Students Enter National Creative Competition

Students studying a BA in Graphic Design for Print and New Media at Dunstable College have been invited to submit entries for The Shelf – a national creative awards competition. The Shelf is opening its invitation to graduating creatives from a wide pool of universities for the very first time. Judged by a panel of leading Creative DIrectors, The Shelf helps to bridge the gap from graduation to employment.

Celeste Henney, Course Leader, comments:

“It is often the first initial contact with agencies that students most struggle with so I didn’t hesitate to encourage my students to enter The Shelf Awards. Any industry is a good one and the chance to network with graduates and leading creatives is always a valued prize to any competition.”

Founded seven years ago by Gary Sharpen, Executive Creative Director of WDMP, a leading advertising agency, The Shelf is now run with MajorPlayers – the UK’s number one creative recruiter – and offers a huge career boost for the winning graduates. It was established as a way of uncovering and supporting the best in young creative talent, by helping to channel it into some of the best creative agencies.

The closing date for submissions was the start of May. Entries will be judged by a panel of leading Creative Directors who will select six teams. These will then be invited to attend a special awards ceremony on 3 July 2008 at the unique “Under the Westway” members' bar in Westbourne Studios. Those who make the shortlist will have the opportunity to showcase a range of their work, with the opportunity to meet leading Creative Directors as well as other industry experts. Importantly, they will also have the chance to secure work placements at top agencies – a vital step towards full-time employment.

The evening will conclude with the awarding of The Shelf, which will have been decided by votes from the guests on the night. The overall winners will receive The Shelf, which is so called because upon it the young creatives will be able to place the future awards they are sure to gather throughout their careers.

Gary Sharpen comments:

“Extending the reach of The Shelf will enable us to seek out and support even more fantastic young creative talent. Through The Shelf we aim to make the leap from college to the industry a positive and well structured one. This benefits both the individual creatives and the future of our industry. Thanks to the excellent support of MajorPlayers we are aiming to support more and more bright prospects.”

Rachel Gott, Divisional Head of Creative at MajorPlayers, added:

“It’s a real privilege for MajorPlayers to work alongside Gary Sharpen – a real innovator within the creative industry whose heart for encouraging new talent resonates strongly with our own. As the UK’s number one creative recruiter, MajorPlayers constantly looks for ways to support the industries that we recruit into and The Shelf Awards are a really fantastic opportunity for graduates looking to get a leg up into their first creative role within one of the top marketing or advertising agencies.”

This event is one of a series of creative and marketing industry events to be held this year by MajorPlayers. As well as supporting the industries MajorPlayers recruits into, the programme of events reflects one of the company’s founding principles – that a candidate’s career history is a journey in which a recruiter should play a constructive ongoing part. MajorPlayers sees these networking events as an opportunity to feed the talent in the industry rather than prey on them.

Design Award for College Student

Congratulations go to Dunstable College’s Hazel Snell, from the BA (Hons) in Graphic Design for Print and New Media course, who has just won Silver in the Starpack Student Awards for Best Package Design. Her winning concept for a festival pack got outstanding marks and was said by the judges to be "both fun and practical."

The awards ceremony on 22 May will take place at Carlton House and her award will be presented by the Senior Packaging Technologist from Marks and Spencer, Mark Caul. Her design will then be on show at The Cafe Royal, where it will be viewed by the contenders for the Starpack Industry Awards. Printed in the winners’ book, Hazel’s work will go on to represent UK colleges and universities in the World Star Student Awards, an International competition open to all winners.

Hazel, aged 21, is from County Wicklow, Ireland and currently lives in Luton. After graduating, she wants to work as a designer. Hazel says, "I was delighted to win such an award, it felt like all of the hard work paid off and will be great on my C.V." Hazel's winning work will be on display at the London D&AD Show in June and also at the College's End of Year Art, Design, Media and Performing Arts Show, which is open to the public June 19–24.

