Poppies China provide training to Chinese investors to assist them in opening Early Years settings that educate children using the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.

Poppies China have already successfully collaborated with partners in China to open British-Style Early Years settings. In their first year the group successfully worked with a partner in Chengdu. In June 2018 Kento-Poppies was opened, the first day care of its kind in Sichuan province delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Poppies China are also providing extensive support and teacher training to ‘Our Glory’ a Chain of Early Years establishments in Nanjing. Our Glory will open three centres by Early 2019 with further centres planned across major cities in China.

This exciting opportunity to work in partnership with Exeter College will help to establish a strong relationship with China and the UK.

Continuing the first anniversary celebrations of the Great Western Railways (GWR) and Exeter College Apprenticeship partnership, we are delighted to announce GWR as our October Employer of the Month.

We spoke to Andrew Perry, Learning and Development Manager at Great Western Railways who told us all about their outstanding Apprenticeship programme and why Apprentices are so valuable to the organisation.

How many Apprentices do you employ, what do they do and what courses are they on?

Our award-winning Apprenticeship programmes encompass all strands of our business, Operations Level 2 and Business Improvement Level 2, Engineering Level 3 and our Aspire into Management program is a Level 5 Apprenticeship. We currently have 50 apprentices on programme across 4 schemes.

Why do you employ Apprentices in your company?

Our need for skilled and innovative talent has never been so important, as the significant changes to our network draw ever nearer (including Electrification and the Intercity Express Programme). Apprenticeships are at the very centre of our future recruitment plans and mission critical to business success. These programmes encourage more participants and deliver against our core objectives to improve our community reputation, encourage a learning culture and improve retention.

How do Apprentices add value to your business?

With ‘Great People’, a key strategic priority for our business, we see our Apprenticeships as an opportunity to inspire future talent. Talent that knows what it’s here to do from day one, cares about it, feels part of our journey, and is proud of it, providing the foundation to deliver our long-term franchise goals.

What do they bring to your team?

Our Apprentice programmes are important to the business as they provide young people the opportunity to evolve into talented professionals and dynamic careers within GWR. Our goal as a team is to deliver Apprentices who have a passion for the brand, with a determination to learn, develop and excel in their careers. Having the Apprentices ensures our team develop theirs skill set to keep pace with the ever changing face of Apprenticeships and the business sector.

A talented Exeter College Apprentice from Tiverton has won a prestigious regional Apprentice award at this year’s EEF Future Manufacturing Awards.

Tobias Cowan, aged 21, who works for HepcoMotion, came up trumps by taking gold in the Engineering Manufacturing Apprentice Award.

The award recognises the outstanding contribution being made by manufacturing apprentices across the region. The award is highly-respected and hotly contested with winners selected by a panel of judges drawn from business leaders, industry experts and academics.

Tobias beat off competition from across the region and won the title after impressing judges with his commitment, ambition and drive to pursue a career in manufacturing. Tobias’ passion, hard work and attention to detail, along with his ambitions for a teaching role within the sector were the deciding factors for the judging panel.

Judges said they had been overwhelmed by the high calibre of apprentices nominated this year, making Tobias’s win even more of an achievement.

Tobias is now in the running for the national title where he will go head-to-head with regional winners from across the UK at the national awards gala in London in January next year.

Tobias Cowan, Apprentice at HepcoMotion, says: “I am delighted to have won this award and to have been crowned regional winner. It’s an amazing feeling to be recognised for doing something I genuinely enjoy and is setting me up for my future. I’m only at the very start of my career, so to receive gold at these awards and be singled out in this way is a real boost and will motivate me even more.

“My apprenticeship is challenging and rewarding and I hope my success encourages others to think hard about taking up an apprenticeship in manufacturing too. Now I can’t wait to get to the national finals to meet the other regional winners and see how I compare.”

Jim Davison, Membership Director for the South at EEF says: “Tobias undoubtedly deserves this award. He won the judges over with his hard work, enthusiasm and dedication. It’s right that he should be congratulated for doing so well, especially when up against other candidates of such high quality.

“Manufacturing is essential to British economic success and apprentices have a vital role to play in securing the future of our sector. It’s great to see Tobias’ efforts being recognised and I wish him the best of luck at the national finals, he’s a fantastic role model.”

For more information about the awards visit: www.eef.org.uk/awards/.

The construction sector across Greater Exeter is set to benefit from additional support to help attract, retain and upskill its workforce.

Building Greater Exeter is a partnership which brings together the public and private sectors to help address anticipated labour and skills shortages in the industry.

It aims to inspire the future workforce through engaging with schools and young people, while supporting employers to fill vacancies through upskilling and reskilling.

Sponsors of the project include Exeter College.

