OVER 100 Exeter College Sports Academy students put their best feet forward in a charity run for Sports Relief this week.

The big-hearted young people were sponsored to run a mile in the grounds of the University of Exeter.

It was organised by BTEC First Diploma sports students as part of their studies on sports events management.

Exeter College sports lecturer Neil Saunders said: “It was an ideal opportunity for the Sports Academy students to do something worthwhile for a valuable cause.

“The students who organised the fundraiser put a lot of work into it and it was a great platform for them to experience planning and leading a sports event.”

Top Picture: BTEC First Diploma sports students who organised a charity run for Sports Relief: L to R Adam Bilcock, Darryl McAleer, Natasha Willey, Joe Dawson, Sean Stoneman, Danielle Buckley, Tom Houghton, Charlotte Dafter)

Taken in part from the Express and Echo

Firms from across Devon have pledged to support their employees by offering them the right training to do their jobs properly. Exeter College is one of seven organisations to have publicly committed to signing the nationally-recognised Skills Pledge, which aims to make sure all employees have a certain level of qualifications.

The skills pledge is a public commitment by a company to support all its employees develop their basis skills – including literacy and numeracy – and work towards achieving relevant valuable qualifications to at least NVQ level 2, the equivalent of five GCSEs at grade A to C standard.

The agreement was signed yesterday by the College and other firms such as Stagecoach and First Bus at the official launch at Flybe’s Walker Hangar at Exeter International Airport.

The city-based airline was one of the first companies in the country to sign the pledge last summer when it was launched by the Government.

Flybe has already shown its determination to boost the skills of its staff by announcing it will build a new state-of-the-art training academy at the airport by 2009. The carrier has secured Exeter College as its lead academic partner for the venture.

Exeter College principal Richard Atkins said: “Our professional staff are trained but we employ people in all sorts of roles – cleaning, catering and security right through to administration staff.

“We are also the training partner with Flybe. We’re working closely with Flybe to provide a suite of opportunities for them. We are pleased that so many organisations are making a commitment to staff training by signing up to the Skills Pledge.”

EXETER College has become the first college in the heart of Devon to sign the Skills Pledge, publicly showing its continued commitment to developing the skills of all its staff.

The document is a voluntary, public commitment the Government wants all companies and organisations to sign to show they are committed to ensuring all employees have a certain level of qualifications.

While all Exeter College lecturers are fully qualified and take part in continuing professional development, a minority of staff in areas such as administration are being encouraged to improve their skills further by working towards relevant, valuable qualifications.

The college joins local companies such as Flybe and Stagecoach which have also recently signed the Skills Pledge. Next Wednesday, February 27, these two companies along with Exeter College and Exeter International Airport will attend an official launch of the initiative together with the Learning and Skills Council and Go Skills. The event will take place at the Flybe Training Hangar based at the airport at 11.30am.

Exeter College principal Richard Atkins who will be attending said: “As a large employer and training organisation we realise our staff are our greatest resource and we are always looking to invest in their development. We are delighted to be recognised for this.

“In addition, as one of the largest training providers in the region and the academic partner of Flybe, we are also pleased that so many organisations are making a commitment to staff training by signing up to the Skills Pledge.”

A FORMER Exeter College student’s dream of becoming a West End star is one step closer – now he has been signed up for a six-month tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Alistair Brammer, 19, was last year a Joseph wannabe vying for the lead role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, through BBC television programme Any Dream Will Do.

While his hopes were dashed when he narrowly missed out on winning the lead role in an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, his perseverance has paid off. He has been picked by Any Dream Will Do judge Bill Kenwright to appear in the Joseph UK tour.

Alistair’s proud mum, Eileen, 59, said her former Exmouth Community College student son was contacted by Mr Kenwright and asked if he would like to travel to London to audition for the show.

Shortly after learning he was to be playing the part of Zebulon – one of Joseph’s brothers – and understudying Benjamin and also Joseph – Alistair was whisked up to Edinburgh for the first leg of the tour.

