Leaving is often just the beginning

In education – you don’t always get to see what happens to students when they finish their education and go on to the next chapter of their lives.

That is why it is fascinating seeing the excellent documentary series currently showing on the telly entitled 56 Up. It started in 1964 and follows the lives of a variety of people from different backgrounds.  

Initially entitled 7 Up, the programme has been catching up with those involved to see how their opinions and attitudes have changed.

Educationally, it is interesting to see how aspirations, careers and relationships may have changed, but reassuringly, the core of the people that began this process essentially remains.

Whilst we don’t know what happens to all of our students, we do sometimes get updates from them.  

When we attend local fetes or shows – look out for us at this year’s Suffolk Show by the way – former students often come and chat to us and tell us how they’ve been getting on.

We had a careers event recently and were delighted to welcome back former learners who have set up successful local businesses. They shared their experiences with current Otley recruits.

Also, some of our staff used to study at the College and have come back to us to share their knowledge with current Otley learners as well. 

For example, we have a Countryside Management lecturer who is on the brink of celebrating ten years of working at Otley. A former Construction student is now our Director of this department. And a Landscape and Garden design expert is now a Foundation degree tutor.

It’s been interesting seeing how their lives and careers have developed and we are always keen to find out how others have got on, post Otley.

When people leave us, it is often just the beginning, or sometimes the start of a new beginning for those who come to us to retrain.

Either way, we want everyone to be successful. We want everyone to make a difference. And we want them to find a career that makes them content. These seem to be the recurring themes in the documentary that I mentioned earlier. You should watch it.

If you are a former student, we would love to hear from you and find out what you are doing now.

Alternatively, if you are thinking about coming to OtleyCollege, we have an open morning with taster sessions on Saturday 16 June  (9.30am to 1pm) – call 01473 784248 or email info@otleycollege.ac.uk for details.

Events Bring Us Together

Less than 80 days until the Olympics is open all hours.

Speaking of sitcoms, I must say, I’m enjoying that spoof Olympic documentary starring Hugh Bonneville called Twenty Twelve. Some of the farcical predicaments the characters find themselves in are proper Arkwright and Granville ridiculous – hopefully plans for the real thing are on track. Of course running any big event is not easy to organise, as we discovered when running our Big Day Out. You’re never quite sure what will happen and how it will turn out.

Our Big Day took place two days after the Suffolk floods. We had to assume that the weather would be bad and bring the majority of our outdoor events inside. Yet in adversity, people raise their game. And as a college, we were delighted with the support that we received from local businesses and the community.

We received some great feedback from attendees. We had a lovely email from the local Guide Dog charity. They managed to make over £500. The East Anglian Air Ambulance and Prince’s trust will also share profits.

Yet as one event comes to an end, planning for others continue. So, next up for us is the Suffolk Show. Once again, we will be involved in various areas of the showground. For example, we are currently in the planning stages of building a garden for Archant’s stand. Our countryside management department will be selling charcoal and giving visitors some Ray Mears style hints and tips. Our students will be involved in construction skills competitions and our equine students will be helping out in Showjumping competitions.

Our main stand will be showcasing our different departments, as staff will take to the stage and give 20 minute ‘Otley’s got Talent’ style demonstrations, based around some of the interesting things that can be learnt on our courses.

As a business, attending events is an important part of working in the local community. So aside from the Suffolk Show, we will be visiting fetes, country fairs and many open days in the coming weeks. We truly will be – open all hours – over the coming summer months. Speaking of which, I saw Nurse Gladys (actress Lynda Baron) from said sitcom at Ipswich train station last year with Rod Hull. I was off to the Grundisburgh Flower Show. She was off to officially open another Suffolk fete. You never know who you might meet or what you might find out at one of our county’s great events. For more details about Otley College – visit our website – ww.otleycollege.ac.uk – if not, see you at an event soon……

Celebrating Standing Out with Otley’s Eighth “Big Day Out”

It was our Big Day Out on Saturday.  And what a day it was! 

Last year we had over 5,000 visitors.

This year, we had a similar turn out, despite the recent weather conditions.

This was our eighth Big Day Out.

In previous years we have been incredibly lucky with the conditions as sun cream has generally been the must bring item of choice, as opposed to an umbrella.

This year, in the run up to our event, the forecast wasn’t brilliant, but amazingly we didn’t have any rain!

However, the one year when it did rain heavily, we found that the majority of people seemed to have just as much fun.

