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Exeter College and Radio Exe celebrate Devon’s Outstanding Apprentice Employers

In partnership with Radio Exe, Exeter College hosted a celebratory lunch at their student-run restaurant @thirty-four for the winners of the Employer Apprenticeship Awards 2021.

The awards, held in November 2021, celebrated Devon’s exemplar Apprenticeship employers, highlighting the businesses that go above and beyond in helping their Apprentices succeed.

Five awards were open to entries, including Devon’s Outstanding Tutor, Devon’s Apprentice Champion, and Small, Medium and Large Business Employer.

A panel of judges including representatives from Radio Exe shortlisted 3 finalists, with overall winners voted for by the public and Radio Exe listeners.

Exeter College work with over 950 businesses across the South West, so it is no small feat to be a winner in the Employer Apprenticeship Awards. 

Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Future Skills

The winners were announced on air during Radio Exe’s Matt Roger’s Breakfast show on Thursday 4th November, during which Matt called Devon’s Outstanding Tutor, Gill McGill, live to deliver the good news.

The winners were:

Devon’s Outstanding Tutor: Gill McGill, Exeter College

Apprentice Champion: Caroline Milner, Combe Pafford School

Large Business: Devon County Council  

Medium Business: Simpkins Edwards LLP

Small Business: The Mortgage Quarter  

Apprentice Champion 1 – Caroline Milner, John Laramy
Apprentice Champion 2 – Caroline Milner, Sam Swann
Large Business winner 4 – Devon County Council – Hayden Boatman, Kimberley Lewis, Amy Kyme
Meduim Business winner 1 – Simpkin Edwards LLP
Meduim Business winner 2 – Simpkin Edwards LLP
Outstanding Tutor 1 – Gill McGill, John Laramy
Small Business winner 2 – The Mortagage Quarter – Richard Gigg, Charlie Hart, Ellie Hensley-Jones
Small Business winner 3 – The Mortagage Quarter – Richard Gigg, Charlie Hart, Ellie Hensley-Jones

All winners and guests were invited to attend Exeter College’s @thirty-four restaurant for a celebratory lunch on Wednesday 16th March 2022. @thirty-four is run by young chefs and waiting staff who are all students studying Hospitality & Catering at Exeter College.

This exciting event brought together representatives from the winning organisations, Exeter College and Radio Exe. Trophies were presented by Exeter College Principal and CEO John Laramy.

“Exeter College work with over 950 businesses across the South West, so it is no small feat to be a winner in the Employer Apprenticeship Awards. Each winner is well worthy of this outstanding recognition.

Testament to this is that the businesses chose to bring their current Apprentices to the lunch, truly putting young people at the heart of the celebration.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners.”

  • Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Future Skills

Exeter College are excited to announce that their annual Apprentice and Employer Awards will be returning this summer for their fifth year. For more information about these awards or for details about Apprenticeship schemes, please contact apprentices@exe-coll.ac.uk or 01392 400 800. 

Free Advanced Manufacturing course launched for adults at Exeter College

Exeter College is proud to be offering adult learners (18+) the opportunity to retrain for a career in Advanced Manufacturing by taking part in a FREE part-time course.

Starting from 27 April 2022, this is a 10-week course, funded in full by the Government and delivered in partnership with HepcoMotion in Tiverton. 

The free Advanced Manufacturing course focuses on developing practical skills for the workplace and will consist of a two day per week learning experience with our subject specialist lecturers at Exeter College and experience of working within HepcoMotion.

Engineering student working
An engineering warehouse at our Technology Centre

The course will cover: 

  • Awareness of Health and Safety in Manufacturing 
  • Completing milling tasks 
  • Completing turning tasks 
  • Learning how to programme a CNC system 

By the end of the course, students will have produced a portfolio of evidence and will be able to attend a job interview for a genuine vacancy in the industry, backed up by the skills learnt during the course. The portfolio will provide employers with evidence of your new skillset.  

Applying for the course is easy – simply fill this form in and our team will be in touch!

Want to know more? 

