Two teams of students and staff battled it out in the kitchen to show off their culinary prowess.

After finding out the ingredients, each team had just 15 minutes to cook up and serve their masterpiece.  The audience in the Refectory then had the casting vote and some people were selected to try the meals.

The ‘Green Team’ consisting of Brenda Brown (Admissions), Kozeta Noti (Hair and Beauty) and Simon Trafankowski (Teacher Training) dazzled the crowd with their dish of rice, new potatoes, turmeric, cumin, chickpeas, tomatoes and spinach.

Simon, who has a strong interest in cooking, said he enjoyed taking part in the competition.

“It’s all about presentation.  It helps when people like the look of what they’re eating,” he said.

Yass Duale (Enrichment Programme), Darina Mirgova (Travel and Tourism) and Keisha Byfield (Travel and Tourism) from the ‘Red Team’ were a close second.  Their dish included chicken, pasta, tomatoes, spring onions and peas.

Chartwells, who work with over 2,000 education institutions, helped run the event as part of their ‘Eat, Learn, Live’ ethos which helps educate young people.

Darren Tinkler, Chartwells’ Putting Fun Back Into Food Manager, played host and said he was really pleased with the response from the crowd.

“It’s easy for us all to forget how to eat healthily and what a balanced meal looks like, but today’s competition has proven how easy it is to whip up a quick meal that’s good for you too.  I hope the competition will inspire the students to think about how they could live a healthier lifestyle,” he said.

Local women got the chance to be pampered, informed, entertained, dance Salsa and even take part in comedy workshops.

Learners from the College were on hand to give makeovers and queues quickly grew as scores of women took full advantage of their opportunity to look and feel gorgeous for the day.

While Domenika Lach, Pranvera Dumani and Karolina Kulelza - who are studying Level 2 Fashion Photography Make Up - love their course because they get top tuition in making women look beautiful, Marcia Halkou - studying Level 3 Theatrical and Media Make Up - prefers the theatrical side.  Following in the footsteps of Jessie Wallace, a former student of the College who famously played Kat Moon in Eastenders, Dominika said: “I enjoy using make-up for effects like bruises and wounds – I want a career in theatre.”

Their tutor Chalene Scott, remarked: “Events like this mean our learners get the opportunity to work in real-life conditions with a wide diversity of skin types and under time pressure.  Also, we really like to take part in International Women’s Day and make women feel special for the day.”

Lynn Parker of Funny Women led comedy workshops in the morning. Three of the women she coached performed their stand-up in the afternoon at the annual Unsung Women Awards ceremony, also part of the day. Eileen Hanley won not only an award for Volunteer Caring for the Social Welfare of Haringey Irish Pensioners but also a round of applause for her skit on learning to swim at sixty and laughter on the National Health.

Workshops in painting and decorating, construction skills and fitness testing were also on offer from the College.

Charmaine Brouard, Neighbourhood Learning Coordinator for the College said: “The College has hosted the borough’s International Women’s Day celebrations for four years running.  It’s a marvellous way to work together as a community in Haringey to celebrate the many achievements of local women.”

College alumna Sev Necati set up her own business, providing a wide range of training, after studying computing and business qualifications at the College. After studying at Southbank University – an experience she says the College prepared her for very well – Sev studied as a fitness trainer in the UK and America, including time spent with a Special Forces team. Now she delivers training courses through her company, and has worked with Haringey Local Authority and the Metropolitan Police among others.

At the sixth of a recent series of taster sessions held in the College’s Tottenham Centre gym, Sev explained how the idea for the classes first came about: “I met the College’s Vice Principal Jane O’Neill through an event organised by the Metropolitan Police. We got talking and she invited me to come in and give these short introduction sessions to the College’s female learners. They’ve gone down so well that I’m now hoping to be run another series of classes at the College’s Enfield Centre too.

The tasters last an hour, and cover some basic ideas and practical techniques for how to act if threatened or attacked. Each group of learners has had the chance to role-play situations that they may face in their daily lives, such as being confronted by a mugger. Sev explains: “The emphasis is on awareness and avoiding physical confrontation if possible – that’s why I prefer the term ‘self-protection’ to ‘self-defence’. I also teach people about the law and their rights.”  

