Model student in London Shoot

Darren Towers, 16, from Houghton Regis, has taken a further step in his modelling career. On November 10, he will spend the day at a photo shoot in London for a national press campaign. He will be photographed by world famous photographer, Nuno Veloso, and his hair for the day will be styled by celebrity hairdresser, Lee Stafford, whose clients include Madonna and Naomi Campbell.

Darren is currently studying Hairdressing Level 1 and would like a career in hair and fashion, specialising in runway hair. Within the world of professional hairdressers, he most admires Charles Worthington. Darren is already no stranger to the worlds of fashion and photography. In 2006, he worked on a fashion shoot for Diesel and a press advertising campaign.

Child sex trade stimulates debate

Aimhigher visit to the University of Bedfordshire

The AS and A2 Sociology classes plus the Access groups enjoyed a thought-provoking and insightful visit to the University of Bedfordshire. Professor David Barrett delivered a lecture on the subject of “Child sex work and child trafficking in NW Europe”. Professor Barrett has conducted extensive action research on this topic; visiting many Western and Eastern European countries in the process.

After the lecture, the students debated such salient points as, “Why do governments allow this to happen?”, “In whose interests do governments work?”, “Why is the client group mainly male?” and “Why are the sentences for child trafficking less than those for drug trafficking?”

This debate then sparked further discussion on the subject of moral government, the commoditisation of humanity and finally, “Is the liberal West to blame anyway for its own problems in this area as it condones the commoditisation of all goods, including the sex trade?” “If this is the case," it was argued, "why should child trafficking be treated differently? Surely, the goods are only supplied if there is a ready demand? Within capitalism the market will ultimately decide on what or who is for sale.”

This was a powerful gathering and in true university style, it culminated in several different conclusions.

Dunstable College tutor is awarded the TUC Women’s Gold Badge Award

At the Trade Union Annual Congress in Brighton, held on Monday 10th September 2007, Dunstable College Tutor Lorene Fabian was awarded the TUC Women’s Gold Badge Award by Gordon Brown.



Lorene is a tutor working in the Trade Union Studies Unit at Dunstable College, delivering courses which assist trade unionists in the workplace who are representing workers in the area of workers' rights, health and safety and training.

Lorene was selected for the award because of her continued hard work in assisting women trade unionists to gain confidence in their workplace, enabling them to gain rights for themselves and the women they represent in their role as Shop Stewards. Lorene also played an active role in producing and delivering 'equal pay training', and continues to campaign for women's rights for her union Unite – Amicus Section.

This is a fantastic achievement for Lorene and highlights the dedication and commitment shown by Dunstable College staff in ensuring that a high standard of teaching is delivered to all students.

Local firm invests in a new Electrical Suite at the Learning Warehouse

The Learning Warehouse, Dunstable College’s Leighton Buzzard campus, is boasting a brand new Electrical Suite after receiving heavy investment from a local business.

The invested funds have provided excellent facilities for students and the community. The facilities are currently being utilised by local school children on the 14-16 years programme, and by the 16 years and over students. All students are working towards their City and Guilds qualifications.

This new electrical suite forms an integral part of the facilities at the Learning Warehouse. The plumbing course is going from strength to strength, attracting a host of new students. The campus also offers other vocational courses, including Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy. These courses offer fully operational salons to the public, providing students with the opportunity to gain experience from working in a salon environment.

One of the key aims of the Learning Warehouse is to provide a valuable local training centre for the people of Leighton Buzzard and the surrounding area. 14-16 Coordinator Rachel Halling commented “The Learning Warehouse has been designed to provide excellent facilities for a variety of vocational courses to all ages. It is great to see local firms investing in training local people to benefit the community as a whole”.

The new Level 1 City and Guilds Electrical course will be starting on Monday 29th October. For further information on this and other courses at the Learning Warehouse please call 01525 374123.