Edinburgh College – Page 35 – The NEN

Simply the best! Students’ union scoops top award

Edinburgh College Students’ Association is best in UK

Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) has won the Further Education Students’ Union of the Year Award 2014, beating off competition from across the UK.

Up against some of the best students’ unions and associations across the country, ECSA came out on top in the National Union of Students (NUS) annual awards. It was the only Scottish college students’ association to be nominated in any category at the awards.

ECSA trumped category rivals from English and Welsh counterparts, including Sheffield College Students’ Union, South Eastern Regional College Students’ Union, Burton and South Derbyshire College Students’ Union and Coleg Gwent in Wales.

Kelly Parry, ECSA president for 2013/14, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to win the NUS FE Students’ Union of the Year Award. It’s a huge credit to the work ethic, dedication and enthusiasm of everyone involved in making ECSA a success – students, student officers and staff – and it’s proof that college students’ associations can make a real and positive difference to the lives of thousands of students.

“Over the last year, Edinburgh College Students’ Association and Edinburgh College have been doing some fantastic work to empower students to give them the best possible learning experiences. Winning this award has been a brilliant note to end on as president and I’m very confident that the new president and student officers will be able to build on our successes in the next coming year.”

ECSA provides a strong and independent voice for students at the college, which has 26,000 student enrolments, and works closely with the college to ensure that all students have a life-changing educational experience.

The judging panel from the NUS – which recognises students and students’ unions who do incredible things for their colleges and universities – was impressed with several of the association’s initiatives. The judges were particularly impressed with ECSA’s efforts to ensure that the college is reaching, representing and supporting under-represented groups. For example, ECSA was praised for its support of students from care backgrounds, with an event to showcase the hard work and determination of young people in and leaving care and the great challenges they face.

ECSA was also recognised for successfully lobbying the Scottish Parliament on behalf of the student body. One of ECSA’s major achievements was getting MSP Kezia Dugdale to raise the question of discrepancies of further education childcare funding in the Scottish Parliament, ensuring that student support and funding is at the forefront of the political agenda. The ECSA president also met with MSP Mike Russell, cabinet secretary for education and lifelong learning, to discuss this issue, and he subsequently committed to reviewing childcare funding for students.

The NUS FE Students’ Union of the Year award follows a recent partnership agreement with Edinburgh College, giving ECSA more influence over the college’s strategic direction. The partnership agreement – which strengthens ECSA’s ability to develop and meet students’ needs – breaks new ground for the further education sector in Scotland. Under the new agreement, ECSA will have a stronger voice at all decision-making levels of the college.

Pictured: Raphael Lehmann (ECSA Vice President Welfare and Activities) and Graham Smith (Student Liaison Officer).

Edinburgh College is top class!

Top accolade for Edinburgh College following inspection

Edinburgh College has achieved the highest possible rating in its Education Scotland inspection report published today.

Education Scotland’s overarching judgement on the college is that “Edinburgh College has in place effective arrangements to maintain and enhance the quality of its provision and outcomes for students and other stakeholders.” This is the highest rating a college can achieve in the review process.

This means that “in relation to quality assurance and enhancement, the college is led well, has sufficiently robust arrangements to address any identified minor weaknesses, and is likely to continue to improve the quality of its services for students and other stakeholders.”

Principal Mandy Exley welcomed the report: “I am delighted that we achieved the top rating in our recent inspection. I know we have all worked extremely hard since merger to create a college that meets the needs of students and industry. This has been demonstrated by our students’ excellence and success, but it is also important to receive such a strong inspection report, highlighting success and innovation across the organisation.

“We will continue to work with our industry partners and our students’ association to build on this success and to deliver even more opportunities that are relevant to the economic needs of Edinburgh and Scotland.”

Her Majesty’s inspectors spent a full week at the college in late April and early May conducting in-depth research, observations and interviews with staff, students and stakeholders to test the quality of the learning experience.

Looking at strategic direction, the regional chair, board and principal are praised as “working well together to provide clear direction for the college’s development” with strategies and operational plans providing a clear and comprehensive basis for its future.

