For the latest news and course information log on to www.walsallcollege.ac.uk

TALENT

Students had the opportunity to gettheir voices heard on Monday 6thFebruary, during their annual StudentConference.

The event which was held in Jerome’sRestaurant at Wisemore Campus, was a chancefor students to discuss key issues and makechanges both inside and outside the College.

The conference is designed to recognise andchampion the views and ideas of its studentbody and is extremely popular with learners,providing a productive way for them to voicetheir opinions and make changes.

The theme of the conference was ‘Making aDifference’ and was aimed at getting studentstalking about what they can do to improve theirlearning experience at the College and the localservices available to them. This involved a ‘speeddating’ section of the day, where students hadthe opportunity to speak to a variety of AreaManagers and local organisations about theirideas and issues.

ISSUE No. 14

TALENT @ Walsall College March 2012 1

Students • Parents • Partners • Stakeholders • Employers

Student Voice Heard at Conference

Course Representatives then held groupdiscussions about key issues relating to theircourses and college life, before presenting theirviews, ideas and suggestions to Walsall CollegeManagers and Governors.

Walsall College Course Representative andStudents’ Union President, Emma Wilson stated:“Students have a real voice at Walsall Collegeand our views are treated with respect. Bydiscussing issues and proposing areas forchange, students are able to make adifference.”

Jat Sharma, Principal and Chief Executive ofWalsall College said: “Here at Walsall College,we are committed to providing students withthe best possible learning environment and theonly way to do this, is to listen to what studentshave to say on key issues. We will take thefeedback from the conference extremelyseriously and students will remain involved inthe forthcoming months, as their feedback isused to make the overall student experience atWalsall College even better.”

DREAMACHIEVER

ENGLAND CALLING for football starReece Cotterill

Reece Scores

Place in England

Colleges Squad

Football Academy student, ReeceCotterill, eased his way throughthe final selection process andscored himself a place on theEngland Colleges team, amongstthe Country’s most elite youngfootball stars.

The final trial was held at Lilleshall NationalSports Centre, where 32 players werewhittled down to 18 during a challengingsession.

Reece received his first England cap in agame against the Australia Colleges Team,on 27th January at Solihull Moors FootballClub. Although Australia were triumphantwinning 2-0, Reece had a stand outperformance and was invited to anexclusive training session at Queen Mary’sCollege in Basingstoke.

Reece said: “It’s an amazing feeling to beselected for the England team andrepresent my country at this level. I’m verythankful for the support coaching staff atWalsall College’s Football Academy havegiven me. They are very passionate aboutthe game and have pushed me to reach myfull potential.

“Hopefully my game will only improveplaying against students from othercountries and help me work towards mygoal of becoming a professional footballplayer.”

Football Academy Co-ordinator, MarkHoward commented: “We are extremelyproud of Reece’s achievement as he’sworked hard to progress up from the WestMidlands team. We look forward tocoaching him in our Football DevelopmentCentre and see him continue to develop hisskills on the pitch. Walsall College also hasthe biggest representation of all thecolleges in the regional squad and showsour students are benefiting from highquality training they receive.”

STUDENTS ring the changes at conference

• Gino D’Acampo Samples Students’ Canapés• Aaron Set for Bright Lights of Dance School• Tom Wins Photographer of the Year Award• Apprenticeship Grant for Employers and much more...

Inside...

This month Roland UK choseWalsall College’s theatre space,The Venue, to launch the latestadditions to their digital pianorange.

The LX-15 and HP-507 models wereunveiled to over 80 of the UK’s biggestmusic dealers, who were impressed with thelatest in supernatural technology employedin the new designs.

Music student, Leah Astbury helped todemonstrate the vocal harmony features ofthe new range and entertained theaudience with her rendition of a classic NoraJones hit, ‘I Don’t Know Why’.

Roland UK Sales Manager, David Vazquescommented: “The Walsall College MusicDepartment were very accommodating toour needs throughout the day, helping theevent run smoothly. Our guests were alsoimpressed with the lunch students preparedfor them in Jerome’s Restaurant.”

The College has developed a strongworking partnership with Roland UK, whichwas instrumental in establishing the RolandMusic Academy in 2007, a facility includinga specialist keyboard area; V Drums room;recording studio and Boss suite.