Cllr Rachel Sutton, Exeter City Council’s Lead Councillor for Economy and Culture, said: “Building Greater Exeter is a fantastic opportunity for the City Council to work with the construction sector to help meet their recruitment requirements.

“Through the project we will inspire new people into the sector and help to upskill those already in it. The sector is growing quickly and we are determined that, with the partners we already have on board, we can make a positive impact.”

Across the South West the construction sector is booming. The project team are incredibly grateful for the support and guidance provided by the Building Plymouth team during the set-up of Building Greater Exeter. The experience they have gathered over the past 3 years of running their successful programme has been invaluable, and we will continue working together to ensure consistency in supporting the construction sector across the South West.

Cllr Philip Skinner, Deputy Leader of East Devon District Council, said: “Greater Exeter is an area that is experiencing high levels of growth, and in order to continue this upward trend we must ensure that our construction firms have the ability to grow accordingly.

“The annual recruitment requirement in the South West is forecasted to be just under 4,500. At East Devon District Council, we are pleased to partner in the initiative and are looking forward to working with the private sector to deliver construction activity in the area.”

Matthew Cousins, of Apex Scaffolding, said the new initiative was welcomed by the private sector.

He said: “At Apex Scaffolding we have been involved in the project from inception. We see a real benefit in supporting the construction industry, and are pleased to work with the training providers to influence more people into the sector and inspire those already working in it to upskill.”

Building Greater Exeter sponsors include Exeter City Council, East Devon District Council, Exeter College, University of Exeter, Apex Scaffolding, Galliford Try Partnerships, Kier, McLaughlin and Harvey, Mi-space and Midas, Willmott Dixon, University Partnerships Programme and VINCI Construction UK Limited.

The project is continuously seeking project sponsors and is keen to speak with anyone working within the construction industry.

To get involved, email info@buildinggreaterexeter.co.uk or for more information visit buildinggreaterexeter.co.uk

Degree Level students at Exeter College celebrated their ‘Golden’ graduation in the magnificent setting of Exeter Cathedral on Friday 12th October 2018.

Hundreds of guests, friends and family, came together to celebrate the graduation of more than 165 students from the college’s Centre for University Level Studies.

Students donned their gowns and caps to be awarded their degree level qualifications ranging from BA to Foundation Degrees, HNCs, HNDs in subjects ranging from photography to civil engineering.

The guest speaker at this year’s event was Nicola Dandridge CBE, Chief Executive of the Office for Students.

Spirits weren’t damped by the rainy weather, which prevented the annual procession through the city centre from going ahead.

Exeter College is rated ‘Gold’ in the UK Government’s assessment of teaching excellence in higher education. The college is only one of 16 colleges in the country to be rated gold, alongside the very best universities.

About our Centre for University Level Studies

Exeter College is a ‘Gold’ rated college that offers a wide range of University Level courses with our partner universities including BA, Foundation Degree, HNC and HND programmes.

University level education at the Centre for University Level Studies is a part of the college’s learning community. The college works in partnership with well-respected university partners and awarding bodies, enabling students to study in Exeter and at the same time benefit from teaching excellence and a wide choice of courses.

If you aren’t quite ready for higher education, the college has a number of Access to HE programmes and other routes for you to start your higher education journey.

To find out about the range of degree level qualifications on offer, click here. Read our degree level prospectus today at: https://www.exe-coll.ac.uk/HE/Courses/Prospectus

The main thrust of the ‘love our colleges’ campaign is to highlight the funding challenges for all post 16 provision, that is now impacting on colleges and school sixth forms.

We are the only OECD country that funds its post 16 provision at a lower rate than its pre 16 provision. In short, GCSE Geography is part of a larger funding package in a school environment pre 16, than studying advanced level subjects or technical subjects in a college or school sixth form, post 16.

In addition, the Institution for Fiscal Studies says that post 16 education has been the phase of education that has been hardest hit by the period of austerity.

Today, funding for students drops by 24% at the age of 16, this gap applies equally to school sixth forms and colleges.

John Laramy, Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive, said:

“At Exeter College, we have been able to buck many of the National trends and despite having to deal with a funding reduction each year, since 2008, our students and apprentices have excelled.

However, for us, our aim is to level the playing field with private education so that our students have a broad curriculum and can access a wide range of support services and extra-curricular activities – it is these services that are now starting to be impacted by the ongoing and illogical funding reductions.

As a country we have a productivity problem, we are also the only OECD country that invests less in technical post 16 education than our international competitors – for me the equation is simple:

Invest the same in post 16 education as all other developed nations + great colleges + a broad curriculum = Increased productivity.

I really hope you will feel able to support the ‘love our colleges’ campaign.”

Find out more here.