The report comments widely on many aspects of the college’s operations. The curriculum is described as meeting the needs of students and industry well, while the report notes that the college has extensive and highly successful strategic links with key partners within the region and further afield.

Dr Allan Colquhoun, university liaison and emerging technologies manager at Selex ES and chair of the newly launched Edinburgh College Development Trust, supports the college’s work with industry, commenting: “Edinburgh College should congratulate itself on a positive report. Although “effective” is the highest rating, this wording does not truly reflect the college’s achievements. Edinburgh College has delivered education in depth and breadth from schools to degree level that has resulted in most students moving on to employment or to other studies. The college successfully prepares students for work and supports business through apprenticeship and CPD programmes.”

He continued: “It is clear that some of the good work done by the college has influenced the Wood Commission and will result in its good practice being shared across Scotland. The pioneering work on the Academies project, creating smooth pathways from school through college and onto university, will hopefully become the norm in the post-Wood landscape alongside the blending of academic and work-based learning as exemplified by the Graphic Design mentoring programme highlighted in the report.”

The inspectors recognised the college’s commitment to fully involving students at every level of decision making, noting that “the college works very effectively in partnership at a strategic level with Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA) and the student voice is influential at Board, College committee and campus level. The college has ensured that the student voice has been a major influence as it progressed through merger to become one institution and has pioneered an approach to student representation at a strategic level.”

Student achievement and success is strong, with 94% of students whose destinations are known progressing successfully to further study, apprenticeships or employment. The report goes on to state that successful completion rates on FE and HE full time programmes were above the national sector performance level, while within the subject areas of art and design, care, engineering, hospitality, land-based and sport and leisure, the levels of student success rank amongst the best in the sector.

As part of the report, the inspectors also highlight initiatives which are sector-leading. They singled out the college’s effective partnership working in setting up the South East Scotland Academies Partnership in conjunction with Queen Margaret University, employers and schools – a programme which benefits both students and employers.

Karen Prophet, education manager at the City of Edinburgh Council added: “The City of Edinburgh Council wish to acknowledge the positive partnership working through effective school college partnership provision which was recognised as innovative practice in today’s Education Scotland report on Edinburgh College. We look forward to developing our successful collaboration further to jointly deliver improved outcomes for young people. I’d like to congratulate Edinburgh College on this very positive inspection report.”

Links with industry are also key to another highlighted sector-leading initiative, the college’s innovative and imaginative industry mentoring programme for HND Visual Communication Graphic Design students. The design industry links integral to this programme have resulted in students winning prestigious national awards and high numbers going on to further study or directly to successful careers in the industry.

Star student shines with national marketing award

An Edinburgh College student has been crowned Star Creative Student at the Marketing Society Star Awards, a competition that celebrates Scotland’s top marketeers.

HND Graphic Design student Andrew Palfreyman fought off strong competition from across the country to win the award for his outstanding advertising campaign for John Lewis.

This is the third consecutive year that an Edinburgh College student has scooped the prestigious Star Creative Student award, with Jonathan Walton taking the coveted award at last year’s competition.

The Marketing Society Star Awards is an annual celebration of Scotland’s marketing community and highlights the best people within the industry, from up-and-coming FE and HE design students to well-known graphic design agencies such as the Leith Agency and The Union, and major players such as Tesco Bank and Standard Life.

As part of the Marketing Society Star Awards, students from universities and colleges in Scotland were invited to submit a creative brief for the high-profile client John Lewis. The brief challenged students to devise a creative campaign that will establish an emotional connection with John Lewis’ consumers, to build upon the success of the high-street brand’s famous Christmas campaigns and adverts.

A delighted Andrew said: “I was really pleased to find out I had won Star Creative Student. It’s a bit of a hat-trick for the graphic design course as I’m the third student in a row to have been given the award. I think winning a competition like this will really help me when I graduate, and eventually become an art director, which is my ideal job.”

He added: “The idea for my John Lewis campaign was to lead on from the previous Bear and Hare national advert. My advert links into the Commonwealth Games and how the event will affect a British family, as seen through the eyes of a child. It encourages viewers to form an emotional connection with the child and by association the John Lewis brand.”

