Barratt's open students minds to career options

Students studying Construction and Business at NULC were invited to take part in a question and answers session with the Regional Managers of Barratt Developments PLC.

A team of seven staff from Barratt Developments PLC came to the College and chatted to students about their own career paths before students got the opportunity to ask questions about the career paths available to them.

Bernard Rooney, Regional Managing Director for Barratt Central said: “I’m delighted to bring my Regional Management team to Newcastle-under-Lyme College today.  We want to build on existing relationships that have been developed with a number of organisations.  It is great to meet and interact with the students who could potentially be our employees of the future.”

Barratt Developments PLC offers a range of career paths in areas including Construction, Design, Sales and Finance.  Students were also able to find out more about The Barratt Academy which includes an Apprentice Programme, Site Manager Programme and Technical and Commercial Programme.

Student Jess Bollington who is studying BTEC Level 3 in Business said: “I’ve come along today to find out more about career opportunities after I have finished my course.  I’m excited to find out what’s on offer from the Barratt Academy.”

Pictured: Bernard Rooney Regional Managing Director for Barratt Central and NULC student Jess Bollington.

To find out more about the range of vocational courses on offer at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.

Students attend Designer Safety Awareness Day

Students studying the BTEC in Construction attended the Designer Safety Awareness Day at the North Staffordshire Medical Institute.

The event was organised as part of the Work Well Together campaign by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Pictured: Consturction students Luke Hodgkiss, Jamie Davies, Jason Harbron, James Brian & Dinithi Wijemanne with lecturer Mark Turner and their certificates.

Students spent the day attending presentations and gaining practical advice from industry experts including HSE, HKS Architects Ltd, Managing CDM Ltd and Laing O’Rourke.  The presentations covered a range of topics including Construction Regulations, Design, Risk Assessments, and Construction methodology.  The students also had the opportunity to review a case study on the new build of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

At the end of the day students were presented with a certificate and health and safety pack which will help them during their Construction studies.

To find out more about the range of Construction courses available at NULC click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk.

RAF workshops inspire students

Engineering and Construction students at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) were invited to take part in two days of workshops with the Royal Air Force (RAF).  The aim of the workshops was to advise students in the types of careers open to them once completing their studies at NULC.

The workshop is an annual event which consists of various team and skill building exercises including physical activities and communication activities.  The workshops are organised by lecturers Rob Sproson and Paul Glover, who this year decided to extend the workshops in to a two day event due to popular demand.

Pictured: Students taking part in team building activities.

Sergeant Ian Pringle, from the RAF Motivational Outreach Team said: “The purpose of the last few days was to work on building the team and communication skills of the students. The students have completed a range of challenges to help them to develop and understand the personal skills that are required for a career in the military.”

He continued: “The students at NULC have shown great potential and the activities today have opened their eyes to what is available from a military career.”

Pictured: Electrical Installations student Joshua Clayton wearing combat uniform.

Future opportunities for NULC students to attend a training day at RAF Cosford in Shropshire are also being discussed.

Click here to find out more about Engineering and Construction courses at NULC.

To find out more about the range of careers available in the RAF click here.

 

NULC Skills Squad visit International Finals of WorldSkills

Students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s (NULC) recently formed Skills Squad enjoyed a visit to the International Finals of the WorldSkills competitions in London.

The Skills Squad were joined by staff and mentors as they visited Excel in London on Thursday 6 October.  The inspiring visit was organised to show the Skills Squad the types of competitions and awards they could be eligible to enter in the future.

Pictured: NULC Skills Squad and staff.

The NULC Skills Squad is made up of 18 talented vocational students who have been identified through a range of competitive activities organised within individual faculties.  The current Skills Squad is made up of students studying vocational courses in Hair and Beauty, Construction, Engineering and Care.

Picture: NULC Skills Squad explore the International Finals of the WorldSkills competitions in London.

Members of the NULC Skills Squad receive an array of support from the College in recognition of their talent and to support them in their future entry into the WorldSkills UK competitions.

The NULC Skills Squad will be showcasing their talents by providing demonstrations and hands on activities to prospective students at Open Events throughout the year.

Pictured: Construction entrants in this years WorldSkills Competition displaying their work.

Part-time engineering & construction courses for adults available now!

Adults in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Cheshire who want to study part-time can now choose from a range of part-time courses which have launched at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC).

Local adults are advised to log onto the College’s website www.nulc.ac.uk/adults to view the part-time courses on offer and, in many cases, enrol online.

Part-time courses are available in areas such as engineering and construction, where you can study a range of professional qualifications in areas such as Bench Joinery, Site Carpentry, Painting and Decorating, Bricklaying, Mechanical Technology, Engineering and more.

There is also the option to study for a Higher Education qualification in Engineering such as the Foundation degree (FdSc) in Mechanical Technology.

The majority of our construction and engineering courses are taught at the new purpose built Skills and Technology Centre on our Knutton Lane campus.

Pictured: The Skills and Technology Centre at NULC

Janet Scrivens, Head of Lifelong Learning at the College, said: “We can provide help and guidance for anyone who wants to improve their job prospects, renew or refresh their qualifications or retrain for a new career. There’s never been a better time to enrol!”

To find out more about the part-time construction and engineering courses available at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk/adults or come along to the Part-time Course Advice and Enrolment Evening on Thursday 8 September, 5.30pm – 8pm.

Alternatively, for more information, call the College Information Centre on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Construction students survey the college

NULC students studying the Level 1 Diploma in Brickwork were today invited to shadow a building surveyor.