They also got to see more of what was going on at Otley, by staying inside and having a look around individual departments.

We worked really hard on a contingency plan, just in case, to ensure that if it had decided to rain, the majority of businesses and events would be undercover.

It turned out we were well starred after all – fitting, given that this year’s theme was “Stand Out – Be a Star with Otley”. 

A glimpse of the proceedings at the family fun day, should you have missed them, included educational advice, a chance to learn new practical skills, craft stalls, a food market, gifts, a dog show, refreshments, community groups and around forty businesses doing their thing.

All our departments were on hand to chat to students, parents and guardians about the variety of courses at Otley. 

We were delighted to have media partners East Anglian Daily Times and Town 102 FM for the event.

We stuck to our values and made sure we continued to have free entry, free parking and a free programme.

Annest Hopkins, one of the organisers of the event said: “As well as being a great day out for all the family, our Big Day Out gives visitors the chance to see the all the fantastic facilities that we have, talk to staff about career options and find out what makes studying at Otley a unique and positive experience.  We did everything we can to make sure visitors had a great time.  We always welcome feedback so please get in touch with what you loved most about the event.”

All profits will be shared this year between two charities – The East Anglian Air Ambulance and The Prince’s Trust.

Otley is situated eight miles north of Ipswich. For more details about the college, you can check out our newly updated website www.otleycollege.ac.uk

Invigorating Experiences

 One of the most inspiring and emotional times at the college is when out Prince’s Trust students attend their graduation ceremony.

 Each student – who has completed the course – has to stand up in front of their peers and an assembled audience (most recently, over 100 guests were present) to discuss what the course had done for them and what they want to do with their lives in the future.

 Sometimes hearing the stories being told is hard.

 For example, this time around, we had two students who had been bullied at school.

 Another student had suffered from illness but went on the course to get her life back on track – she has just got a job with a national brand.

 Another lad overcame a computer game addiction and now wants to become a youth worker.

 One chap with a young family had managed to secure employment after impressing bosses on his work placement.

 And all of those who had taken part in this particular programme seemed to have been invigorated by the experience.

 Of course, now the real work starts and it’s down to each individual to make a name for themselves.

 But this group all had a sense (and a vision) of where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do.

 It was a pleasure to be invited to the evening ceremony.

 During the event, I discovered that the group had managed to raise over £3882 that will be used for local causes. Some of the money was spent giving children Easter eggs at Ipswich hospital. And the majority of the cash was / will be used at a project at Woodfields Courtin Stowmarket.

 The care home needed some assistance in the creation of some new and updated facilities in the gardens of their operation, and learners – who were all part of a team called ‘Different’ – spent their time and energy updating a summer house, tidying an outdoor area and creating a rock garden.

 Head of the project at Otley, Les Holden, said, “I’m constantly amazed at how the group both collectively and individually changes during our 12 week programme – it’s an honour to be a part of an educational project that consistently changes lives for the better.”

 For more information about the programme, call the contact team on 01473 784203 or email info@otleycollege.ac.uk

 

Travel, Communities and Easter Eggs

I’ve been away for the past week, enjoying the fine climes ofCalifornia.

 Well at least I thought I would be. As it turned out, I would have gained more of a tan staying at home.

 They don’t mention the rain and chilly March temperatures in the glossy brochures.

 So, after many hours of travel, one night in Vegas and bizarrely getting mistaken for Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Costner on the same day, it’s great to be home.

 Home is most certainly where my heart is, however, travel has an enormous capability to educate on every level.

 Many of our learners are lucky enough to visit different parts of the world during their study time with us.  

 For example, earlier this year, our agricultural students went on a tour to Germany, visiting one of the largest agricultural exhibitions in the world (over 415000 visitors attended AGRITECHNICA).

 Last month, some of our animal science and welfare Foundation degree learners tracked animals, visited a crocodile sanctuary and safely saw off the charge of an elephant during an educational tour ofSouth Africa.

 Later in April, a group of our garden design students will be travelling toHollandwhere they will have a look around the 2012 World Horticulture Exhibition in Floriade and see 150 gardens at a place called Appeltern in a bid to increase their knowledge.

 But whilst travel is an integral part of life at the college (both in theUKand abroad), it’s equally important to not forget about the community that we work within. (Look out for news on our Big Day Out community day soon).

 A timely reminder of this was when I had to cover a story about some of our Prince’s Trust students who were dishing out some Easter eggs at a hospital inIpswichthis week).