Mature student attracted back in to education by Art & Design courses at Dunstable College

Art & Design courses at Dunstable College are attracting mature students who have been out of education for some time, and providing a route for them to return to study in their chosen subject. Jan Drury enrolled on the part-time Foundation Diploma in Art & Design course, and cannot believe the difference it has made to her life.

Jan comments, “In 2006 after completing several art based evening classes, I applied for a place on the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. I have been attending the course on a part time basis and ‘love’ it. The reason for my applying for the course was that I had reached a stage in my life when I wanted to do something for myself and having always had an interest in artistic ventures I decided to take the plunge and really stretch myself. Dunstable was always my first choice of college and I have not been disappointed. The level of tuition and support is superb and I will be sorry to leave the course. I had never been to a gallery before and did not know any artists. Now I have become an ‘art bore’ constantly going on about artists and techniques. The trip to Berlin was the highlight of the course, so far.

I was apprehensive at first returning to learning as a mature student but needn’t have worried. All the students young and old learn from each other and I think enhance each other’s work”.

Course Team Leader, Lee Birkett adds, “This course has proven to be very popular and has given a real boost to the students’ confidence. Students gain a variety of skills and the opportunity to sample a wide range of art and design areas, including fine art, graphics, 3D and textiles. They go onto focus these skills in their strongest area, working towards progression onto an appropriate degree programme, or employment. It is ideal for those who have sampled art and design at some stage in their life, but for whatever reason were unable to take this interest further at the time”.

For further information on the part-time courses available at Dunstable College please call 0845 355 2525, or visit www.dunstable.ac.uk

Dunstable College provides clear progression routes for students

Dunstable College is providing students with a clear progression route within their chosen subject, enabling students to study at the College for up to five years and gain an Honours degree.

Students are able enter the College to study for a Further Education course then continue their studies on one of the College’s extensive Foundation Degree schemes, with the option to then complete a one year top Honours degree here at Dunstable College or at a University of their choice.

One of the newest subjects to be offered by the College is the National Diploma in Graphics, this forms an integral part of the strong Art & Design department within the College. Course Team Leader, Stuart Dall commented “The National Diploma in Graphics is an exciting new course that has a strong computer led focus. The aim is to encourage the students to remain at the College throughout their studying career. This provides students with the opportunity to work with actual clients within the industry, therefore gaining excellent work based experiences.”

For further information on the National Diploma in Graphics or any other courses please contact Dunstable College on 0845 355 2525, www.dunstable.ac.uk

SKF (U.K.) Limited Joins Chiltern Business Training to Provide Young People with Apprenticeship Opportunities

Local Luton based company, SKF (U.K.) Limited, recognises the benefits apprenticeship training can bring to their organisation. As a successful engineering company producing SKF Explorer spherical roller bearings and CARB toroidal roller bearings, it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit skilled workers with the relevant industry experience. The Apprenticeship programme will support them in recruiting and training young people within the company to their own high standards and allow them to tailor the training, making it relevant to their business. With new apprentices taken on each year it will allow succession planning across the workforce.

SKF (U.K.) Limited has worked alongside Chiltern Business Training to design a programme, advertise and recruit apprentices with the first intake being this summer. Mr S. Gunston, Factory Manager, SKF (U.K.) Limited "SKF recognises the importance that Advanced Engineering apprenticeships have in filling the ever growing skill gap in UK manufacturing. They will also show young people that manufacturing, in progressive companies, can provide a rewarding and challenging career for those that choose this path.”

Chiltern Business Training is the business development department of Dunstable College. They have been working alongside employers in South Bedfordshire to provide a range of business training solutions for over 15 years. New and long established businesses alike are aware of the need for succession planning and investment of training into their workforce. Apprenticeships are a proven solution, with a wealth of benefits to the employer and employees. Apprenticeships offer employed young people the opportunity to work towards a portfolio of qualifications through on and off the job training, giving them industry relevant and nationally recognised qualifications.