Sev has certainly enjoyed revisiting the College, and said: “It has changed a lot since I studied here – the facilities like the gym where I’ve held classes are great. I’ve been impressed with the receptive attitude of the learners too – they’re keen to pick up the techniques, and have thrown themselves into the role plays.”

Feedback from learners has likewise been overwhelmingly positive. Amongst the anonymous comments received, many commented not only on how helpful the sessions had been, but also how enjoyable.

More than 100 people attended the visual extravaganza in the Exams Hall, including some from the nursery level.

Special guests from the Shaolin Lion Dance Team played music and there was a tiger dance performance as well, marking the Year of the Tiger.

Karlene Sutherland, Project Manager of BRACE, said she was very pleased with the turnout and the wide cross-section of cultures that attended.

“Although the Chinese culture is a minority here at the Tottenham Centre, it’s important to make people aware of things like Chinese New Year,” Karlene said.

“The BRACE team did a fantastic job organising the event and there was a really good interaction with the 14 to 16 year-olds in the Q&A section.”

After a short presentation from BRACE team members, Martina Harvey and Marsha Stedman, students were able to test their knowledge and win some Chinese themed gifts for correctly answering a series of questions.

Chaz Syed, who started studying youth work at the College in September last year, was selected as a student ambassador to speak at Northumberland Park Community School.

Chaz said it was her first time speaking at an event as an ambassador, but felt it was important to pass on knowledge to school students so they were aware of their options in further training.

“Studying youth work allows me to interact with these students on their level and I can give advice about what it’s like to study at the College and the facilities available,” she said.

“From my experience I can also talk about enrichment programs, the College’s V Talent Program, BRACE (Building Relationships Across Cultures Everywhere) events, volunteering and activities like the boxing classes I coach.

“I think it’s important for local school students to know about the education and training facilities that are close to them and easily accessible.”

Student ambassadors were selected from the College’s brightest and best students, after completing Leadership and Customer Service training at London’s prestigious Kings College in December last year.  The training was a key step for the ambassadors so they felt prepared for making school visits, since it is such a critical time for school students to receive accurate information about their career options.

Louise James, who is studying a psychology course, was chosen to speak to Year 11 students at Gladesmore Community School.

She said she was happy to be an ambassador and talk about her experience at the College.

“I think the lecturers and the facilities are great, so I’m happy to be an ambassador.  I also helped out during Open Day, met with potential students and gave advice,” Louise said.

“It’s important for school students to know that the College provides a safe learning environment and if they want to learn then their attitude plays a big part.”

Potential students came to explore the College and find out more about the variety of courses on offer.  Goody bags, free mini manicures (provided by Beauty Therapy students) and site tours were also highlights of the day.

One particular visitor, Paraic Cloherty, attended Open Day to find out about courses in ICT.

Currently in sixth form at St Ignatius College, Paraic came along with his mother Sheila who also studied Business and Administration at the College.

“I want to become a computer programmer,” he said.  “I have some friends that are studying at the College and my sister is also doing Access to Nursing.”

Sheila Cloherty joked that it had become a bit of a family affair.

Another visitor through the doors at the Enfield Centre was Sara.  She said she was interested in finding out about Health and Social Care courses.

“It’s great because the College is just around the corner from where I live.  I want to get back into study.  I like caring for people so I’m thinking of studying social care,” she said.

For those who missed out on attending, there will be more Open Days held on May 1 at the Tottenham Centre and May 12 at the Enfield Centre.

The KTT Champions scheme, supported by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) and the new Engineering Foundation (NEF) has been established to explore new technologies and industrial innovations in science.

Towards the end of last year, we submitted a successful bid for the prestigious KTT Champion status, and three of the College’s lecturers in Applied Sciences are now carrying out a series of visits to Birkbeck, which will ultimately enrich the studies of our vocational science students and develop stronger progression routes to university for them.

