The systematic creation of new and better apprenticeships, including the commitment of the public sector, was cited as one of the key pillars of a fundamentally better economy and better society by Andrew Adonis, labour peer and former education minister and transport secretary in a visit to a Devon further education college last week.

Lord Adonis – noted for his controversial support for Michael Gove and academies – was opening Exeter College's new £8.5million pound Technology Centre in front of business and education partners as well as staff and students and he was critical of the role the public sector and his own former department had played in supporting aspirations of young people.

“We will not crack this problem of the underperformance of our youngsters, really serious youth unemployment, big problems of youngsters not getting the jobs and not developing the skills they need unless we systematically create a strong apprentice route in both the private and public sector.” Noting that many of the worst offenders in creating apprenticeships are in the public sector, he used his former Department of Education as an example saying “it is not acceptable that out of a headquarters staff of several thousands there are only 14 apprentices with only 3 under the age of 21”.

Praising the transformational partnerships between employers and education that the Technology Centre in Exeter College was supporting he went on to say “We need to change and we need all our major employers to take part. But that will only happen if we have opportunities for them, and partnerships with training providers such as the outstanding college in Exeter, that make it much easier than in the past for employers to create apprenticeships and where they can see a clear and early return in terms of the skills of the young people being translated into productive work in a job. “Describing the new facility as a meeting point between employers and education Adonis went on to note that not only was the college creating huge opportunities for young people through the new centre but was also part of a “national move to completely re-engage in a new way employers as a whole with the education system and the youth of the country.”

“This completely new centre symbolizes all we need to do in our national economy if we are going to keep up with the Chinese, these huge and dynamic emerging markets and this great global competition. This sums up all that is brilliant in developments in modern further education, modern business leadership in terms of helping to generate skills and aspirations for young people.”

Lord Adonis joined business leaders and representatives of employers in the local area for a tour of the state-of the art building located in the east of the city where facilities include light vehicle, MOT and HGV workshops, machine shop, diagnostics and computer aided design labs and IT suites.

The impact of the centre's location was also heralded as important in linking the education and business community with its key position noted by Richard Atkins, principal of the college as”where the future of Exeter is in business terms, with the Growth Point, Science Park and Skypark developments”.

Atkins, who is also a Commissioner on the Commission for Adult and Vocational Teaching and Learning noted that the country's leading skills and trainings centres, such as the Rolls Royce centre in Derby provide industrial standard training facilities and suggested that young people and adults were best motivated by dual qualified staff, by facilities that mirrored the highest industry standards and by real work and real challenges “With staff who are experienced and qualified in their own trades as well as in teaching, it feels like the real world of work and when you talk about the challenge of motivating young people and adults, facilities of this kind are going to make a real difference.”

Concluding his spirited talk before talking to students around the centre Adonis noted”What you are doing here, if we replicate it in community by community, nationwide will lead to a much better, more successful, more prosperous and more socially cohesive society.”

Students across the city's college started their days this week with free porridge and got the chance to get involved in fitness programmes, fun competitions and health screening as part of the annual Health and Wellbeing Week organised by the student welfare team.

The week, aimed at focussing attention on healthy diets, active lifestyles and sexual health was part of a college wide programme throughout the year ensuring students and staff understand the healthy alternatives and support available.

“This is one of many themed weeks we have at the college,” said Nick Bridge, health and wellbeing manager at the college, “Throughout the week there were a range of activities and events designed to get students involved, many of them being led by students and teacher specialists. Hair and Beauty students offered complimentary treatments throughout the week, Hospitality and Catering students got the chance to show off their skills with very popular free smoothies, and Sport students offered a range of health and fitness screenings, designed to alert students and staff to how they could improve their health. We're not just concentrating on the traditional healthy subjects such as diet and smoking but are encouraging students to think about their mental health and wider lifestyle choices so we had sessions on body combat, mixed martial arts and yoga.”

Students also got the chance to talk to the experts from the community with sessions from NHS Blood and Transplant unit, DCC Environmental health to advise on safe piercing and tattooing and staff from the Balloons organisation offering bereavement advice.

Starting with free porridge, yoghurt and fruit from the student cafes, the students were given loyalty cards designed to encourage them to take part in the wide range of healthy activities.

A Level student Hugo Hannaford, 17, from Holsworthy said, “The best thing about this week is getting free porridge for breakfast every morning! It has been a really fun week and it has got the message across without being too serious, which is good”.

