July is a month full of celebrations for the college. Many faculties take this opportunity to congratulate and celebrate the hard work of all their students. One of the highlights of these events is the AS and BTEC Awards. For students just completing their first year, this is an excellent way to recognise their hard work.
This year’s guest speaker was Joseph McShane, an alumni of Exeter College and ISCA, who has just completed his degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University. He talked about his experiences of university and how to stand out from the crowd. His advice to students to get the most from their studies was to “Be argumentative, be interested and to integrate.”
Congratulations to this year’s award winners, we look forward to welcoming you back to college for the autumn term.
Award Winners 2017
Maths and Science
Academic Excellence – Sachin Chacko
Contribution to Faculty – Emma Kenyon
Outstanding Progress – Oliver Holdsworth
Faculty award – Amy Barker
Faculty Tutee of the Year Rosie Woodward
Art and Design
Academic Excellence – Greg Greenwood
Academic Excellence – Morgan Johnson
Outstanding Progress – Robin Falkner-Wedge
Outstanding Progress – Abigail Devey
Faculty award – Anna Bruendl
Faculty Tutee of the Year – Tom Brown
Business and IT
Academic Excellence – Louisa Bastin
Faculty award – Jay Warren
English, Languages and IB
Academic Excellence – Marcie Weeks
Contribution to the Faculty – Vincent Radley and Maria Rolla
Outstanding Progress – Caralee Ingham
Faculty award – Holly Kaufman-Hill
Faculty Tutee of the Year – William Tracy-Youngs
Humanities
Academic Excellence – Rosie Harwood
Contribution to Faculty – Kira Lewis
Outstanding Progress – Linus Uhlig
Outstanding Progress – Emma Webber
Faculty Tutee of the Year – Grace Zimbler
Sport, Tourism and Leisure
Academic Excellence – Caitlin Gallagher
Faculty award – Devon Jewsbury
Media and Performing Arts
Academic Excellence – Ellie-Maye Barbour-Gresham
Contribution to Faculty – Joel Munday
Outstanding Progress – Sonny Howes
Faculty award – Ella Brown
Faculty Tutee of the Year – William Jee
Staff from the Engineering and Automotive faculty recently represented Exeter College at Automechanika at the NEC in Birmingham. This is the biggest aftermarket exhibition in the UK, with over 800 exhibitors providing information and advice for people in the motor industry.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) put on a presentation for MoT testers and for training providers to find out what the changes from DVSA means for the industry. Darren Smyth, a lecturer at Exeter College, was there to answer questions from other training providers throughout the country. He also talked about our best quality teaching practices, the college has had a 100% pass rate for the candidates that have gone into industry. He discussed the new MoT training regulations for ongoing CPD training and annual assessment. Darren was interviewed by the IMI – you can watch the interview here.
Barry Williams, IMI Business Development Manager, joined the Exeter team onstage. He said; “Exeter College has some great kit for the 800 or so engineering candidates coming through the faculty every year. They have eight ramps, the latest diagnostic devices, and a bank of 50 PCs for the IMI online learning and assessment. To top it all they have full capability to run ULEV training courses, so they’re surely set for a bright future serving the retail motor industry.”
Andy Wells, Head of Faculty added; “Of course we had a head start, we were an MOT training centre for the DVSA before the recent changes were implemented. We were already well resourced before the new qualifications were introduced so we hit the ground running. Our training is competitively priced and accommodation in Devon is affordable too. It all adds up to a winning combination for us as a college and our customers.”
You can find out more about our courses here, or contact the faculty for more information on: 01392 400380.
Our Adult Training and Learning courses offer something for everyone, including Short and Leisure courses if you want to take up a new skill or hobby and Professional courses if you want to retrain or improve your qualifications. Many of the Professional courses take part during day, but we also offer a wide range of evening courses to fit around your commitments. Courses typically start in September, January and April, depending on the length of the course and we also offer some “roll on, roll off” courses that you can join throughout the year.
The 2017/18 Adult Training and Learning Guide is now available online and to pick up from Exeter College’s receptions across the city.
You will also have the opportunity to come and speak to us at our University Level and Adult Learning Open Event on 20th June 2017, 5pm-7pm.
