walk around of all the stalls which were there on the day plus some of the fun that was going on. It was all recorded on a flip video camera, which the College has been using for a while in some curriculum areas. The backing music is taken from the day and is by a group made up of Level 3B Access to Music students.

To see the video on youtube click here.

Freshers’ Fair 2010

2010-09-23T13:03:00.000+01:00

This week saw the Freshers’ Fairs across all the College campuses. Ashford took place on Tuesday, Tonbridge/Tunbridge Wells and Folkestone on Wednesday and Dover on Thursday. A wide variety of exhibitions were on offer for students who attended with stalls spread around each College.

In Tonbridge the sun shone which meant the Fair could take place on the front plaza where there was a great atmosphere. College bands and artists performed on the main stage, among them were James Cook, Felicity Smithers, Simon May and Will Townsend, Snatch Banjo, Circle of Fists, Guy Osborne, Audio Whores, In Arcanium, Nicole Stanbury, Sophie Durdant-Hollamby, Christianna McCormick, Georgia Swallow, Billy Jupp and Rob Harvey. Kiera Bell, a finalist from the 2009 Kent’s Got Talent competition, also performed.

As well as the music, Optimise Fitness demonstrated one of their classes, the police, navy and fire brigade attended, there was a stand for juggling and circus skills, an ice cream van, sumo wrestling (in padded sumo suits) and a bouncy bungee run. Various health promotion agencies were on hand to give advice and guidance on drugs, alcohol and sexual health. The local Primary Care Trust (PCT) brought their double-decker bus. The Sports Academy enrolled members, the Student Union had a stand where students could get online NUS cards and sign up if they’re interested in getting involved, there was a diversity and equality stand and a Learner Voice corner where a life-sized cut-out of our Principal, Bill Fearon, was there for students to give their feedback on the College.

In Ashford, Folkestone and Dover, various health promotion agencies were there including district sexual health nurses providing free Chlamydia testing, KCA offering drugs and alcohol advice and the College counsellors advertising their services. The police and local PCSOs, the Army recruitment service and RED driving school also attended.

Student ambassadors from Kent and Canterbury Christ Church universities were there along with representation from the University Centre Folkestone at the Folkestone campus. The College gym in Folkestone demonstrated fitness activities and signed up students up for membership. Bannatynes Gym was in Ashford doing fitness and health-related activities and tests and giving information on any deals for students. FESCO were there to advertise sporting activities within the College.

Other exhibitors included Porch Light (housing), Connexions and the National Trust, as well as internal exhibitors Aimhigher, ALS and the Student Union providing information about how students can access their NUS cards. College Learning Centres ran their annual Freshers book competition.

Some of the photos from the Ashford and Tonbridge Freshers' Fairs are here. For lots more photos of the Tonbridge ceremony then have a look at the facebook page.

Higher Education Awards Ceremony 2010

2010-09-21T16:15:00.001+01:00

The Higher Education Award Ceremony took place on Friday 17 September in Tonbridge with around 80 students and their guests attending. The graduates were all on courses accredited by the University of Greenwich which the College has had a strong partnership with for over 10 years.

The ceremony took place in St Peter and St Paul’s church before the procession, led by macebearer Elaine Scutt, Head of Learning Resources in Tonbridge, Bill Fearon, Principal, and Professor Simon Jarvis from the University of Greenwich, walked down Tonbridge High Street and into the castle where they posed for the traditional hat throwing picture and then enjoyed a reception with food and drink and live music from a College group.

The guest speaker for the ceremony was local businessman and entrepreneur Simon Hume-Kendall. In his inspirational address he spoke about his own career as well as extolling four key qualities of employability – reliability, enthusiasm, ingenuity and honesty (which neatly forms an anagram of hire).

He said of the current job market: “Whatever the economic climate, there will always be opportunities. Employers will always be looking for staff with good qualifications.”

Recessions come in cycles and he advised students not to believe all they read about the jobs market. “Even if there is 5% up to 10% unemployment, that still means there’s 90% to 95% employment, so times are tough, but they will settle again and people with qualifications like yours will be in the best place to help restore the economy.”

Many graduating students spoke of the impact of studying locally on their finances, explaining how they got more personal tuition and support without going into debt. Sarah Baker, 21, who studied for her Foundation Degree in Early Years while working, said: “A lot of my friends are very jealous because it has cost them so much to get their degree at other universities.”

In Performing Arts, Rebecca Thompson, 20, who was nominated for an Outstanding Performance Award by her lecturers, said she turned down the opportunity to study in London to stay at the College. “Everyone here is so lovely,” she said. “I stayed here because of the quality – it is so good. There are great teachers, I have a passion for dance and am now setting up my own dance company.”

Principal, Bill Fearon, congratulated students, saying: “The qualifications you leave here today with will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life.”

The day was a great success and a real celebration of the hard work put in by students and staff. A selection of images from the day are here. We've also posted some to our facebook page (if you see yourself then make sure you tag it, particularly the great hat throwing shot!) and there's a large gallery on the College website (including a great animated shot of all the hats being thrown in the air!).

You can see about the Higher Education courses taught at the College here.

Still looking for a course?

2010-09-07T07:29:00.000+01:00

Are you looking to start a course this month? The College has some places available across a number of different areas.

There are Apprenticeships which are a great way of getting practical job experience while studying for a qualification at the same time. We’ve got a variety of different positions in different industries.

Feeling creative? What about Art & Design? The College has great facilities and classes take place in a bright and inspiring environment. The end of year shows get hundreds of visitors and are a brilliant showcase of student work.

We’ve also got places on the Travel & Tourism course. These are great for anyone interested in the travel industry and the course includes the business of travel and tourism, organising travel events, learning about customer services and much more.

There’s also space on some Sport & Leisure courses. You’ll focus on your chosen area, while looking at the sports industry and health and fitness, you’ll also be able to study towards coaching awards and a first aid qualifications. The College has a great gym, too.

Or maybe Public Services where you can learn the skills required for jobs within occupations such as the Armed Forces, Police, Prison Service, Paramedics, Fire Fighters and Local Government Administration. It’s a great course to kick start your career.

Any of these sound interesting? To look at our prospectuses then click here. To read more about the course above then just follow the links to see what we can offer to you!

A Level Success!

2010-08-19T18:34:00.000+01:00

The A Level results are in and it’s been another great year for the College, improving again on the previous year’s results. Roy Matthews, Curriculum Leader for A Levels and Science, says: “We are delighted with this year's A Level results, with an overall pass rate approaching 97%, which continues the upward trend in performance from last year. Particularly pleasing is the improvement in the proportion of high grades (A to C) which at 80% is 12% higher than last year, with some students achieving the new A* grade. This has enabled many of our students to progress successfully on to university.”