Andrew will now get the chance to work alongside industry-leading graphic designers at the John Lewis headquarters in London.

Helena Good, design lecturer at Edinburgh College, said: “This is the third year running that our students have won Creative Student of the Year at this national competition. We’re incredibly proud of Andrew for winning and we know he has a really exciting career ahead of him. His success is an illustration of the highly creative, motivated and employable students that we are dedicated to producing here at the college.”

For more information about the awards, visit stars14.marketingsocietyscotland.com/.

Picure: L – R Nick Noble of Sales Force, presenting the award on behalf of Gus Chalmers of The Union, HND Graphic Design student Andrew Palfreyman, and BBC presenter Edith Bowman.

Time traveller Karen calls in at college

Pictured: Performing arts programme leader Scott Johnston, David Robertson, Karen Gillan, Marlee Pearson and Kay McAllister.

Local lass (and soon to be Galactic superstar!) Karen Gillan returned to Edinburgh College Granton Campus – where she studied performing arts – to give students an insight into the life and career of a top actress.

Karen, who studied at the college’s Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS) from 2004 to 2005, met around 70 students during her visit, answering questions and posing for pictures.

She spent 45 minutes with the students from the NC and HND Acting and Performance courses at the waterfront campus, talking about the career that has taken her from the BBC’s Dr Who to Hollywood films and a starring role in an American sitcom. She discussed everything from the intricacies of working with the green screens used to add digital effects, making her way as a Scot in Hollywood and London’s media worlds, and how her college education has helped her progress in TV and film.

Karen visit came at a busy time – she’s never been in higher demand. She features in two major major films to be released this summer: the unsettling horror Oculus and the latest Marvel blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy. In Guardians of the Galaxy, she will share the screen with the universe’s toughest talking raccoon and his walking tree creature friend, as her blue-skinned villain Nebula does battle with the heroic Guardians!

She also has a starring role in a new sitcom called Selfie on America’s NBC Network.

The visit to Edinburgh College was arranged by performing arts programme leader Scott Johnston, who taught Karen at the college and has stayed in touch with her since she left.

Karen said: “It was such an honour to be welcomed back into the college that taught me so much. It was great to see so many enthusiastic students. It made me nostalgic for my time spent studying with Scott and the things I learned.”

Scott said: “It was an absolute joy to have Karen back at the college. The students loved meeting her. They got the chance to ask her loads of questions and learned a lot about what it’s like to try and make it as an actor, so it was really valuable for them. After the Q&A she stayed behind to pose for selfies with the students so they were delighted. She’s a great actress and a lovely person, and we’re very proud of how she’s doing.

“We try to give our students as broad an understanding of the industry as possible to make sure they appreciate all aspects of it when they begin their careers, so we arrange regular visits by actors, writers, directors, agents and other roles. When it’s someone like Karen, who studied here on the same course they did, that can be incredibly inspiring. She’s a brilliant ambassador for the college and we hope our students can follow in her footsteps.”

Events students go bananas to raise charity cash!

Edinburgh College students have raised a whopping £5,000 for charity by organising a series of enterprising events, including a tropical-themed party.

As part of their coursework, the group of events students put their heads together and organised an imaginative programme of events to raise thousands of pounds for the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) and children’s charity When You Wish Upon A Star. As well as raising money, the projects gave them practical experience in managing real-life events.

HNC Events Management student Sonia Gruszczynska was part of the Tropical Escape team that organised the party, transporting guests to a tropical paradise in the city with the help of fruit headpieces, a full reggae and ska band, limbo competitions and Hawaiian hula dancing!

Sonia said: “It was fantastic to use our practical experience as events students to raise money for these worthwhile charities. You learn so much more about the practicalities of organising events when working on large-scale fundraisers such as this.

“The night before our event, the venue we had booked cancelled on us due to technical problems. Despite this massive dilemma, we found another venue within 24 hours and managed to tell our guests in time. The night was a success and, despite the enormous difficulties faced with the venue cancellation, we managed to pull off a great party and raised a lot of money for charity.”

Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Lee Williams said: “We’re extremely grateful to the students from Edinburgh College’s HND Events Management course, who have decided to donate this money to us.

“As we rely solely on the generosity of the public to help us care for abused, abandoned and neglected animals each year, we’re very appreciative of every donation we receive. This was a fantastic gesture and we’d like to offer our sincere thanks to the students for choosing to donate half of the funds raised to the Scottish SPCA.”

Stephanie Donaghey, the Scotland regional fundraiser for When You Wish Upon A Star, said: “All of the events we attended were really well organised and it was great to be able to communicate our purpose as a charity to such a wide and diverse audience. The significant donation from the college will enable us to grant more special wishes to children in Scotland with life threatening illnesses. We were extremely grateful for the opportunity.”

Edinburgh College events lecturer Caroline Patterson said: “We believe it’s crucial to give our students first-hand experience in organising and managing their own events. The events industry in Scotland is expanding and is incredibly fast paced, so in order to give our students the competitive edge when they graduate we know it’s important to make sure they have this valuable experience under their belts. We’re very proud of them all for raising so much money for charity and we have every faith that they will succeed in the future.”

As well as the tropical-themed party, the HNC Events Management students organised a host of events including a tapas bar crawl, a 90s-themed night, an art exhibition, the Wee Gig Night, a masquerade ball, a prohibition-themed night, a country hoedown, a ceilidh, a scavenger hunt and a late-night screening of the Rocky Horror Show. Over the last five years, the HNC Events Management students have raised more than £16,000 for a variety of different charities.

Niko defies the odds to become Student of the Year

Niko pictured with his wife Eva (left) and cousin Joanna

An Edinburgh College student who came to Scotland for a fresh start and a chance to create a better life has fought against the odds to be named Student of the Year.

Niko Sadlowski – who studies NC Early Education and Childcare and is originally from Poland – received his award alongside 50 other prize winners at the Edinburgh College Further Education Awards ceremony at The Hub in the city centre. Niko was nominated by his lecturers because of his determination to succeed.

Niko, who also works part time at The Action Group charity for people with additional support needs and disabilities, said: “I was delighted and totally overwhelmed to find out I had won Student of the Year at the Further Education Awards.”

Niko added: “I left home as a teenager as I wanted to reduce the financial burden on my parents. I first came to this country at the age of 23 without knowing a word of English and I’ve worked really hard, in many low paying jobs, to create a life for myself and my family here.

“I grew up with deaf parents which meant I learned to communicate with them through sign language. I think this first triggered my interest in supporting people and their families with additional needs because I could understand the kinds of barriers they could face. My son was recently diagnosed with autism, so I also know what kind of support carers and their families require for a better quality of life.”

Edinburgh College childcare and social care lecturer Linda Paechter said: “Niko is an extraordinary student. His knowledge, skills and rich life experiences have been inspiring to his fellow students and I’m so pleased that he has been given the award of Student of the Year as part of the NC Early Education and Childcare course. His unwavering dedication to his studies has been incredible and he truly deserves the award.

“Professionals within childcare are predominantly female, yet the involvement of both male and female carers, educators and practitioners is incredibly important to allow for positive role-models for children. Niko is a wonderful ambassador for the benefits of more men in childcare and I know he has a very successful career ahead of him.”

Around 150 guests attended the Further Education Awards, which were hosted by Denise McAdam, celebrity hairdresser to the stars and presenter of the BBC programme Hair.

Denise, who studied hairdressing at Edinburgh College, has an impressive list of clients including Cindy Crawford, Grace Kelly, Princess Diana, Yasmin le Bon, and Naomi Campbell.

Granton Campus incident explained

There was some alarm flew – and some wild rumours – when a fleet of emergency vehicles attended an incident at Edinburgh College Granton Campus yesterday at around 1pm. At one point eight ambulances, police cars and fire appliances were on site.

However Edinburgh College later confirmed that all was well. A spokseperson explained: ” This was a fainting incident, likely the result of gardening activities below an open window. Emergency services came out as precautionary measure, but all clear.”