The Ray Kenny competition is run every year in memory of a chef who trained at the Dorchester Hotel. After his death in 2007, his family wanted to remember Ray’s passion for inspiring young chefs. The competition is open to 2nd year Full Time Catering Students within Further Education Colleges in the South West, the aim of the competition is to widen the horizons of budding chefs in the Westcountry.
Competitors are asked to produce a three course plated meal with a Westcountry theme for two covers, within two and a half hours.
This year's winner was Ellie Thuell from Kenton, Ellie is currently studying for a Diploma in Professional Cookery and a Certificate in Professional Food and Beverage Service.
Her winning menu was:
Crab tortellini with a crab bisque and sea vegetables
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Herb crusted rack of lamb with pommes anna, wild garlic, carrot puree and button onions
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Creme brulee with fresh raspberries
We spoke to Ellie after she won to find out what her plans for the future are:
To get into the final I had to write a letter to Mrs Kenny explaining why I wanted to win, what I would spend the money on and what my future plans are. Once I had been chosen I went straight through to the finals.
The feeling when I won was just incredible, it was such a shock because I thought I had cooked badly. When they said my name I burst out into tears because I was so happy! It didn't feel real that I had actually won a work placement at Lucknam Park and £2k!
Once I leave college I really want to do a ski season and then travel around the world, working and experiencing all the different cultures but the end goal is to work at a Michelin starred restaurant.
Jordan Picot, Exeter College Level 2 Plumbing Apprentice, has once again displayed exceptional skills and training by winning the southern heat of the BPEC SKILLPlumb competition. This follows his success at the HIP plumbing competition just four weeks ago, where Jordan progressed to the national final.
Chris Bennett, Lecturer at Exeter College, said: “Jordan continuingly improves and strives for excellence in everything he does. Jordan’s eye for detail and practical ability are second to none and his relaxed approach is a real positive in high pressure situations.”
Jordan has taken the success in his stride, with the support from his employer Will Slatcher at Go Green Engineering. Will said: “Go Green Engineering would like to congratulate Jordan on his recent achievements, not only has he won this competition, but he has become an apprentice that is dedicated and hardworking, his ability is also exceptional for his level. He is a perfect example of a modern day apprentice for becoming a heating engineer of the future”.
Both competitions cover a wide variety of skills ranging from measuring and marking out to pipe bending and soldering.
Jordan says “I have been given a lot of support from my employer and Exeter college when training for this competition, I think winning it has helped my confidence in finishing a job to a high standard and within an allocated time, I'm so pleased that I won, all that hard work has paid off”.
Exeter College offer a wide range of apprenticeships, training and support. Find out more on our website.
It has been an award winning fortnight for Exeter College Apprenticeships. Following the double win for Apprenticeships at the Exeter Living awards, five Exeter College Apprentices have claimed wins in their individual industries for their excellent skills and hard work.
To begin the winning streak, multiple construction Apprentices entered SkillBuild. This competition gives Britain’s best construction trainees a chance to compete against one another and showcase their talents to be pronounced the best in their chosen craft occupation. James Cope, Apprentice at Gentlemen Builders claimed first place in the ‘new entrant’ category for his carpentry skills and Harry Colgrave, Apprentice at C.J. Chenery Bespoke Furniture and Joinery achieved a brilliant second place as a ‘new entrant’ cabinet maker in the South Devon heat. Both James and Harry came away with excellent points and a chance to compete in the SkillBuild final as a part of the Skills Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
The success did not stop here for the Construction faculty, as just a week later Jordan Picot, Plumbing Apprentice at Go Green Engineering achieved the winning position at the southern heat of the SkillPLUMB competition. SkillPLUMB is run annually by BPEC to promote skills across the plumbing industry and give recognition to competitors for their expertise. When the heats have finished, the highest scoring competitors have the opportunity to progress through to the competition to the WorldSkills UK final.
WorldSkills UK competitions bring together Apprentices from across the country to compete to be the best in their chosen skill. The competitions are designed to inspire and challenge the next generation to be ambitious in their pursuit for excellence, whilst equipping them with life-long world class skills. This is indeed the case for our next Exeter College star, James Parsons, a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Apprentice working at Exminster Garage.