Among the successful students collecting their results today were: Chris Jackson (pictured above) who achieved three As and is now going on to London Metropolitan University to study Creative Writing; Francesca Daly, who achieved two As and a B and is going to Cardiff University in September; Adam Dunworth, who hopes to join the RAF with his A*, A and B; Shanisa Emmons (pictured below), who achieved an A*, A and C and is going to either Loughborough or Oxford Brookes University next year; and Richard Goodyear (pictured below), whose A* and A leads him into a Politics and International Relations degree at the University of Kent with a year in Japan.

Well done to everyone who took their A and AS Levels this year and whether you are returning to the College, going to work or on to university, we wish you all the best of luck and success.

To see more about all the courses on offer at the College, look here.

Celebrating Success

2010-07-07T06:00:00.001+01:00

The Vocational Academy at West Kent College provides inspiring provision for 14-16 year old students. Participating schools in the area allow students to attend a day release programme, studying a course in Construction, Motor Vehicle, Catering or Hairdressing.

These courses offer a taste of their options for the future, encouraging them to progress further in their ambitions and realise their direction before finishing secondary education.

The 14-16 department at West Kent College strives to recognise the efforts and achievements of all their students by holding an annual ‘Celebrating Success’ event. This is a very motivating, exciting and prestigious occasion, where representatives from participating schools, College staff, parents and guardians and the students themselves attend.

Celebrating Success 2010 was a hugely successful event. The awards were presented by Mark Hicks (pictured top), a self-made businessman from Cable and Crimping Services Ltd, who after leaving school with very few qualifications returned to West Kent College to study engineering. The students were not only recognised for completing and achieving a qualification, but were acknowledged for their dedication and commitment to the course. Most students are now hoping to continue their studies at West Kent College.

The students that attend the Vocational Academy develop, mature and complete the programme with a positive attitude and direction for the future. Now that’s a success to celebrate!

Best of SkilledUp Final

2010-07-02T08:46:00.000+01:00

Pupils from colleges across Kent converged upon the Tunbridge Wells campus at North Farm on Wednesday 23rd June for the Best of SkilledUp Final. SkilledUp is a competition for construction craft students to complete a specific project, competing against each other and against the clock. The final showcased the work of each college’s finalist in the four trades: Brickwork; Carpentry; Joinery; Painting & Decorating. The five colleges participating were: West Kent, South Kent, Mid Kent, Thanet and North West Kent.

The 20 competitors worked tirelessly throughout the day to produce excellent examples of their trade. Winners were: Brickwork – Adam Rigden, Thanet College; Carpentry – Charlie Connor, North West Kent College; Joinery – Chris Ward, MidKent College; Painting & Decorating – Aron Baker, North West Kent College.

Thanks go to the fantastic local employers and sponsors of the event: Wates Group, Makita, Brewers, Simpsons York and Galliford Try for supplying judges, prizes and awards presenters.

The Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Councillor David Jukes, visited the event and commented: “I was very impressed with the standard of work being produced by the students today and by the traditional construction industry skills that they have acquired. Although things have moved on since I was a craft apprentice, it was encouraging to see that the skills required to produce items of quality have not diminished. Well done to all of the students and also to the staff, whose enthusiasm is infectious and encourages the students to be proud of their achievements. Well done also to the companies still offering apprenticeships, as without these dedicated people the depth of skills that we still harbour in this country will be lost."

The new building in Tonbridge - come and see for yourself!

2010-06-30T09:07:00.001+01:00

The new building at Brook Street opened last month and here’s a selection of photographs taken by National Diploma Photography students to give you a flavour of what it’s like inside and out.

Their tutor, Nigel Carr, said: “The students had been set a project titled 'Structures, Constructions and Deconstructions' and I thought the new building was an ideal opportunity, for those that were interested, to research innovative photographers work and explore photographing architecture… Only this morning I found two of the students taking self motivated photographs of the building.”

The photos were taken by Dan Wheeler, Andy Robertson, Kieren Plowright, Carrie Coupland and Ele Parkman-Mayne.

The large, modern college building already feels like home and we’ve had fantastic feedback from students, staff and visitors. Inside we are using the latest technology to support students in bright and airy classrooms with numerous open learning and breakout areas. We also provide opportunities for people outside of the College to use our facilities with a 500-seat art centre, a restaurant which is being run by Whiting & Hammond, hair and beauty studios, Costa coffee and Optimise gym.

If you’d like to take a look around the new building, whether you want to study here or use it for business, then we have an Open Day on 3^rd July from 10am-4pm. Alongside this we have a number of exhibitions including the excellent Art and Media Show and Enterprise Factor (look out for the windmill and robots). Everyone is welcome. You can read more about the Open Day here. We are running simultaneous Open Days at all our campuses – North Farm at Tunbridge Wells is also open from 10am-4pm where the Motor Vehicle and Construction Crafts courses will be on display. Ashford, Folkestone and Dover will be open from 10am-1pm.

For more details about the Photography courses available at West Kent College then read here.

The final building work at the College will be finished by September 2011 - exciting times ahead!

Art and Media Show

2010-06-25T08:51:00.000+01:00

The Art and Media Show takes place in Tonbridge from Wednesday 30^th June until the Open Day on Saturday 3^rd July. The show is part of the annual end of year celebration and there will be displays of Photography, Fine Art, Fashion, Graphics, Animation and Media work. The show will take place in Speldhurst, Ashurst and the new building - ask at reception for details of what's going on where. It’s open from 10am-4pm daily and everyone is welcome.

See you there!

For more information about our Art and Design courses then see here. For anyone interested in joining the College on one of these course, this is the ideal chance to see what sort of things you could be doing as part of your course.

New College Course Comes to the Aid of Local Parents

2010-06-22T06:00:00.004+01:00

The College enjoyed great success on Saturday at the launch of a new First Aid Course designed for parents.

The two-hour course, which was delivered at the College’s brand new campus in Tonbridge, provided parents with the confidence to act positively in an emergency situation. Among the topics covered were principles of first aid, rescue breathing and chest compression, choking, and the recovery position.

The course was enjoyed by all of those who attended with one Mother saying: “All parents should attend this course – it could save a child’s life”.

Course tutor, Yvonne Hughes, said, “I’m so pleased at the success of this course, it’s a great way for parents to learn how to react in an emergency. I hope that plenty more parents take up the opportunity to undertake this training.”

The course will be running on the following dates over the summer:

Wednesday 4th August 6pm – 8pm

Saturday 7th August 10am – 12pm

For more details or to book a place contact the Business Development Department on 08000 858554 or email busdev@wkc.ac.uk.
Look here for more First Aid courses.