 Community work is an important ideology of this programme and previous Prince’s Trust groups have created an information DVD for a women’s charity and built a play area at a children’s school.

 This programme is designed to promote the ideology that the local community is hugely important.

 Combining that passion with a thirst for a worldwide outlook and knowledge is a balance that we continually strive towards.

 For more information about OtleyCollege, you can visit us at our careers taster day on Saturday 21 April 2012 between 9am and 4pm. Visitors can take part in taster sessions and tour the college. To book, call 01473 784248 or email info@otleycollege.ac.uk

Apprenticeships are “On the Map”

The new season of The Apprentice has returned to our screens but has it lost its edge?

 It’s still incredibly entertaining to watch.

 But many argue that the entertainment lies not in the quality of the candidates – more their lack of quality.

 Either way, it helps put Apprenticeships on the map which is good for businesses, colleges and training providers such as ourselves – so we are certainly not complaining.

 (If you are a business or individual who would like some information about Apprenticeships at Otley, please feel free to call Kim Hutchings on 01473 784177 or email kim.hutchings@otleycollege.ac.uk )

 Apprenticeships aside, we are gearing up for our annual events season that will see us appear at a host of local and county shows – as well as staging one of our own community events on Saturday 5 May 2012 at our main campus based eight miles north of Ipswich.

 The event – called The Big Day Out – starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm.

 This is our version of a mini county show and it will be the eighth anniversary of an occasion that attracted over 5000 visitors last year.

 Entrance is free and so is car parking and we are delighted that the East Anglian Daily Times and Town 102 FM have agreed to be our partners.

 Many businesses have already booked their place at one of our many different zones.

 We will have a food and drink village, a craft marquee and an area for outdoor pursuits.

 Engineering companies and equine businesses can take advantage of prime locations.

 There will also be a lifestyle and children’s spot, but if none of these apply to your business and you would like to attend, we would be delighted to hear from you and will always find you a space.

 It costs £30.00 to attend (as a business) so if you would like to find out more, you can call Annest Hopkins on 01473 784276 or email annest.hopkins@otleycollege.ac.uk

 Two charities that will benefit from any profits made will be The Princes Trust and the East Anglian Air Ambulance. We hope to see you on Saturday 5 of May.

 (As a football fan myself, it’s worth noting that our Big Day Out takes place on FA cup final day. If you are a football fan as well – don’t fret. We will be showing the build up and game on TV screens in designated areas of the college).

 

Learning to aspire to great heights

When I first arrived at the college, we had a less than ten sport students.

Today, we have 80 full time learners and this figure is rising. This is partly because we are one of the only colleges in this region to offer outdoor education options that sees learners gain a host of new skills and qualifications in a variety of subjects ranging from windsurfing to archery, and kayaking to climbing.

Most recently, the sport department invested in some climbing facilities that were officially unveiled by the oldest British woman to have climbed Mount Everest. Amanda Richmond is a teacher from Ipswich. At 54, she battled electrical storms, giant snow plumes and freezing temperatures to scale the 8,850m mountain, the highest on earth. She talked to students and staff at the official launch and this is the kind of experience we are keen to offer our students.

With the Olympics just around the corner, arguably, sport has never reached such a high profile in this country. We are keen to let our learners gain as much as they can from an event that will probably never visit these shores again in our lifetime. So we were delighted that last week, 20 of our learners have signed up to work in paid roles and will have direct access to one of the greatest shows on earth.

And last year, three athletes who will be competing in the Olympic and Paralympic games visited the college. They shared their stories and enabled our learners to hear first hand from people in the know, what you have to do to try and reach the top.

Personally, I was lucky enough to meet Seb Coe recently. Growing up, I remember his great battles between Steve Ovett and Steve Cram and its spine tingling stuff when you hear a sporting great enthusiastically reflect on their career. Their determination to succeed cannot help but inspire.

By offering our students the opportunity of seeing, hearing and meeting people who have achieved (or are on the verge of achieving), we hope that they will be inspired to achieve great things in their lives when they finish at Otley.

For more information about sport courses at the college, in the first instance you can call Bev Lee on 01473 784131 or email belee@otleycollege.ac.uk

Finally, we recently received support from the Royal Yachting Association that will enable us to expand our sports clubs and equipment. This will ultimately offer more opportunities to both staff and students. It’s great to be working with a national governing body. More details soon…