Sighthill Campus – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Edinburgh College Clearing Event offers next steps for prospective students

To give prospective students the opportunity to speak to lecturers about their application and course options for the 2024/25 session, Edinburgh College is hosting a course clearing exam results drop-in session at its Sighthill Campus on Friday 9 August.

From 10.30m to 3pm, prospective students of all ages will be able to speak to course teams about their options following the release of exam results, and will get the chance to secure a place on a course for the upcoming academic session.

Those who have changed their mind about their original course choice, or who have not yet made an application for college but would like to study this year are also encouraged to attend.

Edinburgh College offers courses across a wide range of subject areas within the Creative Industries, Engineering and Construction, Health, Wellbeing and Social Sciences, and Tourism, Hospitality and Business faculties.

Courses are delivered in a variety of study modes, including full-time and part-time study, and cater to the diverse needs of today’s student.

As well as this, Student Services will be on hand at the event to provide advice on funding options and access to learning support for those who are seeking further information about their study options for the coming year.

Those who cannot attend Friday’s drop-in session can call the College’s clearing phoneline between 10am and 4pm from Monday 5 August until Tuesday 13 August. Staff will be taking calls to give advice based on students’ specific situations and helping begin course applications. The clearing phone number is: 0131 297 8300.

Audrey Cumberford, Edinburgh College Principal, said: “Clearing day is a very important time for applicants and prospective students who are still considering their next steps.

“We would encourage anyone who is unsure about their existing application or is thinking about starting a new course in 2024/25 to get advice from our teams at our clearing event.

“At Edinburgh College, our fantastic range of courses are not only delivered by expert teaching staff, but are also designed to provide students with the skills they need to either continue their learner journey or achieve their chosen career.

“Come along and start your future at our clearing event.”

Edinburgh College Open Day

SATURDAY 27th MAY at SIGHTHILL CAMPUS from 10am – 1pm

Edinburgh College will welcome prospective students to its Sighthill Campus this May to showcase its facilities to those considering starting a course in August 2023.

The open day will allow prospective students to find out about the various courses they can apply for, as well as see first-hand what it’s like to study at Scotland’s capital College.

Sighthill Campus will be open from 10am-1pm on Saturday 27 May for anyone considering applying for a full-time, part-time, or evening course. Those in attendance will also have the chance to find out more about the many National 5 and Higher courses on offer.

The College offers courses and professional training across a wide range of subjects within the Creative Industries, Construction and Engineering, Health, Wellbeing and Social Sciences, and Tourism, Hospitality and Business faculties.

Prospective students, parents, guardians, business owners and those in employment are invited to visit Sighthill Campus to find out more about course options, how to apply to study at the College, to get advice on additional support, and to learn more about funding options.

Learners at any stage of their professional or education journey will be able to find out about the College’s beginner-level courses, pathways to university, short courses, and continuous professional development courses.

Guided tours of campus facilities will also take place during the event, with staff available to answer any questions that come to mind along the way.

Edinburgh College Principal, Audrey Cumberford, said: “We’re delighted to be opening our Sighthill Campus to prospective students this May so that they can experience what life is like at Edinburgh College.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to find out more about the many fantastic courses we have on offer at our campuses across the capital, as well as discover the different ways that Edinburgh College can help you realise the future you want to achieve. If you’ve been thinking about studying with us, please do come along.”

For more information and to book a place at the May Open Day, visit: https://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/open-days-may-2023

Come along to our Open Day at Sighthill Campus from 10am on Saturday 27 May, where we will be showcasing our full-time, part-time and evening courses starting this August.

Find out more: http://ow.ly/rvpb50OrToL

Higher Education Strike: Support workers on the picket lines

Higher Education workers have had enough of poverty pay while senior management take 6 figures plus expenses!

During this cost of greed crisis a 3% rise is an insult. We are demanding a real pay rise of RPI+2%!

Pickets tomorrow and Wednesday, get along to support!

