News

Teachers Sandrine Martinelli, of the Lycée Le Gué á Tresmes near Paris, and Florian Von Helden, from the Julius-Wegeler-Schule in Koblenz, were visiting Newbury College as part of an International Study Programme to find out about British education.

During her visit Sandrine mentioned that one of her former Catering and Hospitality students was now working at the locally renowned restaurant and cookery school, The Woodspeen. Today, we invited André Marchand to join Sandrine and Florian for lunch in our very own training restaurant. 

When asked about his visit, André said that the food was very good and that he was impressed with the setup of the training kitchen. The Catering and Hospitality team at Newbury College are now hoping to extend their international relations by exploring the possibility of exchange visits for students.

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If you are thinking about your options after year 11, why not attend our Open Event on Tuesday 07 November between 4-8pm? Newbury College is opening its doors and inviting prospective students and their parents to come and explore; speak to staff members, take part in activities, tour the facilities and submit an application for next September. Pick up a copy of our new prospectus.

Current students will be on hand, as will the impartial information, advice and guidance team to offer help to those who are unsure about what to do next.

Test your reaction skills on a Batak, solve a crime in our science lab, see the potter's wheel in action or have your nails painted and hair put up.

Adults looking for development opportunities can come and discuss the professional and community learning courses available during the year.

Entry could not be easier, simply register your place here.

Over 40 businesses took part in the West Berkshire Work and Careers Fair at Newbury College on Wednesday 11 October. The event provided an opportunity for organisations to network and showcase their employment opportunities to the students and wider West Berkshire community. 60% of surveyed visitors said they would be applying for the jobs that were on offer at the event.

As well as seeing the exhibitors, visitors were able to obtain advice on apprenticeships, tips for successful job hunting and attend 1-2-1 CV workshops.

Participating organisations included Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, Metro Bank, West Berkshire Council, Adviza, Priors Court, Dawnus Construction, and many more.

Commenting on the event, Ben Bealing, Senior Candidate Management Specialist, Amberjack, said: We had a great afternoon networking and meeting new people. The event provided a great opportunity for us to share our brand with the emerging talent of Newbury.

Adéle Kelly, PA to FD/HR Coordinator, David Wilson Homes, said: The event allowed us to connect with the local community and encourage people to consider roles within the construction industry.

Almost 40% of registered visitors said they were looking for full-time job opportunities, whilst almost 20% came to find out more about apprenticeships. Approximately 60 children from local secondary schools attended with their parents to evaluate future career options.

We were very pleased to see so many parents bring their children to the event after school, said Anne Murdoch, Newbury College Principal and CEO. We hope it gave them inspiration for the future and that it will help them make choices about what they want to do when they leave school. Anyone seeking further careers advice is welcome to book an appointment with our impartial Information, Advice and Guidance team. We'd like to extend our thanks to all of the organisations involved in making the event a success.

The event was supported by Elevate West Berkshire, helping 16-24 year-olds gain the skills they need for employment, and West Berkshire Council. Additional sponsorship came from Local Buzz, The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and Newbury Weekly News.

Students at Newbury College showed their support for World Mental Health Day today by writing positive words of encouragement for each other on specially designed t-shirts. According to the NHS, as many as one in four people are affected by a mental illness in the UK. The positivi-T' t-shirts, which are on display at the College, are a thought-provoking way for the students to openly discuss and share issues surrounding mental health.

College Sport Maker, Louise Neil, said: We were delighted by the fact that so many students came forward and wanted to get involved, as it is not always easy for students to openly share their feelings on this subject. We also distributed the NHS's Little Book of Sunshine ' a book offering tips to help young people cope with stress.

Tutorial Programme Manager, Steve Greenwood, said: Working with the students on World Mental Health Day is the start of a concerted campaign to highlight and improve the wellbeing of our students. Here at the College we are fortunate enough to have our own counselling service and a highly experienced team of pastoral tutors. The event helps to raise the profile of mental health at College and highlights the hugely important role that students and education professionals have in providing support and solutions.

Local youth counselling service Time to Talk' was also present at the event and provided display materials. World Mental Health Day was promoted locally by West Berkshire Council and its Emotional Health Academy. The event was used to obtain feedback to improve services locally.