Tag: Edinburgh’s Telford College

Telford is first Scottish College to gain International Charter

Edinburgh’s Telford College has been recognised for its student-centred approach to international recruitment with a highly prestigious Further Education award. Telford is the first college in Scotland to be awarded the International Charter from the Association of Colleges (AoC), after passing an in-depth assessment of its international activity with flying colours.

The AoC awards the International Charter to colleges which are meeting their commitment to high standards in four key areas covering international strategy, planning, support for learners and an ethical and inclusive approach.

Miles Dibsdall, OBE, Principal of Edinburgh Telford College, said: “We are proud to have been the first college in Scotland to be recognised with this widely – acclaimed honour by the Association of Colleges. Achieving the International Charter is real testament to the staff at the college as well as to the students who continue to excel in their studies. Our philosophy is carried by all at the College and I believe this has what has really set us apart.”

He continued: “We have always had international achievement as part of our business development strategy, and aim to help every student achieve the most out of their international experiences based on their individual abilities, personal learning goals and career plans. Edinburgh’s Telford College has repeatedly assured a high quality of experience, and ensures the global agenda benefits both staff and students as well as the local communities served by the college.”

Fifteen members of staff and thirty learners were interviewed by the AoC during their visit in which they found that the college had demonstrated ways of celebrating and valuing equality and diversity.

The AoC International Charter recognises colleges which have made a commitment to taking an ethical approach to all areas of their international activity.

In their evaluation, AoC stated:  “Edinburgh’s Telford College has demonstrated ways of celebrating and valuing equality and diversity brought to the College through its student-centred approach to international recruitment which is focussed on students’ abilities, personal learning goals and career plans. This is an ethos throughout the College and is supported by the students through the students’ union.”

Edinburgh’sTelford College currently has around 17,000 students and 600 members of staff.

Telford in deal to transform 'tired' playing fields

Sports enthusiasts in Edinburgh are set to score with the launch of the city’s newest sports facility thanks to a unique partnership between Edinburgh’s Telford College and World of Football.

Edinburgh’s Telford College has teamed up with World of Football (WOF) to turn the college’s tired playing fields into a revitalised indoor sporting facility for use by both students and the local community.

The project will see the outdoor pitches at Marine Drive be incorporated into the new development of ten football pitches, six of which are indoor which are designed for five-a-side football – with one existing full size pitch set aside for other sports such as hockey, cricket and rugby.

Miles Dibsdall OBE, Principal of Edinburgh’s Telford College said: “We are delighted to announce that planning has been submitted for this fabulous new facility at our Marine Drive campus. It has been a very smart piece of business to strike a deal to work with World of Football to revitalise our pitches, which were becoming both sub-standard and under used. This is a great example of the college playing a key role in the local community. And what’s really pleasing is that this facility will benefit not just Telford College and the students from the new Edinburgh College when the merger happens in October, but also sports enthusiasts across the city that will be able to hire out the pitches.”

Tom MacGregor, Head of Sport at Edinburgh’s Telford College said: “It is great news that there are plans in place for a fresh new sports facility in north Edinburgh. This type of facility creates endless opportunities for students on our various sports courses – they will now have a state of the art facility to improve their learning that won’t be affected by bad weather at any time. It’s the perfect site for a facility like this and I’m sure the students will be itching to make use of it when it opens.”

Paul De Marco, Managing Director of World of Football said: “This is a great opportunity for us to expand on our brand in Edinburgh but also a great chance to get involved with the local community. Our family business originated from Granton in the 1930’s and we are delighted to be investing back into the community.”

He continued: “It made sense for us to target Marine Drive; it is a great space with amazing potential. It will serve as a great facility for the students to use for their studies but will also be a great addition to the North Edinburgh community. We don’t just build 5 a side football pitches we have developed a style of football which is totally unique and in building at Marine Drive from the ground up this will be our most advanced and in demand centre yet.”

Edinburgh’s Telford College is one of Scotland’s largest independent further education colleges.  They provide a wide range of career related programmes and currently have around 17,000 students and 600 members of staff.

More information about the college can be found at www.ed-coll.ac.uk

Telford in deal to transform ‘tired’ playing fields

Sports enthusiasts in Edinburgh are set to score with the launch of the city’s newest sports facility thanks to a unique partnership between Edinburgh’s Telford College and World of Football.

Edinburgh’s Telford College has teamed up with World of Football (WOF) to turn the college’s tired playing fields into a revitalised indoor sporting facility for use by both students and the local community.

The project will see the outdoor pitches at Marine Drive be incorporated into the new development of ten football pitches, six of which are indoor which are designed for five-a-side football – with one existing full size pitch set aside for other sports such as hockey, cricket and rugby.