Ann Obatomi, a science Subject Learning Coach at our Enfield Centre has now taken on the personal role of KTT Champion. She has been joined by science teachers Angela Liiv and Minas Mina in taking up a work placement at the Department of Biological Sciences at Birkbeck. The three teachers will visit Birkbeck’s central London site for the fourth and final visit this Friday, 26 February. In the course of their four visits they have been shown the very latest research in Crystallography, Microbiology and MRI Scanning among others. The partnership with Birkbeck will have tangible results for our own learners as the techniques our staff have observed will directly inform their teaching of BTEC National Diploma programmes in Laboratory Techniques, Forensic and Medical Science.

The benefits will spread even further than this, as Sally Emerson, the College’s Head of Transforming learning, explained. “As part of our role as KTT Champions, we are expected to look at what we can learn from our partner organisations in higher education, and share best practice with other colleges,” she said. “I know our staff have found their visits to Birkbeck inspirational, and now they can inspire their learners and their fellow teachers in turn.”

"Our close relationship with our local Connexions centres is an important part of our commitment to help every one of our learners to get the best employment advice and opportunities," said Howard Jeffrey, Director of Learner Recruitment and Support. "Key employability skills are built in to hundreds of our courses, and helping young people to progress from their course to a job is an increasingly crucial aspect of our role in the wider community, particularly as the country continues to recover from the economic downturn."

Connexions is the government information and advice service for young people aged 13 to 19, offering help with a wide range of issues from housing and health to finances and careers.

The briefing day held at the College’s Tottenham Centre aimed to provide an overview of the College’s work and the options open to local young people. The invited Connexions advisers were welcomed by the College’s Vice Principal for Curriculum and Learner Experience, Jane O’Neill, whose presentation gave an overview of our achievements in recent years, and the impact of the merger that formed our new College. Workshops were then provided by other College Directors and Curriculum Heads, explaining the College’s offer in our areas of vocational specialism as well as specific schemes such as the new Diploma courses and Apprenticeships. Our visitors were also given a tour of the College facilities.

The overwhelmingly positive feedback on the event included comments on how modern the College is – in its outlook as well as its facilities. The helpfulness of College staff and the effective outcomes from the event itself were also singled out for praise.

Howard Jeffrey continued: "Events like this one are a great example of best practice in further education. Colleges like ours must be committed to the entirety of each learner’s journey – whether they progress from our courses to higher education or go in to a career. By working together with organisations like Connexions, we are making that journey smooth and seamless, and the winners in all this are our local young people, their families and our community as a whole."

Open Day will be a chance for 16 to 19 year-olds to explore what the College has to offer and gain a better understanding of why it is one of London’s biggest and best vocational further education colleges.

Specialisms include construction and the built environment; health; care; early years and applied sciences; hair; beauty; retail and business; sport and recreation; ICT and creative industries; literacy; numeracy; languages and employment skills.

Potential students can get advice on courses they are interested in and they can also talk to learners to find out what it is like to study at the College.

Advice on everything from childcare and financial support, to extra help with literacy and numeracy will also be available on the day.

At this stage of the academic year the College is still recruiting for courses such as construction, video design, music, hairdressing and beauty, sports and childcare.

Alethia Jean-Marie attended Open Day last year and is now a student at the College.  She said she found the day very informative.

“It was a really good way to find out about all of my options in one place.  On the day, the staff I met were so friendly and helpful – I got a really good first impression of the College.”

The business student said: “I’m really happy with my choice”.

Open Day at the Enfield Centre runs from 3pm to 7pm and there will be a range of activities and the chance to win an iPod in the prize draw.

The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London is at the cutting edge of Apprenticeship delivery . Our position as a leading provider was cemented recently when we secured - together with Lewisham College - a share of £7m of government funding to launch an exciting Apprenticeship Training Association (ATA), which will match employers to young people and create hundreds of new Apprenticeship placements.   

We offer Apprenticeships in all of our vocational areas, including some that might surprise anyone with an old-fashioned idea of who can be an Apprentice and what they can study.