And it wasn't just the teenagers and adult learners who got the 'get healthy' treatment in the week since the college's nursery also joined in with their own version of special exercise sessions plus healthy fruits quiz.

“We pride ourselves on the support we give students” said Nick, “We were awarded Healthy College status last year and won an award for our Young People Friendly services by the NHS this term and this dedicated week for promoting health and well-being is just one of the ways we work to ensure students know about choices and the support on offer.”

Over 50 dedicated students set off for destinations across Exeter, the south west and further afield raising funds for NSPCC during the Exeter College Jailbreak 2012.

Contestants dressed as animals, superheroes, film characters and fairies were all trying to travel as far away from the college as possible without spending a penny of their own money. Organised into registered teams and armed with collection buckets, the students from across the college were keen to beat last year's record destination of London.

“Each year the students choose a charity that we support throughout the year”, said Sarah Davies, Learner Engagement Officer for the college, “and the Jailbreak is just one of the ways the students raise awareness and money. This year they've chosen NSPCC and we're delighted that they've raised over £600 from the Jailbreak event that will help support the charity as they work with vulnerable children and young people at risk.”

Many of the groups had spent hours planning their routes and costumes which were designed to create an impact in the city encouraging visitors and shoppers to fill the students' collections boxes. All the students had gained sponsorship from family, friends and classmates for the worthwhile cause.

Setting off at 9.30am many of the students headed for the train and bus network – all of whom had been prewarned of the charity event. The winning team was a group of students disguised as Men in Black who made it to Portsmouth. Other teams included a group of JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings characters who, similar to the film and book characters, had a challenging journey of their own texting messages during the day back to the college such as “Fellowship infiltrating Mordor – making our way back to Barstaple from Appledore” with a final text as they approached the college “Ring destroyed, coming back to Exeter now”

Seeing the students off at the beginning of the event was from Donna Statham from the NSPCC. “NSPCC is delighted that the college has chosen us to be their charity of the year. It was great to see so many young people taking part in the jail break – they look amazing!”
“It was good to be able to travel to places we hadn't been to before” said Marcus Savage, 17, from Exmouth, “but a real challenge to travel for free!” “I really enjoyed raising money for the NSPCC” said Charlotte Rupp, 16 from Exeter. Congratulations to the team that got as far as Portsmouth.”

It's official, Exeter College is the leading further education college in the country after winning Outstanding Provider of the Year and Outstanding Leadership of Learning and Skills Awards at the prestigious Times Educational Supplement FE Awards yesterday.

The city's college has been awarded the accolades, beating hundreds of submissions from further education providers across the country, in the competition which recognises outstanding provision in all aspects of FE. Gerard Kelly, TES editor said “The entries were of an unbelievable high standard and reflected the innovation and ambition that are common in the sector but are too rarely recognised.”

Picking up the Awards in front of 600 education and industry guests at the Skills Show in Birmingham, Richard Atkins, Principal, thanked the dedicated teams of staff at the college saying, “This has been a truly outstanding year and I'm proud of this latest recognition of the hard work of our staff, students and partners. We celebrate the achievements of our students throughout the year and these TES Awards really show us that our continued focus on excellent teaching and learning leading to successful student outcomes and our partnerships in the city and further afield have now earned the recognition of our education peers.”

The TES Awards come at the end of an outstanding year for the students and staff at the college. In March the college was in the national news gaining the accolade of ‘Outstanding' in the country's first no-notice pilot Ofsted Inspection as well as celebrating during the summer the spectacular International Baccalaureate, A Level and vocational student results.

The Outstanding Provider of the Year Award is given for the provider who has demonstrated exceptional performance in the past academic year. Commenting on Exeter College's pilot Ofsted inspection the TES judges noted “If outstanding means maintaining the highest standards day in, day out, perhaps no college or training provider has been tested quite as thoroughly as Exeter College” going on to say “It was particularly impressive that Ofsted gave Exeter the first ‘outstanding' grade for teaching and learning in a college for two and a half years. Like all overnight success, it was built on years of hard work; as the judges' decision to also give the college the Outstanding Leadership in Learning and Skills Award shows. The college also has an impressive record of pastoral care, plus exam grades in the top 5 per cent of colleges.”

Receiving the Outstanding leadership in Learning and Skills demonstrates that Exeter College ensures the greatest breadth and depth of leadership and management skills across a wide range of functions. The submission evidenced how best-practice management has had an impact on the outcomes for the wide range of learners in the college and has improved on standard practice in the sector. The judges noted that in addition to the Ofsted pilot inspection success the college has gained “a host of other accolades that pay tribute to everything from e-learning to partnership with schools, outstanding practical teaching and simply being one of the best places to work in the public sector.”

