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.

A Level Success!

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

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

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!

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

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.

Broken Beauty

'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.

Last Supper in the Gallery

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

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

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.

SkilledUp Winners

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

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

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.