Broken Beauty

2010-06-21T09:13:00.000+01:00

'Broken Beauty', the special effects show, took place on Wednesday 9^th June at the Brook Street campus. It featured a show of cuts, burns, bruising and fashion make-up, as well as horror movie style make-up – definitely not for the faint hearted!

Visitors not only watched live demonstrations of special effects make-up, they experienced it too. College staff plus existing and prospective students chose to be made ‘beautiful’ or ‘gruesome’ by the highly skilled special effects make-up artists from the Intermediate Beauty course, and were also treated to manicures by the Level 1 beauty students.

In addition to studying make-up, this group of students have been studying customer service and event planning, and used their new skills to plan the entire event themselves. They certainly took their customer service approach to new levels; the students even baked their own cupcakes to give their event visitors. All students involved worked really hard, on what proved to be a ‘truly special’ special effects event!

The students would also like to say a big thank you to Will Hutchinson, who helped to produce their poster, and to Vanessa Sumner and Tina Chatfield-Keller, photography students, who took photos at the event.

Ann-Marie Fisher

Visiting Lecturer

Here are the Beauty courses available at West Kent College.

An Update on the College Closure

2010-05-18T21:23:00.000+01:00

Apologies to everyone for the inconvenience caused by closing the Tonbridge campus yesterday, but this was necessary to allow a thorough investigation of the incident that occurred on Saturday 15^th May.

A flash fire started in a Low Voltage (LV) electrical cupboard as an electrician was in the process of transferring the power source to provide electricity to one of the old buildings at the Brook Street campus, injuring the man in the process.

The report we received yesterday confirmed that the injured man - a sub-contractor of Galliford Try - has undergone an operation and was in a stable condition. Another man – who helped pull his injured colleague from the fire - was taken to Kent and Sussex Hospital in Pembury, but was later discharged.

The Health and Safety Executive started their investigation on Monday 17^th May and it would not have been appropriate for students and staff to be on site until the inspectors have given their permission. Also, as the fire happened in the building’s electricity supply room, this had an impact on all electricity services in the College.

Bill Fearon, Principal of the College, said: “I would like to assure staff and students that the new build satisfies the very latest and most stringent safety requirements and regulations. The way in which the incident was dealt with by those concerned showed the value of the new build accommodation and equipment and the measures and procedures our expert advisers and contractors have implemented.

“I would like to thank the many staff who helped manage the situation and get us back up and functioning within hours of the approval to turn the power supply back on, which was received on Monday evening. It obviously was a very unpleasant incident but gives confidence that our response procedures worked so effectively. Our thoughts are now with the injured man and everyone at the College wishes him well.”

Brook Street campus closed all day to all Students, Staff and Visitors on Monday 17th May

2010-05-15T21:39:00.003+01:00

Due to an electricity failure at West Kent College, Brook Street, the site will be closed to all staff, students and visitors all day on Monday, 17th May. The North Farm site will be open as usual and Lyons House remains open for exams.

A further announcement regarding the planned re-opening of the site on Tuesday will be communicated via the College website on Monday. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.

Update: Due to a number of comments deemed inappropriate for this post, all have been removed and full comment moderation is in place. If you have further comments on the new build at Tonbridge then you can contact info@wkccampus21.org, where your emails will be looked at and responded to individually.

Principal Welcomes Staff and Students to Newly Merged College

2010-04-09T15:56:00.000+01:00

As of midnight on 31st March 2010, West Kent College and South Kent College have merged organisations. Bill Fearon, the Principal of the new College, has welcomed staff and students, saying it is business as usual. 'Everyone needs to focus on achieving the best student results for the rest of this academic year, and look ahead to enrolment for the 2010/11 College year,' he said.

Already plans are in place to develop a new brand and choose a new name for the merged Colleges, to be announced at the start of the September term. The new College will have campuses stretching right across Kent, from Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells to Ashford, Folkestone and Dover.

Mr Fearon said: 'There will be mixed feelings from all concerned with the ending of the two neighbouring Colleges that were West Kent College and South Kent College, but we have already secured six governors from SKC to join WKC colleagues on the new College Board.

'I have been heartened in recent weeks by the positive attitude of staff from both Colleges, and the desire to meet new colleagues and begin the harmonisation process as soon as possible is particularly evident. I can’t wait to see the early benefits of the merger, and subsequently the much needed stability that a large college can bring to students and staff alike.

'We will be strong from the outset in engaging with employers, including apprenticeships and tailored training programmes, and we will prioritise development of good, effective working relations with schools, academies, universities, local authorities and a wide range of community and stakeholder groups across the wide geographical area of the new College.'

Mr Fearon also added: 'I would like to thank Monica Box for her commitment and achievements as Interim Principal of South Kent College. Not least amongst her achievements has been the development of a good foundation for improvements in the experiences, engagement and success rates of learners across the South Kent centres, and an enhanced reputation for Further Education in the local communities. Like all colleges, we have tough challenges ahead due to the cuts in funding in ‘10/11 and beyond, but because of our new-found strength we have many opportunities to work with partners across a range of existing and new educational markets.'

Latest Images of the Tonbridge Campus

2010-04-06T10:12:00.000+01:00

The building work at the Tonbridge campus on Brook Street continue at apace and look more impressive by the day. The top levels of the new building have now been handed over and will soon be occupied by staff and students. Here are some of the latest aerial shots.

Last Supper in the Gallery

2010-03-26T15:24:00.000Z

Sam Turner, Hospitality and Catering lecturer, reports back on the poignant final service in the Gallery restaurant before the staff and students move out and over to the sparkling new kitchens in the new College building.

Part of the experience we offer our second year level 2 learners is a practical assignment task which gives them the opportunity to employ and demonstrate the skills that they have acquired during the course so far. The assignment asks them to plan, organise and host a themed event that focuses on a particular country or region from around the world. They are strongly encouraged to broaden their cultural awareness and fix their attention beyond Europe and the students decided to base their event on Mexico.

As it turned out, this themed event was immensely successful and also very emotional, as it bade a final farewell to the Gallery restaurant. The stage was set for the Gallery’s ‘swan song’ and the evening did not disappoint - it did justice to and proved worthy of the restaurant’s grand finale.

This themed evening was one of those experiences that will live long in the memory of all those who took part in it. All credit is due to those who contributed to organising and marketing the event. In fact it was so well organised that I had the easiest of tasks in supervising them.

The group were being assessed on all aspects of the planning, preparation and execution of the task, and were supported and guided throughout by both Sarah Hogben (their tutor) and myself.

The evening was a huge success. The menu was perfectly balanced in flavour, colour and texture, and combined authenticity with simplicity. The dishes were fresh, honest and unpretentious, cleanly and beautifully presented and revealed a virtuoso of depth and flavour. The service was smooth and seamless, which was an incredible achievement in itself, as the Gallery restaurant was packed to capacity.