Pleased to clear that up …

Youth Employment blueprint launched at Craigroyston

Education Working For All report

The final report by the group tasked with helping Scotland develop a world class system of vocational education and training has been welcomed by the Scottish Government and education leaders.

Cabinet Secretary for Training, Youth and Women’s Employment Angela Constance joined Sir Ian Wood, fellow members of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce and representatives from COSLA, at Craigroyston Community High School to mark the publication yesterday.

Its recommendations include:

Youth unemployment should be reduced by 40 per cent
Enhanced careers education in Primary School
The opportunity to prepare for a Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in the senior phase of school
More support for employers to take on young employees
Closer links between employers and schools and colleges
Measures to improve gender balance in training
Measures to remove barriers for young disabled people, care leavers and black and minority ethnic groups taking up training opportunities.

Sir Ian believes that Scottish businesses have ‘got out of the habit’ of employing young people and said schools must prepare young people better for the workplace and ensure vocational training was offered as well as academic qualifications.

He explained: “It’s all about building a bridge between school and college into business and industry.

“We’re suggesting that we set up 15 to 20 employer-led groups across Scotland. They’ll have a three-year life and will facilitate every secondary school in Scotland having a long-term partnership with local employers, to include work experience.

“We’re suggesting a really worthwhile work experience and also better advice and career information.

“Frankly, business says ‘we would like to employ more young people, but we’re not sure how to, we don’t have the resource’. We’ve tried to do something quite concrete to change that.”

The Scottish Government will respond formally to the report in the coming weeks, with £12 million budget consequentials already set aside for youth employment.

Speaking at Craigroyston, Ms Constance said: “Today’s report sets out recommendations to deliver a 40 per cent reduction in youth unemployment by 2020 and a challenging programme to transform the way we work with young people, employers, schools and colleges to ensure that all our young women and men have the choices and opportunities they need to fulfil their potential.

“Our young people are an enormous asset in helping us to achieve our aspiration to strengthen Scotland’s economy. Our ambitions to see significant improvements in our youth employment numbers go beyond a return to pre-recession levels when, during a period of growth, youth unemployment stood 7.7 percentage points above that of the general population.

“A substantial amount of activity to help young women and men towards employment is already in place, including our very successful Modern Apprenticeship programme, which has seen over 77,000 new opportunities in the last three years. Opportunities for All also guarantees every 16 to 19 year old the offer of a place in education or training.

“The £12 million we announced earlier this year will help accelerate progress, and we will discuss with our partners in local government how best that is deployed.

“I would like to thank Sir Ian, members of the Commission and all those who have contributed to this landmark report which both matches the scale of our ambition and clearly sets out the challenges we face in delivering it.

“There is now much to consider and we will work closely with the public, private and third sectors on how the recommendations could be taken forward. Our partners in local government have a pivotal role to play in tackling youth unemployment and will be very much part of this work going forward.”

Minister for Learning Alasdair Allan added: “Curriculum for Excellence has been designed to equip our young people with the skills they need to succeed both in Scotland and in the global workplace, with local authorities having the freedom to shape education to meet the needs of our pupils, whatever their background.

“In order to truly give every young person the best possible chance of finding a sustainable career we need world class vocational education and training, allowing schools and colleges to join up with employers so that learning can be even more aligned to student needs.

“Today’s report builds on the steps we have already taken and I look forward to considering with our key stakeholders how it could make the difference we seek.”

Mandy Exley, Principal of Edinburgh College, has also warmly welcomed the findings in the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce report. She said:

“The Wood Commission report’s emphasis on ensuring young people at college study courses that will lead to employment in the prevailing labour market echoes our commitment to delivering opportunities that are relevant to the economic needs of Edinburgh and Scotland.

“The report’s objectives of establishing of a world class vocational training system that puts employers at the heart of this process is positive and something we have already embraced at Edinburgh College.

“Greater involvement between employers and colleges fits well with our activity at Edinburgh College. One of our aims is to ensure most full time students have a practical work experience embedded in their course. This is already well established in some areas such as catering and hair and beauty through the college’s restaurants and salons as well as our close links with industry in areas such as creative industries, health and social care, engineering and construction. We are seeking to extend this across all the full time courses we offer, where practical and beneficial to our students.