The Roland Music Academy gives studentsaccess to cutting edge music technologyand industry-specific qualifications, whichmirror the expectations and demands ofwork in the music sector. This allowslearners to encounter real life challenges inthe world of employment in their chosenindustry and gives students an insight intothe full range of careers available.

Roland GrandPiano Launch

2 TALENT @ Walsall College March 2012

Staff and students at Walsall Collegehave been celebrating after receivingthe prestigious Association ofColleges (AoC) Beacon Award forSkills at a presentation ceremony inWestminster on Wednesday 8thFebruary.

The College was presented with their award byJohn Hayes MP, Minister of State for FurtherEducation. The accolade was in recognition ofWalsall College for adopting innovativeapproaches to teaching the functional skills ofliteracy, numeracy and IT within all of itsvocational areas, which has led to a significantimprovement in the success of its learners.

Jan Myatt, Curriculum Manager for FunctionalSkills said: “Winning the award is a greatachievement as it recognises the whole-collegeapproach to Functional Skills that we haveadopted, as a model of best practice within theFE Sector. The award is testament to the hardwork of the Functional Skills team and thecurriculum teams, who worked with studentsto secure an outstanding success rate forFunctional Skills in 2010/11”.

Mark Dawe, Chief Executive of OCR andsponsor of the award, said: “High-quality,creative delivery of skills qualifications issomething that OCR strongly believes in. Weare delighted that this award recognises theoutstanding work done by individual FEColleges in this key area, which is vital forenabling student progression in both work andlife.”

After winning the national award, WalsallCollege shared best practice with collegesacross the country. During the conference heldat Jerome’s Restaurant, representatives had theopportunity to find out how the Collegeachieved such high standards in functionalskills, with a series of informative presentationsand practical workshops

Susan Salter from award sponsors, OCR,attended the day to present the College with a cheque for the cash prize of £5,000, toenhance the project further.

The AoC Beacon Awards are now in their 18thyear and are awarded each year to UK collegeswho capture and celebrate the positive impactthey have on their students, staff andcommunities.

A collaboration between WalsallCollege Creative Industries studentsand world renowned architect andStirling prize winner, Will Alsop, hasled to an exciting new exhibitionlaunched at The Public in WestBromwich.

‘A Box of Delights’, which forms part of ThePublic’s Art of Architecture exhibitionprogramme, has seen Alsop work with studentsto create an environment designed to make usthink about how architecture makes us feel.

The thought provoking exhibition reflects the artcentre’s diverse nature and is open until 20thMay 2012.

Photographer Lecturer, Phil Brooks said: “Theexhibition was created following severaldiscussions and workshops with students. It wasa unique opportunity for them to work with ahighly celebrated architect and really push theircreativity and talent to the limit. Work submittedby four of our students was described as ‘visuallyvery strong and imaginative’ by the show’s

curator and has been selected to feature oninteractive screens in the exhibition, which is agreat testament to their hard work.”

Renowned for his highly colourful, eye-catchingbuildings, Alsop, who in fact designed ThePublic, has been awarded an OBE for hisacclaimed work and elected to the RoyalAcademy of Arts.

NEW grant foremployers

The Government is launching a new grant for employers to assist them inrecruiting their first apprentice. The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (age 16-24) will award £1,500 for up to 40,000 eligible employers, who commit to employ one or more 16 to 24 year old apprentices for the first time.

Priority will be given to small-medium sized employers with less than 250employees and the funding will be available from 1st April 2012 until March2013.

Employers interested in taking advantage of this exciting opportunitywith Walsall College should contact Lynn Pritchatt on 01922 863568 or email lpritchatt@walsallcollege.ac.uk

THE AWARD GOES TO Walsall College Functional Skills Team

COLLEGE STAFF were presented with the award in Westminster

Walsall College Wins

National Award for Skills

Former IT Apprentice, Scott Wrighthas come a long way since starting hiscourse at Walsall College at the age of16. In just two years, Scott has gainedhis Apprenticeship, worked for theCollege and is now Director of hisown IT Company!

After finishing his course in April 2011, Scottworked with the Black Country Chamber ofCommerce, developing a comparison website inpartnership with Black Country TrainingProviders.

In October 2011, Scott decided to start up hisown IT Company, and gained a contract with aproject running at Walsall College, ‘The YoungPeople In-Company Innovation Programme’.During his time on the project, he mentoredstudents and ran individual IT projects.

Scott now works full time as the Director ofScott Wright IT Services, and has recently

opened up a new office in Birmingham CityCentre.