James scored the highest on his day across six tasks in the Skill Auto competition, run by the Institute of the Motor Industry, putting him in the running to become the WorldSkills UK National winner. The competition, similar to SkillBuild and SkillPLUMB, Skill Auto aims to find the top new talent within the automotive industry and has as a result named James up there with the best in Automotive Light Vehicle Technology.
Our final winning Apprentice is Tobias Cowan. Tobias is training as an Engineer at HepcoMotion and is the Exeter College student representative for Apprentices. He has been named the Radio Exe Pride of Devon Apprentice and Young Employee of the Year, for his enthusiasm and determination both at work and as an ambassador for Apprenticeships. We are sure that we will be hearing much more from Tobias and all of our brilliant award winning Apprentices in the years to come. We look forward to seeing their future successes and hearing about their further achievements within the Skills Competitions – we are sure to have some world class winners within the college in the next few months.
Exeter College alumna Lucy Banks never thought she would become a published writer when she enrolled on a Creative Writing course at Exeter College. Now her dream has come true with the publication of her first novel – The Case of the Green Dressed Ghost.
The book is aimed at adults who like light-hearted, supernatural stories, it was recently described by Publisher’s Weekly as ‘Ghostbusters with a British accent’.
Lucy, from Exeter, said: “I liked that it was something I could work around my job because I work full time and it was a nice convenient time. It seemed like a really interesting, relaxed, informal sort of course.”
Lucy’s book came out in March, with the next one due out in February (and two more in the pipeline).
Described as being about the supernatural, Lucy credits the course with the idea for her main character saying, “It all stemmed from Sam’s class. We did a character exercise where we had to come up with a character from thin air and that’s where I came up with this character of Dr Ribero. It stayed in my head for about three months afterwards and then it turned into a book, so it is all down to Sam!”
Lucy said the idea for the book came from wanting to normalise the fears around the supernatural for her own children. “They can get scared of ghosts and stuff like that so it was more to sort of kill that stone dead and make humour out of it really.”
So how does it feel to be a published writer? “It’s been lovely, it’s quite weird because they're a US publisher so there's more going on there than there is here”.
Lucy says that her advice to fellow writers would be to do a writing course. “I think doing a course is a great idea that really did help and gave me a lot of confidence. When you share your work with other people you're sort of forced into that situation of getting feedback and I think that can be really helpful. Just keep writing as much as possible whenever you can.”
Lucy’s lecturer while studying at Exeter College was Sam Watson, who was overjoyed to hear of Lucy’s success.
She said: “Three pieces of her writing, in particular, stood out for me that term – one was a scene from a train trapped in winter weather which had the beginnings of a ghost story. The second was her entry to the class Flash Fiction competition. Of course, the final piece that has stayed with me was Lucy’s creation of Dr Ribero.
“During a particular session I had asked the group to start developing their own ideas of a detective. Lucy told us her detective was an elderly Argentinian, had a twirly moustache and carried a cane – how could we resist? I was so pleased to hear the fantastic news last year that Lucy’s first book (with her character of Dr Ribero) had been accepted by a publishing house and I made sure I went to get my copy signed by the author herself!”
You can read reviews about Lucy’s book and purchase online here.
Kester Lanner didn’t know what to expect when he followed his mother's dying request to contact the mysterious Dr. Ribero, but he wasn't expecting to find his long lost father. Nor was he expecting to join the family business: catching supernatural spirits. Kester is intrigued despite his fear, and finds himself drawn into an ancient ghost story that will test the entire agency. He soon becomes enmeshed in a struggle with the spirit, who is so malevolent and haunting that his first real case might just be his last.
Are you interested in an evening class? Please click here for our full list of courses.
Access student Nicola James, from Exeter, has been celebrating a double achievement. Not only has she been offered a place at the University of Exeter to study Liberal Arts but she has also just won a national poetry competition, the prize meaning her work will be published in an anthology.
“When I entered the poem into a competition, I never thought I would get picked, never thought that anything I write would be published by someone else. It makes me feel so amazing.”
So why did she sign up for an Access course at Exeter college? “I’ve been into a poetry for a while and writing is a big hobby of mine, I wanted to do English and I wanted to go to uni to do this so this was the perfect way to get in. I’m doing an English GCSE as well so it’s been a lot to take on but it's been really amazing, I love the access course. The other thing was that I wanted to prove to my daughter, whose ten, that it doesn’t matter what start you have. You can do anything you want and go after your dreams.”