The ambience and mood of the evening was reminiscent of an eatery in down-town Monterrey or Guadalajara, and had a distinct atmosphere of a ‘fiesta’ (but also intermingled with a little melancholy and an air of finality). As one diner concluded, it was “a fantastic way for the Gallery restaurant to end.”

Find out more about Hospitality and Catering courses here.

Lillian Boutté at WKC

2010-03-25T10:02:00.000Z

Here’s a post written by Julie Parker, the Programme Leader for Music, following Lillian Boutté’s visit to West Kent College on Tuesday 16th March.

The day started when Lillian arrived at the college in a bright green outfit, in warm sunshine. Richard Simmons and I showed her around the music department. You may know Richard as a WKC Music Visiting Lecturer with an immediately likeable character, and huge experience over the years, including playing with Elvis Presley’s band. He was Lillian’s piano player years ago and the one who helped set up contact with her a few months ago, when I told him I wanted to organise a student field trip to New Orleans. When we took Lillian around, she was pleased to see all the students happily engaged in guitar lessons, rehearsals, theory and other topics, and asked us about our ethos and our curriculum. Looking at the department afresh through the eyes of an outsider, it was quite impressive.

Nearly two years ago James Sedge and I toured the Deep South of America and the Big Easy was a three-day stop amidst experiences in Mississippi, Memphis and Chicago. When we left New Orleans we knew we had to go back there. We also knew we needed to take our students with us. New Orleans has a magical and memorable quality, particularly if you are interested in music, and Lillian seems to personify the city – in just one day she achieved legend and superstar status amongst our students and staff through her warmth, positivity, talent, and her enthusiasm and huge personality.

We started with an introductory talk in the Lecture Theatre. When Lillian warned us at the outset that she “woke herself up as she talked so much”, we knew it was going to be free-flowing! She answered in detail every student and staff question about her life, career and musical associations, and she did it with both humour and illuminating political insights.

We also found out about the many musicians Lillian has worked with over the years - and all the anecdotes about her early career, from driving around the US for 19 years while the men drank liquor at the back of the bus, to the stroke-affected alcoholic pianist with a paralysed left arm which occasionally “came to life on its own” on stage, causing mayhem and hilarity by producing very loud, sudden and out-of-tune bass notes on the piano in the middle of the set.

From there Lillian introduced her film, The Sound After The Storm, which details the city’s efforts to come to terms with the Hurricane Katrina disaster. I was not ready for the film’s raw emotions and Lillian, whose family, friends and musical colleagues were featured in detail, wept throughout. After passing her a packet of tissues I soon realised I needed them back, as the devastation was overwhelming. Several other staff and students were deeply affected, and at the end of the film there was complete silence for about a minute, then huge applause. Afterwards, the thirteen 2nd year Foundation Degree students who will be visiting next year said they are now desperate to go, and they felt personally involved. The film has won "Best Documentary" at the Zurich International Film Festival.

Following the solemn and sometimes harrowing film interlude we moved on to a vocals workshop, where music degree singers learnt backing vocal harmonies to some gospel and traditional songs. Lillian worked with all the vocalists in turn, making sure they all knew their parts, and Richard accompanied the session on the piano. An audience of other students watched and sometimes joined in on the choruses. The songs the group rehearsed were performed later that night at Mojo’s Bar, when the students sang alongside Lillian, backed by a music staff band.

The evening has been described by all as the best night the department has ever held. The pub was packed with students, staff, family and friends of the music department. The music began with a showcase for the music department’s finest bands and musicians. It featured excellent sets from Charlotte Jacobs, Ghost In Mirrors, Billy Jupp, Goldie Reed, Gavin Crowhurst and Bareface. The music department tutors took the stage at 9pm, and started with “Buddy Can You Spare a Dime”, sung by David Migden. This set the mood for Lillian’s arrival, and she did not disappoint. The next 45 minutes were filled with beautiful ballads, exciting Gospel, and cool funk songs. Lillian was accompanied by Donna Rudd on “Natural Woman” and by Holly Hunt, France Amann, Helen Garrod and Charlotte Jacobs on “Iko Iko”. The pub was filled with feelings of excitement and goodwill - people were aware that they had a world class singer and band on display in Tonbridge. The evening continued until 12.30am with more excellent music from David Migden and the Dirty Words, the Ollie Stevenson Jazz Trio, Paul Rippengal, Holly and the Multi-Tones, Sarah Tonin and UberJam. Many people stayed to the end, despite having work the next day.

This was the most exciting day in the music department’s history. We had important cross-cultural lessons, music workshops, American politics and an exceptional concert. This will all go towards making further connections with universities and music agencies in the USA.

LRC Photography Competition Winners

2010-03-18T10:38:00.002Z

The Learning Resource Centre held a photography competition this term and the winners have now been announced.

There were 56 entries into the competition and they were judged by Bill Fearon, the Principal, Nik Guyatt, ILT Trainer, and Leonie Paris, the Marketing Manager. Entries were within four categories: Everyday Objects from a New Perspective; Self-Portrait; Landscape; and, Food and Drink. A first, second and third place was awarded for each category. Here are the winners:

Everyday Objects from a New Perspective: Tina Chatfield-Keller

Self-Portrait: Lindsay Riordan

Landscape: J Harvey

Food and Drink: Sharon Hall Shipp

All photographs are currently on display in Goudhurst Learning Resource Centre and will be there until the 26th March. Thanks to everyone who entered and look out for the LRC Student Poetry competition which is currently calling entries.

Lillian Boutté Visiting West Kent College

2010-03-10T16:08:00.000Z

International soul, jazz and gospel singer Lillian Boutté will be performing with the staff and students of West Kent College Music Department at Mojo’s Bar, Tonbridge, on Tuesday 16th March. The evening will feature a one hour performance by Lillian, backed on stage by West Kent College lecturers, amidst a showcase of the department’s top student bands.

Lillian, named the successor to Louis Armstrong as Musical Ambassador of New Orleans, is spending the day at West Kent College to talk about her life and music, and her fund-raising work to rebuild the vibrant music scene of her native city after the devastation caused five years ago by Hurricane Katrina. She will also lead a Vocals Workshop with singing students and staff.

Lillian’s career has featured numerous albums, world tours and performances with musicians such as Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and Humphrey Lyttleton. Her close friend and associate Dr. Martin Luther King spoke of her: "A voice like this comes once in a millennium". She also played a cameo role in the film Angel Heart which starred Mickey Rourke and Robert de Niro, and has since starred in the award-winning New Orleans documentary The Sound After The Storm which depicts the attempts of the broken city to reclaim its musical culture.