For more information contact Chiltern Business Training on 01582 861607.

Sport Relief

Dunstable College students on the Pathways and Townsend Centre courses did their bit for Sport Relief, when they walked a mile together, getting people to sponsor their efforts.

To date about £70 has been raised, with more money due in.

As these students have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, this was a huge achievement for them.

The group marched through Houghton Regis, with banners held high, and in spite of the cold they all enjoyed their walk.

Dunstable College attracts international football star

On Friday 11th April Dunstable College students had the opportunity to speak to former Tottenham and Republic of Ireland international Tony Galvin. Having won two FA cup winners medals and one European Winners medal, Tony had vast experience to pass on to the students studying the sports courses based at the Kingsland Skills Institute Campus.

Now working as a Quality Manager for the LSC, Tony was able to speak to the students about some of the highlights of his career, but also the importance of gaining good qualifications. This included him achieving his degree before he became a professional footballer, which has provided him with a solid grounding for a career after football.

Some of the questions students asked included:

Best player you’ve ever played against? Rudd Gullit

Best player you’ve played with? Glenn Hoddle

Best team you’ve played against? Liverpool in the 1980’s

Head of Sport, Gary Lee commented, “being new to the College, I think it’s fantastic that we are attracting sports stars to the College. They are able to see the great facilities available to our students, and provide students with an ideal opportunity to learn from professional sport stars”.

For further information about the Sports courses available at Dunstable College please call 0845 355 2525 or visit www.dunstable.ac.uk

Dunstable College sports students delivering multi-sport activities to local schools

Students on the Football Development programme at Dunstable College are delivering multi-sport activities to local school children. Dunstable College has set up a relationship with Hawthorn Lower School, whereby the students deliver sporting activities to their students in years 1 to 6. This includes multi-sport lunchtime activities and curriculum based activities.

This scheme is attracting external trainers who are keen to develop coaching skills within the community. On Friday 4th April the students received a masterclass from Daniel Walker who runs Brazilian Soccer Schools. This masterclass enabled the students to learn from the best, and to deliver improved coaching to local children. The excellent skills shown by the students has led to one of the Higher Education students being offered a job working for Daniel; and two of the Further Education students currently completing trials to gain employment.

Football Development Manager, Colin Sharpe commented, “the relationship we’ve developed with Hawthorns Lower school provides the school children with a variety of sporting activities, and enables our students to gain practical coaching experience”.

Dunstable College students visit Lloret de Mar in Spain

Travel and Tourism students from Dunstable College recently enjoyed a study break to Lloret de Mar in Spain. Departing from Luton airport on a cold Monday morning, the trip proved to be very educational for the 38 students who attended, enabling the students to gain further information on the hospitality industry.

The students experienced a mix of educational visits and free time during their trip. This included a behind the scenes tour of their hotel and a visit to a traditional flamenco show called ‘La Masia’ in Tordera, a province in Barcelona.

Second year student Aimee Aslam commented, “I thought that the study visit was extremely successful. Everyone had a great time and it was a brilliant opportunity”.

Travel and Tourism tutor, Maggie parsons added, “The study trips provide a good opportunity for students to transfer a lot of the information they have learnt in the classroom to a real life environment. Both staff and students enjoyed the experience, and we’re looking forward to next year’s trip”.

Ice Hockey Star Student Returns From Notre Dame

DUNSTABLE COLLEGE STUDENT PICKED FOR ICE HOCKEY TEAM AT NOTRE DAME, USA

Daniel Chaplen a student who studied on the National Diploma in Sports at Dunstable College in 2006 and left the programme part way through to follow his ambition of becoming a world class Ice Hockey player has since returned to continue his studies. Tutors at Dunstable College are confident that he will achieve the highest standard in his assessments in June and are excited about the great future that lies ahead for him.

