Yourgc issue 1 february 2015

#YOURGC

Issue 001 | February 2015 | www.gloscol.ac.uk

GC the movie

Academic area showcase videos unveiled Ambition

Staff Christmas Party

Responsibility

pg 6

Improvement

Engineering Education Scheme

Team work

pg 5

Communication

The Great GC Bake Off

Respect

pg 3

CONTENTS

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

WHAT’S ON

February 2015 | Issue 001

A word from Shelly McCatty

Upcoming dates for your calendar

02 Hello, I’m New! 03 The Great GC Bake Off 04 GC The Movie Premiere 05 Engineering Education Scheme 06 Staff Christmas Party 07 Introducing The Speech House Hotel 08 8 Top Tips for Stretching and Challenging Students

09 Meet the Marketing Team 10 Getting to Know Will Merivale

Principal’s Update This month’s highlights include: • Kick5start • Kingsditch and Mitcheldean Moves • Ofsted Survey Inspection Feedback Read it in full here.

Welcome to the first edition of the all-new digital staff magazine, #yourGC! Following in the footsteps of @GC, the new magazine will share all of your good news and pictures that support the College values, as well as some brand new features, including videos, interviews, job ads, tips for wellbeing and development, and even the odd mini poll.

This month, we premiere GC The Movie, reminisce about the staff Christmas Party, introduce our new Head of Business Development and meet one of our employer partners from The Speech House Hotel.

Plus, find out who won The Great GC Bake Off, enjoy a staff discount at Graduations at No.9 and read about the Engineering Education Scheme we hosted in Gloucester. And don’t miss Peter White’s ‘Word from Exec’ or the latest from Governor Geoff Smith.

Please get in touch with your news, stories and suggestions on social media, using the hashtag #yourGC, or email shelly.mccatty@gloscol.ac.uk.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

GC The Movie Motor Vehicle Video

SOCIAL NETWORKS Like us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/gloucestershirecollege Follow us on Twitter: @gloscol View our videos online: www.youtube.com/gloscol1 See our latest photos: www.flickr.com/gloscol

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Motor Vehicle students at Gloucestershire College work in industry standard, purpose-built workshops kitted out with cars, rigs and all the equipment you’d expect to find in a real garage, which gives them the edge in future employment.

If you have a picture or video you would like to share, please email shelly.mccatty@gloscol.ac.uk.

Community Partnership meeting Tuesday 10 February Gloucester Campus – 9.30am

Half term Monday 16 to Friday 20 February

College Development Day Wednesday 4 March

The Weekend Club Saturday 7th March Cheltenham Campus • Sushi making for Beginners • Bread making for Beginners • Introduction to Fashion Design • Textiles and Embellishment

National Apprenticeship Week Monday 9 to Friday 13 March

National Science and Engineering Week Friday 13 to Sunday 22 March

Young Voters Debate Tuesday 17 March Cheltenham and Royal Forest of Dean campuses – 12.30pm Thursday 19 March Gloucester Campus - 12.30pm

HELLO, I’M NEW!

To welcome our new starters and introduce them to the GC family, here’s a quick-fire interview to read on your tea break. Say hello if you see them around campus!

Name?

Debbie Jackson Job title and department?

Head of Business Development Previous job and company?

European Social Fund Projects Manager at Westminster Kingsway College.

Describe yourself in five words.

Target-driven, genuine, creative, passionate-about-skills, outgoing and enthusiastic!

First person you met at GC? Tracy Toyne, who kindly chaperoned me to reception at Cheltenham Campus.

First priority in your role?

Understanding the apps on my work phone and writing a 100-day business plan. www.gloscol.ac.uk

OWEN’S 100-MILE CHARITY CYCLE

STUDENTS CATER DISABILITY SEMINAR

Team work

Some of you may have already seen, but our very own Helpdesk and Booking Clerk, Owen Thomas, will be cycling 100 miles in a day to raise money for the mental health charity, Mind. On Monday 16 February, Owen will ride the equivalent of 161 times around a velodrome on an exercise bike at GC Gym, and hopes that many of you will come along to show your support, or donate to this great cause.