“It all happened so quickly,” said Mrs Brammer. I can’t believe he’s gone. The house is so quiet, because he sings all the time. He’s absolutely loving it. It’s hectic – two shows Monday to Friday, three shows on Saturday and on Sunday they travel to the next town. He said he can’t believe he’s getting paid for doing something he loves. He’s been told he needs to sign up with an agent.

While taking part in Any Dream Will Do, Alistair, who studied drama and theatre arts at Exeter College, auditioned with thousands of other hopefuls and made it down to the final 20 boys.

During that time he performed at Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s castle in Ireland and at the theatre. Despite his best efforts, Alistair did not make it through to the final 12.

From the Express and Echo

City-based airline Flybe is one of three firms which have won Government approval to become an exam board.The budget airline, along with fast-food giant McDonald’s and Network Rail, has been given the go ahead by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to make awards ranging from GCSE to degree level in courses including engineering and cabin crew training.

The announcement marks the first time commercial companies have been allowed to award nationally-recognised qualifications based on their own workplace training schemes.

The initiative is aimed at giving official credit to training that would otherwise not be widely recognised outside the companies concerned.

Flybe will be developing its airline trainer programme later this year and it will include on-the-job training, classroom-based modules at the airline and external learning at either Exeter College or Exeter University.

The scheme fits in with the airline’s plans to build a new training academy for its employees. The academy, which will be sited close to the airport, will service the firm’s workforce, both those based at Exeter and also around the rest of the country.

Mike Rutter, chief commercial officer for Flybe, said: “This should give employees transferable skills within the general aviation industry. “Outside of the industry, it will also give recognition to the fact that they will have spent a lot of time in training and doing classroom-based modules. It builds on our plan to make the South West and Exeter a major sector for the aviation industry. It’s very good news for the economy here in the South West. It marks how far we have come in the last five to six years. It makes us very proud.”

The airline’s chairman, Jim French, said Flybe had found many people coming to them for jobs with skills that were unsuitable. During a recent recruitment drive for engineers, the firm found only 30 per cent of 150 applicants had the appropriate skills, he said.

The Devon and Cornwall Business Council has long been calling for more attention to be paid to training of school leavers. And chairman Tim Jones said: “This is a flagship project and the fact that Flybe has been included with the likes of international names like McDonald’s is great. This is one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s personal challenges – to engage with the private sector at the highest level to improve skills. The fact that Flybe has been put in this exalted position says a lot about it as an operator. This project will offer an opportunity for local people to really get involved. I can see no negatives at all.”

From the Express and Echo

Try telling teenage apprentice Danny Packham that being a mechanic is a job for school dropouts and he’ll probably be too busy doing physics equations to argue. Similarly bricklayer John Hustwayte will also be tied up with calculations as he tries to finish his studies.

Having been seen as unfashionable industries for too long, there is now a desperate need for construction and motor vehicle workers – which means high salaries for those wise enough to get trained up. A plumber can earn between £20,000 and £40,000.

But plumbers, builders and mechanics now have to be more skilled than ever to keep up with advancing technology.

This doesn’t put off the next generation of employees, 2,000 of whom are currently studying at Exeter College.

The college’s construction centre in Sowton has had to be extended while the motor vehicle training centre in Marsh Barton is full to capacity. Students are taught by those still working in the industry and can specialise in carpentry and joinery, brickwork, painting and decorating, electrical, plumbing, construction and civil engineering, vehicle and motor cycle maintenance and body repair. John is working on building sites around Newton Abbott and Ashburton and spends one day a week at college so he can qualify. “This means I will be paid a lot more which is why I decided to get trained up,” said the 19-year-old from Chudleigh. Danny, 17, is a young apprentice who already has a job in a local garage but also wanted to qualify.

Simon Friend, head of both departments, said there has been a huge amount of interest in careers in construction. “It is not only young people and school leavers who are looking at construction as a career, we are also enrolling mature students, some of whom are changing career direction completely,” Mr Friend said.

