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

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

 

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

 

Source – a healthy appetite for info at PCHP!

It’s been a hectic time at Pilton Community Heath Project (PCHP). Over the last few months the project has recruited a new coordinator, organised a successful Food Festival and then launched Source, an exciting new information room at their Boswall Parkway office, during an Open Day!

New coordinator Jen Richards (pictured below)  took up her new post in March – one of her first tasks was handing out Yummy Food Festival flyers in the pouring rain in Pennywell Road, and it’s been full on ever since!

“There’s nothing like throwing yourself in at the deep end!” she said. “The weather was awful that day but we were really delighted to see so many people attending the Food Festival – it really was a great success.”

Jen had previous experience at PCHP when she worked with the Barri Grubb project, so she knew what to expect when she returned to Pilton.

“It’s a small but very motivated team, and it’s sometimes a case of all hands to the pumps! Like everyone else we’d like to have more resources but we make sure that we make the most of what we have. PCHP has a proud history, a very good reputation and is well known in the local area and beyond. It’s great to be back in North Edinburgh, meeting up with former colleagues again and I’ll be making contact with a wide range of community groups and organisations in the weeks ahead. Yes, we’ll continue to face challenges but we have a dedicated and very committed team and I’m very excited about our future”.

Since the Yummy Food Festival, PCHP has gone on to open Source, a new community health information resource, during their Open Day on 29 March (the highlight of which was a cookery demonstration and tasting sessions with North Edinburgh’s own Yummy Mummies!)

 PCHP senior project worker Anita Aggarwal said that the Source idea had come from local people themselves. She explained: “People who live locally told us that they want access to clear, accurate, information about health issues, and Source is our answer to this request. Source is our new health information resource, where our friendly volunteers can help you find information about health and community issues. We have a wide range of leaflets and books, as well as internet access to make sure you can get the information you need, and if we don’t have it ourselves, we know someone who does! We want local people to come in and check us out. It’s a great opportunity to get clued up and become confident about dealing with health issues.”

The new Source room is a really welcoming and comfortable space, much appreciated by staff, volunteers and visitors. The room was created with the help and hard work of Edinburgh’s Telford College students (pictured). Emma Castle, Learner Development Tutor of Woodwork and Masonry Trades, said: “Our students thoroughly enjoyed their work at Pilton Community Health Project and got a lot out of it. We’d like to thank Mark Smith Glazing, who kindly donated the glass for the project, and we are all delighted that the resource is being enjoyed by the local community”. 

Source is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to midday.

Stroll down to Saturday soccer school

 

Civil Service Strollers is one of Edinburgh’s oldest football clubs – the Strollers were founded in 1908 – and the club has strong roots in the North Edinburgh area, having been based at the former Civil Service Playing Fields on Marine Drive (now operated by Edinburgh’s Teford College) for well over fifty years. The club is keen to see more local youngsters enjoying the game and is launching a new Saturday morning soccer school this weekend.

General manager Tom Brown said: ‘We are starting up a regular Saturday morning soccer school for both boys and girls on Saturday ( 28 April) and we hope lots of young people will come along. The plan is to have two groups – one for 4-6 year old and the other from 6- 10 and the emphasis will be on enjoying the game and having fun. We are trying to engage the local kids to form a community hub and Saturday’s soccer school is just the start.”

Stroller’s Saturday soccer school starts at 9.30 at the playing fields on Marine Drive.

 

 

A green first for Telford

 

With a growing acceptance that green technology is the way forward – and every indication that the job market in renewable energy sector will grow over the coming years – Edinburgh’s Telford College produced another first with the launch of the country’s first dedicated renewable energy training centre last week.

Edinburgh’s Renewable Energy Innovation Centre (EREIC) will offer extensive training and skills development for workers employed in the renewable and construction industries. The centre will provide training in micro-renewable energy sources and complements the more traditional courses offered to students such as heritage, roofing and brickwork.

Telford’s head of employer services Myra Dickson explained: “The new centre will help to ensure that Scotland has workers skilled for modern and environmentally friendly projects, thereby meeting the needs of employers and industry, both now and in the future. It also allows Edinburgh’s Telford College to demonstrate its determination to evolve to ensure it is delivering courses that provide opportunities for our new and current generations of employees.”

College Principal Miles Dibsdall OBE added: “The renewable energy centre ideally illustrates the focus we have made to provide the best possible employment and training opportunities.”

Improve your qualifications at Telford

PREPARATION FOR FURTHER EDUCATION IN ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

 The Preparation for Arts and the Social Sciences offers successful applicants the opportunity to achieve Personal Effectiveness SQA Credits at Intermediate 1 level, and in addition the chance to familiarise  yourself with the resources available to students who have either already applied to our Department, or are considering doing so. You will also be afforded guidance from your Lecturers in regards to the details of the Level 5 and 6 Access to Further Education and Higher Education Courses which will be running from September of this year, as well as what HNC Courses will form part of our Curriculum.

This is your opportunity to combine preparation for Further Education or Higher Education with the achieving of SQA Credits that will contribute to your academic CV moving into the future.

All applicants will be considered, and this short course will run for a duration of 10 weeks, from April (10.04.12) until the end of term in June. Fees will be met by Edinburgh’s Telford College.

For further information, please contact:

Mike Cowley on 0131 559 4157 or Mike.Cowley@ed-coll.ac.uk

or

Mario Fabiani on 0131 559 4674 or Mario.Fabiani@ed-coll.ac.uk

Jen Kelly, Edinburgh’s Telford College