Exeter College is proud to have won the Education & Childcare Apprenticeship Provider of the Year award in the prestigious AAC Apprenticeship Awards 2021.

These awards are a celebration of excellence in apprenticeship delivery in the UK. The national ceremony took place on Thursday 8 July at Birmingham’s ICC.

“I am immensely proud of the team, this is a well-deserved award for an outstanding team.”

Heidi Amor, Head of Faculty for Healthcare, Childcare and Public Services

Being an award winner highlights the outstanding work that happens in our Apprenticeship team, both with employers and apprentices, to maintain our position as an outstanding provider with higher than national average success rates.

All entries went to a judging panel made up of people from the sector and industry including Rt Hon Anne Milton and the previous Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills. Exeter College was also shortlisted for the Apprenticeship Provider of the Year award.

Heidi Amor, Head of Faculty for Healthcare, Childcare and Public Services at Exeter College, said: “Despite the challenges faced by our sector over the past 18 months, we are delighted to have been recognised for the hard work and commitment that our Education and Childcare team and our employers have continued to deliver.

“The team have supported our learners throughout to enable them to achieve their qualification and continue the career of their choice. We work closely with our employers using a variety of forums and value the relationships we have with them.

“I am immensely proud of the team, this is a well-deserved award for an outstanding team.”

Exeter College has also been shortlisted in the Rate My Apprenticeship Awards 2021 in the category ‘Best Training Provider and Employer Partnership’ due to their work with Great Western Railway. The results will be announced on 15 July 2021. 

For more information on Apprenticeships at Exeter College, please get in touch with the team.

After a national application process, Exeter College student Sky has secured an apprenticeship to become a design engineer for Motorsport at Thatcham.

Sky has just completed her Foundation Diploma in Engineering at the college and is now looking forward to beginning her new role in September. Out of 140 applicants, Sky passed five assessments and two interviews to secure her well-deserved place.

“It’s not just that I’ve come here and gained a qualification, I’ve come here and I’ve gained experience. My attitude to things has improved, I have a different outlook on things. I’ve improved as a person.”

Sky, future Design Engineer for Motorsport

She used the government’s Find An Apprenticeship website and widened her search area to the whole of England to ensure she located the best choice for her, despite potentially having to move.

She said, “I was looking at apprenticeships since the beginning of the year and on a whim, I typed in motorsport. The apprenticeship I ended up applying to was the only one that came up at the time and I thought, am I going to be able to get this?”

Sky sent off her application, complete with CV and qualifications, in February and did not hear back until April when she was invited to their offices for an aptitude test.

She said, “I told my mum we need to be in Thatcham in two weeks!”

The aptitude test was made up of five different parts, from physics and torque to sequences and shapes. Out of the 140 people that applied, only 25 were invited to the tests.

Shortly after, Sky received an email saying she was invited to the first interview stage on Teams. The panel asked her about her strengths and weaknesses, and she was completely honest about what she wanted to improve on. Her teacher, George, advised and helped her with what to discuss in the interview.

She said, “Big up George. From the start of the year I just felt really motivated to get on. The message always was if you get an opportunity, apply for it.”

Despite not knowing how her first interview went, Sky was successfully invited to a tour of the office at Thatcham and a second, final interview. After getting up at four in the morning to look around the factory, Sky fell in love with it.

“The whole process she went through, she mastered it and succeeded.”

George, Sky’s teacher

She said, “I felt like I belonged there. After seeing it I was hoping I would get it even more.”

The next day, Thatcham called her and said they would like to offer her the job.

George said, “When she told me she had got it, I had goosebumps. It’s just fantastic. I’ve seen the build up to it and I knew that every stage she made it through she was just getting closer and closer to the end. The whole process she went through, she mastered it and succeeded.”

Sky originally studied at Torrington School but chose to come to Exeter for her Foundation Diploma in Engineering because she had heard lots of good reviews. She has fully enjoyed her time here and would like to thank her teachers for always answering any question she had.

She said, “It’s not just about my career. I feel like I’ve progressed as a person as well. At the beginning of the year I was quite quiet, I wasn’t as social as I am now. I’ve gained a lot more interests and I get out and do a bit more. I’ve gained more personal values and morals.

“The people at college – they are what makes it. The class I was part of are a great bunch of people. I’ll be sad to leave this place.”

Sky

“It’s not just that I’ve come here and gained a qualification, I’ve come here and I’ve gained experience. My attitude to things has improved, I have a different outlook on things. I’ve improved as a person.”

Her classmates were also incredibly supportive and consistently motivated her to do well.

She said, “The people at college – they are what makes it. The class I was part of are a great bunch of people. I’ll be sad to leave this place.”

Congratulations to Sky for achieving this amazing position and Exeter College wishes her all the best in the future.

You can find out more about our Foundation Diploma in Engineering here.

Four young people’s early careers have been given a head start by HepcoMotion, a world-leading manufacturer of linear motion systems and automation components based in Tiverton.