Even in 'traditional' areas like construction, our learners are breaking down gender barriers and studying in exciting, innovative ways. A good example is Catherine Neary, pictured above. When the Olympic Games get underway in East London in 2012, she will be looking on with pride as one of a handful of female construction workers able to say: “I helped to build those stadia.”

Catherine, 19, is an apprentice plumber, learning her trade with us for two days a week and spending the other three with her employer, Wingate Electrical.

“I’m enjoying it,” she says. “It’s all pretty new but I’m getting used to it. The best thing is the experience. It is a once in a lifetime chance. It’s great to get on my CV that I worked at the Olympic site."

Fellow learner Natasha McDonald is also a plumbing apprentice, and has just completed her level 3 advanced Apprenticeship. She is employed by Homes for Haringey, which manages and repairs the borough’s council housing stock.

Natasha was a qualified nursery nurse before she switched careers - and her hard work has been recognised at our recent Excellence Awards ceremony, where she was presented with the Plumbing Excellence Award. The award was Natasha's second Excellence Award in three years, following up on her 2007 success.

Other Apprentices recognised at the awards ceremony were: Nesrin Sokucu (14–16 Apprentice of the Year); Luke Woodall (Apprentice of the Year  - Construction; and Chelsie Miller (Apprentice of the Year - Healthcare and Early Years)

Our Principal, Paul Head, who is a member of the London Apprenticeship Task Force, has emphasised the important role Apprenticeships have to play in our vision for our local communities, and also how they fit into the government’s national agenda.  "The young people taken on by the companies and local authorities that we work with are not just gaining employment," he said. "They are also getting important qualifications that will set them up for their working lives.”

<i>Tales from the Shed</i> brings both original and traditional stories to life, creating a performance full of colour, characters and fun.

Performing Arts learners at our Enfield centre have worked together with the world-renowned Chickenshed Theatre company for many years. During their recent run of Pinnocchio, our learners had a source of inspiration very close at hand - the star of the show was an alumnus of their National Diploma course.

Gavin May - who played the title role in the production of Pinocchio - graduated from the Diploma in Performing Arts in 2003, and went on to complete a foundation degree in the same subject. He is just one of a huge number of the cast and crew members at Chickenshed to start their careers on the innovative courses that the College run in collaboration with the Southgate-based Theatre.

Zoe Hayes, Education Coordinator for Chickenshed, says: “The Diploma learners are involved in every aspect of the theatre’s work – as actors and crew in our productions, and in the children’s and youth theatre groups and workshops for which we’re famous.”

Pinocchio’s epic cast not only thrilled the audience with music, dance and song, but Gavin’s acrobatic range was both daring and brilliantly executed.  As Zoe explains, however, there is much more to Chickenshed beyond what happens on stage: “Both the show and theatre are fully inclusive.  Many of the performers have disabilities and the dialogue and action are explained throughout by signers who at the same time are central parts of the overall performance.”

The BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts is a two year full-time course, nationally regarded as an equivalent to three A-Levels by the examining body Edexcel.  Students explore music, dance, drama and musical theatre through a series of core and optional units, offering a practical and established route to University education.  Learners attend approximately 18 hours of lessons and practical sessions at Chickenshed per week, equipping them with relevant experience of inclusive theatre, alongside the BTEC programme of study.

Tales from the Shed will be performed on Fridays and Saturdays at Chickenshed’s Studio Theatre until 27 March.

Now in its seventh year, the annual Student Excellence Awards recognises the efforts of learners who have made significant progress in their studies, honours the College’s most inspiring teachers and acknowledges its most innovative partnership employers.

Paul Head, Principal of the College commented: "The Student Excellence Awards are the College's opportunity to celebrate excellence, achievement, commitment and success. They highlight the skills and drive of our outstanding students, the commitment to workforce development of our partner employers, and the dedication and enthusiasm of our staff."

