Businesses in Devon can benefit from government-funded courses being offered by Exeter College in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses to help them beat the credit crunch.

The Exeter Business School and the Exeter FSB have been working together over the past 18 months to set up bite-size training for small businesses at times convenient to them.

The short courses on strategic thinking, planning, marketing and sales will be run over three evenings next January and February at the Exeter Business School, which is part of Exeter College.

The groundbreaking scheme was launched at the Exeter FSB Small Business Awards earlier this year are and is aimed specifically at business managers and owners of small enterprises.

Very small businesses and those with under 250 employees may be eligible for funding to pay for the courses from the government support and advice service, Business Link.

Michelle Snowball, Head of Employer Engagement at Exeter College, said: “For small businesses to give up time for training it needs to be dynamic, inspirational and offer practical ideas which can be implemented straight away and have an immediate impact. These seminars are designed to help small businesses in Exeter and Devon think more strategically during the economic downturn.”

Nigel Hillier, Chair of the Exeter FSB said: “It is always difficult for owners of small businesses to find the time or money to attend training. I am delighted that working with the Exeter Business School we are able to offer what is clearly designed to be a short, relevant and focussed training opportunity which will be of value to all of us who are running a small business in the current difficult financial climate. Thinking strategically and looking at business planning and fresh marketing is often difficult when coping with the day to day work of just running the business. I hope that small business owners, like me, taking a few hours out to look at what we are doing in a more strategic way will provide a very valuable us of our time.”

To book a place or to find out more, ring the Exeter Business School on 01392 205958 or contact Nigel Hillier on 01392 669497.

FIVE Exeter College students are celebrating completing the challenging Prince’s Trust programme.

Daniel Peck, Marc Cox, Jamie Bouchier, Sophie Browne and Brian Short were awarded their certificates of achievement at a Presentation Night held at Exeter College recently.

Sophia Carmen, co-ordinator for Prince’s Trust at Exeter College, said: “I’d like to congratulate these 5 young people on The Prince’s Trust Team programme for undertaking and completing an intensive and demanding course, despite turbulent times within their own lives.

“I’d also like to thank the Team for the work they’ve put into both fundraising and community projects, and to stand witness to the personal growth that has occurred through their interaction with the programme, the community, and most importantly with each other.”

The next Prince’s Trust programme at Exeter College starts on 12th Jan ’09.

TALENTED Exeter College students are staging the popular Festival of Carols at the Cathedral next week.

The annual Christmas concert on Monday, December 15, at 7.30pm, will feature more than 100 students from the college’s orchestra and choirs.

Entry is free and no tickets are needed.

A collection will be made at the close of the concert in aid of Exeter College’s chosen charity this year, Devon Air Ambulance.

From the Express and Echo 28/11/08

GIRLS have been given the building blocks for careers in construction at Exeter College.

The college’s construction training centre at Falcon House, Sowton, invited over 50 girls from secondary schools across Devon to find out more about careers in the building industry.

The Women in Construction Day allowed youngsters to take part in workshops on carpentry, brickwork and electrical installation.
Jointly organised with Devon Education Business Partnership, the event also gave the pupils a chance to chat to construction tutors and current college construction students.

Nick Thom, civil engineering and construction lecturer at Exeter College, said: “This fun day allowed female students to experience what it would be like to take a course in construction. If you never pick up a chisel or trowel you will never know if you are interested. The industry needs more women to work in what has always been a male-dominated vocation. The students experienced several trade areas and hopefully have been inspired enough to consider construction as an option for learning or employment.”

27/11/08

STUDENTS and parents took part in a nappy-changing race, got a free hot stone massage and fitness test and wrote their own poetry at an Exeter College open evening.

The Open Event was held on Wednesday, November 26, from 5pm to 8pm, at the college’s Hele Road and Queen Street sites.

Visitors had a chance meet tutors and current students, see the college’s facilities, find out about new courses and take part in a range of hands-on activities.

There were free audio-sonic massages, a giant Jenga display, language quizzes, dance performances in Victoria House, a poetry competition, wax treatments and animation screenings in the Centre for Creative Industries.