This will be Owen’s third major fundraising challenge, with him previously having successfully walked from Gloucester to Stroud to raise money for the Brittle Bone Society and trekked 30.7 miles in aid of Cancer Research UK. Owen said: “I want to raise awareness for and dispel the myths surrounding an illness which affects so many people, and you will all get behind me. I have cerebral palsy in my legs but I don’t let this dictate me and if my cycling challenge inspires just one person to seek help, it will all be worth it.”

Owen is following a strict training schedule and diet ahead of the big day, with the help of the GC Gym personal trainers. Join us in wishing Owen good luck and donate to the cause via his JustGiving page. Read more here.

THE GREAT GC BAKE OFF! Staff and students bitten by the baking bug entered The Great GC Bake Off last month, which took place across the three main campuses.

Organised by GC Libraries, entrants were asked to make one sponge-based cake that serves eight to 10 people, which were marked on taste, bake, presentation and flair and creativity by a panel of judges.

The guest judges were Xavier Pelloux from Cheltenham’s Contemporary Cake Designs; Tanya Judd from Gloucester’s Creation Cakes; and Dean Wassell from Coleford’s Bluebell Restaurant.

Paulina Bzibziak, Talisa Rose and Chloe Price, who each won a Fabulous Baker Brothers cookbook and small bread making kit from Hobbs House Bakery – as well as the accolade of being the best bakers on campus!

Emma Ainsworth, Learning Resources Supervisor, said: “We wanted The Great GC Bake Off to encourage students and staff to showcase their skills. We thought it would be a great way to get students from all different courses involved in a fun and inspiring event, and it worked!”

There were some impressive entries in both the Student and Staff categories, which would have delighted even Mary Berry herself! Congratulations to staff winners Naomi Collins, Bernadett Bus and Christine Anscombe, and student winners

The 27 cakes were sold in a bake sale after judging and raised a total of £125.25 for the College’s three charities, Macmillan, Help for Heroes and the Pied Piper Appeal. A fantastic outcome!

See the pictures on Facebook. www.gloscol.ac.uk

In November, some of our star Independent Living students successfully catered the ground-breaking See the Ability, Not the Disability seminar held at Blackfriars Priory, which aimed to lift the barriers that prevent disabled people from gaining employment and encourage businesses to pledge to provide opportunities.

Led by MP Richard Graham, the event was attended by prestigious guests including the Minister for Disabled People, Mark Harper; the CEO of Action on Disability and Work UK, Andy Rickell; chairman of the FSB for the West of England and Gloucestershire, Mark Owen; and county council cabinet member for long term care, Councillor Kathy Williams. It was an excellent experience for the students; improving their team-working, numeracy, communication and cooking skills for future employability, and great opportunity to demonstrate their talents to the local community.

Our students did an excellent job, taking care of everything from planning, purchasing and preparing to baking and serving the guests and wonderful buffet of finger foods. Plus, the event and a lovely picture of our students featured in the DWP’s latest Disability Confident Britain report, ‘The Disability and Health Employment Strategy – One year on’, which is wonderful recognition for all their hard work. A huge congratulations to Jan Robbins and the Foundation Studies team for organising!

February 2015

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GC THE MOVIE PREMIERE Check out the 18 academic showcase videos starring our staff and students – available online now.

Communication

excellent example of what some of our most successful students have gone on to achieve after college.

There are GC The Movie videos for the following areas: Sixth Form; Apprenticeships; Construction and Building Services; Cheltenham Fashion Academy; Motor Vehicle; Hairdressing, Beauty and Holistic Therapies; Health and Social Care; Visual Arts; Early Years; Catering and Hospitality; Independent Living; Languages ESOL; Sports, Public Services and Outdoor Adventure; IT and Computing; Media, Music and Performing Arts; Higher Education; Travel and Tourism; and Business (Further Education).

Shelly McCatty, PR and Copywriting Executive, said: “It was great fun filming GC The Movie and we hope our staff and students enjoy the premiere!