Commenting on the Award, John Laramy, Deputy Principal noted “We rightly concentrate on celebrating how our lecturers and teaching and support staff help our students reach their potential. This particular award celebrates the leadership and management at all levels throughout the college and how this contribution has driven the ethos of continuous improvement. Again this award complements our Ofsted pilot inspection in the Spring when inspectors also complimented “the passion of leaders and managers at all levels for securing the best experience and outcomes for students.”

Exeter College power lifter Shachar Head was relieved to be back on British soil and reflecting on an eventful week in Boston, Massachusetts, USA which saw her break three “teenage 2” world powerlifting records and then make a hasty Sunday morning departure to escape the worst ravages of Superstorm Sandy which caused huge devastation along the Eastern Seaboard.

The last months had proved a rollercoaster of hard training, sweat and tears; and the hard work proved successful as she competed in her first competition abroad where she was joined by her grandparents who live in the USA.

The World Drug Free powerlifting championships took place at the Company Arts Theatre, Rockland just south of Boston and a number of the world's strongest lifters were present for the superbly organised show. Cheered on by a strong British contingent, Head hoisted personal bests in all disciplines except the bench. Not only were the 137.5kg squat (4th lift), 160kg deadlift and 360kg total lifetime bests, they also smashed the existing world bests for a teenager aged 16/17.

The talented field was made up of women from Belgium, France, USA, Malta and the UK. There was some controversy with the bench press where a long pause at the chest before the lift command saw to it that all of the women failed their 3rd lifts. Head will now return to the gym and coach Miles Leeson of Peak Performance Torquay to work on the bench press with longer pauses and the 4th of the world records should be within her powerful grasp.

Head's total for the day of 360kg was the second highest female total behind overall female champion Helen Wuyts of Belgium. With her competing with a 3 kg lighter bodyweight than in previous competitions, Head's points tally based on weight and amount lifted saw her finish 4th in the overall standings rather than the 11th where she placed the year before.

Shachar has proved this year that no matter what you go through and however many doubtful comments you receive, that persevering and being dedicated through the tough times and believing in yourself can take you to the top.

Shachar's response at being crowned world champion in the 70-80kg class; ” I am so made up! I think in the past 3 months I have proved that you CAN achieve things when you set your mind to it no matter what obstacles are put in your way. I'm so lucky to have received the support that I have had and I couldn't have done it without everyone! This means so much, not only to me, but to my family, coach and friends! I'm so happy that I have been able to make my family proud! But I still find it hard to believe that I can call myself a World Champion! It's unreal!”

Head was also quick to thank Carl Throgmorton of Westward Developments for his support “without it I wouldn't have been able to make my dream of competing in the USA come true!”

It's been a busy week for Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines and the city's college proving once again that the city is in the forefront of driving excellence in hospitality and catering.

On Friday the busy chef and restaurateur met up with the new group of eager students who have just started at Exeter College at the prestigious Michael Caines Academy and are keen to follow in his footsteps and those of the first group of Academy students already showing off their skills that have been honed in the last year. Designed to nurture the region's future generation of talented restaurateurs, chefs, managers and front of house staff the group of 16 students, from all over the county, got the chance to meet the inspirational college alumnus, Michael Caines MBE, and find out, at first hand, his vision for the Academy and the future of the exciting hospitality and catering sector in the area.

“These students could not have joined the Academy at a more exciting time”, said Michael Caines “The South West as a whole is buzzing with new developments in the sector and there is a drive to ensure we continue to demand excellence in all aspects of the hospitality industry. Following the success of the first group last year, this new group will be gaining essential skills through high profile experiences, challenging practical and theoretical workshops and masterclasses from the very best in the industry. We've had such a successful first year that this new group have a high standard to look up to.”

Emma Wakely, 16, originally from St James School, first met Michael at the original launch of the Academy back in 2011 whilst she was still at school and now joins the elite group at Exeter College. “It's really great being in the Academy,” said Emma, “It's very special since we get extra opportunities to an ordinary catering course. There are lots of different links to local businesses and producers built into the course which means that we will have better opportunities to learn extra things about all aspects of the hospitality sector.”