This visit signals the beginning of an exciting relationship between West Kent College and the city of New Orleans, and was initially arranged through Richard Simmons, Visiting Lecturer at West Kent College (and Lillian’s piano player for many years). Music Programme Leader Julie Parker and Access to Music Course Leader James Sedge will be attending a conference in New Orleans next month, in which they will meet the staff of the University’s Music Department, with the aim of setting up an annual student field trip for Music Degree students to New Orleans.

Lillian says, "I asked Julie if it was possible that I could share some stories about my home town New Orleans. It has worked out very well and I look forward to getting to know the students and staff, seeing my old friend Richard Simmons again, and to meet them all again in New Orleans next year. I look forward to the time we will spend together!"

Lillian Boutté plays Mojo’s Bar on Tuesday 16th March. The show starts at 8pm, it’s free and open to all. This is not to be missed!

Celebrating Success and Looking to the Future for 'New Skills, New Lives'

2010-03-09T11:57:00.000Z

On the 3rd March 'New Skills, New Lives' (invited stakeholders to Oakwood House, Maidstone, to celebrate the first year of the enterprise. The event reflected on the successes and achievements gained during the first year and gave guests an insight into the strategic direction for the upcoming year. At the same time, the Kent Youth Offending Service took the opportunity to launch 'New Skills, New Lives' for young people.

The aim of the 'New Skills, New Lives' partnership, led by West Kent College’s Kent Probation and the Prison Service, is to give offenders the opportunity to increase their skills and qualification levels by engaging with local FE colleges and providers with a view to increasing employability and employment opportunities and therefore reducing reoffending. This is achieved by increasing access to FE funded literacy, numeracy and vocational skills delivered discreetly at probation sites, on the mobile training unit and on-site with employers.

Guest speakers for the event included Bill Fearon, West Kent College Principal, who opened the evening, Mike Hill, Kent County Council Cabinet Member, Amanda Honey, Managing Director for Communities Kent County Council, Rob Verity, Director of Interventions, Community and Partnerships Kent Probation, and Glan Hopkin, Head of Service Kent Youth Offending Service. All speakers emphasised the importance of 'New Skills, New Lives' and how the initiative contributes to achieving their organisational goals.

Steve Hyland, 'New Skills, New Lives' Project Manager, commented: “What makes this project unique in offender learning and skills is the strength of the partnership – each of our partners are thoroughly committed to the success of the project at both strategic and operational levels, meaning we’re able to provide a well-rounded service to our learners which has been designed from the ground up to meet their needs”.

During its first year of operation 'New Skills, New Lives' has offered excellent value for money, both in terms of delivery and in terms of developing partnerships. In the last year 'New Skills, New Lives' has seen over 200 Skills for Life qualifications and over 50 employment outcomes, some of those who joined the scheme have now gone on to re-train as tutors and are using their own experiences to encourage others to turn their lives around. The team and stakeholders are now eagerly awaiting the next year of operation and the development of 'New Skills, New Lives' for young people.

West Kent College Staff Awards 2010

2010-03-05T15:45:00.001Z

West Kent College’s 2nd Annual Staff Awards took place on the 3rd March at Salomons Centre in Tunbridge Wells. It was attended by 150 staff, all of whom were nominated for awards, and the event sought to reward and celebrate achievements of Teaching and Support staff across the College.

Everyone nominated was voted for by their peers. The nominees in each category were then shortlisted by ‘judging pods’ and the overall winners were selected at a final judging meeting held in February.

Guests were entertained by local stand-up comedian Stephen Upsall, who also hosted the event, and a six-piece band, Round Midnight. Steve Hearn was also there to draw some wonderful and intriguing caricatures of staff.

Below are some pictures of the evening, including all of the winners.

Outstanding Lecturer of the Year: Julie Parker (Presented by Alison Monk)

The Support Award: Margaret Grove and the Tutorial Team (Presented by Gavin Davis-Holmes)

The Equality & Diversity Award: Sharon Hocking (Presented by Jackie Mathias)

The ICT Teaching & Learning Champion: Sophie Lawrence (Presented by Paul Boast)

The Leadership & Management Award: Wendie Morrison (Presented by Chris Hare)

The Cross-College Collaboration Award: Karen Hackett, Sally Cheeseman and Martin Tilbury (not pictured) from the Train-to-Gain Team (Presented by Karen Richardson)

Best Newcomer: Wendy Smith (Presented by Amanda Davidson)

The Innovation Award: Alison Jowett (Presented by Sarah Cremer)

The One-in-a-Million Award: Sam Oliver (Presented by Mary Hellyer)

Workplace Assessor Award: Stacey Dobberson (Presented by Marilyn Banfield)

The Unsung Heroes Award: Nigel Cornish (Presented by John Grafik)

The Teaching Staff Award – nominated by students: Dee Deol (Presented by Laura Ellis)

The Lifetime Achievement Award: Sarah Lake (not pictured), Jayne Youngs, Vera Bettice, Richard Homewood (Presented by Bill Fearon, Principal)

More photos can be found on our facebook fan page.

SkilledUp Winners

2010-03-04T15:00:00.002Z

Following the earlier story about our successful SkilledUp competition, here are pictures of all the winners (apologies for the poor quality). Gavin Davis-Holmes, Director of MIS, presented the Carpentry awards and Paul Boast, Director of Adult and HE, presented the Brickwork awards.

Carpentry 1st Place: Josh Armer-Court.

Carpentry 2nd Place: Nick Keeling.

Carpentry 3rd Place: Jamie Mason.

Brickwork 1st Place: Richard Hoadley.

Brickwork 2nd Place: Barney Eastwood

Brickwork 3rd Place: Dean Sales.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in the event and good luck to the winners in the ‘Best Of’ Final on 23rd June.

Construction students get SkilledUp at West Kent College

2010-03-04T11:11:00.000Z

West Kent College held a heat of the regional SkilledUp competition on Monday, 1st March. The event was a competition for carpentry and brickwork students to complete a specific project, competing against each other and the clock. SkilledUp takes place in colleges across the county, with the top three from each college in each trade going on to compete against each other in the regional SkilledUp ‘Best of’ final on June 23rd, which will also be held at West Kent College. As a demonstration of the links between the colleges in Kent, the judging was carried out by South Kent College staff, with West Kent College staff having judged at South Kent’s Ashford and Folkestone campuses during the previous week.

Our winners were Josh Armer-Court in Carpentry, with Nick Keeling taking second place and Jamie Mason coming in third. In Brickwork, Richard Hoadley took the prize for first place, with Barney Eastwood second and Dean Sales third. Prizes were kindly donated by Makita and trophies by Wates.

Mark Taylor, a carpentry lecturer at the College, said: “The students were really eager to take part and compete against each other. I’ve seen some good work from all of them.”