Scott commented: “It’s fantastic to be theDirector of a successful business at just 18 yearsold and I am currently working to grow thecompany further to expand into differentmarkets. My company has recently secured acontract with an American company todistribute software in the UK. I would say in thenext couple of months, I will be taking on an ITapprentice for myself!

“The IT Apprenticeship course gave me thehands on experience to pursue a career in what Ilove doing - IT. It introduced me to the workingworld with beneficial qualifications. Never did Ithink I would go from being a student at WalsallCollege to being a member of staff, and laterstart my own business. I could not have done itwithout the support and inspiration gained fromWalsall College.”

From Apprentice to Director

DREAMACHIEVER

QUICK SUCCESS for Scott WrightART STUDENTS work with Alsop

A Box of Delights

TALENT @ Walsall College March 2012 3

Former Media student, TomLeishman is currently celebratingafter being announced the winner ofthe online Talenthouse Photographerof the Year competition.

Tom now lives in London and his main passionis music photography, although he has workedin many areas. His most recent work includesbeing Creative Director and Photographer forMcFly’s 2012 calendar.

Over the last 12 months, Talenthouse hashosted a number of campaigns with some ofthe world's finest artists and photographers.Within each campaign, Talenthouse has founda world of unique, aspiring and undiscoveredtalent who were given the opportunity tophotograph global icons including Brett Ratner,Justin Timberlake, Chris Cornell, Gavin Bond,Rod Stewart, Soundgarden, Ben Watts,Maroon 5 and many more. In celebration of

their inaugural awards, Talenthouse invited thepublic to vote for their favourite photographerof the year.

The 100 highest voted for photographers fromthe 2011 Photography campaigns and CreativeInvites were automatically entered in to thecompetition. By receiving the most votesoverall, Tom has won the 2011 TalenthousePhotographer of the Year Award, will becomea featured artist on www.talenthouse.comand receive a cash prize.

Tom commented: “I'd like to thank everyonewho voted for me in the ‘TalenthousePhotographer Of The Year’ competition; thesupport and belief I have received is soinspiring. It's that renewed faith in me whichgives me the confidence to pursue my dreams.It's amazing to think that a photo I took whenI was 19, in a field in the middle of Cannock,with a £2 Ikea umbrella, has taken me on sucha journey!”

NEXT OPEN DAY IS:Wednesday 20th June 4pm - 7pm

01922 657000 www.walsallcollege.ac.uk info@walsallcollege.ac.uk

Dance student, Aaron Watkinson hasbeen awarded a place at the highlyacclaimed, Northern School ofContemporary Dance (NSCD) on a BAHonours course.

Currently a Level 3 student on a BTEC ExtendedDiploma in Dance course, Aaron was thrilledwhen he received an offer letter from his firstchoice of higher education. He said: “I couldn’t

believe it when I first read the letter and had toread it a few times before I realised I had aplace. It still hasn’t completely sunk in, but it’s adream come true and I’m really looking forwardto the experience.

“The tutors at Walsall College helped me toprepare for my audition, and throughout thecourse they have given me a lot of support andinspired me to think about a future career indance.”

Aaron (17) first started dancing aged eight,when it was introduced as part of the singingclasses he attended. He has enjoyed it ever sinceand now hopes to pursue a long career in danceand work for a professional performancecompany after completing his course, beforegoing on to set up his own studio andchoreograph routines himself.

Dance Lecturer, Faye Cox commented “Aaron isan extremely hard working and dedicatedstudent who always puts in extra hours ofpractice, which went a long way to helping himto achieve a double distinction this year.

“Getting accepted to the Dance School, he isone step closer to realising his dream. We are alldelighted at the College for Aaron and we aresure it is the right route for him into a successfulcareer in Dance.”

Aaron Set for BrightLights of Dance School

THE AWARD GOES TO Walsall College Functional Skills Team

Tom Wins Photographerof the Year Award

DREAMACHIEVER

TALENTHOUSE Photographer of the Year, Tom Leishman

Graduate Academy

Shares Best Practice

PARTNERSHIP is a cut above the restDREAMACHIEVER

%

V6Get into

Academy Health ClubOur Health Club membership includes access to a large gymnasium, cardiovascular equipment, a specialised free weight area and an aerobics studio.

