Tag: Edinburgh College

Your chance to influence the future of the Construction and Engineering industries

A nationwide survey with the aim of collating the responses of the Construction and Engineering sector has been launched to find out what the future training and development needs are of these critical sectors, as well as seeking to highlight the barriers to accessible training.

Construction is a key sector that contributes significantly to the economic growth of a nation. The Construction industry tends to be an investment-led sector where governments show high interest with contracts awarded to develop infrastructure related to housing, health and transport, as well as the education sector.

Alongside the Construction industry is the Engineering sector, which helps to develop the physical infrastructure we all rely on – transport networks, roads, bridges, water and energy supplies, and waste management, among other vital services.

In these challenging and ever-changing times, it is crucial that colleges across the country provide training and qualifications which help drive the success of the two sectors by listening and providing appropriate learning opportunities.

Funded by Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal (ESESCDR) as part of the Housing, Construction and Infrastructure (HCI) partnership. Colleges in Scotland are seeking to carry out a needs analysis of both areas through a short survey which will then be analysed, and the outcomes reported to the HCI Board. 

This will allow colleges to respond and adapt their training offering to ensure that companies can upskill their current workforce and ensure that new recruits have the knowledge and understanding required to enter the world of Construction and engineering.

The survey is open now and closes on Monday 11 December with results being published by the end of March 2021.

Edinburgh College Head of Engineering and Built Environment Scott Warden said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for business, partners and the workforce of the Engineering and Construction sectors to help colleges in the South East of Scotland support the future skills needs of our region over the coming years.

“Their support in helping us to identify any gap areas in terms of skills and training and continuous professional development (CPD) needs will be invaluable as we look to shape our curriculum to serve the industry’s requirements.”

For further information, please contact: mandy.currie@edinburghcollege.ac.uk 

As a thank you for participating in the survey all participants, who leave their contact details, will be entered into our prize draw for a £50 Amazon Voucher – Good luck!

The survey can be accessed here and will take around four minutes to complete.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BCskillsReview

Edinburgh College launches new English for Business course with Hainan University

Edinburgh College has secured an exciting new partnership with Hainan University in China that will see the College play a key role in teaching English for Business to students over the next five years.

The first cohort of fifty students will begin online study with Edinburgh College lecturers this week as part of the five-year contract with Hainan University’s College of Foreign Languages.

The course will be delivered using a blended learning model, with subsequent course modules delivered both online, and face-to-face in Hainan.

The Business English course is designed to provide Hainan University students with greater fluency and confidence in English in business settings, and will include preparation for Cambridge English qualifications in Business English.

Edinburgh College courses will be embedded in the four-year undergraduate programme, giving enhanced career opportunities for students on graduation.

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “We’re honoured to enter into this prestigious partnership with Hainan University, and to be teaching a very dedicated and committed group of students.

“This partnership is testament to Edinburgh College’s ability to provide high-quality training around the world, and empower students to achieve even greater success in their future careers with an international education.”

Edinburgh College Head of Commercial Development Jane Grant said: “Teams from Hainan University and Edinburgh College have worked collaboratively to develop this course, which is aimed at cultivating high-quality graduates with excellent career prospects. We wish all the students taking part in this course the best of luck.”

The partnership is the latest addition to the College’s growing international portfolio, providing bespoke training programmes and courses to students and workforces across the world.

Edinburgh College lecturer named UK Teacher of the Year

Edinburgh College Graphic Design lecturer Helena Good has been named teacher of the year at the Tes FE Awards, which celebrate the best of the UK’s further education sector.

Helena has worked in education for 23 years and in her role as a Graphic Design lecturer at Edinburgh College, she shares her passion for creativity and design with students through the College’s NC, HNC and HND graphic design courses.

Through her lecturing work, Helena has had a huge impact on her students, who have won numerous national and international awards in recent years. She connects the classroom with careers through a programme that partners her students with a mentor from the graphic design industry to ensure they receive guidance and advice on their studies and future paths.

Helena’s impact has been felt far beyond her own college. She is the driving force behind the Daydream Believers programme – a pioneering project which aims to make the transition from school to college more appealing and seamless for secondary students who are looking to progress to post-16 education.