A report estimated 20,000 construction jobs are currently unfilled in the UK and 90,000 new recruits will be needed each year to meet demand. Employers are turning to Exeter College when they look for workers, and some have been so impressed with the standard of training there they volunteer to teach students.
Matt Keele has run his own construction firm for 20 years but now spends half his time in college as an associate lecturer. “What’s good about me doing this is I can give career advice at the same time,” Matt said. “I would certainly recommend this as a job. My last three employees emigrated to Australia, I’m quite jealous.”

Staff also teach those as young as 14 one day a week as part of Exeter College’s link with the city secondaries. Brad Reid, 14, from Isca College of Media Arts, wants to become a carpenter. “It’s not like school at the construction centre,” he said. Kyle Foster, 14, from St Peter’s, said: “My grades at school have really gone up since doing this course because I now understand how useful maths and science are.”

Exeter College is also part of the Government’s Train to Gain scheme, which allows employers to sent their workers for further training. Mr Friend said: “There have been skills shortages in both industries for some time now, therefore it has become a bright picture for people wishing to follow an associated career.”

Exeter City youngsters Luke Cole and James Wannell have been selected for the England Schoolboys’ under-18s squad. The pair have made it through several intensive rounds of trials before being included in a final 21-man squad.

Full-back Cole and keeper Wannell will now hope to play in the international clash against Australia at Shrewbury Town on January 27.

City youth boss Mike Radford said: “I am delighted for them, delighted for the club and delighted for Exeter College.

“It endorses all the good work that we are doing at youth level. These boys have got through a long series of trials and assessments and have now been selected at international level. There won’t be many clubs around who can boast three boys at international level, so we are delighted for them. The boys have worked hard and they have obviously proved through their performances and the development weekends that they deserve their selection. It will be a great experience for them and something they will treasure for the rest of their lives. To put an England schoolboy shirt on is a great honour.”

Cole, who can play as left or right full-back has featured for the reserves on several occasions this season, while Wannell is a highly rated keeper. Meanwhile, City defender Mitchell O’Donnell is also likely to make the final squad if he can prove his fitness over the coming weeks. O’Donnell suffered knee ligament damage in a Football League Youth Alliance clash against Yeovil Town last September.

Initial medical forecasts suggested that he may be ruled out for the rest of the season. But O’Donnell is back in training and will be on the bench in tomorrow’s Football Conference Youth League clash against Thatcham Town. Radford added: “He is back in training. He has not played any games yet, but we intend to give him some game- ime this week.

“But with the games being off we were unable to get him in. We want to give him some game time and make sure there is no reaction to their injury. He will be on the bench tomorrow and hopefully we can get him on. If he can prove his fitness then he will also be put back into the England squad, which would be a boost for him as well.”

Exeter City under-18s were left frustrated over the weekend after both games against Oxford United and New College, Swindon were postponed because of the weather.

From the Express and Echo

Princesshay has joined forces with Exeter College to launch a series of training courses aiming to boost the skills of retail employees.The college will offer a range of courses at different vocational levels for staff working at Princesshay stores.

Known as Exsell, the scheme has just been launched by Princesshay and has seen hundreds of information packs delivered to stores throughout the development.

Three levels of courses will be offered – for staff at the start of their retail career, for those who may be experienced in retail but have few formal qualifications and for workers in supervisory roles who may become middle managers in the future.

Trevor Hooper, of the Exeter Retail Skills Partnership, which was set up to increase the skills of the city’s retailing workers, said: “There is a need for training to make sure retailers compete effectively with other sectors. It’s important for both younger and older workers.”

Exsell coincides with calls by the Learning and Skills Council’s Devon director, Dr Chris Roberts, that the city needs to revise its training to ensure locals can effectively compete for jobs.

Dr Roberts said: “The Exeter economy is booming at the moment but it is worrying that many of the higher skilled jobs tend to go to people living outside the area.

We want to reverse that trend by raising aspirations – particularly among young people. The LSC’s challenge is to ensure that the right infrastructure and the right courses are available and accessible to the people who will benefit from them. It is no good providing training for jobs that no longer exist and, as the local economy accelerates, we have to ensure that we are meeting current and anticipated skills’ demand. These are very exciting times for Exeter but, while there is a lot to celebrate, too many people are missing out because they don’t have the right level of skills to take advantage of what is on offer and too many businesses are having to look outside the region for the employees they need. We cannot rely on education and training decisions that were made 30 or 40 years ago because the world has changed.