Nicola says that the access course has helped her self confidence. “I never thought I had the ability to write essays and I’ve got distinctions throughout. When you get good feedback from your lecturers it just makes you feel really good about yourself. It’s been really fun as well, everyone’s great.”
She has now been writing poetry for two years and can’t imagine ever giving it up. “I first started writing as an outlet for how I was feeling and to help me come to terms with what was going on in my life. I just find that when I write it gets rid of all the bad feelings so I started a blog and started getting support from other writers. The more I write, the more it becomes my way of life.”
Nicola’s advice for anyone thinking of doing an Access course is to go for it. “The access course has helped me so much. I’ve made some really good friends and all the tutors and lecturers are really helpful. It is a lot of work, it is hard but it's definitely worth it.”
Nicola has now written over 200 poems and is hoping to get them all published into an anthology. “When I look back at what I’ve written it makes me realise that I was in a really bad place but I’ve turned that into something really beautiful.”
If you’re thinking of studying an Access course then you can find out more here.
Exeter College BTEC Performing Arts students recently performed Dreams of Anne Frank by Bernard Cops at the Barnfield Theatre.
Winner of the Time Out award for best children's production during its London premiere, this imaginative play with music demystifies and humanizes Anne Frank's story of tremendous bravery.
75 years ago in 1942, Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl, was forced into hiding with seven others in a secret annex in Amsterdam. Dreams of Anne Frank, a beautifully re-imagined play by Bernard Cops, vividly brings her story to life in a poignant, beautiful and highly charged drama. Through movement, live music and song the play re-imagines and explores Anne Frank's hidden world; a world in which she lived, fell in love, and dreamt of freedom.
Head of section for Drama and Performing Arts, Nige Paul said: “Dreams of Anne Frank has been a fantastic teaching and learning vehicle for our students this year. It has allowed us to consolidate and further explore acting, movement and voice. At the core of our interpretation is the power and purpose of ensemble.
Our second years are about to move on to places at university, drama school, other courses at college, gap years or full-time employment. We wish all of our students every success when they graduate from us, no matter what direction they take.”
Student Rebecca Brabon-Bartlett who played Margo Frank said: “Studying Performing Arts at Exeter College has allowed me to gain confidence not only as a performer but also as a person. It’s also taught me how important it is to work as a team and to never be afraid to share my own creative ideas. Next year I hope to start auditioning for drama schools in order to continue my training in musical theatre.”
Chesney Fawkes-Porter, a student from Torquay, who played Peter Van Daan said: “I have really developed my ensemble skills and my ability to take and incorporate direction from others. In the future, I hope to live in London and appear in West End musicals. I have been lucky enough to receive an unconditional offer from the London College of Music to study BA (HONS) Musical Theatre in September.”
Members of the audience took to social media to praise the performance:
We really enjoyed your performance this afternoon, thank you so much! It was such a touching and tightly knit performance. All the cast put such heart and soul into the show , it moved myself and several of my family to tears. I would definitely watch another show by the BTEC performing arts students in the future. I also found the exhibition interesting. Good luck for the future to you all!”
I have just returned from seeing the Saturday matinee performance of Dreams. I have to say, I was expecting a competent and well practiced performance, but nothing could have prepared me for the excellent and intensely emotional spectacle I watched. Every cast member was fully committed to providing the audience with a first rate polished performance. The leads were excellent, especially Anne, and Margot. I didn't expect to be so touched, to the point of tears, by a BTEC level performance. Acting, singing, dancing, staging were all brilliant and contributed to a thoroughly satisfying and informative show. Thank you once again for a fine performance.”