It is delivered in collaboration with student ambassadors and industry partners, and involves a number of high schools across Edinburgh.

The judges described the programme as “the most important educational initiative in Scotland at the moment”.

The judges also said: “Good is an inspirational lecturer. She is a solid professional doing her job outstandingly. Her work is transformative and makes a huge difference within and outside of Edinburgh College.”

Helena said: “I feel so honoured to have been considered alongside such an inspiring group of teachers who all deserved to be recognised for going above and beyond. Thanks to the judges, Edinburgh College and everyone who believes in daydreams!”

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “It is wonderful to see Helena named Teacher of the Year by the UK Tes FE Awards, she works tirelessly to not only inspire her students, but also young people across Scotland and beyond, through the Daydream Believers programme which brings students, school pupils and industry together to innovate. She is a true inspiration and her infectious energy for creativity is an absolute asset to our College.

“I am extremely proud of Helena and our other finalists in the Foundation Apprenticeship team and Automotive Engineering team. Our staff are competing with colleges throughout the whole of the UK and this success reflects their status as national leaders in their field of expertise.”

Edinburgh College was shortlisted in two other award categories. Its Foundation Apprenticeship team were shortlisted for Apprenticeship Programme of the Year.

The team worked relentlessly in 2018/19 to boost the number of FA enrolments and ensure the learning needs of pupils are met while satisfying the requirements of employers as they seek to nurture the future workforce.

And the College’s Automotive Engineering team was shortlisted in the Best Teaching and Learning Initiative category following the team’s partnership with the Scottish Motor Racing Club and Knockhill Racing Circuit.

Introduced in March 2019, the partnership saw students convert a Citroen road car into a race car fit for track action at the Scottish C1 Cup held at Knockhill.

Helena was one of eighteen winners across further education and skills who were recognised at the first virtual Tes FE Awards 2020.

Find out more about the award winners here: https://www.tes.com/news/revealed-winners-tes-fe-awards-2020. 

SHE Scotland Mentoring Award

Are you looking for a new challenge? Would you like to be the person you needed when you were young?

SHE Scotland and Edinburgh College are running their new SQA Mentoring Award at the beginning end of September.

Mentoring programme delivered on Edinburgh College Granton Campus on Monday mornings from 10am -12.30pm.

Get in touch for more information.

Edinburgh College Clearing Events scheduled for August

Edinburgh College is hosting its annual Clearing Events to help students across the region and beyond to secure their place on a College course during session 2020/21.

While the college can’t welcome applicants on to campus as normal for clearing, prospective students can contact the College’s admissions and course teams to secure a place on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August.

The College will open its Clearing call centre at 10am each day and is encouraging those interested in starting a new course to help them take the first step on their chosen career journey, or to reskill and upskill to support them in achieving their dreams during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, to make that call.

As well as the opportunity to secure a place on a course starting in September, the Clearing call centre will also provide school leavers, adult returners, or those in employment with an opportunity to: talk to course specialists about the best study options for them; speak with college student support staff who can provide advice on course delivery and additional support requirements; find out about student funding options and course fees.

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming new and returning students to Edinburgh College for session 2020/21 – albeit in very different circumstances than in previous years.

“We still have places available across a range of courses, and we’d encourage anyone considering the first or next steps in their career to contact our teams during our Clearing Events to assess the best available study options for this year and beyond.”

To secure a course place during Edinburgh College’s Clearing Events, applicants and prospective students should call 0131 297 8300 between 10am and 4pm on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 August.

Those who wish to seek advice during the Clearing Events but would prefer not to call, can contact the college via email: clearing@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.

For more information on Edinburgh College Clearing Events, visit: http://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/newsandevents/clearing-event-2020/

Thieves steal tools worth over £30,000 from Edinburgh College construction centre

Police are appealing for information after thieves broke into Edinburgh College Forthside building on West Shore Road, sometime between Wednesday 1 July and Wednesday 8 July.