Edinburgh College set to showcase facilities during May Open Days

Edinburgh College is opening its doors and showcasing its facilities during two open days later this week as it gears to make a full return to campuses in August.

The College, which has four campuses across the capital region, is hosting two open days on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May.

Midlothian and Milton Road Campuses will be open from 12-3pm on Friday 27 May, and Granton and Sighthill Campuses will be open from 10am-2pm on Saturday 28 May.

Prospective students, parents, guardians, business owners and those in employment are invited to head to College campuses to find out more about course options; find out more about funding options and accommodation; and meet representatives from Edinburgh College Students’ Association (ECSA).

The College offers courses and professional training across a wide range of subjects within the Creative Industries, Engineering and Built Environment, Health Wellbeing and Social Sciences, and Tourism Hospitality and Business.

Perspective students can find out more about beginner-level courses, pathways to university, short courses, as well as continuous professional development courses – something for learners at any stage of their education journey or career.

Guided tours of campus facilities will take place throughout the events, with staff on hand to answer questions and to provide demonstrations along the way. In addition, student showcases and performances will also take place on the day, while free refreshments will also be on offer.

Edinburgh College Principal, Audrey Cumberford, said: “It’s fantastic to be throwing our doors open wide to the public and giving prospective students and visitors a real flavour of what it is like to study at one of Scotland’s largest colleges.

“After disruption to on-campus learning caused by the pandemic, we are delighted to be looking ahead to academic session 2022/23 when most course delivery will return to our campuses which house state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to best prepare students for successful careers in their chosen area of study.

“We look forward to welcoming people from across the region to our May open days – we’ll see you on campus!”

For more information and to register attendance at May Open Days, visit:

https://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/open-days-may-2022

Find out how to access free professional training for employees with Edinburgh College

Businesses have the opportunity to learn about free professional training available for their staff at an information event hosted by Edinburgh College later this month.

The College is hosting the event both online and in-person at its Sighthill Campus from 8.30am with the aim of showcasing training opportunities available to SMEs and large companies through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF). 

The information event, taking place on Thursday 24 February 2022, will see business delegates learn about the FWDF from Edinburgh College’s Business Development Advisors, as well as meeting expert lecturers who will discuss the range of subjects available to businesses and employees.

Attendees will also hear from Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about her experience of applying for fully funded training with Edinburgh College.

If delegates cannot attend in person, the College is streaming the presentations and interview taking place during the event via Microsoft Teams.

A link for the live stream and joining instructions will be available soon after registering for the event. Online delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions through a Q&A function within Teams.

The College encourages anyone who intends to attend the event in person to take a lateral flow COVID-19 test before they arrive.

The Flexible Workforce Development Fund, offered by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, facilitated by Scottish colleges, offers larger organisations and SMEs, across the private, public and third sectors, an opportunity to apply for fully funded training for their teams.  

The funding provides SMEs with up to £5,000 of free training; and larger employers (those with an annual payroll bill of £3m+) with up to £15,000 of free training.

To register your attendance either in person or online, please book via the Edinburgh College website.

See the full event agenda below:

Time	Activity
8.10am	Network, coffee and morning roll.
8.30am	Introduction to the College, training opportunities and funding options.
8.50am	Interview with Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about the client’s experience of accessing the fund through Edinburgh College.
9.05am	A presentation from Edinburgh College and the Training Development team about professional training courses and management soft skills (CMI, CIPD, ILM, bespoke).
9.15am	A talk on ‘Adapting to new working conditions during the pandemic’ from John Chalmers – Learning and Development Manager at Business Stream.
9.35am	Networking opportunity.
9.50am	Round-up and close.

Edinburgh College opens new digital care hub for students

Edinburgh College has launched a new digital care hub, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, designed to provide greater skills and opportunities to health and social care students in the Lothians.

The Edinburgh College Digital Care Hub, located at the College’s Sighthill Campus, will equip students with the transferrable skills required to fulfil a successful career in areas including Health and Social Care, Dental and Pharmacy with a particular emphasis on technology enabled care.

