Defining Futures Newsletter - issue 6

DEFININGFUTURES CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

Welcome to the latest edition of the Defining Futures Newsletter which provides an overview of college activities from when we returned to college after the May halfterm break, until the end of the academic year in July.

This last half-term has been about celebration! Celebrating our students and apprentices completing their courses, celebrating winning a prestigious national award for our investment in IT and digital skills, and celebrating the job success of some of our automotive students.

Read more on these stories from page 2.

But, as we come to the end of one academic year, we are already gearing up for the start of the next! Our admissions staff are busy interviewing and enrolling students for September and we’re looking forward to welcoming our new cohort, as well as those who are returning for a further year, when term starts. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

DEFINING FUTURES

Do you know a young person who has just left school and is unsure of their next steps, someone who is keen to start earning but also wants to gain a qualification, a job seeker who wants to gain the skills needed to get into employment, or an employee who wants to up-skill to boost their promotion prospects?

If so, please point them to the college website which lists all the full-time and part-time courses we offer, as well as apprenticeship programmes and apprenticeship vacancies with local employers, and sector-based work academy programmes (SWAPs) designed to give people the skills they need to work in local priority sectors, such as construction, rail and electric vehicles. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

 Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk

DEFININGFUTURES /// CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER /// ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

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CELEBRATING SUCCESS APPRENTICESHIP SHOWCASE AND BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT

Our first end-of-year event saw over 150 employers from across the region join us in celebrating the success of apprentices at our apprenticeship showcase and business networking evening, at Grand Station, on 13 July.

The event featured the presentation of Apprentice of the Year Awards in eight industry categories, as well as the opportunity for employers to talk to college staff about the wide range of apprenticeships offered by the college and the support they can access to set up training programmes in their company.

The event was sponsored by Budweiser, RBSL, Thompson Group, William Gough, Wulfrun Building Solutions Ltd and Zaks Hairdressing.

STUDENTS TAKE CENTRE STAGE AT END OF YEAR CEREMONIES

The day after acknowledging the successes of apprentices, it was the turn of full-time students to take centre stage when, after a two-year Covid-enforced hiatus, we held two end of year celebration ceremonies.

Over 400 students attended the events, at Grand Station on July 14, which featured performing arts students wowing the audience with a showcase of song and dance routines from their end-ofterm production of the popular musical, Shrek, a performance by rapper Reepa, and an inspiring presentation by dual Paralympian and England’s most decorated footballer Darren Harris.

Malcolm Cowgill, principal of the college, said: “After not being able to hold our annual end-of-year ceremonies for the last two years due to Covid restrictions, it was great to be able to congratulate the students in person once again.

“Throughout the challenges that Covid created, our staff remained committed to delivering excellent teaching and our students remained committed to learning. They should be very proud of their achievements and we wish them the best of luck for the future, whether they are returning in September to do another course with us, heading off to university, starting an apprenticeship or moving into employment.”

HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS DON CAPS AND GOWNS AT GRADUATION CEREMONY Our final end-of-year event took place on the evening of July 14, when around 100 higher education students donned academic caps and gowns and celebrated gaining their qualifications at a glittering graduation ceremony.

Students who had completed university-level HNCs, HNDs and Foundation Degrees heard from Sunny Dhadley, a motivational speaker and former college higher education student, about his career journey and where his qualification has taken him, before being presented with framed certificates by college principal, Malcolm Cowgill.

 Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk

DEFININGFUTURES /// CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER /// ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

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COLLEGE NAMED FURTHER EDUCATION COLLEGE OF THE YEAR FOR DIGITAL SKILLS AT NATIONAL AWARDS

The college’s commitment to empowering students, apprentices and staff to develop their digital skills led to it being crowned FE College of the Year at the national Edufuturists Awards on June 30, beating off tough competition from three other colleges.

Since 2020, the college has embraced the use of the national Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award (iDEA) programme, which enables participants to complete online challenges to earn digital badges, with students and apprentices achieving over 86,000 badges to date.

College staff have also benefitted from dedicated digital training days with online webinars and courses - covering creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking - to enable them to use digital technology effectively and confidently in the classroom.

Conrad Taylor, business learning and technologies manager at the college, said: “Winning this award is fantastic news for the college and was a great way to end the academic year!

“We are extremely proud of the efforts that our students, apprentices and staff have put in to embracing digital technology which will not only be of use in the classroom, but in their careers and dayto-day life too.

“We are now looking forward to passing on our knowledge to other further education colleges and demonstrating how technology can transform teaching, learning and assessments for students and staff.” //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

AUTOMOTIVE STUDENTS’ CAREERS GET ON THE ROAD WITH TOP INDUSTRY EMPLOYER

Six automotive students who have just completed their qualifications at the college had reason to celebrate when they were all offered jobs with a leading motor vehicle dealer.