The event was also attended by family and local employers, including Glen Lester of Lester Building Contractors, who has two West Kent College carpentry apprentices - one of whom being third-placed Jamie Mason - working for him. Glenn said: “I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen – not just Jamie and David’s work but all of the students. I would say to any employer taking on an apprentice to consider them as part of the team and a worthwhile asset – they have both added to our dynamic as they are young and full of enthusiasm.”

College ILT Project Updates

2010-02-19T11:06:00.000Z

As part of our approach to the new build, we have been experimenting with new technologies, undertaking a series of innovative projects, including:

• Dance lecturers have been using Flip videos to record clips during their lessons as a formative assessment tool and to provide feedback to help learners to improve their technique and performance. The video clips are then uploaded onto moodle so the learners can access them at anytime and assess their progress. The learners have a greater level of reflection and awareness of their dance performance as a result.

• The ITQ team have been using Flip videos to record students at their computers as evidence of competence in performing specific tasks. These clips are then downloaded and made available to the external verifier.

• Built environment students have been using Second Life to practise designing and constructing a 3D model of a building. They are rehearsing strategies and techniques that they will use in the industry.

• Springboard students have just started using Brain Train on the Nintendo DS.

The two Flip video projects have been featured on the excellence gateway, a national database of good practice. You can see it on their website here.

The Flip videos, along with the Second Life project, have been nominated for JISC Hi5 awards, which recognise the many individuals and teams throughout the South East region who are spearheading the development and effective use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.

Apprentice Profile: Tom Stead

2010-02-05T07:25:00.002Z

This is the last of our apprentice profiles in conjunction with Apprenticeship Week 2010.

Name: Tom Stead

Position/title at College: Finance Assistant

What does your position involve? My position in Finance is quite varied. I deal with issues such as inputting invoices and credit notes, checking statements, contacting suppliers, inputting and sending out cheques to suppliers and students, placing online orders for staff members and any other jobs that I am asked to do on a daily basis.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship and what benefits will it give you in the future? I chose to do an apprenticeship because I can study and learn the information that I need from my classes and then put this knowledge into practice with my everyday work. Furthermore, when I finish my qualification, I can prove to future employees that not only am I qualified with certificates but I also have a good work-based knowledge which I can apply to any new job roles that I apply for. Also, by doing an apprenticeship I get to earn money as well as gain a qualification.

Why did you choose West Kent College for your apprenticeship? I chose to do my apprenticeship with West Kent College mainly because I have good knowledge of the College due to many of my friends either currently studying here or have studied here. Also, the College is the closest one to me.

What have you learnt since starting your apprenticeship at West Kent College? I have learnt a great deal since joining the College. When I first joined I did an ITQ NVQ IT Users course which is to do with computer techniques and how to use different systems, so I now feel vastly more competent when completing tasks on the computer. Also, nowadays employers like employees to have good computer skills which is mainly why I chose the course. After completing this I moved into the Finance team where I am currently studying for my AAT qualification. I haven’t been on the course for a very long time, but due to putting what I have learnt into practice, I now have a good knowledge on how accounting is carried out and how accounting systems work.

What do you plan to do after your apprenticeship finishes? When I finish my apprenticeship with Finance I would like to move into a firm of accountants either for a small private company or a large company. I would like to do this so I can get a large amount of knowledge on how the financial side of a business works so that when I feel I am stable enough I can start and run my own business successfully.

My dream job would be? Sounds silly but I would love to be a professional motorbike rider.

Thanks Tom. To find out more about the Apprenticeship schemes at West Kent College, have a look here.

Apprentice Profile: Shaunna Burke

2010-02-04T07:25:00.001Z

Name: Shaunna Burke

Position/title at College: North Farm College Admin Apprentice

What does your position involve? I am responsible for ensuring all administration issues are covered, such as supporting all members of staff with any paperwork, databases, writing letters to students and phoning students to inform them of any changes at North Farm. I support tutors with their Moodle pages when required. Also help with resourcing, stationery and MFPs.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship and what benefits will it give you in the future? I chose to accept the apprenticeship as I thought it would be a good experience to gain knowledge which I could use in future roles.

Why did you choose West Kent College for your apprenticeship? The College approached me whilst I was studying at Anatomy & Physiology and Body Massage at West Kent College.

What have you learnt since starting your apprenticeship at West Kent College? While on this apprenticeship I have learnt how to use the College software efficiently, learnt how this organisation is run and its procedures together with advanced knowledge of ICT and MFP. I have learnt how to set up workable systems for North Farm staff. Also having extensive knowledge of Moodle to help and support not only teaching staff but also senior members of North Farm including the IT and Electronics department. I have also been given the opportunity to work closely with the executive team as cover Pas, which I thoroughly enjoyed. My personal development has included safeguarding and equality and diversity. I have also become a dedicated fire marshal for North Farm. During my time at North Farm I have learnt basic painting when helping to decorate classrooms during the summer, which was different and fun. I have also taken part in team building events at North Farm.

What do you plan to do after your apprenticeship finishes? Hopefully I will be offered a permanent job at North Farm, if not I shall try finding a job with my new qualifications.

My dream job would be? My dream job is to be a sports therapist for the England rugby team or the Army, although after working in an educational establishment I wouldn’t mind becoming a teacher or classroom assistant.

Thanks Shaunna. You can read more about West Kent College Apprenticeships here.

Apprentice Profile: Samuel Lain

2010-02-03T07:25:00.001Z

Here's the next profile of apprentices from West Kent College to help celebrate Apprenticeships Week 2010.

Name: Samuel Lain

Position/title at College: 14-16 Administrative Apprentice

What does your position involve? I mainly assist at North Farm - the Construction, Motor Vehicle and Engineering campus - with Jo Sales from the Vocational Academy. However, I also work with Linda Gapp from Alternative Curriculum and Sara Cleaver with the Skills for Life department.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship and what benefits will it give you in the future? The apprenticeship scheme gives me the opportunity to gain a qualification whilst working. It provides me with the experience of real-life work and this will increase my employability in the future, because I have both gained the qualifications as well as the working experience – which is what employers are looking for.

Why did you choose West Kent College for your apprenticeship? I have been with West Kent College since June 2008, first as a work experience student on two day release programme from Angley School, then in September 2009 I became an Apprentice. I choose to take this pathway for the reasons mentioned in the previous question and that West Kent College is a friendly environment and I knew most of the staff whilst being on work experience.

What have you learnt since starting your apprenticeship at West Kent College? I have learnt many skills whilst working at West Kent College and everyday I am learning more, however if I was to identify one it would be organisational skills.

What do you plan to do after your apprenticeship finishes? I plan to continue on the apprenticeships pathway, I would like to expand my skills and knowledge and I would love to stay and do this at West Kent College. I feel the apprenticeship scheme is excellent and it is a great basis to start from.