The hub will focus on building students’ digital and practical skills through its state-of-the-art equipment, supporting experiential learning in a purpose-built setting.

It contains a replica medical ward with patient room, toilet and wet room facilities; an infection control and decontamination area; a reflection room; a care at home room; as well as a virtual reality room designed to give students an immersive experience which demonstrates how a patient with dementia experiences day-to-day life.

Within the care hub students have access to realistic patient simulators with true-to-life responsiveness, in a variety of care settings, enabling them to develop patient testing and care skills.

Also key to the role of the digital care hub is embedding the principles of professionalism amongst students and fostering the meta skills required to work in a care environment including communication, nurture, resilience, initiative and leadership.

The new facility hosts the Edinburgh College and University of Edinburgh Social Care Academy which provides an agile pathway to a career in health and social care specifically for school pupils.

As part of the programme, pupils study units in digital skills for health and social care, mental health, the human body, infection prevention and control and safe beginners for health and social care.

After successfully completing the programme, pupils are able to progress on to further studies with the College or university or advance into employment.

The digital care hub was launched during an event attended by representatives from key institutions connected to the College and the new hub, and brought together those with a collective interest in supporting the future of the health and care sector.

Audrey Cumberford, Edinburgh College Principal and CEO, said: “We are delighted to be launching our Digital Care Hub in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.

“The facility will provide practical learning experiences for pupils and students as well as exposing them to many sector specialisms which they ordinarily might miss out on without having access to specialist equipment in a health and care setting.

“The COVID pandemic has highlighted the importance of our health and care workers across the country and through addressing the national skills gaps in digital enabled care, the Digital Care Hub, through partnership working with industry, is ready to provide a pipeline of future workers equipped with the skills and knowledge required to meet the demands of the sector and population.”

Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are delighted to work with Edinburgh College on the Digital Care Hub, which will be an excellent resource for those considering a career within health and social care.

“Harnessing technology to support learning in this way and simulate real-life scenarios in the workplace will enable students to make informed choices about their future, built on their own ambitions and potential.”

Moderator visits Edinburgh Napier’s Sighthill campus

Lord Wallace meets teaching, research and professional services staff

Edinburgh Napier yesterday hosted a visit across a number of departments and teams by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly. The Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC spent the morning at the Sighthill campus as part of a 10-day programme organised by the Presbytery of Edinburgh.

He was welcomed to the University by Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal & Vice Chancellor, and toured the purpose-built simulation and clinical skills centre where student nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers develop their skills in an authentic environment.

Lord Wallace met School of Health & Social Care students and the staff who run the centre, which includes practice areas ranging from community and critical care to general wards and birth environments.

He also met Professor Gary Hutchison, Dean of Applied Sciences, and the Sighthill-based School’s Dr Liz Aston, who is Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, whose work helps police meet the challenges of the 21^st century.

Lord Wallace also chatted to representatives of the University’s Chaplaincy Service, the Wellbeing and Inclusion team who work to make students feel safe, supported and healthy, and the Student Futures team who support their professional development and prepare them for the world of work.

Professor Andrea Nolan said: “It was an absolute pleasure and delight to host Lord and Lady Wallace.

“The visit gave them a flavour of what we do at Edinburgh Napier – they saw our modern teaching facilities and heard about the real world applications of our research, while also getting to meet the teams whose pastoral and support work underpins our progress as a university.

“I hope they found the visit interesting and informative.”

Lord Wallace, a QC and former MP and MSP, who went to university, trained as a lawyer and sat in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, said he was grateful to the Presbytery for putting together a comprehensive programme which allowed him to engage with a range of people who reflect his interests.

The 10-day programme will see Lord Wallace carrying out a wide range of engagements visiting churches, hospitals, universities and Edinburgh prison.

Edinburgh College to host the first Lego League

Edinburgh College is delighted to be hosting #FIRSTLEGOLEAGUE at Sighthill Campus in December.

This is a wonderful occasion for teams of young people to represent their schools and take part in a highly interactive challenge, designed to develop their coding and programming skills.

