SCHOOL CHILDREN hoping to learn a trade are being offered an exciting opportunity thanks to a new partnership between Exeter College and Bicton College, and sponsorship from national awarding organisation City & Guilds.
Through the arrangement between the two Devon-based academic institutions, youngsters aged 14 to 16 from Mid and East Devon can now take time out of the classroom to attend lessons one day a week on Bicton’s beautiful rural campus as part of a two-year City & Guilds course in Construction.
And to further spark their enthusiasm at the beginning of term, City & Guilds is providing £3,350 worth of sponsorship towards the purchase of equipment and other resources for the course in recognition of the joint initiative at national level.
The Bicton offering adds to Exeter College’s existing provision at its Sowton campus, which is entirely dedicated to Construction courses of varying levels. At the same time, it enables Bicton College to add a new course to its already broad-reaching curriculum of land-based studies.
The children who have secured places this Autumn will be coming to Bicton from Uffculme School, Honiton Community College, Queen Elizabeth Community College in Crediton, Axe Valley Community College in Axminster, and Cullompton Community College on buses provided. In the first year, they will receive training in subjects ranging from bricklaying and carpentry to plumbing, painting, and decorating, each studied in nine-week blocks before revisiting the various areas in their second year.
Meanwhile, the Sowton-based City & Guilds Construction course for 14 to 16-year-olds, which has been running for two years and this year saw an intake of around 200 students, will continue to run as normal.
Construction lecturer Paul King is being seconded to Bicton from Exeter College’s Sowton site on a weekly basis to teach the first intake.
He says: “Many of the girls and boys who leave school in Devon, particularly in this area, are likely to begin work within rural and farming communities. We therefore identified a natural fit between some of the skills which they would be likely to need once they go into this environment and those which a course such as this one could offer them.”
Paul continues: “The course also sits perfectly with Bicton’s existing 14 to 16 City & Guilds programmes, such as those in Agriculture, Horticulture, and Animal Care, to prepare them either for going to straight into work or continuing into further education in any of these fields.”
Paul adds that the course is ideal for many school pupils living in outlying areas of the county who wish to gain a nationally-recognised qualification in Construction but for whom, until now, there have been few opportunities.
“The huge benefit of this kind of qualification is that it will allow them to try all the different areas of Construction and identify which they are best at and which they prefer, so that when they leave school they have a better idea as to which area they would like to specialise in,” he says.
“While some of our existing students on this course go straight into work as apprentices upon completion of the course, others decide instead to go on to take higher qualifications at the College, such as Level 1 or 2 Technical Certificates in their chosen fields.”
He adds: “We are grateful to City & Guilds for having recognised this as an exciting opportunity and offering sponsorship towards some new equipment to give our first intake that extra boost as they begin their first year.
“It’s nice to think that through our partnership with Bicton, we will together be serving the needs of pupils at schools across Mid and East Devon, and opening up a door for them to gain qualifications in Construction which may have until now seemed closed.”
Also welcoming the move is Selena Burroughs, the Bicton College 14 to 19 Co-ordinator. She says: “Bicton is delighted to be extending its provision of Construction courses, bringing learning to life and increasing the portfolio of courses that we can offer schools.”
Speaking on behalf of City & Guilds, Clive Russell adds: “We are delighted to support this college partnership that will benefit young learners. City & Guilds understands the importance of equipping learners with relevant and work-ready skills. The opportunities offered by this new initiative will be an excellent stepping stone into future employment or further training.”