Whilst the full time students were on half term, the college kitchens were not idle with the exciting South West Chef of the Year final taking place on Monday which saw six professional chefs in a tense cooking exercise scrutinized by a challenging panel of 10 chef judges – including Michael and colleague chefs amongst the leaders in the area. The finalists battling it out in the kitchens during the day, had to wait until the gala dinner in the evening hosted at Michael's Abode restaurant in the city, in conjunction with Taste of the West – a very fitting venue for what is seen as one of the leading catering competitions in the area. Pipped at the post was a former Exeter College student, Harriet Pecover in the Young Professional Chef of the Year competition but a former College student, Michael Tweedie was a triumphant winner of the Professional class and is already looking forward to working with Michael in his flagship kitchen at Gidleigh Park later in the year.

With training the future workforce clearly at the top of his agenda Michael was back in the college's training kitchens in the middle of the week to deliver a focused cooking masterclass to this own group of 10 Apprentices – all keen to hone their skills further and learn from their mentor. The apprentices currently work across the Brownsword Hotel and Restaurant empire and travelled from Abode establishments in Manchester, Chester, Canterbury and Exeter as well as from the Bath Priory, Gidleigh Park and Umberleigh Castle in Sussex to see Michael in action.

“The link with Exeter College is very important to me”, said Michael who is also celebrating being listed in the top 3 Times Food list this weekend for the third year running , “I am very grateful for the foundations the college gave me as a student and I now feel it is important that I offer my expertise back. I am interested in the College as a whole in my role as one of the College Governors and can see the range of initiatives being developed as well as the important role it plays in the local area and region. I am also very proud of the way the Academy is attracting such enthusiastic and skilled students who will, I'm sure be a credit to the college as they contribute to the important hospitality and catering sector.”

Around 160 Exeter College higher education students took to the streets as they donned their caps and gowns on Friday 26th October to process through the city for their Graduation Ceremony, held at Exeter Cathedral at 2.30pm.

With the Cathedral providing the spectacular backdrop to the formal ceremony, over 850 guests joined the students of all ages to celebrate their achievements at the spectacular event, including the Lord Mayor, representatives of Exeter College and its Board of Governors, VIPs from Devon schools, colleges, business and community partners and the graduates' families and friends.

The guest speaker was Tim Jones, chairman of the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership who addressed, among others, senior representatives of the Universities of Exeter, Plymouth, Kingston and Marjon who, with Exeter College's Principal, officially acknowledged the graduates of 2012.

The students from all over Devon and the south west were awarded qualifications ranging from BA to Foundation Degrees, HNCs and HNDs in a broad range of subject areas offered at the college including Business Management, Health and Social Care, Performance Production, Legal Practice, Sports Therapy, Early Years, Engineering and Construction.

Twenty three of the 160 graduates had an extra special reason to celebrate, becoming the first graduates of the Flybe Engineering Diploma/FdSc Aircraft Engineering qualification, the country's only four-year programme in Aerospace Engineering. All 23 will soon receive their Licensed Aircraft Engineers' certification from the Civil Aviation Authority and all are already fully employed – 16 with Flybe with the remainder having taken up jobs with other aircraft engineering employers across the country.

After being the only UK airline to sign the Government's Skills' Pledge in 2007, Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline developed Flybe's unique engineering qualification in conjunction with its education partner, Exeter College, a programme of study that combines gaining the necessary academic qualifications alongside hands-on experience.

Business Secretary Vince Cable, who recently visited Flybe's Training Academy said: “I want to congratulate Flybe and their students who have become the first in the country to gain an aerospace engineering diploma. Having recently witnessed first hand the excellent training facilities at Flybe I know that they will have bright futures ahead of them.

“The UK desperately needs more new talent coming through to grow our manufacturing sector and engineering is a rewarding career providing young people with the opportunity to work for exciting high profile companies.”

Jim French, Flybe's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said: “We are extremely proud of our very first Flybe Engineering graduates. Their successful completion and dedication to the four-year programme, which is a founding element of our Flybe Apprentice Programme, marks yet another important milestone for Flybe's Training Academy. What is of course an added bonus is the realisation that all our students are now fully employed. With the aviation industry as a whole facing a shortage of engineers, the fact that 23 newly qualified engineers are now out in the workforce is a magnificent result for us all.”