Engage your team about designing creative solutions to tackle real-world problems by programming a robot in this year’s #FIRSTLEGOLEAGUE #CARGOCONNECT season.

For more information, visit:

https://buff.ly/3a5pTtM @FLLUK @edinburghcoll

Edinburgh College Open Day tomorrow

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Celebrating 50 years at Sighthill Campus (formerly Stevenson College)

Edinburgh College celebrated 50 years of its Sighthill Campus on Monday with a Civic Reception hosted by the Rt.Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh which saw former students and staff, as well as Deputy First Minister John Swinney, come together to share stories and memorabilia.

Sighthill Campus, which was previously home to Stevenson College prior to the merger which formed the current Edinburgh College, first opened on 6 January 1970 – welcoming students from various educational annexes from across the city.

Stevenson College was born from the Ramsay Technical Institute, which taught Motor Vehicle and Electrical Installations; Torphichen Street which housed the Department for General Education; and James Gillespie’s old school at Warrender Park, known as Dean College which taught Health Education.

The original departmental structure of the College consisted of five departments, namely; Building Services, Engineering, General Education, Health Education, and Commerce. The new Department of Commerce was established in order to focus on Business Machine Operators, Data Processing and Computer Operators to meet an ever-increasing demand in these, at the time, new industrial fields.

The College, which was named after famous Scottish civil engineer Robert Stevenson, continued to thrive and on 1 October 2012 was part of the merger of three colleges across the region to form Edinburgh College and has since been referred to as Edinburgh College, Sighthill Campus.

Today, Edinburgh College delivers more than 700 courses to more than 26,000 students across its four campuses – Granton, Midlothian, Milton Road and Sighthill.

Around 1,300 staff are involved in the delivery of life-changing education across four faculty areas – Creative Industries; Engineering and Built Environment; Health, Wellbeing and Social Sciences; and Tourism, Hospitality and Business.

At the anniversary event, former students and lecturers from pre-Stevenson Colleges, Stevenson College and Edinburgh College shared stories of their time both studying and teaching, while Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney MSP delivered a keynote speech highlighting the everlasting importance of further education institutions in providing education and skilling the nation’s workforce.

In addition, a timeline mapping major college events over the past 50 years and various items of memorabilia were on display, while students from Sighthill Campus’ Music Box performed and Professional Cookery and Hospitality Schools College Partnership students served drinks and canapés to the 100-plus guests in attendance.

John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, said: “For 50 years, Stevenson College campus – one of three institutions which now form Edinburgh College – has been a pioneer in offering life-changing opportunities to students in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“In that time the campus has seen many great achievements and continues to do so, and like many of Scotland’s regional colleges it has remained at the very forefront of developing its own agile responses to what it offers as local economic needs have changed.

“I would like to congratulate the College on reaching this landmark milestone, and wish it and its staff and students the very best for the next half century.

“May your passion and determination continue to inspire our communities for many more years to come.”

Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “On behalf of the people of Edinburgh, I was delighted to congratulate the Sighthill Campus on its golden anniversary celebration.

“Since its beginnings in January 1970 as Stevenson College, the campus has provided an all-encompassing facility, bringing together a broad number of courses of study and inspiring countless students.

“Throughout its 50-year history, the campus and its teaching has continued to thrive and be a key part of the community. It has continued to evolve, to grow, and to support and reflect the changing landscape of our city, and I am enthused that this dynamic approach will continue going forward.”

Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “It is an honour to be celebrating the 50^th anniversary of this wonderful centre of education as Principal.

“Of course, there have been many changes over that fifty-year-period. Then the College was home to 3,000 students and now Edinburgh College is one of the UK’s largest further education institutions– teaching more than 26,000 students who come from a vast variety of backgrounds, including many students from countries across the world.

“We look forward to continuing using this space to continue the tradition of providing high-quality education and working with industry partners, ensuring we play our part in equipping the workforce of the future with the skills they need to achieve their goals.”