My dream job would be? This is a difficult question to answer – I would eventually like to start my own Event Management Company, however this is a long term goal. Looking no further than the next ten years I think education is the place for me. Throughout the time of working I have been attracted to education; as a work experience student I have worked in colleges, secondary schools and even primary schools. But obviously my real dream is to be a millionaire!

Thanks Sam! To read more about Apprenticeships at West Kent College, look here. Sam is also the founder of Kent’s GOT Talent.

Apprentice Profile: Tiffany Plant

2010-02-02T07:25:00.000Z

Name: Tiffany Plant

Position/title at College: Administrative Assistant

What does your position involve? Dealing with students and visitors face-to-face and on the telephone, working with the reception team, student services and admissions.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship and what benefits will it give you in the future? I decided to take a gap year and I hoped completing an apprenticeship would be a very rewarding way to spend a year, teaching me skills you would not attain from merely studying that would be beneficial at university and later in my life.

Why did you choose West Kent College for your apprenticeship? After researching apprenticeships on many websites I found one that was in my area and which focussed on qualifications that I was interested in.

What have you learnt since starting your apprenticeship at West Kent College? Working within West Kent College and attending the training provided has widened my knowledge of Business Administration and also customer service.

What do you plan to do after your apprenticeship finishes? Once this apprenticeship has concluded I am going to Exeter University to study an Economics degree.

My dream job would be? Anything I enjoy, I am pretty indecisive so I know I keep changing my mind.

Thanks Tiffany, good luck at university next year! To read more about apprenticeships at West Kent College, see here, and check back tomorrow for the next profile.

Apprentice Profile: Ricky Atkins

2010-02-01T07:25:00.002Z

As part of Apprenticeship Week 2010 we are profiling some of the Apprentices we have working and learning at West Kent College.

Name: Ricky Atkins

Position/title at College: Business Development Apprentice

What does your position involve? Working with Business Development team can involve many tasks which can vary from maintaining records, making sure they are up-to-date on our systems and keeping records of apprentices and their achievements. Mainly I support the training officers that work for Business Development, so there could be any challenge waiting.

Why did you choose an apprenticeship and what benefits will it give you in the future? The reason behind becoming an apprentice was that I wanted to start my career in the hope that it would improve my IT skills, communication skills and give me some experience in an office environment. I soon learnt that I could also gain an NVQ qualification and with that have many skills. The benefits of being an apprentice when moving on in my career is that I have the experience of working in a busy environment and since being an apprentice I have gained and improved my confidence so this can help me in the future.

Why did you choose West Kent College for your apprenticeship? I decided that taking my qualification at West Kent College would bring me many opportunities in the future. West Kent College offered me a position back in March 2009 and since then I have gained a qualification in ITQ and I am now working towards a business qualification. I also knew that West Kent College would support me in any way needed towards my qualification.

What have you learnt since starting your apprenticeship at West Kent College? Since starting my apprenticeship I have gained and learnt many work-related qualifications. I have learnt how to use many Windows Office programs that are used in any computer-based company so in the future this would be very helpful. I have most importantly learnt how to communicate with different age ranges, work within a team and communicate with members of Business Development so we always finish and get the outcomes that we want.

What do you plan to do after your apprenticeship finishes? After my apprenticeship finishes I want to move on to a business management qualification. I hope that I can continue working within West Kent College and continue my career and gain many other qualifications.

My dream job would be? My dream job would be becoming a manager and being an important and well respected individual. I would like to be in charge of a team and give the support to trainees and help them in a career just like West Kent College has done for me.

Thanks Ricky! The next profile will be up tomorrow morning and then we'll showcase another one each day this week. To read more about Apprenticeships at West Kent College look here.

A Bright Spark

2010-01-28T16:00:00.000Z

Recently, Jude Wenlock Simpson, HND TV Production Year II, worked on the production of feature film F, due to be released Spring 2010. Jude said, “I found this job through web sites given to me by my WKC lecturers - a three week paid shoot in a college in Cambridge with the 40 cast members and crew.” He explains, “It’s a horror film about a college where students go on a rampage towards teachers. I was a “spark” similar to a runner but works in the lighting department.”

“My main interest is lighting and camera and WKC tutors have definitely enhanced my skills. Our course offers a lot of freedom, where we put across an idea and we are left to film. We can run with our ideas and can be extremely creative yet we still receive expert advice and tuition. It’s almost like being on an extendable lead!”

“I have compiled an extensive portfolio from this course and now have about 15 pieces of work including one short film, two feature films and an untold amount of music videos. I’d like to progress to work on a 3rd year top up. I am thinking of studying at Canterbury Christ Church University.”

Check out the range of Media and Photography at West Kent College courses here.

Snow need to panic

2010-01-15T12:27:00.000Z

The snow caused chaos around the UK in the first weeks of January but thanks to a lot of great work at the College, we were still able to open to those staff who could safely travel.

The decision was quickly made to close the College to learners in the interest of safety. Due to the snow-covered roads in many smaller towns and villages, and heavily disrupted public transport, many staff were also unable to make their way to the College. Those adventurous staff who were able to safely get to campus owe many thanks to the Estates team, who ensured the College sites were as safe as possible. The caretakers worked each day from 7am to clear pathways, roads, entrances and stairs and special mention goes to Galliford Try, the building contractors working on our Campus 21 regeneration, who sent a team of men to help out by clearing the roads and gritting the paths when Brook Street was at its worst. In the second week, Galliford Try even sent a digger and dumper to clear up the snow.

We couldn’t have done it without everyone coming together to help out, so a big thanks to everyone who ensured the College could operate as best as possible. We showed true grit, and it’s snow joke that snow-body does it better than us at WKC!

West Life

2009-12-22T09:58:00.000Z

At West Kent College we print and publish a monthly newsletter called West Life. It’s aimed primarily at our staff, who provide the content, but we love the students to read it too as most of the stories are about them. West Life is filled with interesting stories from in and around the College and local community, there’s current news and upcoming events, the latest happenings with our Campus 21 regeneration and a lot more to keep you up to date with everything happening here at the College.

We have now made all the issues of West Life from 2009 available to read online. You can see them all here. In the December issue you can see the fun things that happened for Children’s in Need, see the winners of the Equality and Diversity bookmark competition and read a great story about our ‘Reining Champion’, Antony Irens, plus lots more.

We are also setting up a new magazine which will be ‘by the students, for the students’. Any learner can get involved with any stage of the publishing process – writing, editing, photography, graphic design, marketing. Hopefully we’ll soon be able to show this off online too.

Happy reading!

First Shoots Film

2009-12-21T11:26:00.001Z

As part of our Campus 21 regeneration we plan to hold a number of events showcasing the College. On October 19th 2009 we held the first of these, a take on the traditional ‘Topping Out’ ceremony, where builders celebrate reaching the highest point of a new build, which we called First Shoots.

