Tag: Edinburgh’s Telford College

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

Edinburgh colleges to merge in October

Edinburgh’s Telford, Stevenson and Jewel and Esk Valley Colleges will merge to become the College for the Edinburgh City Region, it has been confirmed.

In a joint letter to ‘stakeholders’, the three College Principals said: ”You may be aware of recent media announcements that the Board of Management of Edinburgh’s Telford College has agreed to enter into merger negotiations with Stevenson College Edinburgh and Jewel & Esk College. The Boards of the three Edinburgh Colleges have agreed in principle to establish a new College for the Edinburgh City Region.  This is a significant development and we thought you would like notice of this as you may see further coverage in the press over the next few weeks. It is proposed that the new College will be operational from October 2012; it will play a major role in the economic and skills development of the City of Edinburgh Region.  Work will now move forward to establish the new College and we will keep you advised of progress.’

 

Good hair day at Telford

Level Three Hairdressing students let their hair down and imaginations run wild when they took part in a creative theme day at Edinburgh’s Telford College earlier this week.

Students planned their themes using ‘mood boards’ then set to work to create their styles on live models with the help of make-up artist student colleagues.  Themes on the day included Tribal, Urban, Fashion, Weddings, Alice in Wonderland – and even the Eiffel Tower!  The students’ work was then photographed for their portfolios.

Instructor Karen Dyer said:  “This is a popular unit and a lot of work and imagination goes in to these themes.  Today’s session helps students to plan and develop ideas and we have some very creative hairdressers here at Telford”.

Before ..
During ..
.. and after!

Telford college sued over £8m rent pledge

TELFORD College is being sued by the construction firm which built its new student accommodation over an £8 million pledge to make up any shortfall in rents.

 

Telford college's board are nervous about the agreement.

College bosses signed an agreement promising Alumno Miller Telford Ltd an annual income of around £500,000 a year as part of the deal to fund the accommodation block on West Granton Road.

But the builders took court action after new members of the college board sought to have the agreement annulled.

Board members were left feeling “extremely nervous” that the clause would leave the college exposed to a massive yearly pay-out if not enough rent was collected from students living at the site.

The agreement pledged that the college would fill 99 of the 125 rooms at the facility, opened last September, or hand over any shortfall to the builders behind the project.

Although the deal could leave the college facing a maximum pay-out of £500,000 annually over 15 years, it is understood that any actual exposure would be far lower.

At the Court of Session, Lord Glennie ruled in favour of Alumno Miller Telford Ltd following a recent hearing, throwing out arguments from college lawyers that the agreement was “not binding and enforceable”.

Lord Glennie rejected claims that the agreement did not properly specify the rooms which had to be rented out, and that rules prevented the college from being exposed to liabilities greater than four per cent of its annual income.

But Jim Donaldson, the chairman of the college board, said that a further legal challenge over the deal by Telford College remained a possibility.

He said: “This agreement between Alumno Miller Telford Ltd and the college was made in 2009 when many of the current board were not in place. It concerns an occupancy agreement which began in September 2010, when the accommodation was opened, where the college agreed to fill 99 of the 125 rooms or make up the shortfall.

“This agreement left the new board feeling extremely nervous as the college could be left to pay up the difference so we decided to contest it for a number of reasons.

“There was no indication in the agreement as to which rooms the guarantees referred to. We also argued that it would break rules on the college being left to pay in excess of four per cent of its annual income.

“Lord Glennie has made his ruling and we’ve lost this particular part. As a board, we now have to have another look at it and take advice from counsel before deciding on our next step. It remains ongoing.”

The student accommodation was built on a vacant site near Telford College and was primarily designed to offer rooms to international students.

It was intended to cater for a growing student population at Telford, which is the city’s largest further education college.

Alumno Miller Telford Ltd took out a £4.5m loan to pay for the facilities, and let the rooms directly to students at the college. A spokesman for McGrigors, the solicitors acting for Alumno Miller Telford Ltd, said he could not comment on an ongoing court case.