Hand and desktop power tools valued between £30,000 and £40,000 were stolen from the College’s Construction Centre for Excellence.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said : ‘The building is a training facility for students to train in the professions of bricklaying roofing and joinery.

“Enquiries are currently ongoing into the break-in and we would ask anyone with anyone information to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting 962 of Wednesday 8 July’.

Coronavirus: Edinburgh College suspends classes

Edinburgh College has issued the following statement:

Due to the rapidly changing situation regarding coronavirus and to best protect the health and safety of all of our students, Edinburgh College has taken the decision to suspend all face-to-face classes from 4pm today (Monday 16 March) until Monday 20 April.

Starting from Monday 23 March, additional provision will be in place to enable students to continue studying from home. This week, all students will be issued with guidance on how to continue their studies during this time and individual class information will be made available on Moodle.

We understand that students will be concerned about the impact that this may have on studies and progression. We’d like to emphasise that this situation is national and reassure students that we are speaking with external agencies to limit the longer term impact on everybody.

This week, students will be issued with guidance via online channels on how to continue their studies during this time. Individual class information will be made available on Moodle.

It is important that students continue to keep up-to-date with information regarding the College and their studies via our online channels – email, Moodle, social media and website.

Libraries will remain open across all campuses until further notice for students who don’t have access to Moodle at home

The College is committed to limiting the negative impact this has on students’ studies. During this period, all bursaries will continue to be paid and we are confident we have a plan in place to ensure students can progress to the next stage of their studies.

As the situation develops, we will notify students of any updates on a daily basis via our online channels including this webpage and via email. Please continue to check our channels for the latest information.

It is important that you continue to follow the advice provided by the Government and public health agencies during this time to keep yourself and others protected.

This includes:

  • Anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, should stay at home and not leave their house for 7 days from when the symptoms started – regardless of whether you have travelled to affected areas or been in contact with someone who has the virus.
  • NHS Scotland recommends using good hand, respiratory and personal hygiene. Coughing and sneezing should be into tissues that are promptly disposed down the toilet. Hands should be washed more regularly than usual with soap and water or using an alcohol hand rub even if hands are visibly clean

Kayla receives Edinburgh College Development Trust STEM scholarship

An Edinburgh College HND Engineering Systems student has been awarded a scholarship which will see her working alongside College staff to inspire thousands of pupils to consider STEM careers.

Kayla Ho, who studies at the College’s Midlothian Campus, has been named the David Doig Foundation STEM scholar for 2020 following a successful interview. Kayla’s role is to help deliver the College’s STEM Inspiration Experience programme to P7, S1 and S2 pupils for the remainder of term 2019/20.

The Edinburgh College Development Trust originally received funding from the David Doig Foundation to run the scholarship in 2018. Kayla is the second scholar and will use the opportunity to boost her CV and gain work experience in working as part of a team and with young people from across the region.

Nineteen-year-old Kayla will work with College staff each week to deliver STEM Inspiration Days where pupils take part in a range of activities such as:

  • Exploring gravity and g-force. Students launch eggs attached to parachutes from height to see which ones survive. This uses everyday objects to make the science tangible, accessible, interactive and fun.
  • The Bloodhound Rocket Car Challenge. This is part of the national engagement project around the Bloodhound land-speed record attempt, giving pupils the opportunity to design, build and race their own rocket cars. They learn about physics, aerodynamics, design and the mechanisms of speed.
  • Bridge building where pupils design and build a two-foot cardboard bridge and test it using a heavy car model.

Embedded within each of these sessions is the importance of Maths and its application in Engineering and Science.

Gillian Doig, who founded the David Doig Foundation in memory of her late husband who was an alumnus of Telford College, said: “Congratulations to Kayla on becoming our second STEM scholar.

“We’re very proud to fund this project which will bring benefits to Kayla in terms of work experience but also to so many young people across Edinburgh and Lothians.

“My late husband was a champion of, engineering, education and social responsibility and this scholarship represents this brilliantly. We look forward to hearing how Kayla progresses through her scholarship, as well as her future career.”

Kayla, who is from Edinburgh, said: “It’s brilliant to be this year’s STEM scholar. I’ve had previous experience with working with young people, but the opportunity to teach them STEM and Engineering-related disciplines is new and exciting, and will be great for my CV.”