Many of you will have seen Marketing’s Jack, Shelly and Teddy running around Cheltenham and Gloucester campuses with a film crew over the last couple of months, capturing footage of college life and interviewing staff and students. Some of you will have very kindly given your time to help and some will be wondering what on earth they were up to…

Well wonder no more because this week the Marketing Team unveiled its not-so-secret project and premiered GC The Movie – an inspiring series of 18 videos aimed at 16 to 18-year-olds and starring our very own staff and students, which showcase many of the College’s academic areas.

With the help of local, professional videographers, McPherson Stevens, the team produced GC The Movie in line with customer demand for video content and to offer prospective students, parents, local businesses and the wider community a flavour of each department.

Student success, support and ambitions; the importance of working with local businesses; the College’s excellent facilities; and the variety of course options available are all showcased in the videos via the staff and students’ candid accounts of their experiences at Gloucestershire College – in a fast-paced, slick and enlightening way.

One of our former Music Technology students, Harry Steele, and his band Young Kato also kindly provided the soundtrack for the videos, in the form of their latest single ‘Sunshine’, which is already popular with many of our students – and even some of the staff! Harry is an

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The videos will be a great asset to the College Graham Ripley Chair of the Board of Governors

“A huge amount of work went into planning and producing the videos and we’d like to thank all of the staff involved in transforming the vision into a reality. Some of you helped at pretty short notice and we really appreciate you giving up your time and energy to help.

“For me personally, as a relatively new starter, it was a great opportunity to get to know many of my colleagues and our students better, and I look forward to hearing what they think of the results!”

The mini movies have been launched alongside all-new course overview pages on the College website, which have several new features designed to give visitors greater insight into each academic area. These include staff and student profiles, examples of students’ work, quick facts and an overview of the facilities.

Take a look at the videos over lunch and, if you want to share them with your networks, students or friends, use the hashtag #GCthemovie on social media. Lights, camera, action!

All videos can be viewed at: www.gloscol.ac.uk/gcthemovie

www.gloscol.ac.uk

GRADUATIONS AT NO.9 Find out more about our student training salon – staff discount available

G-TEM APPRENTICE JETS OFF TO JAPAN

Talented Mechanical Engineering apprentice on international work placement

Ambition

Based in Brockworth, G-Tem is a valued partner of the College, which manufactures metal automotive pressings and sub-assemblies. It currently employs seven of our apprentices and is fully supportive of developing the next generation of toolmakers, die designers and robot engineers.

A former Monmouth Comprehensive Sixth Form pupil, Lee is a great example of the success our apprentices can achieve and this experience will develop his skills and help him secure a successful career in the future.

Have you been to the new Graduations at No.9 salon in Gloucester yet? It’s the first city centre training salon in the South West, opened by Gloucestershire College and the Francesco Group for Education and Training in November, which bridges the gap between education and employment.

Under the guidance of former student mentors and Salon Manager Nicola Tunbridge, our Level 2 and 3 Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy students provide a range of treatments to paying members of the public, including haircuts, conditioning, colouring and styling services, manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials and spray tanning. This allows our students to learn and experience all aspects of hair and beauty industry, from customer service to financial targets and everything in between.

With a high-end, clean and modern look, Graduations at No.9 has 12 seats and two beauty rooms, and uses industry brands such as Wella, Dermalogica, Corioliss and GHD. It’s open Monday to Saturday and welcomes walk-ins, so next time you’re in town, take 10 and treat yourself!

Manager Nicola said: “We’re giving students and staff a 10% discount on all services until further notice and also offering a loyalty scheme through which customers collect stamps on their appointment cards in order to get £5 off (excluding the student or staff discount).”

Call 01452 527356 to book or email salon@graduationshair.co.uk

www.gloscol.ac.uk

One of our Mechanical Engineering apprentices, Lee Ayres, jetted off to Japan in January for a six-month placement at one of G-Tem’s international facilities. Coleford-based Lee, who is three years into his Advanced Apprenticeship, has been doing so well that he has not only been training staff on machinery in another facility in the UK, but he was offered the placement to further develop his tool making skills before he implements them in Gloucester.