Miles Dibsdall OBE, Principal of Edinburgh’s Telford College said: “We are delighted to announce that planning has been submitted for this fabulous new facility at our Marine Drive campus. It has been a very smart piece of business to strike a deal to work with World of Football to revitalise our pitches, which were becoming both sub-standard and under used. This is a great example of the college playing a key role in the local community. And what’s really pleasing is that this facility will benefit not just Telford College and the students from the new Edinburgh College when the merger happens in October, but also sports enthusiasts across the city that will be able to hire out the pitches.”

Tom MacGregor, Head of Sport at Edinburgh’s Telford College said: “It is great news that there are plans in place for a fresh new sports facility in north Edinburgh. This type of facility creates endless opportunities for students on our various sports courses – they will now have a state of the art facility to improve their learning that won’t be affected by bad weather at any time. It’s the perfect site for a facility like this and I’m sure the students will be itching to make use of it when it opens.”

Paul De Marco, Managing Director of World of Football said: “This is a great opportunity for us to expand on our brand in Edinburgh but also a great chance to get involved with the local community. Our family business originated from Granton in the 1930’s and we are delighted to be investing back into the community.”

He continued: “It made sense for us to target Marine Drive; it is a great space with amazing potential. It will serve as a great facility for the students to use for their studies but will also be a great addition to the North Edinburgh community. We don’t just build 5 a side football pitches we have developed a style of football which is totally unique and in building at Marine Drive from the ground up this will be our most advanced and in demand centre yet.”

Edinburgh’s Telford College is one of Scotland’s largest independent further education colleges.  They provide a wide range of career related programmes and currently have around 17,000 students and 600 members of staff.

More information about the college can be found at www.ed-coll.ac.uk

Telford students get a taste of TV stardom!

Aspiring film and TV actors from Edinburgh’s Telford College had a taste of life on screen thanks to special performance workshops led by two of Scotland’s well known TV faces at the college last week.

Former Taggart star Colin McCredie and ex-River City regular Jenny Ryan – who is also a former Telford student – were on hand to provide advice for students on how to get into TV acting and maximise their performance in front of the camera.

Over 20 students from Edinburgh’s Telford College Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS) benefited from more than fifty years acting experience from the duo, designed to provide a real taste of a career in the film and TV industry.

PASS Programme Area Leader Scott Johnston, who organised the workshops, said: “It is great that two of Scotland’s most hard working and talented TV actors are able to come in and speak with the students. The workshops have been great so far and a real eye opener to the world of television. We have a group of seriously talented individuals here at PASS and we work hard to ensure they get to experience all aspects of an acting career.”

He added: “Most performing arts courses are very heavy with theatrical performance and students get very little chance to experience what it’s like working in front of a camera, which is totally different than being on stage. Thanks to Colin and Jenny, the students now have a real and tangible understanding of how TV acting works and hopefully they will be able to apply this to their future work; some of them may even go on to be the TV stars of the future.”

The workshops covered subjects such as show-reels, auditions and TV script work as well as covering some of what happens behind the camera.

Colin McCredie is best known for playing DC Stuart Fraser in one of Scotland’s most popular crime series Taggart. Since leaving the show in 2010 Colin has gone on to hold many starring roles including Nick Morrison in River City, as well as various film, TV and theatre roles. He said: “It’s been brilliant working with the fantastic students at Telford and sharing the technique & experiences of acting on film with them. And who knows – maybe we’ll spot the next Karen Gillan!”

Ex Telford student Jenny said: “It’s been a pleasure to visit my old college and see the fantastic facilities they have here now and to work with the students who judging by their final performance last week the students are of an exceptionally high standard”.

PASS was set up in 2010 to offer an extensive range of performing arts courses to Edinburgh students. Designed as a training institution for those looking for a career in the performing arts, it allows students to showcase their talents through a variety of performance choices.

Scott added: “The concept of PASS is something we have been developing at Telford for some years now, with an aim not only to provide a state-of-the-art teaching environment for Scotland’s aspiring actors, dancers and theatre technicians, but to also give the performing arts industry in Scotland a boost by providing a dedicated, professional training academy.”

More information about PASS can be found at Edinburgh’s Telford College’s websitewww.ed-coll.ac.uk

Sneak peek at Olympic torch!

Can’t wait for the arrival of the Olympic torch this afternoon? Well, here’s a sneak preview to whet your appetite!

This version of the torch was on display at Bangholm Playing Fields for the culmination of the Active Kids Olympic events on 30 May. Local Active Schools Coordinator Ricky Karoyan (above, right) was joined by her Trinity Academy cluster colleague Nicky Wheatley for the big finale.

A great day was had by all, and special thanks to Johnny Martinez from Edinburgh’s Telford College, who with a team of Year 2 HND Events Management students, ensured the festival event ran without a hitch!