Alex Smith is a surveyor for Disabled Go, an award-winning disability organisation that produce online access guides in a great deal of detail for a huge range of venues.  Disabled Go were today surveying NULC to report on its disabled access.

A number of Level 1 Diploma in Brickwork students joined Alex in small groups throughout the day to discuss UK building standards and to see how access for people with disabilities is an integral part of construction.

Construction School Leaver Course Advice Event

Are you looking to study BTEC Extended Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment or Electrical Installation Level 2 + 3 at NULC?

The College is hosting a course-specific event on:

Wednesday 18 May 5pm-7pm (Please arrive at 5pm)

During the event you’ll get the chance to:

• Find out more about our new BTEC Extended Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment or Electrical Installation Level 2 + 3 and future careers.
• Attend a course presentation by the Curriculum Manager of Engineering and Construction, Paula Rowland at 5:30pm.
• You’ll be able to meet staff and see first-hand what the course involves.
• Have a look around the fantastic new facilities at the Skills and Technology Centre.
• Apply for the courses.

Refreshments with be provided in the adjacent Olympic Lounge. If you'd like to attend this event please click here and complete the online form.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Construction students build career connections

Construction students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) benefited from their first site visit to Barratt Homes’ construction site in Silverdale. An exciting new partnership between NULC and one of the country’s leading house builders, Barratt Homes means that Construction students get to meet industry experts and experience life on a real construction site.

The students taking part in the visit to the Barratt Homes’ construction site, were shown around the development by the site manager and given the opportunity to ask questions and meet the various teams who are currently working on the site.

To find out more about the NULC and Barratt Homes partnership click here. If you are interested in studying a Construction course at NULC then click here or call the Information Centre on 01782 254254.

NULC need your ideas

Would you like to get involved with the design of the new NULC 2012-2013 full-time prospectus?  Would you like to see your ideas to come to life?  We need your help to find out what worked and what didn’t, what you liked and what you didn’t!  As we start to research design and content for the new prospectus we would love to hear your views, because you are the people that matter.

If you haven’t already had a look at the current NULC full-time prospectus then take a look by clicking this link and then downloading the ‘Full-time prospectus 11-12’... http://www.nulc.ac.uk/pages/global/downloads.aspx

Then once you've had a flick through it, simply follow the link below and fill in the survey to share your views with us...http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LGN3YNP

NULC do 'something funny for money'

If there's one thing that NULC staff and students like to do its ‘something funny for money’ in aid of Comic Relief.  NULC was a hub of activity on Friday 18 March with fancy dress, bake sales, waxing and the most talked about event of the day, the NULC FlashMob.

Dance Lecturer Faye Matthews rounded up her troupes which included students, staff and even a member of the senior management team.  Then headed to the new Sainsbury’s store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where they wowed the crowds and are now rapidly becoming an online phenomenon.

Other activities taking place throughout the day included a fancy dress competition which resulted in a monkey and pirates roaming the corridors!  A yummy bake sale organised by Early Years students, Fun Run by Sports Performance and Excellence students, leg waxing in the Transform Salon.  As well as various fund raising efforts by Learner Services, Starbucks staff and the Students’ Union.

The money is still being counted but so far NULC have managed to raise over £500.00, which is a fantastic amount.  Thank you to everyone who took part and did ‘something funny for money’.

To see all the photos and videos from the day visit our Facebook gallery at www.facebook.com/NewcastleULymeCol and give us a ‘Like’.

New courses launched at NULC

Due to popular demand, Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) have launched a new range of exciting vocational courses in construction and engineering.  The new courses will start in September 2011 and demand is high, with limited places so get your applications in as soon as possible.

New vocational courses include:

Diploma in Basic Construction Skills (Multi-craft)

Level 2 Electrical Installation

Level 2 Diploma in Practical Engineering

Level 3 Diploma in Brickwork

Level 3 Extended Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment

Keep checking the blog for updates or to find out more about these new construction and engineering courses and other new courses simply log onto our website www.nulc.ac.uk/newcourses. 

NULC student spruces up the campus

During February half term Level 2 Painting and Decorating student Mark McDermott faced the challenge of helping to spruce up Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC).

Mark was lucky enough to gain a placement with BAM’s painting sub-contractor, H R Harvey Decorators, through his Level 2 Painting and Decorating course at NULC.  Mark worked throughout the campus on maintenance decorating work including the painting of walls, repairing cracks and any damage to the walls.

Head of Estates and Facilities Martin Bostock and Team Leader in Construction Crafts Mark Turner arranged the placement.

Anyone wanting to find out more about the range of Construction courses in NULC can visit www.nulc.ac.uk and search for the relevant course or call 01782 254254.

Barratt Homes partnership launch event is a success!

Hundreds of construction students from NULC packed out the College's Auditorium last week to attend the launch of the Barratt Homes partnership.

Speakers included Neil Baldwin, MD of Barratt Manchester, Phil Torr, Contracts Manager, Mark Donlan from the NHBC and Martin McVarnack, SHE Manager.

Thanks to all who attended!

College announces new partnership with Barratt Homes

Hundreds of construction students are set to benefit from an exciting new partnership between Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) and one of the country’s leading house builders, Barratt Homes.

The partnership will be officially launched on Thursday 3 February, at a special induction event to be held from 1.30 – 2.30pm in the College’s Auditorium on Knutton Lane.

More information will be posted here as soon as we have it - keep checking back for updates!