Lee has also excelled in his BTEC in Mechanical Engineering – achieving distinction grades for each of the 12 modules – and added value to his employer G-Tem. Senior Manager Phil Akerman said: “Lee is an outstanding young man. He is hard working, keen to learn and develop new skills, an excellent role model to his peers and contributes to the commercial activities of the business.”

Find out more about apprenticeships via the GC Business Hub.

GLOUCESTER HOSTS THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION SCHEME Aspiring engineers solve problems with the professionals

businesses to investigate and work on real, scientific, engineering and technological problems.

These included creating an energy recovery system for a military vehicle; improving composite wing spar production; investigating, prototyping and testing jet engine variable pitch control; designing a space antenna mechanism deployment system; developing a functional avatar using Kinect; and improving the safety of level crossings.

Impressive!

When we returned after the Christmas break, Gloucester Campus was abuzz as it hosted the Engineering Education Scheme; a project driven by the Engineering Development Trust that aims to inspire young people across the country to choose a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Over three days, 136 students and staff members from schools including Cheltenham Ladies’ College, Balcarras School, Cheltenham Bournside and Tewkesbury School teamed up with engineers from local

The event offered the College an opportunity to showcase its facilities, students, staff and support to the visiting schools and local employers, which included leading names such as Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Messier Dowty and Siemens Rail.

The Engineering Department organised another hugely successful Engineering Education Scheme project, which gave the students hands-on experience of team-working and problem-solving – and hopefully motivated a few of them to aim for a career in STEM too!

Find out more about our Engineering Department.

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STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY

Respect

We reminisce about the 80s-themed Christmas Party, complete with Rubik’s Cubes, raffles and festive rolls!

Last year’s Christmas party was undoubtedly one of the best yet, with hundreds of staff joining in with the end of year celebrations at Cheltenham Campus. The party carried an 80s theme and there were plenty of shoulder pads, neon leg warmers and even a few Rubik’s Cube costumes out in force!

After a great development morning, the festivities got underway with a Christmas market in the Sixth Form, where there were stalls selling everything from homemade jams and chutneys to jewellery and children’s books, plus a beauty bar where ladies took advantage of getting their nails and eyelashes done ready for the party.

Headed up by the lovely Natalie Whistance, a team of carol singers added a sprinkling of festive cheer in reception, where staff were snapping up raffle tickets in a bid to win some incredible prize bundles.

Congratulations to Andy Bradshaw, who won a night away in London with tickets to a stage show in the Big £5 Draw, as well as all of the other lucky raffle winners, who won facials, a barista course, afternoon tea at Cowley Manor, a cookery class at Harts Barn, a digital camera, Champagne and much more.

Between the raffle and the tombola we raised an impressive £605.10 for our three College charities Macmillan, Help for Heroes and the Pied Piper Appeal, and the Big £5 Draw raised £190 for the Hollie Gazzard Trust and The GC Student and Staff Hardship Fund!

our students to all staff who had been good last year!

Excellent entertainment was provided courtesy of the Exec Team and the karaoke went down a treat in Food Central, particularly with Student Services, HR and Marketing who all got up and performed their best renditions of everyone from Queen to Lady Gaga.

Special thanks goes out to the Estates Team and Chris Freeman’s super-efficient Xmas Men, who kept the show running all day and organised the manual handling, bin emptying and clearing up.

The annual staff Christmas Party is a wonderful way to celebrate the achievements of all our staff over the past year, as well as get to know members of staff who are based at other campuses. In everything we do, we aim to support and promote the College values, with the party proving to be a huge success for team work, communication and respect. We thank you all for your input and are already looking forward to the next one.

Now it’s time for pictures! Here’s a selection of our favourites. View them all in the J: drive > GC Video & Audio > Customer Services and Marketing > GC Staff Christmas Party 2014.

A big thank you must go out to our talented Catering staff and students, who served up a delicious menu of festive turkey rolls and yule logs, alongside manning the bars. Not forgetting Richard Hewlett, who returned as Father Christmas to deliver gifts handmade by The Staff Christmas Party raised £795.10 for Macmillan, Help for Heroes, the Pied Piper Appeal, the Hollie Gazzard Trust and The GC Student and Staff Hardship Fund! Well done everyone!