One of the successful graduates Chris Alexander, said “After spending two weeks work experience at Flybe in 2008 and really enjoying it, I decided to undertake the 4 year Flybe Apprenticeship Scheme where I not only obtained a foundation degree, BTEC national certificate but also worked hard to achieve my aircraft maintenance engineers licence. The course has enabled me to obtain a full time position working for Flybe in the hangars at Exeter, which couldn't have worked out better. I am so pleased that I decided to take up this qualification, it has really opened up a lot of opportunities for me and will enable me to travel the world to work on different aircraft types.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Exeter College Principal, Richard Atkins, praised the graduating students saying “We are very proud of our higher education courses at the college which, in partnership with the universities and awarding bodies, provide exciting and challenging experiences to a range of students each year. Many of our students are juggling work and home commitments with their academic studies and this prestigious occasion, our fifth Ceremony at the Cathedral, truly reflects their achievements and the quality of the courses we offer. Each year we introduce new courses and developments, and we are particularly proud that our Flybe Engineering students, enrolled four years ago as a first in the aircraft industry, are now graduating – another first for the region. We are also delighted that shoppers and visitors could join us in this proud occasion since, for the first time, our graduates processed through the high streets of Exeter.

Three college students are anxiously waiting to hear if they have scooped the first prize in a national photography competition set up to capture the start of the college year and organised by the national FE Week newspaper.

The three students – Gloria Munson, 16, from Totnes, Katherine Hardiman, 16, from Crediton and Catherine Turner, 16, from Winkleigh are already celebrating being the cream of the crop having been shortlisted in the last 11 from the overall 300 entries that swamped the FE week offices earlier in the month.

“We wanted to give learners the opportunity to use their digital cameras, phone cameras or SLR to provide a snapshot of college life from their perspective” said Shane Mann, Director of Operations for LSECT and FE Week. “It's a creative way for learners not only to express their feelings about the courses they've enrolled in, but how their college will help them meet their goals for the future.”

Encouraging all the colleges and the public to cast their vote Shane went on to say “We had over 300 entrants and the lucky winner will receive a Nikon Camera worth £700 AND we will pay them to be our official FE Week photographer at our charity auction.”

Nigel Watts, head of the art and design faculty at the college said “We're delighted that three of our students have made it through to the competitive shortlist since I know that the standard was very high. The competition was open to all in the college but the three students who have been shortlisted have all come from our A level photography course. We're always keen to give students real life experiences of the pressures of competitive photoshoots and the photos they've produced are very personal to them.”

Gloria Munson whose picture of her friend Nathaniel yawning on Totnes station early in the morning has been shortlisted said “It's exciting to be at college and my first response to the photo competition of 'the start of the college year' was how tiring it can be to get into a routine. This has been a great opportunity and I really wanted my entry to be an honest picture.”

Katherine Hardiman's photo was also linked to sleep with a montage of college coursework and social life “I spend many hours mediating my social life and workload,” she said “I feel quite privileged to be part of the college and whilst it is tiring, it's tiring in a good way! College makes me want to be busy and I've enjoyed getting the balance between social life and work right. I really liked photography at GCSE and I thought this competition was a great opportunity to do the 2 things I like about photography – expressing my feelings and sharing things.”

Catherine Turner preferred the black and white style and entered her photo to represent the importance of the role her friends play in her time and experience at college “It shows a beautiful happy moment with a real sense of the freedom that college gives you, ” said Catherine “I love how college has made me happy. I'm in my element and I get instant gratification taking photos.

As she congratulated the students, Amber Gould, photography lecturer, said “I'm so pleased we have three students in the shortlist. The A Level course encourages students to work creatively with photo media and I think this is demonstrated in the variety of our entries. I hope the success of our shortlisted students will encourage other keen photographers within the college to enter national competitions such as this.”

To see the full list of photos from across the country and to vote for your favourite by November 5th go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/feweekandme

The normal sounds of lathes, machinery and lecturing at the Devon and Exeter Construction Training Centre at Sowton was replaced with the sounds of applause and celebration when over 80 employers, staff, full time students and trainees celebrated the achievements of over 20 winning students and trainees from Exeter and the heart of Devon and 6 employers at Exeter College's Annual Construction Faculty Awards last week.

With guest of honour Stephen Homer from Constructing Excellent Devon and Exeter Club, guests heard from tutors about the students and trainees' achievements on their specialist courses including those on the higher education, full time and apprenticeship programmes.

“It's always a great evening that reminds us all of the fantastic achievements of our students, trainees and employers” remarked Chris Whitaker, head of faculty. “Many of our students and trainees travel a considerable distance to study with us and tonight there have also been some very important stories which show our students' strength of character. These awards celebrate their enthusiasm, commitment and sheer determination to the construction industry, to their studies and training and in many cases to their classmates and employers. We're also recognising the invaluable support of the faculty's award-winning Employers of the Year who provide vital employment opportunities to the students of all ages as they enter a career in the construction industry. Visitors are often surprised at the breadth of courses that take place at the centre and the Awards evening with its 21 student winners truly showcases how wide ranging this sector is.”