In an innovative programme, designed in partnership with Exeter College, participants engaged in a 10-week Pre-Apprenticeship scheme, gaining work experience at HepcoMotion and spending two days per week at Exeter College’s Engineering Technology Centre.  

One candidate said, “Working at HepcoMotion has made me more competent and confident when putting my practical skills into use. It has helped me work well with other age groups too – something I have not done much of before…I can apply the skills I learnt and knowledge I gained to almost any job I may find myself in in the future.”

Maurice Porter, Head of Learning Development and Apprenticeships at HepcoMotion, said, “We are committed to providing opportunities for young people and for our local community. This programme gave these four young people the chance to experience working in a busy engineering environment. 

“We are delighted to offer all four a role with us as a result – two will go on to become apprentices and two are moving into full time positions with the company. It has been a real win-win situation.”

“I can apply the skills I learnt and knowledge I gained to almost any job I may find myself in in the future.”

Pre-Apprenticeships (also know as Traineeships) were given a boost as part of the UK Government’s Plan for Jobs in 2020. Employers offering work experience to a young person aged 19-24 years are supported by Exeter College and also qualify for a government grant of £1,000.

Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Future Skills at Exeter College, said, “As Maurice and the team at HepcoMotion have proved, taking on Pre-Apprentices can pay dividends. The employer gets to know each candidate prior to employing them and importantly, the young person is given invaluable experience in the workplace. 

“Our track record at the College is exceptional with regard to Pre-Apprenticeships, over 90% move on to a positive outcome.  This is down to the dedication of our teaching team and the enthusiasm and commitment of our valued employer partners.’ 

You can find out more about Exeter College’s Pre-Apprenticeship schemes here.

The South West’s next generation of performing arts professionals are showcasing their acting talents online, thanks to an innovative collaboration between Exeter College, Exeter Northcott Theatre and Luke Jeffery of film and theatre company Wandering Tiger.

Exeter College’s Performing Arts Academy, which comprises of a collection of the College’s talented students who are studying related courses, has long worked in association with the Northcott Theatre, who provide learners with stretching workshops and guest speakers to help enrich students’ experience and give them a real insight into the industry. Now, however, things are stepping up a notch as the collaboration adapts to the new digital world brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic.

From joining the Academy I have gained invaluable skills that will further my career and goals in the future.

Lara Fullalove – Performing Arts Academy student

Students had been hard at work preparing a series of productions for the Northcott’s stage but, due to restrictions, had to adapt their performances for the digital spotlight with support from Luke Jeffery of Wandering Tiger, an award-winning theatre and film making company. Luke provided intensive masterclasses to students, showing them how best to film and create impactful short-form video performances. These performances were then weaved together to create a film – Behind the Curtain – which is now available to view on Exeter Northcott’s website.

Exeter College’s Head of Faculty, Katie Wild, said: “I’m thrilled we’ve been able to continue our long-standing work with Exeter Northcott Theatre by stepping in to the digital performance world with our students. Working with the Northcott Theatre is an incredibly worthwhile relationship for our students, and this Showcase is just another way of showing how, by working together, creative people can adapt to the current restrictions. I’m looking forwarding to seeing what the students produce!”

The project focused on the theme of indoor and outdoor spaces, a somewhat poignant theme considering how many have had to adapt their lives over the last 10 months.

Exeter Northcott Theatre Children and Young People’s Producer, Lisa Hudson, said: “It has been hugely exciting to deliver the Academy provision for Exeter College this year. We’ve had to adapt and develop our teaching and learning in line with the changing restrictions, but throughout it all the Academy students have been resilient and, above all, passionate about learning more about becoming tomorrow’s theatre makers.”

Working with the Northcott Theatre is an incredibly worthwhile relationship for our students, and this Showcase is just another way of showing how, by working together, creative people can adapt to the current restrictions.

Katie Wild – Head of Faculty for Media and Performing Arts at Exeter College

Since the start of the current academic year, the Northcott Theatre has continued to provide relevant industry-led training and development opportunities for learners, including devising scripts, developing ideas and acting for different formats. In previous years, this collaboration has also seen Performing Arts students work with major artists like Nick Moran (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and even Sir Ian McKellen.

Performing Arts Academy student Oliver Copper said: “The Performance Academy sessions have been really enlightening on how theatre is created, both practically and creatively. Talking to people in the business gives a dynamic perspective on theatre that you don’t usually get from normal lessons.”

Fellow student Lara Fullalove said: “From joining the Academy I have gained invaluable skills that will further my career and goals in the future. From being able to collaborate with likeminded people, I have understood the need for communication and feedback when working on a joint piece of theatre. Moreover, from listening and working with professionals in the industry, I have begun to understand the skills needed to be successful in this line of work.”

The production can now be viewed online.

You can find out more online about the Exeter College Performing Arts Academy.