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www.gloscol.ac.uk

INTRODUCING...

THE SPEECH HOUSE HOTEL Peter Hands is the Co-Director of The Speech House Hotel in Coleford – a 17th century former hunting lodge with its own bar and restaurant, and a popular wedding venue.

Peter, how did you start working with Gloucestershire College?

When we purchased the hotel, one of our first actions was to link up with the College to see what training was available and which qualifications we could offer our staff.

I have been invited to speak to students about the industry and some of our team members have completed apprenticeships with the College too. The benefits for us are twofold: we can source good quality students in all areas, which enables us to stay up-to-date with industry trends and education programmes; and we can see which courses and qualifications are available, which enables us to choose those that will develop our staff the most.

Who have you worked with at the College?

I’ve been fortunate to work with many staff but I guess poor Lawrence Jeffries from the Forest gets the most contact from me. I’m always trying to tempt him to do a spell in a working kitchen! The admin staff have been great to work with too, especially Myra Billinghurst from the Business Hub, who is extremely helpful in signposting the training options available to my team.

How does The Speech House Hotel improve our students’ learning and experience?

We can offer apprentices the best of both worlds: they work at the ‘coal face’ whilst attending college one-day a week to learn the theory side of their profession. They get to mix with their peers and benefit from their Heads of Departments’ experience and advice from their tutors too. We also offer work placements to students and lecturers to keep them up to speed.

If you could go back to college, what would you study?

That’s a tricky one, as I joined the Armed Forces at 16 with no qualifications, learnt from the ‘university of life’ before becoming a Police Officer and then re-training in the hospitality industry. I think I would have liked to have studied Tourism because it opens so many doors to working anywhere in the world.

www.gloscol.ac.uk

STARTERS AND LEAVERS Here we welcome our new colleagues to the GC family and wish our former colleagues well for the future!

Welcome: Anna Bellamy, our new Maths Teacher Craig Bradley, our new Lecturer in Plastering Sean Bradley, our new Lecturer in Law and Business Naomi Collins, our new Marketing and Communications Campaigns Executive Ryan Heath, our new Lecturer in Bricklaying Debbie Jackson, our new Head of Business Development Mark King, our new Head of School for Construction Geraldine Mark, our new EFL Academic Manager Sarah Young, our new Marketing and Events Coordinator

James Davies, our new Recruitment Administrator Hayley Samuelson, our new Information Services Administrator Teresa Wadeson, our new Head of Pay and Reward Joanne Lacey, our new Lecturer in English Best of luck to: Walter Inns, our former Technician Farman Kaveh, our former International Recruitment Manager Clive Poole, our Head of Pay and Reward John Reilly, our former Information Services Administrator Toni McIIwraith, our former Head of School for Health and Social Care

WE’RE HIRING - JOBS AT GC

We’re on the lookout for quality staff who enforce the College values – pass these on to your networks Head of School for Engineering This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to develop the provision and increase the Engineering offer at GC. This is a multi-faceted role that encompasses responsibility for the leadership, management and development of a large team and the curriculum provision. You will be expected to ensure that the provision meets the highest standards and the team is supported and motivated to strive for an outstanding reputation with local partners and students. Experience of working within an education environment is not essential however, experience of working within the engineering sector is.

Each course includes a hot drink and Danish pastry on arrival plus a packed lunch at midday We are offering all GC staff a *SPECIAL RATE*

Administration Apprentice We are recruiting an Apprentice Administration Assistant (two-year fixed term contract) to work within the Engineering team. The main purpose of this role is to organise employer led events such as engineering business breakfasts and network meetings. Strong communication skills are key, as your main focus will be to improve communication and the reputation of GC Engineering among employers. Alongside this role, you will also study towards the completion of a Level 2 Customer Service award.

Book a course and bring a friend on that course for FREE

Teacher of English in Thailand We are looking for a Teacher of English to join the newly established Gloscol VRU Language School, which is due to open in collaboration with Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University, Thailand, in May 2015. This is a fantastic opportunity to be involved with an exciting new venture and grow the provision. Reporting to the Director of Studies, you will teach a range of students from entry level through to doctoral level, who wish to study EFL.