Guest speaker The Rt Hon David Lammy MP Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, praised the College for its good work: “I am very pleased to be here tonight, not just as a Member of Parliament for Tottenham, but also as an Education Minister. I thank this college for all it has done. These are difficult times; people are struggling to make ends meet. Parents need skills for life and young people need an education to help them to make their way. I am truly proud of what this College does, not just for young people, but also for adults. Colleges like this are the engine of change for the community."

A total of 51 awards were presented, with categories including: Learner Awards, Employer Awards and Staff Awards. Prize winners included Louise Palmer from 345 Pre-Schools who was awarded an Employer Excellence Award and Mumune Kok who was recognised as Staff Member of the Year. The Plumbing Excellence Award sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Plumbers went to Natasha McDonald who completed an Apprenticeship in Plumbing at Level 3 with her employer Homes for Haringey. Grandmother Victoria Jeroh won the Health and Social Care Excellence Award after supporting herself through her studies by continuing to work as a Care Assistant in a residential home.

Joe DeCrescenzo from the London Borough of Haringey was awarded the Employer Excellence Award. He commented:
"I’m thrilled and proud of the award particularly as two union learning representatives attended to see the fruits of their labour in recruiting learners. Attending the awards really drove home what a wonderful organisation the College is and how talented its staff and learners are."

Audience members - including friends, family and members of the press - were treated to live performances by current music students Adaia Bwoga and Andreia Fafe.

Developed in partnership with Silver Track Training, the fast track Apprenticeship Programme will cover all statutory licenses and the NVQ level 2 in rail track operations, to equip learners with the qualifications required to work within the rail industry as a competent track person.  There are no entry criteria for the Apprenticeship, but learners must be drug and alcohol free as this is a statutory requirement for working within the track side of the rail industry.

As part of their Apprenticeship, learners will be sponsored by one of the rail recruitment agencies and actively supported into work on the railway, to gain hands on experience within the rail industry.  After their work experience, Apprentices are classed as fully competent to work on the rail tracks and will travel nationally to meet the labour supply contracts.

The Apprenticeship in Railway Engineering provides a sound base for further study.  Once completed, learners could progress onto various higher level qualifications such as a Foundation Degree while gaining real experience working on the track. 

The new fast-track programme takes just 14 weeks to complete and learners will gain:
•    NVQ Level 2 in Rail Track Operations
•    Personal Track Safety (PTS) Licence
•    Track Induction Course (TIC) Licence
•    Plus Key Skills in Literacy and Numeracy at Level 1

The afro hair specialist – who teaches on the College’s Barbering City & Guilds NVQ course - scooped the prestigious title at the star-studded Black Beauty & Wahl Hair Awards 2009.

Tottenham-based MK wowed the judges and guests alike with his range of innovative styles inspired by the concept ‘Tribute to our Legends’.  His stunning collection paid homage to some of the most memorable black role models of all time including Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt and Ray Charles.  One of the most popular styles of the evening was MK’s tribute to the late Michael Jackson in the form of an original interpretation of the star’s infamous ‘Off the Wall’ album cover. 

MK commented: “I’m really excited to have won Barber of the Year again – I love the chance to be creative and come up with new and exciting ideas each time, but this has been the best year so far. It makes such a difference when you enjoy your work.”

Industry experts, journalists, hairdressers and celebrities gathered for the 15th anniversary of the awards, which were held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel on Edgware Road.  Guests - including athlete Linford Christie and rapper Speech Debelle - were treated to live entertainment by comedian Funmbi, singer Sadie Ama and Avlon European Artisic Team’s Hurricane Hair Show.

The College’s Barbering City & Guilds NVQ Level 2 course is aimed at post 16 students who have achieved a full Level 2 in hairdressing or gained the equivalent of 3 years industry experience.  It is a work-based qualification, designed to teach the range of skills required to manage different types of hair, fashion, trends and the individual needs of clients. The course consists of 3 units relating to: cutting hair using basic barbering techniques, cutting facial hair, and drying hair to create finished looks for men. Students work in a modern environment with a team of highly qualified, well motivated staff.