For more details please call 01922 651157 or email academyhealthclub@walsallcollege.ac.uk

Graduate AcademyOur commercial hair and beauty salon is open 5 days a week, including Saturdays andevenings. Offers a full range of services and treatments including fashion cutting andcolouring, manicure, pedicure and facial treatments.

To book an appointment please call 01922 657063

The Walsall College Hair and Beautydepartment and the Francesco Grouphosted a Sharing Best PracticeConference in Jerome’s Restaurant on25th January.

Hair and Beauty representatives from collegesaround the country attended the conference togain an insight into the successful partnershipbetween Walsall College and Francesco Group,with its positive impact on retention, successrates, progression into industry and increasedrevenue for the College. The conferenceinvolved presentations from the College’s Headof Corporate Relations, Bev Ramsell and Head ofCluster for Services to People, Joan Nimmo, as

well as Francesco Group Training Manager,Craig Davies. Guests also had the opportunity totake a tour of the fantastic facilities and see Hairand Beauty students in action in The GraduateAcademy. The event culminated with a masterclass, featuring former student and awardwinning stylist, Michelle Thompson, whoshowcased her specialist skills to an audience inThe Venue.

Joan Nimmo commented: “Walsall College isextremely proud of our partnership withFrancesco Group and the opportunities itprovides our students with. The conference wasextremely successful, giving attendees theopportunity to learn about the benefits ofpartnership working."

REALISE YOUR DREAMV6 TASTER SESSIONSWalsall College are offering a range of taster sessions forstudents in year 10-13 to see what V6 - our sixth with adifference can offer you!

If you are interested in enrolling on a course but would like to give ita trial run before you enrol, then why not take advantage of ournew taster sessions. Tasters are the perfect way of finding out if thecourse is the right choice and will give you all the information youneed to make up your mind.

To register for these sessions your school teacher will need tocomplete the registration form on the events page atwww.walsallcollege.ac.uk. For any queries please emailddulleston@walsallcollege.ac.uk

4 TALENT @ Walsall College March 2012

The Walsall College Foundation Artand Design course was one of themain topics at the Pearson FADConference, held at the BritishMuseum in London on 29th January.

Students’ work was also exhibited at the event,attended by over 100 art and design lecturers tocelebrate the 50th anniversary of theFoundation Art Diploma (FAD).

Course Leader, Andy Holmes gave a talk on howthe qualification on offer at Walsall College issuccessfully delivered. His presentation outlinedthe intensity of the short course as it movesfrom Level 3 to Level 4, culminating with amajor project. He also discussed how it enablesstudents to make a more informed decisionbefore moving on to Higher Education.

Walsall College was one of only two collegesinvited to present. Andrew said: “It was a greathonour to be asked to talk on behalf of WalsallCollege. The course is a pre-degree courseaimed at students with A Levels, to help bridgethe gap between college and university byproviding a broader art experience.

“We have very high success rates at WalsallCollege and students find the course veryinsightful when deciding which area of creativearts they want to specialise in.”

Turner Prize winning-artist, Grayson Perry wasthe keynote speaker at the event. Heentertained the audience with a lively talk abouthis own experiences of taking a Foundationcourse and of life as an artist. There was also aQ&A session which gave guests an opportunityto talk to Senior Examiners.

For the latest news and course information log on to www.walsallcollege.ac.uk

A new generation of school for the next generation of engineers and scientists.

APPLY NOW for Yr 10 and 6th Formentrants for Sept 2012

Open to applicants from the Black Country and surrounding areas

• Applications for Year 10 must go to your Local Education Authority as soon as possible

• Applications for 6th form must go to Admissions, Black Country UTC, Vernon Way,Walsall, WS3 2PA.

You can download a copy of the application forms from www.blackcountryutc.co.uk

For further information please call 01922 470763.

A student at the Black CountryUniversity Technical College (UTC) hasbeen awarded a work experienceplacement with Haughton Design,after impressing judges with hiswinning design in an Engineeringchallenge.

Having supported the UTC since it first opened,the Stafford-based design company has workedwith the exam board to produce selectedmodule content, and has had creative input inthe curriculum.

As part of an ‘Engineering Design’ module,students were challenged to design a bedsideentertainment unit for hospitals. Using valuableresearch skills, innovative concepts and CADmodels for practical development, the learnersstretched their technical and inventive minds toconstruct something original and pitch-ready.Managing Director of Haughton Design, DavidMills praised the level of work he had seen: “It isexciting to see the overall standard of worklearners have created after just one term; Icannot wait to see the quality of work thegraduates will produce.”