Saturday 11 April The Great Gloucestershire Bake Off Artisan Bread Making Design and Print Your Own Bag Personal Styling

See more jobs at www.gloscol.ac.uk/jobs

This special offer only applies to: Saturday 7 March Sushi Making for Beginners Breadmaking for Beginners Introduction to Fashion Design Textiles and Embellishment

Call Student Services now to book your discounted place, offer expires on Friday 20 February 2015

February 2015

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8 TOP TIPS for stretching and challenging students

Improvement

When planning your lesson, ask yourself if the content is demanding enough for all students in your class. You should aim to include material that is just beyond the point students have already reached; enabling them to move beyond their existing knowledge and understanding.

Give clear direction for the optimum timing of each activity you set. This will allow you to continuously assess what stage each student is at and enable you the flexibility to act on these judgements. For example, you could move some students on to a new activity while others continue with the current one, or reduce the time for an activity after realising that students have understood it more quickly than anticipated.

IN THE NEWS

YOUR MONTHLY FUNDRAISING FIX

Association of Colleges’ bid for fairer funding

From fundraiser extraordinaire, Natalie Whistance

With the 2015 election just around the corner, the Association of Colleges has launched its ‘100 days to go’ campaign asking for a once in a generation review of the education budget. Currently, FE funding for 16 to 18-year-olds is 22% lower than for 11 to 16-yearolds, so the Association of Colleges is sending a message to politicians asking for fairness in education funding. The organisation has also published its Manifesto 2015, which covers various themes including student choice, and economic recovery through education and training.

After nearly one year in post, here are some of the corporate fundraising projects I’ve been working on to generate additional income for the College:

overflow car park for the Quays, with the car park now being externally managed by NSGL Parking. The income to date in 2015 is £790.

I’ve secured ongoing sponsorship from the Hollie Gazzard Trust for six hairdressing students every year. Each place is worth £1,000 and can be used for uniform, materials, equipment, travel, trips and childcare.

In September we increased the pricing structure of external room hire at the College, in line with equivalent venues offering the same services. This is going incredibly well and we’ve gained some new business clients. The total raised since the September increase is £12,388; predominantly in Tewkesbury and Cheltenham. I will be looking at facilities that can be hired out at Gloucester and RFD Campus this term.

Visit www.aoc.co.uk for more information.

Push students to explain their reasoning for a decision they’ve made or an opinion they’ve formed about a topic. Don’t let unsupported assertions pass by without asking “why?” Draw out the assumptions, errors and misconceptions in your students’ thinking. You could even train students to start asking these questions of each other in group work.

In December we joined forces with Gloucester Quays to introduce Pay and Display parking at Gloucester Campus during evenings and weekends. We are now the official

If you would like to know more, please call me on 01452 563218 or email natalie.whistance@gloscol.ac.uk

Ensure that in each lesson your pupils are working towards creating a product, whether this be an essay, end of year exam or piece of media work. This will give each lesson a purpose and your students the confidence that they can produce a significant piece of work.

Let your students know the success criteria for each major piece of work you set them, and that it is possible for everybody to attain them. Students will be more likely to push themselves to excel in a positive environment.

Set your student challenging targets regularly and provide constructive feedback. Don’t share grades; instead, tell students what they need to do to improve and give them the opportunity to do it.

Try to include an evaluation task for every activity you do in the classroom. Students should be able to highlight the strengths and limitations of issues before making judgements about what should be done in the future. Use words such as appraise, argue, assess, critique, defend, evaluate, judge, justify and value.

Incorporate critical thinking. Ask students to reread what they have written critically, before revisiting the work and posing questions about it focusing on issues presented in the text, or questions that have not been answered in the text but should have been.

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COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL LATEST A still from the GC The Movie - Health and Social Care

‘HOW TO’ CONVERT PDFS TO WORD DOCUMENTS Convert a PDF into an editable Word doc in seconds!

• Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro – contact IT Support if you don’t already have this.

• Click File > Save As > Microsoft Word > Word Document > and save your document in the desired location.