Winners included James Monkman, 33, from Okehampton was described as “modest and studious, noted for his generosity of spirit in providing support to other classmates” and Luke Shorland, 18 from Teignmouth, who, despite a difficult employment market, secured a job with Torbay Council showing off his 100% attendance at the centre as just one of his impressive set of results. Tutors also praised Oliver Hawkes, 19 from Crediton, who won Painting and Decorating Full Time level 2 Student of the Year award as “another example of a student who was keen to get involved with extra projects to improve his skills, finding part time decorating work when not in college” and Cameron Trivett, 22 also from Crediton who “was head and shoulders above his classmates consistently producing excellent work in both theory and practical sessions – many ahead of schedule” and a “worthy winner of Brickwork Advanced Apprentice of the Year.”

The evening was a special event for Emma Tyler, 19 originally from Newton Abbot since she was recognised as overall Faculty of Construction Student of the Year. Noting how difficult it had been to choose a faculty winner from all the worthy candidates, Chris Whitaker said of Emma “She is known for her dedication and determination to do well and has always demonstrated a mature, sunny and helpful disposition”. Despite a positive academic history Emma did not receive the faculty award based on her performance alone but her support and positive approach to the broader life of Exeter College was also recognised. In her second year at college Emma took part in a 15,000ft skydive to raise £550 for the college charity, she has always been involved in the learner voice programme helping students influence how the college is run and has been a very positive advocate for the Women in Construction events, being a role model to young girls in schools who may wish to explore a career in construction. Wishing her luck as she now hopes to go onto university to study construction management Chris Whitaker said “Emma is a truly rounded, supportive and proactive student who is a clear role model for others and truly deserves to be our overall student of the year.”

Many of the students have also gained external accolades including Plumbing Apprentice of the Year, Karl Boston, 23 from Kingsteignton, who was praised by the college's external verifier as creating the highest standard of portfolio of work which is now being judged as part of the City and Guilds national Medal of Excellence competition.

“I am delighted to be presenting these awards on behalf of Constructing Excellence,” said Stephen Homer. “We seek to improve the way that the industry does business, both amongst clients, contractors, consultants, specialists and suppliers and to spread a culture of continuous improvement through the industry and therefore an awards evening which seeks to celebrate endeavour and achievement is a perfect event for us to sponsor.”

Many of the winning students are apprentices proving that training to NVQ level while being employed gaining true work experiences is a very positive route into the industry – and many of the employers joined family and friends at the event. One such apprentice was Dan Greenwood, 25, from Silverton winning The Electrical Apprentice of the Year, who prompted his tutor to say “I cannot speak highly enough of Dan, he has been a role model for other to aspire to and has worked extremely hard to produce a first rate NVQ portfolio.”

The essential support of employers to the college was recognized with NG Bailey, Interserve PLC, Devon Contractors, Andrew Clark, Pollington Decorators and Network Rail being awarded Employers of the Year under their various categories in recognition of the essential part they play in enabling the continued success of the vibrant Construction faculty at the College.

“The employer awards are given in recognition of their commitment to the recruitment of apprentices and trainees” said Richard Atkins Principal of Exeter College “They have all supported the training programme, responding to individual apprentice's needs and have invested in training the workforce of the future. I am delighted that, at a time when the construction industry is, like many sectors, facing difficult challenges, this event continues to celebrate the excellent achievements of students and employers. This ensures that the industry continues to be supplied with a highly skilled workforce which means it can respond to the positive demand from important projects such as the East Devon Growth point.”

Aspiring radio presenters at Exeter College met local Radio Exe star presenters Ben Clark and Ashley Jeerey on October 10th for a masterclass in how to get into broadcasting.

Breakfast show presenter Ben Clark talked about his twenty years as a local host on Gemini, DevonAir and now Radio Exe, describing how students can make it in the radio business, and offering practical help as students start work in a new purpose-built radio studio at the college.

15 members of the JAx Journalism Academy, based at Exeter College, attended the class, taking away plans to make their own show and getting detailed advice about presenting skills including voice control, avoiding controversy, identifying your audience, and managing interviews.

Ashley Jeerey presents an evening show, and is a former student at Exeter College. Both presenters offered to run an audition session at the college radio studio to help develop presenting skills.

Radio Exe is a new station, addressing the needs of the local community in Exeter and Mid- and East Devon.