EXETER College is taking part in the first Colleges Week celebrations.

Among the events next week are a students’ awards ceremony and a Skills Challenge to which Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw has been invited.

Colleges Week is taking place from November 10 to 16 to celebrate the role colleges play in unlocking talent in communities and transforming the lives of learners.

The initiative is being co-ordinated by the Association of Colleges (AoC), the Department for Innovation, Universities & Skills (DIUS) and the Learning & Skills Council (LSC).

• On Wednesday, November 12, Exeter College is hosting an awards ceremony for students aged 14 to 16 who come into college to get a head-start on vocational training while still finishing their GCSEs at school. The 14-16 Awards start at 6.15pm in the college’s recently opened training restaurant, @34, at Hele Road.
• A Skills Challenge involving Age Concern and Exeter College’s Health and Social Care students is also taking place on Friday, November 14. The students will be learning key practical skills for working with older people while preparing for a Christmas party they are organising for Age Concern Exeter. This session runs from 9.30am – 12.30pm in the Hele Building.

During next week Exeter College will also be profiling exceptional students and success stories highlighting the key themes of Colleges Week: developing skills; delivering excellence; building strong communities; helping businesses to succeed and transforming lives.

• Transforming lives: Hospitality and catering student Matt King achieved against the odds, overcoming cerebral palsy to gain qualifications and a job in his chosen industry.
• Delivering excellence: Former Exeter College students from the same tutor group have all achieved exceptionally in their field. Nathan Curry is a West End producer who has worked with actor Kevin Spacey, Kelsey Jones is a doctor specialising in malnutrition and child health in the tropics, Claire Lewis is a manager for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Jo Danvers is a director for the Gate Theatre in the West End.
• Building strong communities: Exeter College is the one of the biggest employers in Devon with an annual contribution to the economy of £41.3m.
• Helping businesses to succeed: Exeter Business School which is part of Exeter College has provided training to over 1,000 employers since it was launched last year.
• Developing skills: See above Skills Challenge and 14-16 Awards

A SAXOPHONIST from Ray Charles’s legendary jazz band is hosting a master class at Exeter College.

Lead alto Greg Abate will be starting with a performance at 2pm tomorrow, Friday, November 7.

He will then lead a workshop on jazz improvisation for the college’s music students, finishing at 4pm.

This will be the first of a series of masterclasses at the college’s new Music Academy this year.

Greg, who will be backed by Al Swainger (Bass), Crag Milverton (Piano) and Gary evans (Drums), will be performing in the UK over the next month.

STUDENTS can find out more about studying university-level courses at Exeter College this week.

The Higher Education Open Event is held on Thursday, November 6, at the college’s Hele Building in Hele Road, from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

Visitors will have a chance to meet tutors and current students, see the college’s facilities and find out about new courses such as sport and media access courses.

Degree-level courses are offered by Exeter College in art and design, engineering, sport, leisure and tourism, construction, business, law and finance, health, care and public services, education and music, media and performing arts.

The courses are run in conjunction with the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and University College Marjon.

EXETER College students have scored among the best A-level results in the country.

Pippa Howell, Edward King and Hannah Gray all received letters of commendation from the AQA examining board congratulating them on achieving among the top five marks nationally for their respective subjects.

Eighteen-year-old Pippa earned the exemplary results in two science subjects, beating more than 9,000 biology students and 5,000 physics candidates.

And Edward and Hannah achieved the accolade in photography and communication studies respectively.

Pippa’s straight A grades in biology, physics, Andrew who achieved 4 straight Asmaths and chemistry have earned her a place at Cambridge to study natural sciences and chemistry. Her twin sister Anna landed the same results in the same subjects – but is instead choosing Oxford to read biosciences.

The twins were among a record-breaking 25 Exeter College students who scored straight As in at least three subjects in this year’s A-level results. Pippa, from St Leonard’s, said: “I am really, really happy and surprised. We both worked very hard. “We didn’t choose different universities because we wanted to be apart. We just preferred different courses at different universities.”