• Locate the saved file, double click then it will open as a Word document.

January Open Evenings The January Open Evenings were a success, with over 1200 visitors, and 276 applications received over the three evenings (compared to 253 applications at the 2014 events). The new layouts are working well, and further improvements are planned for the May events. Please send feedback to sarah.young@gloscol.ac.uk Part-time brochure A new look brochure promoting part-time courses starting between January and May 2015 was created and distributed before Christmas. We will be producing two part-time brochures each year, with the next edition covering courses starting September to December 2015.

Website - new course pages As well as our fantastic new series of 18 mini movies (see page 4), each department page now features an extended introduction page, including staff and student profiles, student work and facility information. Take a look at the pages here.

Regular updates To keep up-to-date with the latest Communications and Digital activities in between #yourGC issues, please visit the team’s internal blog on SharePoint.

Michelle Cant Head of Communications 01452 563216

www.gloscol.ac.uk

MEET THE TEAM

SPORTS FIXTURES

A WORD FROM EXEC

This month we meet Marketing!

There’s plenty going on in the world of GC sport this month…

Read the latest from Vice Principal Peter White.

Wednesday 11 February • GC Blazers v Newcastle-under-Lyme College at Gloucester Campus Sports Hall • GC Football v Telford College at Dowty Sports and Social Club • Hereford and Ludlow College v GC Netball

September might seem a long way off but I’ve been thinking about it with staff from across the College as we plan the next academic year.

Wednesday 25 February • GC Football v Hereford Sixth Form, Dowtys Sports and Social Club • GC Netball v Hereford and Ludlow College, Gloucester Campus Sports Hall • Worcester Sixth Form v GC Blazers

(L-R) Michelle, Ian, Sarah, Teddy, Naomi, Jack and Shelly This month we meet the Marketing Team, which has recently increased by four new members! Based at Tewkesbury Launchpad, the team is headed up by Michelle Cant (Head of Communications) and Ian Jenkins (Head of Digital), and comprises Shelly McCatty (PR and Copywriting Executive), Jack Mulcahy (Graphic and Multimedia Design Executive), Naomi Collins (Marketing and Communication Campaigns Executive), Sarah Young (Marketing and Events Coordinator) and Edward ‘Teddy’ Cottage (Digital Marketing Assistant).

Together they plan and deliver the College’s integrated marketing and communications strategy, both externally and internally. Concentrating exclusively on recruitment, Marketing is responsible for producing key literature (including the full-time course guide); the College website and social media profiles; CRM; projects and campaigns; external media relations and PR; student recruitment events; strategic external partnerships; and managing the College’s brand.

Each month there will be a Marketing Latest feature in #yourGC, where you can find out what the team has been up to. You can also stay upto-date by reading the regularly updated Marketing Campaign Update Blog.

Contact the team on 01452 563216 or email marketing@gloscol.ac.uk

www.gloscol.ac.uk

Wednesday 4 March • GC Football v Bournville College, Dowtys Sports and Social Club • Hereford Sixth Form v GC Blazers • GC Netball v Windsor High School, Gloucester Campus Sports Hall Keep up-to-date with the latest sporting and score updates on Twitter.

Free Staff Spin!

FREE Staff Spin!

EVERY Friday 7:30am sharp Room A003 e | sport@gloscol.ac.uk

Responsibility

The enrolment planning group is taking a fresh look at arrangements for September 2015. The enrolment process has been separated into seven parts and allocated to individual working groups. These groups are not solely concerned with improving operational procedure, but also the ‘GC experience’; specifically customer service, communications and Information, Advice and Guidance. The overarching aim is to make it easy for new students to join the College, whether they are interested in higher education, further education, apprenticeships, or recreational courses.

One very important objective is to improve our application to enrolment conversion ratio. For example, we currently convert around 54% of further education applications to enrolments so there is plenty of room to improve. But I’m not saying we should enrol just to get the numbers. Our educational mission takes priority and we must use our professionalism and experience to place each student on a course which matches their career aspiration and ability, with the support to enable them to achieve success.