The group, who have all gained the Level 3 diploma in vehicle body repair and paint refinishing, have been employed as smart repair technicians with Greenhous, which operates a network of car and commercial dealerships across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Mid Wales.

The employment opportunity arose after the operations manager from the company’s Telford site visited the college’s Paget Road campus to see the students carrying out repairs in the motor vehicle workshop and discussing the work they were doing.

After the visit the students were asked to submit their CVs to the company and, following interviews held at the college, were offered jobs to start with the company at the beginning of July.

Student Tom Coates, ages 18, said; “To get a job with a guaranteed salary straight out of college is just brilliant! The course has taught me the right way to do things and I’ve proved that I’ve got the skills needed for my future career.

“I thought that after finishing the course I’d have to look for a job myself, but this opportunity through the college and Greenhous means I’ll be going straight into the industry and I’m really excited to get started!”

Kieran Griffin, operations manager at Greenhous, said: “The students all demonstrated a very good level of industry skills and knowledge and we are delighted to have been able to offer them all exciting roles in the business.

“The training and support they received from their tutors during their course has given them the confidence to move seamlessly from college to employment and begin their careers with us in the automotive industry.”  Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk

DEFININGFUTURES /// CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER /// ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

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WE’RE LOOKING AFTER OUR WELLBEING

Every year we hold a Wellbeing Day for our staff – and this year was no different. Staff had the opportunity to round off the year with a range of both fun and relaxing activities, such as: • Head shoulder and foot massages • Poetry, guitar and song writing workshops • A virtual escape room • Rounders • Desk/chair yoga …or even just the chance to sit and read their book! The day received glowing feedback and we’re sure lots of our staff are already counting down to the next one! //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

CELEBRATING OUR STAFF

As soon as our student celebrations were finished, we went straight in to celebrating the achievements of our very own staff. We reminisced on the great year we’d had and handed out some very special awards.

Congratulations once again to our winners: Newcomer Spotlight Award – Shannon Kelly Above and Beyond Individual Business Support Award – Robbie Gelder Hill Above and Beyond Individual Student Support Award – Rachel Nolan Above and Beyond Student Support Award (voted for by students) – Jas Bhangi Assessor of the Year Award (voted for by apprentices) – Lauren Childs Lecturer/Tutor of the Year Award (voted for by students) – Luke Foster and Abdul Waheed Curriculum Team of the Year Award – Hospitality & Bakery and the Enterprises Catering Team College Team of the Year Award – Marketing Unsung Heroes – Tanya Long, Jo Slater, Jason Fillingham, James Townend, Ruth Gavin, Tom Morgan and Zach Zangaro.

And to our long service award winners, who celebrated 20 years of service: Academic Year 2019/2020: Ken Davies Lorna Prosser Alan Paine Sue McSweeney Jeanette Murray Glenn Madeley

Academic Year 2020/2021: Tracey Downing Amritpal Dass Leigh Bradley Conrad Taylor Joan Wainwright Wendy Finch Jody Hathaway Joanna Slater Ailsa Simpson

Academic Year 2021/2022: Jason Brownrigg Donna Roden Rose Urkovskis Wendy Welch Jade Caddick Su Spragg Michael Dixon

The ceremony finished off with a speech from the one and only Doreen Tipton, who had the room in hysterics before giving us chance to grab a photo with the icon herself. Next year’s special guest has big shoes to fill!  Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk

DEFININGFUTURES /// CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER /// ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

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THE GREAT GET TOGETHER – A BAKE OFF IN BILSTON

Back in June, the college was invited to join Pat McFadden MP at the ‘Great Get Together’, a community bake off competition at Bilston Town Hall in memory of Jo Cox. Two of our students, Preeti and Comfort, had their bakes judged by Pat McFadden MP, The Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Sandra Samuels, the Mayor’s Consort Karl Samuels, Councillor Linda Leach, Dicky Dodd and MasterChef finalist Dennice McKinnon.

It was a brilliant event to be a part of, and a big congratulations to Preeti who was a runner-up in the competition! //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ACCREDITED WITH THE MATRIX STANDARD

We are proud to announce that we have been accredited with the matrix Standard again, demonstrating the high quality of our information, advice and guidance services we provide to our students. The matrix Standard is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver IAG, either as their sole purpose or as part of their service offering.

Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company said: “This is a fantastic achievement for City of Wolverhampton College and I would like to congratulate the team on their success. We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With their accreditation success, City of Wolverhampton College is working to provide the best possible support to their students.” //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

CAMPUS TRANSFORMATION UPDATE

Here at the college we’re currently undertaking a campus transformation project – setting out our ambitious plans to transform our student environment and cement ourselves as a leading education provider in the city.