Another star student Andrew Seaton achieved four straight As and a place at Bristol to study Exeter College students reading their results for the first timehistory despite having no qualifications when he arrived at Exeter College three years ago. The 19-year-old who won an Exeter College award for his achievements is now deciding on whether to accept a place at Bristol to read history or take a gap year.

He said: “I was home-educated because my family moved around quite a lot so I hadn’t done any GCSEs when I got to college. “But I did the Fast Track programme where I could do two years’ worth of GCSEs in one year and then went on to do A-levels.”

An Exeter College student receiving his resultsAlso celebrating top results is Lucy Huppler who gained four straight As to land a place at Bristol to study medicine. The 18-year-old from Pennsylvania said: “I feel very excited about being able to do such a prestigious course at one of the best universities in the world.”

Overall, the college sustained its overall pass rate of 98 per cent, with 25 subjects seeing 100 per cent pass rates. These include English literature and language, further maths, religious studies, biology, geography, chemistry, fine art, German, human biology, film and video, drama and theatre studies, economics and business studies.

First-year Exeter College A-level students were also celebrating as the overall pass rate for AS levels rose by more than three per cent to 89 per cent this year.

Principal Richard Atkins said: “We are very pleased to have sustained the overall pass rate from 2007 as well as seeing 25 subjects with 100 per cent pass rates. “I would like to congratulate all our students on their success which will enable them to progress to the universities of their choice. I would also like to thank our staff for their commitment and hard work.”

from the express and echo

Residents of Exeter are set to look – and eat – better than ever before thanks to a newly opened training centre for hairdressing, beauty and cookery students in the city.

Exeter College students are now taught in the first purpose-built centre of its kind in the South West. The new building was opened yesterday by city-based celebrity chef Michael Caines and television hair stylist Paul Merritt.

The £4.3m Laurence Building is believed to be the only commercial training premises in the UK to house courses in hairdressing, complementary therapies, hospitality and catering under one roof. It has a restaurant, spa and salons.

Students moved into the building last month and more and more members of the public are flocking there to have treatments or to eat. The youngsters are assessed by the quality of their work with the public.

As part of the launch, Mr Caines, director of ABode Hotels and executive chef at Gidleigh Park and a former Exeter College student, led a cookery demonstration for hospitality students while Mr Merritt, of Channel 4’s The Salon fame, held a fashion workshop with hairdressing students. There was also the chance to try chocolate body wraps led by Val Cooke, chair of the British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology.

Previously catering students trained at the Hele Road site in kitchens built at least 25 years ago while hairdressing and beauty students were based at the old Bishop Blackall building in Pennsylvania Road.

The new building was needed because of the growing numbers of students on the courses. Head of department Tricia Pugsley said: “We are all delighted with our state-of-the-art facilities which provide excellent training opportunities in a real work environment for all our learners.

“From September, in addition to our current, broad range of courses in hospitality, hair and beauty, we will offer a new, intensive, part-time Level 3 hairdressing programme, a Level 3 spa therapy course, a diploma in stone therapy and a new award in barista coffee skills.”

The building, a Wella centre of excellence, is named after John Laurence who was chairman of Exeter College’s board of governors for many years and championed its hair and beauty department. NVQ professional catering student Ben Hunt, 18, said the building had made a big difference to his studies.

“The old building was a bit like being in the dark ages but now we’ve got modern kitchens with modern equipment,” he said.

Mature hairdressing student Debra Broom decided to train after working as a salon receptionist. Her son Dan is also training to be a hairdresser. “The new building is far more modern and ideal for clients – I think it just makes them feel better coming in here,” she said.

Rachael Heal, 17, a hairdressing apprentice training while working in the Cutting Edge salon in Dawlish, said: “We get more clients now because they like the space.” Chantelle Down, 18, an NVQ beauty student, said: “We’ve got much better facilities now. We also felt a bit excluded from everything being at Bishop Blackall but now we are at the heart of the student community.”

Mr Caines joked the old building had not changed from when he was a student. Mr Merritt talked about his experiences on TV and gave the students tips on how to get clients.