For those who insist on seeing the ‘real thing’, however, times this evening are as follows:

18:15 – Depart Chesser Avenue along Slateford Road to Shandon Place

18:35 – Colinton Road at Gray’s Loan

18:40 – Bruntsfield Place at Holy Corner

18:55 – Lauriston Place at Tollcross

19:00 – George IV Bridge

19:05 – Lawnmarket at North Bank Street/The Mound

After that, the Flame will travel up to the Castle for the ticket only Evening Celebration event – NOTE tickets have all been allocated.

On the morning of Thursday 14th June, you will be able to see the Flame at the following locations:

07:00 – Festival Square at the Big Screen

07:12 – The Grassmarket

07:20 – George IV Bridge at the Royal Mile

07:30 – Scottish Parliament

07:45 – Pleasance

08:00 – Scottish Widows building opposite Royal Commonwealth Pool

08:15 – Duddingston Village on Old Church Lane

08:25 – Milton Road West

The torch will then leave Edinburgh and continue on to Musselburgh.

NB all timings are approximate and subject to change.

Telford Graduate films hit the heights

‘Curtain up! Dim the lights! We got nothing to hit but the heights!’ That was the blurb in the Edinburgh Filmhouse programme and Wednesday’s showing certainly lived up to it’s billing. Telford’s HND Creative Industries Television course graduation show will be the last ever – Edinburgh colleges merge this autumn – but this years’ students ensured that the final programme would be just as memorable as those that have gone before.

With drama, documentaries, animations and adverts the films covered a broad spectrum and provided a perfect showcase of the students’ talents. From the atmospheric opening drama ‘Hungover’ to final action film ‘The Street Fighter’ the theme was quality throughout.

There were some amazing ideas and imagination on show. A special mention to Emma Murray’s animation ‘Big Gus’, an everyday tale of a pair of pants! and Lewis Kyle, whose ‘You’re Dead’ provided the ‘shock horror’ gross moment of the evening! Michael Dobb’s ‘The Sound of Scent’ was a beautifully constructed documentary while Eve Jarron provided some light relief with ‘At Home With Dr. Devious’.

Winner of the Crtics Award, however, was Jack Kyle’s experimental movie ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ (pictured above). Gloomy urban landscapes in Granton and Seafield shot from a moving vehicle, superb soundtrack … dark, desolate but very effective and a worthy winner.

Congratulation to all this year’s contributors – who knows what next year will bring, but it’s clear that the class of 2012 may now be gone, but certainly won’t be forgotten. Well done, everyone.

Telford students – building and supporting local community projects

As part of a new course development at Edinburgh’s Telford College, Career Option Joinery and Painting and Decorating students have been carrying out citizenship projects in the local community by carrying out work for charitable organisations. Recent projects have included building and designing bespoke units and cabinets to create a health information library at Pilton Community Health Project and refitting office space, creating storage and building additional worktops to create an area for staff and clients to work together at Stepping Stones Project. The students have also built a fence at North Edinburgh Childcare to create a safe area for the children to play in. The work carried out by students has complemented their course work by providing learners with on the job experience and helping build key essential skills.

Feedback from projects has been extremely positive. Stepping Stones manager Marilyn Keilloh said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Emma, Colin and all the students who have done such great work for us in the last few weeks. Our new desk space and storage facilities will make a very real difference to how we work in the office. They have also been very accommodating, and have come up with some really innovative ideas to solve some of our space problems. As a small project with a very limited budget it has been a great help to us to get this work done. Also, we provide support services to very young parent families and pregnant teenagers so it is good that your students are able to help a project which supports people from their own age group. I would be really grateful if you could pass on my thanks from everyone here at Stepping Stones.”

The students themselves felt they gained new skills and experience by participating in the community projects. Dale Horribine, Career Option Joinery, said: “I think our class worked really well as part of a team in the projects. I would like to do more of these types of projects; it gives us the opportunity to gain new skills and to put our skills into practice in and around the community. It was the perfect work experience.”

Telford’s Head of Construction Sharon McCue-Livingstone fully supports the initiative within the department and now hopes that this can be extended to all areas of Construction within the college. “This is exactly the type of project that enhances what we believe is core to students’ experience, that of real working environment. My hope is to enhance and extend this activity as much as possible into all areas of Construction to provide essential employability skills for our students.”

Edinburgh’s Telford College are keen to become involved in more citizenship projects for charitable organisations in the future. If you think our students could work with your organisation please contact Keith Swann via keith.swann@ed-coll.ac.uk or Sharon McCue-Livingstone (Head) on sharon.mccue-livingstone@ed-coll.ac.uk

 

Telford students to showcase skills at Edinburgh Castle

Students from Edinburgh’s Telford College will showcase their work at Edinburgh Castle as part of an event to celebrate traditional construction skills this week.  Telford is taking part in this year’s Scottish Apprentice Week by sending students from its building courses to the Edinburgh Traditional Skills Exhibition.