Daniel writes: "At the end of my 1st year as an under 19 in 2006 I decided that if I wanted to further my opportunities in ice hockey that I needed to spend time in Canada playing and training. I looked into a few colleges across North America but the best one by far was Notre Dame. Notre Dame is a college devoted to ice hockey in the province of Saskatchewan.
Soon after I applied I received a letter saying that I had been accepted into the college, so after the summer, I would be leaving for 9 months. This was definitely one of the biggest opportunities I have had and everyone was very supportive and happy for me.

"When I arrived at the college in September I found that I was going to be spending the best part of a year in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere! It looked like something from the Wild West, with dirt roads and a population of about 400, most of which was the students. The land was so flat; you could look out the window and see for miles. During the year I was to experience different climates, with temperatures ranging from 30 degrees in the summer, down to -30 with -40 wind chill in the winter, which is very cold.

"At the beginning of the year I went through about 4 weeks of trials which decided which team I would be playing with for the season. The team I was put on was made up of players from all across the world: Canada, America, Belgium and even Japan. I was also very lucky and honoured to be given the role of assistant captain, which would usually go to a player who has been at the college for a few years.

"My team had a great season, we played the first 10 or so games unbeaten and we were not defeated at home all year. I got to travel to different places across Canada and America, playing teams from all over, this was a great experience as I was playing a completely different type of game than I was back in the UK.

"Overall our team had a great year, just missing out on the league title, we where knocked out of the play offs in the last round. I was very happy at the end of season awards to receive the MVP award and also to be top point scorer for my team.

"Although I went to Canada to play hockey I learnt so much more, gaining the experience of living away from home in a different country with people I had never met before. It was difficult at first, and didn’t seem like a place that I wanted to stay at, but by the time it came around to leaving in June 07, I had made so many new friends who I will have for the rest of my life, and it was very hard to leave."

The National Diploma in Sports is the equivalent to three A-Levels and will see that Daniel is on track to continuing his outstanding achievements in his sporting career. Colin Sharpe, tutor at the College commented: “We are always very proud of students who excel in their chosen sports and encourage them to aim for the top. The qualifications that they receive will give them a well-rounded knowledge of health, fitness and the sports industry and provide all the skills needed for them to go on to higher education or straight into their career”. Dunstable College is enrolling now for this year’s programme. Please visit: www.dunstable.ac.uk/football for more information.

Clothes Show

Students and staff from the Foundation Degree in Graphic Design and Advertising and the BA (Hons) in Graphic Design for Print and New Media courses had a great time at the Clothes Show held at the NEC in Birmingham. Celeste Henney, Course Team Leader from the BA (Hons) in Graphic Design for Print and New Media, comments, “We saw the University catwalk shows and the fantastic fashion show in the main arena and picked a few bargains on the way. We all enjoyed the fact that you could see things other than just main high street brands and were inspired by the graphics and displays as well as the use of materials. A big thing seemed to be environmental issues which meant the use of old clothes to make new and fabrics generated from organic cottons, bamboo and hemp being on visible display.”

One of the star purchases from the show, a pair of designer shoes!

Design for facelift scores big hit for Roger

Congratulations to IT student Roger Farrow on having his work chosen for the new website for the Houghton Regis town centre facelift. The site will act as an information portal, carrying news on the progress of the work in Bedford Square and Roger designed and produced the site himself.

The design project was set by South Beds District Council and Roger found himself up against two of his fellow students in the shortlist: Matthew Freeman and Liam Moseley. The final decision rested with the Head of ICT at South Beds District Council, Rob Wood, who found the selection process an extremely difficult one owing to the high calibre of entries. Roger’s work was chosen as it presented the best mix of information and design.

Roger is studying a Foundation Degree in Web Design and his tutors, Andrew Hill and Derek Condon, are delighted at the opportunity this gave Roger and his fellow students to gain practical experience of working on a live brief. All three students were rewarded with IT vouchers for their hard work.