Waterfront Festival is Christmas cracker!

The Festival staged by North Edinburgh Waterfront Community at The Hub in Edinburgh’s Telford College last night proved to be a real Christmas cracker.  A bit like opening those Christmas presents you never know what you’re going to get next, and so it proved at Telford.

With songs by Granton Primary School and Pilrig Church choir, films, quizzes and international music from the Rongong family – and some truly awful Christmas cracker jokes too! – there was something for everyone.  With free refreshments, face painting and Christmas crafts and decoration-making, laid on by members of local churches, the evening was the perfect antidote to the stresses and strains of last-minute Christmas shopping.

For more information on North Edinburgh Waterfront Community go to info@new-community.org.uk

News from Edinburgh’s Telford College

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Community Liaison, Jennifer Kelly, gives a review of the Community Team over the last six months. 

For the second consecutive year our annual Graduation celebration was held in the Hub at the heart of Edinburgh’s Telford College. A wonderful evening was had by staff, students and invited guests, including key members of the North Edinburgh community. Graduands were piped in and entertained by singing, dancing and speakers including the College Principal – Miles Dibsdall OBE, and guest of honour, comedienne and television presenter Jenny Éclair (pictured above).

Looking at the very much wintry weather today, it is hard to believe that it was only three months ago we welcomed 4,000 local residents onto the Forthquarter Park for the third North Edinburgh Community Festival. The day was a great success, and Telford staff and students worked alongside several of its community partners to provide a free day of food, fun, information and entertainment for what is now a popular established event.

The Forth Neighbourhood Partnerships Public Meeting was given an employability twist in October and the College hosted a market place of local and city wide organisations offering help in job hunting, career development and education. Attendees also heard a number of very informative presentations including an update from Ken Shaw, Head of Employability and Skills: City of Edinburgh Council on current initiatives and achievements to date in this area.

The College is keen to support local organisations in any way it is able, and the past few months have seen Telford working alongside SACRO, Fairbridge, Citadel Youth Centre, Four Square, Apex Scotland, CORE, Link Living and WEACT, amongst others. Joint working can take many forms, including presentations, College visits and tours, providing information stands and staff, attending AGMs. This year we designed and produced annual reports for both Stepping Stones (North Edinburgh) and the Prentice Centre. We also welcomed parents and pupils from Craigroyston Community High School, Forthview Primary School and Trinity Academy.

Although events are a significant part of our Community remit, we also provide ongoing support and information to any person who is interested in coming to Telford College. We have regular drop ins at Community Renewal and represent the College at a wide variety of schools and careers events across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Get On Edinburgh, which links people up with the support they need to move forward in life, also has a presence within Learner Services and members of the public are welcome to visit between 1 and 3pm on Wednesdays.

We are proud that our students also make their mark in our community. HND student Michael Kerr, whose project to produce signage for the Forthquarter development was selected as the winning submission by National Grid. Michael produced a fully integrated campaign which included logo development, direct mail, signage points, ambient advertising and digital designs for web and mobile (pictured below).

If any member of the Community would like to arrange a College visit, we can be contacted via the following link on our website:

http://www.ed-coll.ac.uk/community/community_support.aspx

POSTSCRIPT

As you will have heard in the local and national press, Edinburgh’s Telford College has taken the decision to enter merger discussions with Jewel and Esk College and Stevenson College Edinburgh. The Government’s white paper on post-16 vocational education makes clear its aim to refocus college provision so that it is more aligned with employer and community needs, jobs and growth.  Telford has for several years collaborated successfully with its sister colleges across the City and the announcement will bring further positive developments and benefits especially for young people across Edinburgh. The College is in a strong position thanks to the quality and commitment of its staff, the engagement with its students, its curricular offer and the quality of the college estate. With our partner colleges we will continue to build a focused college sector in Edinburgh. Barbara Lawson, Head of External Liaison for the College, confirmed that Telford would keep members of its North Edinburgh Community up to date on outcomes from these developments.