“The South East Scotland Academies programme that we are involved in is an excellent example of education institutions working closely with schools and employers to equip young people with the skills, experience and attitude to make a difference in industry. We will continue to pursue such initiatives to ensure we provide young people with the experience and opportunities that will help them into employment.”

Cllr Douglas Chapman, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People added: “This landmark report today by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce comes at a time of great change for Scotland. Whatever happens in September we have already embarked upon a decade long journey of renewal in education as a result of Curriculum for Excellence. The report today by the Commission in many ways represents the next steps that we need to take if we are to have a first class system of vocational learning in schools alongside the more established route to academic success.

“The report recognises the crucial role that our schools and teachers in local authorities across the length and breadth of the country can play at expanding pupil’s knowledge about the world of work and the job opportunities that are out there.

“The report’s recommendations are ambitious and transformational but in no way unachievable. This is because a key strength is that the recommendations are based, in part, on existing good practice which has been developed by local authorities, colleges and partners”

“We look forward to considering the report in more depth with Government in order to work together to progress the recommendations, as it is essential not only to support but also inspire young people with new opportunities to develop long-term rewarding careers.”

Great Scott! Music wizard visits Edinburgh College

A top music engineer who worked with David Bowie, The Beatles and Pink Floyd to create some of the most iconic albums of all time visited Edinburgh College on Thursday to share his sound desk secrets with students.

Ken Scott, who produced Bowie albums including The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and engineered The Beatles’ The White Album, visited the college to pass on some of his skills to HND Sound Production students.

Ken gave a talk about his incredible 50-year career and answered questions from students before conducting a stdio workshop to demonstrate how he mixed some of his classic tracks, using the college’s state-of-the-art equipment in the CRE:8 studio.

Ken was one of only five engineers to record The Beatles over their entire career, initially working with them as part of his first engineering job on the Liverpudlian beat wizards’ A Hard Day’s Night album. Since then, he has worked with Pink Floyd, Elton John, Duran Duran, Supertramp, Jeff Beck, Devo, Lou Reed and many more, and is still recording music.

In 2012, he released a memoir, Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust: Off The Record with The Beatles, Elton & So Much More, which was crammed full of stories about his time working with some of the most legendary figures in music.

Jon Buglass, head of the Centre for Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said: “Ken has been an integral part in creating some of the most groundbreaking and revered music of the last 50 years and it’s a privilege to have him here. Our students were delighted to get the chance to hear his trade secrets and learn from someone who really has seen and done it all.

“Sound engineers are crucial in allowing artists to achieve their vision in the studio and the likes of Bowie, Pink Floyd and all these other massive stars Ken’s worked with couldn’t have expressed themselves so fully if he hadn’t been in charge of the mixing desk.

“It’s a tricky job as you have to juggle the artists’ ambitions for their music, which can be pretty demanding, with the practicalities of actually getting it all to sound coherent. Ken is obviously a master of the technical side as well as the art of working with musicians so he’s a genuinely inspirational figure and the students learned a massive amount from him. It’s no exaggeration to call him a legend in the field.”

Ken said: “I was lucky enough to be a part of what I consider to be the best training ever, thanks to what is now known as Abbey Road Studios. If I can pass along one iota of what I learned then and subsequently throughout my career, I must try to do it. I cannot explain the feeling I get when a student approaches me after one of my talks to thank me for showing the passion and understanding for all they are going through and will continue to go through during their entire career.”

Edinburgh College students set to Glow!

Edinburgh College’s dazzling creative students are about to light up the city with a two-month celebration of their luminous skills!

The Let’s Glow festival will give Edinburgh the chance to enjoy performances and exhibitions from students covering everything from music, theatre and dance to photography, sculpture, illustration and much more.

The programme (see below) shines a beaming light on the inspirational talent of the Edinburgh College students and is a glowing testimony to the outstanding work they have accomplished this year.

Let’s Glow runs from 15 May to 18 July, with events taking place at venues across Edinburgh and some students taking their work down to exhibit in London.

let’s glow programme