We recently received the exciting news that we have secured the full funding package to help deliver our City Learning Quarter vision – a city centre campus which offers first class facilities for the residents of Wolverhampton and beyond. A staggering 45000 students and 7500 apprentices are set to walk through its doors over the next 10 years, gaining the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen career.

This project would not have been possible without the help and support of our partners. The proposals were supported by an initial £6.2 million investment from the City of Wolverhampton Council and Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, which enabled the completion of design work, site surveys, ground investigations, site acquisition and clearance. The council also secured £20 million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund and £5 million from the Towns Fund.

Over at our Wellington Road campus, we have two purpose-built mezzanine areas are currently under construction in our Construction Centre, ready for the 2022/23 academic year. Developed with  Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk

DEFININGFUTURES /// CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER /// ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

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funding from the Department of Education’s Post-16 Capacity Fund and led by Interclass PLC, this development will deliver increased workshop capacity for electrical and plumbing and refurbished spaces for gas, painting and decorating training - with cutting-edge hybrid learning technology and industry-standard equipment.

Wellington Road campus will also be home to our new Advanced Engineering and Automotive Centre of Excellence when it opens in 2023. Made possible with support from City of Wolverhampton Council and funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Black Country LEP, this centre will focus on new electric, hybrid and traditional vehicles and offer CAD and high-tech robotics facilities for engineering and motor vehicle studies.

For updates about our campus transformation journey, head to our website where you can hear more in the first of a series of vlogs from Mal and hear what our partners have to say about City Learning Quarter. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

LOCAL COMPANY GETS £2M HS2 CONTRACT WITH HELP FROM THE COLLEGE AND NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS Rowley-Regis based Whitcombe Pipelines has tapped into Wolverhampton’s National Infrastructure Solutions’ unique ‘Recruit, Train, Retain’ model to pass all the requirements for working on HS2.

Through our partnership (together with City of Wolverhampton Council and West Midlands Combined Authority) which delivers a range of training programmes in the laying and maintenance of rail track, Whitcombe Pipelines has been able to attract fresh talent and train and develop existing staff to get themselves primed and ready to support on HS2.

You can read more about this story in the Express and Star.

PHOTO COPYRIGHT EXPRESS AND STAR

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CREATIVE ARTS FINISH THE YEAR ON A HIGH

Our Creative Arts department has finished the year by showing off their talents in style.

Performing Arts blew us all away with their end of year performance Shrek the Musical, and our Art, Design and Photography students produced some stunning work for their End of Year Show. A huge well done to all of our very talented students who got involved. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

WOLVERHAMPTON HOMES MEET ASPIRING TRADE APPRENTICES The college recently partnered with Wolverhampton Homes to run an apprenticeship assessment day in order to recruit a new cohort of trade apprentices.

Aspiring bricklaying, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and gas apprentices were put through their paces with team building activities, were inspired by a talk from current bricklaying apprentice Tia and were even treated to a buffet provided by Wolverhampton Homes. Thank you to Wolverhampton Homes for working with us to deliver such an engaging and interesting event.

 Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk

DEFININGFUTURES /// CITY OF WOLVERHAMPTON COLLEGE NEWSLETTER /// ISSUE 6 /// AUGUST 2022

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YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION

Our new college destination report is working effectively and measures all programmes that started and finished within 2021/22, collecting data on circa 7,000 students.

So far results indicate, and contact remains ongoing, that the college has supported vast amounts of students take their next step into a positive destination, 89% of students to be precise. Of those, so far data suggests 46.24% are progressing their education, 42.4% are progressing to employment and 0.29% moving into independent living. This is a great achievement not just for our students, but for the college and for all who support our students through their journey with us. //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

STUDENT STORIES

We’re always keen to hear from students about how their courses are going and what plans they have for the future.

Since the last edition of the newsletter we’ve had end-of-year reports from a games design student and an A Level student, heard from a performing arts student about preparations for their end of year production of Shrek, spoken to students on our Futures programme, filmed video interviews with students on our electric vehicle SWAP courses, and had an update from a former uniformed pubic services student who gained her qualification with us last year and has just completed her first year at university.

To read more about what they have to say and their plans for the future, click on their pictures below:

Adam Cater Games Design

Paulina Patzova A Levels

Kacey Howells Performing Arts

Thomas Adams Futures

Chloe Lambert Futures

Shaquile Barnaby Futures

Tina Riley Automotive

Carla Marshall Automotive

Ghulam Sharif Automotive

Sophie Moreton Uniformed Public Services

 Stay in the know Download the app Take a look at the College’s social media platforms:     Visit www.wolvcoll.ac.uk