Two staff from the College Angela Constantinides and Yazz Duale visited the charity to find out more about the scheme.  The pair also presented the charity with a gift of 144 mugs and a boxful of handy cotton tote bags on behalf of the College to be put to good use over the festive period.

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people, dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.  Every Christmas the charity operates Crisis Christmas day centres, which sees vacant and disused buildings in central London transformed into community centres over the festive period. 

Many homeless shelters and day centres close for the festive period so Crisis’ initiative provides vital shelter and support to those who would otherwise not have anywhere to sleep. 

For further information on the charity Crisis go to www.crisis.org.uk

Our Open Days are a great way for you to explore the College, speak to experts and get all the help you need to decide which course is right for you. Plus there are always loads of fun activities for you to join on the day.

Talk to our teachers and advisers and ask their advice.

Chat to our learners to find out what studying at the College is like for them.

Wander through the library, computer labs, music studio, hairdressing salons, construction workshops, sports facilities, and other parts of the College.

Register online to attend one of our open days for your chance to win some great prizes.

Make sure the dates are in your diary and we look forward to seeing you in 2010.

Register your interest now

A learner at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, nineteen year old Rose Fernando, has been appointed London’s Young Ambassador to the European Parliament. Rose, who is studying Youth Work, is already an experienced youth worker.

When Rose ran a programme entitled Worth More Than Rubies for young women involved in knife and gun crime, she so impressed the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Trident team, they nominated her for place on the National Learner Panel (NLP). Rose soon became vice-chair of the panel and from there was nominated as London’s Young Ambassador. Rose’s first official role is a visit to Copenhagen in January to meet the Danish delegation to the European Parliament.

Asked how she felt about this new role, Rose said: “I feel privileged and a little bit scared. My job will be to represent young people who are in transition from school to further education and adult learning. I hope that I can make a difference, for example to improve access to further education.”

An outstanding school student, Rose completed her GCSEs at Enfield County and achieved an impressive 6 A levels all with A grades at Alexandra Park. With a string of achievements to her name, including the ABC Foundation Award for Bridging Cultures and a Jack Petchey Award, Rose is also one of a number of young volunteers on the vTalent programme.  Rose says:  “The vTalent programme is great opportunity for me – I’ll get a formal qualification for the youth work I’ve been doing and I’m also getting more in-depth knowledge about the opinions of young people who are learners at the college and about issues in the community.”

In 2007 Rose helped set up Youth Movement, a charity promoting social inclusion for young people and providing programmes that build self-awareness, confidence and self-esteem. Rose also recently set up a business NextGeneration London which will provide a range of programmes and train other youth workers to run them.

New Students' Union Welfare Officer Shakeria Daley has big plans for the College’s learners this year – and as a budding nutritionist she has her eyes set on solving the country’s obesity problem too.

Shakeria, who is studying a National Diploma in Applied Science and A-Level maths at our Enfield centre, has a keen interest in nutrition and would eventually like to go on to study at university and work as a dietician, helping people to eat well and stay healthy. But for the meantime, it is the welfare of our students that she has at heart. As a member of the Students' Union of the newly merged College, representing more than 20,000 learners, she certainly has plenty of food for thought.  

Shakeria sees the diversity of the merged College’s learner population as a very positive thing. “It’s been good for both sets of learners to meet each other. I hope the Students' Union can lead the College as a whole in bringing everyone together – and eventually contribute to improving relations betweenall of the young people in each area. That’s why I’d love to see exchange visits for learners from different centres and courses to get a taste of each other’s lives.”

Explaining why she ran for election to the Students' Union, Shakeria said: “I think the Union can really make a difference – we’re keen to get our ideas to the people who really matter, and we know the College is going to listen seriously to us.”

“When I was campaigning for election, I met some learners who asked ‘what’s the point?’ and I really enjoyed the challenge of talking them around to see that we can get our voice heard. I want to help make the Union as approachable and inclusive as possible.”

Issues that Shakeria has already looked into include the choice and price of food in the College’s canteens. Another project close to her heart is to arrange visits from ex-offenders and youth workers to speak to learners about issues around crime and drugs use in their communities.