Dreams of Anne Frank Cast and Crew
Cast
Otto Frank – Owen Thomas
Edith Frank – Holly Bowler
Margot Frank – Rebecca Brabon Barlett
Anne Frank – Grace Rowe
Mr Van Daan – Wilf Juett
Mrs Van Daan – Freya Hester
Peter Van Daan – Chesney Fawkes-Porter
Dussell – Maxim Wortley
Kitty – Sofia Freeman
Hannah Goslar – Lucy Jarvis
Danka Zajade – Molly Mae Courtney
Nanette Blitz – Hannah Mountain
Lenie Duyzend – Erinn Painter
Annie Eering – Maya Byrne
Bep Van Groot Battave – Sarah Parker
Letty De Levie – Phillipa Barrowcliffe
Jacqueline Van Maarsen – Jessica Tizard
Miep Gies – Eleanor Welch
Jan Gies – Seumas Mackinnon
Bep Voskuijl – Kim Mather
Johannes Kleiman – Cree Taylor
Victor Kugler – Jezz Janeiro
Grietje Scott – Hannah Berryman
Announcer – Eliot Alford
Producer – James Williams
Singer – Nadia Coles
Music
Violin – Florence Rutherfoord-Jones and Joel Munday
Viola – David Golby
Cello – Ella Golby
Music Arranged by David Golby
Production Team
Stage Management: Sarah Ford, Sophie Smith, Annie Williams, Heather Clark and Cliona Macleod
Set Construction: Jessica Hill, Jacob Madeley, Catkin Rawlings,Cameron Woolsey, Nicola Court, and Cameron Patterson
Crew: Bethan Bowden, Cameron Derry, Barney Furness, Carli Shaw, Matilda Stacey, Kian Gale, Emma Hodnett and Rhys Vowden
Wardrobe: Martha Adnams, Maisie Clarke, Georgia Mair, Chloe Murphy, Maya Goodall and Megan Hayes
Lighting Operation: Prue Howard and April Walters
Sound Operation: James Pike
Shadow Show Design and Construction: Freya Hester, James Pike, Ruby Bensburg, Roseanna Isaac and Toni Loveland
Creative and Production Team
Direction: Nigel Paul
Choreography: Emma Wyke
Singing and Vocal Coaches: Katy Baker and Colin Davey
Musical Director: David Golby
Production and Stage Management: Laura Fitzpatrick, Jane May and Victoria Morris
Set Design: Mike Reddaway
Lighting Design: Pete Goodwin
Sound Design: James Pike
Exhibition: Katie Scott-Hamilton
Thanks to the following for all their support, advice and kindness:
Theatre Alibi, Northcott Theatre, Barnfield Theatre, James King, Will Cosey, Steve Price and Ian Rossiter.
The finalists for the prestigious 2017 Exeter Foundation Devon Sports Awards have been announced and all 30 are outstanding. To mark the 20th year of the awards there are some exciting new categories and the finalists include people from all aspects of community sport from coaches and volunteers to sportspeople from a really diverse range of sports.
The Awards which will take place on 30th June at Sandy Park celebrate diverse sporting contributions and achievements from community level coaching right through to elite sports performers. The main purpose of the Awards is to recognise those who inspire people to participate at all levels in sport.
“Each year the Exeter Foundation Devon Sports Awards go from strength to strength and help to recognise the truly outstanding work that is being carried out throughout the county at all sporting levels” said Tony Rowe OBE, Chairman of the Exeter Foundation.
“Looking at all the nominations across the board, it’s clear that the judging panel must have had another series of painstaking decisions to make, such is the calibre and quality of all those selected. However, we see all those shortlisted as winners in their own right and the efforts they are producing are helping to inspire the next generation of sporting stars within Devon.” Said Matt Evans from Active Devon
All finalists have been invited to attend a special 20th anniversary ceremony and this year, they will be presented with their trophies and certificates by James Cracknell OBE, British athlete, rowing champion and double Olympic gold medallist
The expert judging panel, coordinated by Active Devon who are overseeing the Awards in partnership with the Exeter Foundation and Exeter College, have carefully whittled the entries down to the final 30 individuals and teams from an extremely strong pool of nominations.
Rob Bosworth, Vice Principal – Schools, Partnerships & Curriculum, Exeter College, said: “Exeter College is delighted to be a partner in the Devon Sports Awards and recognise the contributions made by those who inspire sports performers at all levels.”
In addition to the 8 main award categories and the supplementary presentations for Performances in Community Sport there is a special award for Outstanding Contribution to Sport in Devon, which will only be announced on the night.
“The Devon Sports Awards are always keen to recognise volunteers who work hard in their sports and so often go unrecognised” said Matt Evans Chief Executive of Active Devon. “The Devon Volunteer and Devon Young Volunteer categories are one way that we can celebrate their achievements. We want to thank everyone who nominated someone special in their sport and say keep up the good work”.