George Starkey received the 1st prize certificatefrom Haughton Design and presented hiswinning project to leading industry professionalsand UTC sponsors, Siemens UK, at a specialrecognition event held by the College. Theevent, which was attended by local and nationalcompanies, was also an opportunity for theBlack Country UTC to showcase the closeworking partnerships it has developed withspecialist engineering companies.

Guests were also given presentations about theUTCs partnerships with major businessesincluding, Haughton Design, ZF Lemforder and

Siemens UK. The aim of the presentation was toacknowledge the region’s finest manufacturersand make them aware of the UTCs purpose andidentity as a specialist school, for Engineeringand Science.

During his presentation, David Mills expressedhis admiration for schools like the UTC and theimportance of their partnership: “For too longthere has been a disjoint between education andindustry. However, the new technical colleges areactively engaging with us and industry as awhole to ensure that today’s learners graduatewith the practical skills which employers want.”

Engaging with employers has proved verybeneficial for University Technical Colleges, as itencourages learners to achieve brighter careerprospects, and receive valuable support. Thefuture of Engineering and Science is determinedby the skills and development of the younggeneration, and employers are in desperate needof recruiting individuals in order to evolve andsucceed.

Sponsored by Walsall College, the Black CountryUTC offers 14 - 19 year olds the opportunity togain the qualifications and skills required for anexciting and rewarding career in science andengineering.

Black Country Student RewardedWith Work Experience

Hospitality and Catering students gotthe chance to serve up some culinarydelights for TV chef, Gino D'Acampoat IKEA Birmingham’s weekendkitchen party on 27th - 29th January.

Students were invited to host live cookingdemonstrations during IKEA’s grand opening ofits newly refurbished kitchen showroom.

The budding chefs showcased their cookingskills under the watchful eye of the Italian cook,before he and members of the public got thechance to try some of their dishes.

The catering team dished up a Swedish inspiredmenu of smoked haddock and gravlax pinwheels, herring in sour cream and blue cheese

and chervil on rye bread canapés, created usingingredients only available in the store.

Jerome’s Restaurant Manager, DaviniaWickstead, said: “Over the course of theweekend students catered for around 30,000visitors and coped extremely well under thepressure, in what was their biggest challenge sofar. The event gave them a great chance to gainvaluable real–life experience in dealing with ahigh demand of orders and further develop theircustomer service skills.

“Meeting a well-known chef in Gino D’Acampowas also a unique and unforgettableopportunity, and one the students were veryinspired by. He was also very complimentaryabout the food they served him.”

Gino D’Acampo Samples Students’ Canapés

DREAMACHIEVERS

BRIGHT SPARK George receives first prize

Foundation Art Diploma in the Spotlight

STUDENTS STARTED IKEA party with their tasty treats

DID YOU KNOW...

• Creative Industries at Walsall College

has an overall success rate of 93%.

• Our Foundation Art & DesignProgramme Success Rates are veryhigh: 2008/09 100%, 2009/10 93%2010/11 96%

• 69% of students on our FoundationArt & Design Programme achieved aMerit/ Distinction grade. All FADstudents are progressing to HigherEducation.

• Our students are regularly accepted

onto competitive degree programmes

nationwide.

Graduate Design & PrintA fantastic signmaking provision sponsored by Roland DG producing items from personalised gifts and canvasses to car wrapping, van vinyls, large scale signs,banners and hoardings.

For more details please call Andy Evans on 01922 688516 or07920 084 602 or email aevans@walsallcollege.ac.uk

Jerome’s Restaurant & Coffee BarAn elegant but informal atmosphere is awaiting you at Jerome’s Restaurant & Coffee Bar.All food is cooked and served by talented hospitality students.

For more details or to make a reservation please call 01922 657061or email jeromes@walsallcollege.ac.uk

Bright Things ShopBright Things is our one stop shop at Walsall College open to the general public. Sellingstationery clothing and fashion, gifts, art materials and hand crafted items made by ourcreative industries students.

For more details please call 01922 657020 or emailbrightthings@walsallcollege.ac.uk

The VenueIs host to shows, plays and musical extravagancies by our performing and creative arts students. It is available to local drama/dance groups who wish to hire our professional dance studio and performance area.

For more details please email thevenue@walsallcollege.ac.uk