Many of the Students' Union's officers study at our Enfield centre. Karlene Sutherland, a member of the College’s Learner Enrichment team said: “people have really engaged with our Students' Union – we had over 600 votes in the election, the most we’ve ever had. It’s brilliant that learners from our Enfield site have done so well in the elections, and they’re very keen to work across both sites to bring learners together and help the learners to get their voices heard.”

“We’re already planning lots of events to bring the learners from both sites together. The Students' Union representatives are so full of ideas, it’s great. We’ve talked about having a table tennis competition, a spelling bee, and even a Question Time event where the learners can find out what the reps think about important issues.”

From January of next year, more local young people will be able to train for a job in the construction industry with one of the country’s finest colleges – The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.

Already a leading provider of training for the construction industry at our Tottenham centre, we are expanding that training to new purpose-built workshops at our Enfield centre – formerly Enfield College.

The first course on offer has been specially designed to give a taste of different building trades before each learner decides where their talents lie.  

Head of Construction, Dave Lambert, said: “This course – the Basic Construction Skills Certificate - is a perfect stepping stone into the construction industry. It’s very flexible, so learners can give each trade a go and see what they’re best at, or just what they enjoy most. Young people really do find hidden talents once they start trying the different skills.” 

The five areas that make up the training are brickwork, carpentry and joinery, plumbing, electrical and painting and decorating. The course will take two days per week over six months to complete, and will prepare learners for more intensive study in their chosen trade, leading to employment in the construction industry. The course is open to anyone who was under the age of 19 on 31 August 2009, and young people on the course may be eligible for the Government’s Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), with payments of up to £30 per week.

David Collie, a plumbing apprentice who studied at the College, said: “I found the studying was easy because the teachers weren’t like teachers at school, they were more on the same level. It’s great to have a trade, something to fall back on, even if you change your career later on. Now I love my job – I’m lucky that I ended up doing this.”

Dave Lambert explained: “Someone starting this course in January will be ready to start a course in their chosen trade area at the next level up next September. When they’re ready, we’ll also help our learners to get employment – we have a good relationship with dozens of local firms, and we can match each learner to the right company. They know that our learners will come to them with the right knowledge and skills for the industry.”

He added: “This sort of course is ideal for anyone who wants a more hands-on style of training than the traditional school classroom. Although you’ll spend time in the classroom and on the computer, it’s very practical, and you’ll be picking up real skills and experience right from the start.”

Applicants for the course will be invited to attend an assessment day on Wednesday 13 January.

The event follows closely on from our Tottenham Centre Open Day, and we will be looking to help many more people to find the right course and put them on track for a brighter future.

The Open Day event held recently at our Tottenham Centre saw hundreds of youngsters and adults get the advice and guidance that will put them on the path to their dream career.

The event, held on Saturday 7 November, also saw a former College learner returning here fresh from success at university. Paula Papleka, 22, first came to the College in 2003, having left school at the age of 16. Having studied at the College for three years, she won a place at Greenwich University – and this summer she graduated with an honours degree in History and Law.

Paula, who is currently deciding whether to pursue a career in Law or as a teacher of History, explained why she had come along to the Open Day. “I’ve brought a friend with me today, who is interested in training as an electrician. I told him that the College has an amazing reputation for all construction skills courses. But I also wanted to come and see Joanne [Bantin], the College’s Mentor Manager. I was a mentor here for two of my three years, helping learners who were on the same courses as I had done. It was really enjoyable, plus it looks great on my CV, and shows I really made the most of my time at College.”

Howard Jeffrey, the College’s Director of Learner Information and Support, said at last Saturday’s event: “It’s great to see so many people here today, and to know that many of them will be enrolling with us in the future. For many of the people here today, walking in to our Open Day will completely change their lives – it could lead to a new job, a promotion, or – as with Paula - a place at a top university.”

One such university is Birkbeck, University of London. As a result of the College’s exciting new partnership, Birkbeck staff attended the event, and were at hand to advise learners about their possible route into higher education.