Read all about it here.

Got any questions? 

Need help with deciding on your pathway or have any more questions? Contact the Adult Learning Advisers on AdultAdvice@exe-coll.ac.uk

Exeter College Launch the Apprenticeship Expo: On Tour

During National Apprenticeship Week 2022 (7th – 13th February), the Exeter College Apprenticeship Expo returned for its seventh year with a brand-new format.

Traditionally taking place in the Exeter College Sports Hall, the Expo showcases the brilliant Apprenticeship opportunities on offer across Devon.

This year, Exeter College launched a new format, taking the Expo “on tour” by visiting schools throughout the Exeter area.

The Exeter College Apprenticeship Team were joined by 15 employers representing a variety of sectors including GWR, HepcoMotion, Haines Watts, Centrax, IT Champion and Sitel. Members of the South West Apprenticeship Ambassador Network also joined the tour, giving students the opportunity to speak to current Apprentices first-hand.

“It was so refreshing to share my passion for Apprenticeships in person once again. I enjoyed answering the many questions asked by the learners. It was also really nice to hear our HepcoMotion Apprentices describing their Apprenticeship journey with passion and excitement.”

 – Maurice Porter, Head of Learning Development & Apprenticeships, HepcoMotion

Imad and Luke – Engineering Apprentices at HepcoMotion 

With nine sector advice zones on offer showcasing industries such as Data & Science, Accountancy and Engineering, the Expo not only highlighted the vast variety of Apprenticeships available across the South West, but also provided students with crucial career guidance including how to write a strong CV, covering letter and prepare for an interview.

In its first week, the ‘Expo: On Tour’ visited six schools, engaging with 1000+ students from Year 9 through to Year 12. This new format has successfully increased the Expo’s accessibility and engagement rates by enabling students from multiple year groups to meet with employers.

“Over the years, the Apprenticeship Expo has matched hundreds of Apprentices with employers. The Expo on Tour has been no different. Following last week’s events, numerous students are now placed with our employer partners for work experience and future Apprenticeship opportunities, including one young plumber that landed the job of his dreams.”

  • Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Future Skills, Exeter College
GWR Apprenticeships at the Expo on Tour

Following a very popular first week, Exeter College hopes to expand the ‘Expo: On Tour’ to schools in the Greater Exeter Area. With a network of 950+ employer partners and strong relationships with the South West Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, the college is confident in its ability to deliver exciting and informative Expo sessions across the region.

Schools and employers that are interested in participating in the ‘Apprenticeship Expo: On Tour’ are invited to contact the Apprenticeship Team on 01392 400 800 or at apprentices@exe-coll.ac.uk.

Exeter College Students Achieve Highest Results in British Physics Olympiad Competition

Two Exeter College students have scooped top prizes at the British Physics Olympiad competition. The British Physics Olympiad is a long-standing competition in which over a thousand talented young physicists take part.

We are extremely proud of our two round 1 winners, Troy and Erin, who have achieved brilliant success in the competition. Troy has achieved our highest result this year with a top Gold Award and is now going to participate in round 2 of the competition with a view to selection for the training camp at Oxford. Erin has also done brilliantly, picking up a highly coveted Bronze Award.

The competition is designed to stretch and challenge the best physicists in British schools and to select the UK Physics Team for competition at international level. The two-and-a-half-hour exam style paper is a real challenge, with each question requiring a high level of problem-solving skills.

Troy said;

“It was an intense challenge and the longest test I’ve ever done but a great experience overall. To see all the work you’ve put in and to be recognised is really rewarding.”

Erin added:

“Focusing on complicated physics questions for almost three hours is quite a challenge but still rewarding afterwards. It was a nice feeling to see the great results and it shows hard work does pay off.”

Both students currently have offers from the University of Oxford, with Troy to study Physics and Erin to study Medicine respectively.

This is a fantastic achievement and Troy and Erin are commended for their hard work in this competition.

Find out more about Science courses available at Exeter College at our next Open Event on Wednesday 2 March 2022.

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