Please remember that enrolment is everyone’s responsibility. Our College values define ambition as measuring our success against that of our students and this begins with recruitment. Even if your role is not directly related to enrolment, please get involved and ensure you play your part in getting our students off to the best possible start at GC. Read the latest in Pete’s blog.

NEWS FROM THE GOVERNORS Geoff Smith – Chair of Curriculum and Quality Committee In September 2014 I took over as Chair of the Board’s Curriculum and Quality Committee. I consider the work of this Committee to be crucial to the success of the College in supporting the driving up of standards.

This year, the Committee is focusing particularly on maths and English, Value Added and apprenticeships. It actively considers reports on these so it can ensure progress is being made.

I am passionate about the contribution the College makes to the Gloucestershire community and the need for us all to work together to do our very best for the young people and adults who have chosen to learn with us, to whose future we can make a real difference. As an apprentice who progressed to become CEO of Dowty Group, I know the value of the apprentice pathway and am pleased that the College so actively supports it.

February 2015

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GETTING TO KNOW WILL MERIVALE

MINI POLL

This month we speak to our Sports Academies Coordinator, Will.

Are you going to vote in this year’s General Election?

What have you introduced in your role that you’re proud of?

I helped win a bid from Sport England for our Sport Maker and now our Enrichment Programme is comparable to any other college in the country in its variety and accessibility.

What hidden gem would you recommend in Gloucestershire?

Cinderford RFC and its bar is one of the best around!

Favourite film?

Cool Hand Luke for the line “I’m shakin’ the tree boss!” and Dragnet, which features Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd at their finest.

What can’t you go a day without?

Food.

How do you switch off?

I’ve recently bought a fish tank, which is so relaxing – very 70s I know!

How would you describe what you do at Gloucestershire College?

I’ve had various roles since starting in 2004 but now I look after the Sports Academies and teach Sport in Gloucester.

What did you do before?

This was my first job straight from uni!

Is your desk super organised or an organised mess?

It’s pretty messy but not as bad as some.

What one thing would you improve about the student experience?

Their timetabling for enrichment. Many are still timetabled on Wednesday afternoons and miss out on either playing sport or supporting their friends.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

Visiting other colleges… and winning! Also seeing our students smile and taking part in activities myself – the Outdoor Adventure Academy is first class.

Which department do you work particularly well with?

I love working across the entire college and utilising all departments’ considerable and varied talents – mostly to make my job easier and spend less money!

Yes, in person Yes, by post No Spoil ballot/abstain Unsure

STAFF CELEBRATIONS Celebrating our colleagues’ big occasions and achievements 1. Big congratulations to Aimee Brown, who has passed her Advanced Business Administration Apprenticeship and is now a fully-fledged member of the GC Crew.

2. A huge happy birthday to Des Fletcher from Catering, who celebrated his 40th birthday last month.

3. Lucy Thomas, our Customer Services and Performance Co-ordinator, married her fiancé of six years on Friday 2 January at the Highworth Hotel in Swindon. Congratulations Mrs Field!

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A sports journalist.

If you could return to college, what would you study?

It would have to be sport with a focus on media. I’d love to be on the cutting edge of providing access to sport.

It’s one of the biggest decisions you can make, but only 65% of people actually voted in the 2010 General Election. Will you be this year?

4. Vice Principal Peter White has raised more than £700 for The Hollie Gazzard Trust through his own fundraising challenges, including the Mud Runner. Well done Pete!

#yourGC Feedback We’d love to hear what you think of the first issue of #yourGC. Please email shelly.mccatty@gloscol.ac.uk your thoughts and suggestions or get in touch on social media using the hashtag #yourGC

5. Emma Neath, Head of the GC Crew, has joined the Promotional Board for the Pied Piper Appeal, which is one of the College’s charities of the year. Great news! #yourGC is designed, published and distributed by the GC Marketing Department: Gloucestershire College, Cheltenham Campus, Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, GL51 7SJ. Email: marketing@gloscol.ac.uk Telephone: 01452 563215 Any comments should be directed to Shelly McCatty in writing or by email to the above address.

Get in touch with Will be calling 01452 563464 or email will.merivale@gloscol.ac.uk

10

February 2015

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