Michelle Snowball, head of customer recruitment for Exeter Business School, said: “Exsell is a one-stop training solution bringing together a range of packages to ensure local retail employees can take up training that is flexible, relevant and suited to organisations’ specific needs.”

Princesshay manager Sally Henley said: “We’ve worked in collaboration with Exeter College’s Business School and the university to produce this useful recruitment pack, which we believe is the first of its kind in the region. So far, the response from retailers has been extremely positive.”

AS Britain gears up to host the 2012 Olympic Games, hundreds of talented youngsters are preparing for the event – including Exeter students who are the first in the region to study for a new sports qualification.

The teenagers are able to get a head start while still at school thanks to the Young Apprentice scheme. During the two-year course, they have to undergo work experience, residential trips and teach city youngsters as well as completing exams.

St Luke’s Science and Sports College, working with Exeter College, is the only establishment in the South West to offer the sports course, which will be extended to other city secondary schools next year. The aim is to inspire them to further education on leaving school.

The 37 Year 10 pupils, who began studying for the apprenticeship in September, will also train as first-aiders and run schemes in the community. And they will get experience of specialised sports careers such as physiotherapy. All those on the course signed up because they want to work in sports and teachers believe it will prepare them for the evolving fitness industry. Becky Clark, Exeter School Sports Partnership development manager, said: “PE has changed. Teachers are now highly-skilled professionals. The perception that lessons are just running around playing games is completely wrong. “At St Luke’s, all students leave school with a sports qualification and this is a way of extending that. Most pupils will work with our partner primary schools, but if they express an interest in other careers we can arrange for them to spend time with those professionals.” TEENAGERS at the school are able to train as sports leaders, which means they learn how to teach by working with teachers in local primary schools.

The apprenticeship allows them to also study for their Btec and NVQ exams as well as a range of other qualifications, for example in sports coaching. They will study at school, and at Exeter College’s Sports Academy. The apprenticeship is equivalent to five A* to C GCSEs and the teenagers also do three traditional GCSEs in maths, English and science in school. Talented rugby and football player Ryan Priscott signed up because he hopes to be a PE teacher. The 14-year-old says the course has also helped him do well in his other subjects. “The best bit is the practical sessions,” he said. “At the moment we are really working on our fitness by doing bleep tests but we have also had to do assignments – one of which was setting our individual targets. I’m working really hard and enjoying it so far.” Zoe Gill, 14, plays netball and also hopes to be a secondary school PE teacher. “We have been on a residential trip already, where we worked on team challenges such as assault courses and learnt about health and safety,” she said.

Exeter College lecturer Tim Holbrook, who will teach the students, said the search for Olympic hopefuls and those to help in the games was on. “The skills these students are learning now will really stand them in good stead in the industry,” Mr Holbook said. Sammy White, who runs Exeter College’s programmes for 14- to 16-year-olds, said: “The aim of this scheme is to keep children in education. It’s a good transition between school and college.”

STUDENTS from Exeter College are having a sponsored Sleep Out Event at Exeter Livestock Market as part of their fundraising efforts for Nightstop Devon.

It will take place on Friday, October 19, starting at 8pm. Nightstop Devon aims to provide safe emergency accommodation for homeless young people aged 16-25 in the homes of approved volunteers and provide ongoing support and housing advice to young people.

Last year college students raised £11,000 for Children’s Hospice South West by holding a charity auction, bikeathon, 15-mile walk, sponsored jailbreak, fashion show and fetes.

New student union president Ross Stanley is hoping to raise even more for Nightstop, which was chosen as the college’s charity of the year by the student council. For health and safety reasons the students have had to find a venue they can lock for the sponsored sleep-out, so they will be sleeping under the stars at the Matford Livestock Market. The sponsored sleep is the finale to the union’s Raise and Give (Rag) Week which started on Monday, October 15.
Events throughout the week included room raids, a fancy dress competition and a jailbreak. Students will spend the night out to experience for themselves the realities of rough sleeping.