Freshers’ Fair Video!

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

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

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?

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!