The exhibition, which takes place over two days, will be launched by Fiona Hislop, Minister for Culture and External Affairs and is a collaborative partnership between Construction Skills, Historic Scotland, The National Federation of Roofing Contractors, The Stone Federation and Edinburgh’s Telford College.

John Laing, Sector Business Senior Manager at Edinburgh’s Telford College said: “We are delighted to have been invited to the Edinburgh Traditional Skills Exhibition to showcase the multitude of talents of our Traditional Building students. This event is ideal for our young roofing, stonemasonry and building apprentices to demonstrate skills as well as impart knowledge on those considering studying the various traditional building courses that are out there. They have also worked hard to put together innovative roofing and stonemasonry models, an ideal way for them to showcase their skills at the exhibition and also a great way of demonstrating the type of things individuals will learn on our traditional building courses.”

Construction Skills Scotland will also be on hand at the two-day exhibition to give out information to those interested in taking up a course or a career in the industry.

Miles Dibsdall OBE, Principal of Edinburgh’s Telford College who will also be attending the event said: “It is important for us to get involved in events like the Edinburgh Traditional Skills exhibition for Scottish Apprenticeship week. Teaching practical skills which will ensure students are ready for the work place is one of the main aims we have at Telford College and the fact that many individuals are able to learn as well as work is the best thing about modern apprenticeships.”

John added: “An event like this is extremely important for the construction sector. It is important to keep educating people of what’s needed for a career in construction as well getting the chance to talk about how important traditional building courses are to the future of some of our most historic buildings. The fact that we still have a significant number of individuals wanting to come and learn these skills is increasingly promising and having exhibitions like the one at Edinburgh Castle are a great way to get everyone in the same place creating a buzz about the sector.”

Trying times for Telford rugby students!

Former Scottish rugby star Gregor Townsend joined young sporting talent from Edinburgh’s Telford College to pass on invaluable advice and experience relating to the sport yesterday. Gregor who won 82 Scottish caps, conducted a coaching session at Telford as part of the inaugural Edinburgh Colleges’ Festival.

Putting the newly developed Marine Drive rugby pitches to good use, Gregor worked with the college’s rugby performance students for around an hour. This was followed by a short Q&A session that gave the students a chance to get helpful tips and advice from the sporting star.

Robert Chrystie, Rugby Performance Course Leader at Edinburgh’s Telford College said: “The new and improved rugby pitches allow our students to achieve better results through having good quality training facilities. Our rugby performance course is one of very few in Scotland. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we provide our students with the resources they require in order to improve their rugby skills.

“The event with Gregor was of real use to the learners, some of whom are considering a professional career in the sport. Being able to have access to someone who has experienced the sport and its highs and lows is a great experience for them and we hope to build upon this with similar sessions in the future.”

Edinburgh’s Telford College runs a dedicated Rugby Performance course, which aims to cover all aspects of the sporting profession, helping attract more young people into the sport and provide a springboard into some of the country’s top teams.

Gregor Townsend said: “I really enjoyed working the boys on their skills. I was keen to pass on my experience in professional rugby and I definitely made sure they all worked extremely hard in the session. The rugby performance course at Telford College is important as it helps individuals to reach their full potential within a physically demanding sport. I’m proud to be able to work with colleges to help develop the future talent of Scottish rugby.”

The event was part of the Edinburgh Colleges’ Festival, which runs from 7 May to 30 June and celebrates the work and talent of students from Edinburgh’s Telford College, Stevenson College and Jewel and Esk College ahead of the October 2012 merger.  The event is one of the largest student-led Further Education events in the UK.

Edinburgh’s Telford College, provides a wide range of career related programmes to help learners progress into work or University education. Currently the college has around 17,000 students and 600 members of staff. More information about Telford can be found at www.ed-coll.ac.uk

Stroll up for Saturday football coaching

Civil Service Strollers are running football training sessions for youngsters on Saturday mornings at their Telford College Playing Fields home on Marine Drive.

Operating in partnership with Play2learn Sports Coaching, Diamond Football is fast-flowing four-a-side football game that ensures young players get more touches, develops positional awareness and improves first-touch skills – and most important, it’s fun to play!

Sessions are held for children (boys and girls both welcome) born in 2005 or 2006 from 9.30am and it’s a 10.30am start for children born in 2007 and 2008.

Each player receives quality coaching, chances to win medals and prizes and can have a lot of fun too. For further information call Shane at Play2Learn on 07952 147 577, email Shane@Play2Learn.info