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Prizegiving Ceremony 2008
Prizegiving photos: Peter Green Photograph
West Suffolk College’s Prizegiving Ceremony 2008 took place in June at St Edmundsbury Cathedral.
Prizes were presented to 65 students across a whole range of achievements, ages and subject areas. Spanning the age range, Daniel Rees, 16, won the Barclay Motors Cup for his outstanding performance on the 14-16 Motor Vehicle course and Pauline Potter, 83, won the Stowmarket Learning Centre Prize for her enthusiastic attendance at art classes, despite poor health.
Senior Education Consultant Andrew Thomson was the keynote speaker for the evening. He said it was a great privilege to take part in what was a great evening for the winners, for the College and for our country.
Speaking of the prize winners, he said: “Your achievement gives us hope, because the purpose of education is to make tomorrow better than today.”
Mr Thomson said that the pace of change if increasing at an unimaginable rate. Fifty years ago, engineering was the most important sector. Today, service industries comprise 80 per cent of the economy. In the UK, our major resource is our brains, our skills and our services.
Opening the proceedings, Betty Milburn, chairman of West Suffolk College governors, particularly thanked the sponsors, who had provided a wonderful
array of trophies and prizes.
She said: “We are most grateful for your continued and valued support, not only this evening, but throughout the year. Your understanding of the skills and training needs of the local community has a vital role to play in helping to determine the quality and relevance of the courses on offer at the College.”
In her welcome address, West Suffolk College principal Dr Ann Williams remarked that Prizegiving is also an opportunity to recognise the fact that students’ overall success rates place the College among England’s top performing colleges.
Dr Williams listed the many achievements of the different Faculties and Schools over the year, and finished by congratulating the prize winners. She said: “This is a celebration of special achievement on behalf of individual students. Please enjoy this evening - it is about you.”
Prize winners and sponsors enjoyed welcome drinks at the Cathedral refectory before the awards ceremony, and afterwards winners, sponsors and guests returned there for drinks and canapés.
Training Quality Standard award
West Suffolk College is in the vanguard of training providers accredited with the new Training Quality Standard (TQS), designed to bring trainers and employers together to bridge the UK’s skills gap.
The new certification system was officially launched in May, and West Suffolk College is one of only two providers in the East region to be awarded the TQS.
“We are delighted to be the first to receive the Training Quality Standard in recognition of the specialist excellence of our training services in Construction and Engineering,” said Martyn Wagner, Vice Principal Business & Student Services at West Suffolk College. “The accreditation recognises the close working partnerships that we have with employers and displays our commitment to providing businesses with an excellent training service.”
The Training Quality Standard certification system has been designed to recognise and celebrate organisations which deliver the best training and development solutions to employers. It highlights excellence in the two areas most important to employers: responsiveness to employer needs and excellence in a particular vocational area. The Learning and Skills Council believes that the Training Quality Standard will help to tackle the current mismatch the needs of employers and the qualifications delivered. TQS was developed by employers, and the criteria for achieving the standard reflect what employers actually want.
31 providers across the country have achieved the Training Quality Standard, out of 50 who have applied for it since it was launched informally in 2007.
Engineering apprenticeships win approval
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has granted official approval to Apprenticeship schemes run by West Suffolk College.
The College is the first in the UK to gain IMechE approval for its Apprenticeships. Gary Clarke, head of faculty of Arts & Technology accepted the certificate of approval from Lara Mallett, IMechE Regional Manager for the Eastern and East Midlands Regions, at an Employers evening for Automotive and Engineering trades at the IP-City Centre in May. [pictured]
This acknowledgement gives Advanced Apprentices at West Suffolk College access to the Engineering Technician (EngTech) award and membership of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
“This is an internationally recognised acknowledgement of achievement in engineering,” said Tom Toolan, assistant head of Engineering . “Membership of the Institution means something to employers. If all your engineering staff are registered with IMechE, that shows a dedication to continuing professional development. “It demonstrates our commitment to working with those who most influence engineering in the UK and around the world.
“Obtaining this accolade for our Apprenticeship schemes will allow our learners to be registered as professional engineers. All their hard work, drive determination and commitment towards engineering will be given recognised professional status."
Membership of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers gives learners access to support materials and a body of engineering knowledge not normally available to unregistered engineers.
Gary Clarke said: “The College has worked hard to gain approval of its Advanced Apprenticeship schemes, which provide a defined pathway for aspiring engineers working towards professional recognition for their engineering qualification.”
Teachers learn new tricks
West Suffolk College put on its first conference specifically for teaching staff in May.
The event, held at The Athenaeum, was entitled “Supporting Learners – Five Steps to Better Teaching”.
The keynote speaker was Geoff Petty, a leading authority on teaching techniques.
“Good teachers touch people’s lives forever,” said Mr Petty. “They can have an immense impact on learners’ achievements.”
He cited the example of one pupil with behavioural difficulties who could not even put the days of the week in order, and is now a university professor. “But he still doesn’t know what day of the week it is,” he quipped.
Mr Petty said: “It is almost impossible to be a perfect teacher – but that is part of the fun of it. It is always improvable, however good you are. Experimentation with new methods not only helps students to learn better, it also enlivens our professional experience.”
Quoting Professor John Hattie, Mr Petty said: “We need to set our students challenging tasks and give them informative feedback on how well they have done.
“It is a mistake to play down to the perceived weaknesses of students: if you set them a challenge, they will rise to it, even if they only make it onto the bottom rung and don’t climb all the way to the top.
“Challenging tasks that are well designed can be attempted by the weakest student and will also stretch the most able. If you set a very easily attainable task, the students don’t learn as well.”
Geoff Petty is the author of Britain's best selling teacher training text 'Teaching Today: a practical guide'. His latest book, 'Evidence Based Teaching' is an easy to read, practical guide which usefully links theory to teaching in the classroom.
“It is a real coup for our staff to be given the opportunity to attend a conference with this renowned educationalist,” said Jo Wyatt Professional Development Co-ordinator.
180 delegates attended for the conference, the majority of them teaching staff at West Suffolk College, or students enrolled on Teacher Training courses at the College.