The First Shoots event featured a reception in the Media and Arts Centre, a tour of the impressive new build and then a tree planting with College Principal, Bill Fearon, Cllr. Sue Murray, Mayor of Tonbridge and ex-West Kent College student, Richard Saward from Galliford Try and current National Diploma construction student, James Andrews. We reported the news initially here but now we have an update: a video recorded at the event with lots of great comment from our guests. The short film also features a composition from music student Andy Frasier.

Click here to visit the West Kent College Youtube channel.

Snow Day!

2009-12-21T10:35:00.000Z

On Friday 18th December it snowed. It snowed so much, in fact, that we had to close the College for the day, but we still managed to get a few photos of the Brook Street Campus.

The Campus is still very icy so please take lots of care while walking around.

And here are a couple of pictures of Tonbridge looking great in the snow.

Reining Supreme

2009-12-17T13:43:00.001Z

In October, Year 1 Built Environment student Antony Iren competed for Great Britain in the FEI European Reining Championships in Germany, finishing 5th out of 180 riders.

This is the second year running that Antony has represented Great Britain in the Young Riders category. Reining is known as the Western form of dressage and it’s a discipline which requires the rider to perform one of a set of patterns with smoothness, correctness and control, all done at galloping speed. Antony started riding lessons and soon became interested in the Western style of reining, as he says, “it’s really fast, all action and you can be casual and wear jeans, breaking from the traditions of English riding.” Antony also explains how, because they are raised as working horses, “it’s a natural style of riding which is much less stressful for the horses.”

Here’s something you might not know: reining is the fastest growing sport in Europe, with 18,000 people taking part this year compared to just 3,000 last year. Robbie Williams is a fan as is racing-driver Michael Schumacher’s wife (who offered to buy Antony’s horse off of him – he said no, of course!).

Well done Antony, it’s a great achievement.

Panto Promo Film from WKC Students

2009-12-10T10:09:00.000Z

Recently a group of media students from West Kent College got the chance to help out with a promotional video for the Tunbridge Wells Christmas pantomime, Peter Pan.

Adrian Smith, the Course Leader FD Art and Design, and his students recorded this video of the show’s star, Ray Meagher (who is best known for playing Alf Stewart in Home and Away). Ray plays Captain Hook in the panto which is on at the Assembly Hall Theatre from the 12th December 2009 to the 3rd January 2010. The show also features Sarah Jane Buckley, Jessica Punch and Christopher Pizzey.

Here’s a picture of Ray and our students during the shoot.

Children in Need 2009!

2009-11-27T11:36:00.000Z

Friday 20th November was Children in Need and despite the rain lots of exciting things were happening around the College. We had students and staff in fancy dress; guess the number of sweets in the jar in reception; guess the number of balloons in the car; fun and games in Tudeley diner; a triathlon by Open Door learners who cycled, rowed and walked the distance from Tonbridge to Calais in the gym (a total of 85 miles between them!); some deliciously themed cakes in The Gallery; the Beauty Therapy students gave Indian Head Massages to some of the guys from our building contractors Galliford Try and College band Ross and the Wrongens played a great lunchtime gig. So far we have raised over £400!

Diversity Bookmark Competition

2009-11-19T14:29:00.000Z

The LRC recently ran a very successful diversity bookmark competition, which invited learners to design a bookmark depicting what diversity meant to them. There were over 70 entries which demonstrated a real engagement with the subject of diversity. Many of the themes focused on understanding difference, such as people’s faith, politics, race, culture or economic status. The message from learners was quite clear: we are all different, let’s learn from each other and celebrate this.

The judging was tough but Sharon Hocking, Elaine Scutt, Nick Guyatt and Sharon Corden managed to pick their winners. Sharon Hocking, Quality and Diversity manager, commented, “I was really impressed with the range of themes explored in the competition. Diversity clearly means many things to many people. It was difficult to choose two winners from such a wealth of material.”

The panel awarded first place and £30 to Elizabeth Samms (Childcare and Education) who depicted a jigsaw of different, diverse pieces coming together as a strong and cohesive whole. Second prize and £15 went to Kerrie Chamberlain (Alternative Curriculum) who designed a simple and striking bookmark on the theme of racial diversity, with the powerful message of “Make things change”.

The panel would also like to offer special commendations to Scarlet Wilson (Childcare and Education), Matt Daly (Alternative Curriculum) and Lisa Rogers (Early Years) for their excellent designs (which won them a box of chocolates each!). Two other entries were praised for capturing the Diversity theme very well and they will be used for posters within the College: Jade Brazier and Emily Kift.

An awards ceremony was held on Monday 16th November in The Gallery Restaurant where all the winners were present. Bill Fearon, Principal, presented the prizes and said, “I’m very impressed with the wide range of styles, colours and shapes with Equality and Diversity as a strong theme.” The catering students also provided a delicious feast of Asian food with curries, kebabs, breads and dips which everyone enjoyed.

Copies of the winning bookmarks are available in all of our LRCs, where all the entries will also be on display.

We're Getting There!

2009-11-16T16:28:00.000Z

Above is the artist's impression of how the front of our new campus will look. Below is a picture that was taken a few weeks ago and, as you can see, things are taking shape.

Drumming for Anastacia

2009-11-11T16:24:00.000Z

College Drum Teacher Tom Mitchell is playing drums on ‘Stalemate’, the new single from Ben's Brothers, featuring Anastacia. The video is available on Youtube, where you can see him clearly from 0:50-1:10 and 3:20-3:30, or just watch below!

First Shoots

2009-10-30T10:35:00.003Z

On Monday 19th October we held an event to celebrate the progress of the College build so far. We called it 'First Shoots' and it shows how our 'new roots' are growing and developing. We made this video (edited by our Design Unit apprentice Emma Needham), to be played as our guests arrive, to show a few views from around the impressive build.

Equality of Opportunity!

2009-10-29T16:34:00.000Z

For Barbara Leadbetter (66) and Laura Majko (18), successfully achieving their first qualifications with West Kent College shows how we offer equal opportunities for all. After a successful career in floristry, Barbara joined the Thames Valley School as a Teaching Assistant and has just gained her L2 NVQ in Supporting Teaching and Learning. For Laura, her first job at Little Sunflowers Nursery gave her the opportunity to continue with her education through a L2 apprenticeship programme in Children's Care, Learning & Development. Pictured at their recent Awards Evening hosted by delivery partner SET Training, John Grafik, Business Development Director, says, “Laura and Barbara exemplify the inclusive nature of qualifications that are delivered in the workplace. They are to be congratulated and encouraged to progress to even greater heights.”

Welcome to West Kent College!

2009-10-18T16:26:00.000+01:00

This is the blog for West Kent College in Tonbridge.