Looking to the future, Kayla is hoping to progress to Edinburgh Napier University where she will go into the third year of an Energy and Environmental Engineering course and hopes to secure work in the fast-growing Scottish renewables sector.

She said: “With Scotland, and the world, moving to renewable energy sources, it made sense to pursue this career path. I want to be able to discover new ground-breaking ways of working and make the world a better place.”

Edinburgh College Open Day tomorrow

Edinburgh College is encouraging prospective students to find out more about the range of courses available at the College in 2020 at an open day at Sighthill Campus tomorrow.

Sighthill Campus will welcome guests between 10am and 2pm, and those in attendance will have the opportunity to speak to teaching staff about the courses on offer at each campus and to discover the best study options available to them.

Prospective students can also get advice and guidance on funding and fees, tour the College’s facilities and even apply for their chosen course on the day.

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “We look forward to welcoming prospective students to the College and I encourage anyone thinking of studying with us to come along to the open day to find out more about the courses we offer.

“We have courses to suit everyone, from school leavers, to people wanting to improve their job prospects, boost their qualifications or learn new skills in 2020.”

To find out more about the courses on offer at Edinburgh College visit the college website:  www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/opendays.

A further open day will be held at the College’s Midlothian Campus on Saturday 29 February 2020.

Students Go Over the Score!

Edinburgh College students wowed the judges in a regional heat of the UK’s largest student hairdressing and beauty competition – scooping 22 medals.

Students from the capital city college won seven gold, nine silver and six bronze medals as they showcased their talents at the South of Scotland heat of the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists (AHT) competition, held at the College’s Granton Campus for the second year running.

Edinburgh College also won the Rose Bowl trophy, awarded to the college with the most medal wins in the heat, for the second consecutive year.

Each of the student winners and their models will now head to the AHT’s showpiece national competition held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool later this year.

The event saw students from the College’s Granton and Milton Road Campuses compete against peers from colleges across Scotland and Northern Ireland in a range of categories spanning the hairdressing, barbering and beauty disciplines.

Edinburgh College students of various course levels ranging from Schools College Partnership (SCP) to HNC picked up 21 individual medals across competition categories including: blow dry and finish; body art; ladies evening style; SCP; 1980s make-up; editorial make-up; and ladies hair conversion categories.

As well as individual awards, Edinburgh College students Amelia Forsyth and Harry Lyons won the Team Bridal category – impressing judges with their hair and make-up skills.

Hairdressing and Make-Up Techniques for the Hair & Beauty Consultant student Amelia Forsyth said: “It’s amazing to have won the team gold alongside Harry.

“The competition was brilliant fun, there was such a buzz when all the students were competing against each other, and the clock. I’m really proud to have won this heat and now I’m excited to head to Blackpool to try and be the best in the UK.”

Ladies conversion gold medal winner and Level 2 Hairdressing student Bobby Ray said: “It was an amazing experience competing in the AHT heats against students from all over Scotland and it’s even more amazing to have won gold.

“I want to thank my lecturers for giving me the skills and belief needed to be successful. Hopefully we can all bring home more golds from Blackpool!”

Ladies evening style gold medal winner Radost Staykova, who studies Level 3 Hairdressing, said: “It feels great to win this gold medal. There were lots of talented hairdressers in the room so I’m really proud to have been chosen as the winner in my heat.

“I’m looking forward to going to Blackpool to do it all again and hopefully myself and other Edinburgh College students can win more medals.”

Edinburgh College curriculum manager for Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy and Complementary Therapies Frances Bain said: “Congratulations to everyone who competed in the AHT competition at our Granton Campus. It was brilliant to feel such a buzz in the room and to see the commitment and talents of students from across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

“Well done to all medal winners, the level of skill and ability on show was amazing. “I’d like to thank everyone who took part, they worked tremendously hard in preparation and that hard work has certainly paid off.

“To win 22 medals and win the Rose Bowl for a second year is an astounding performance by our own college – everyone should be incredibly proud of themselves.”