News

Newbury College Sport students headed down to the south coast on Friday 16 June 2017 for the annual West Wittering U19 College Mixed Beach Rugby Tournament.

Course Leader, James Ross, said: "The college team performed well, winning their opening match and finishing 4th in their pool. Special mention should be made to the outstanding effort of the players in a sport some of them had never played before."

For a few weeks every Friday, students on our Level 2 Carpentry course are attending kitchen fitting sessions at Howdens Joinery in Newbury. As part of their work experience and under supervision, Howdens has allowed them to revise several kitchen displays at its depot.

Ian Dodd, Depot Manager at Howdens said: We are keen to help Newbury College students qualify as carpenters and by offering work experience, we help them to put their carpentry skills into practise. Working in partnership this way allows the industry to develop new talent.

The students really appreciate the opportunity to apply their skills in a real life situation, adds course leader Mark McDonald. It gives them an insight and an appreciation of the quality of a Howdens' kitchen and it also gives them the knowledge and confidence to fit a kitchen in the future. We are very grateful to Howdens for their support.

Newbury College is always on the lookout for local businesses/organisations to help place our students on work experience. If you'd be happy to work with us, please call 01635 845000 and ask to speak to a member of the Learner Services Team.

Click here for more information on our carpentry courses.

To find out more about Howdens Joinery, visit https://www.howdens.com/

Our Health and Social Care students visited Bucks New University recently to find out what it's like working as an Operating Department Practitioner in a hospital operating theatre and recovery room.

The role of Operation Department Practitioner was registered with the Health and Care Professions Council in 2004 when doctors and anaesthetists recognised the benefits of having a practitioner who would participate in the assessment of patients prior to surgery, and provide individualised care throughout the operation and recovery process.

In a training simulation suite designed for students studying at degree level, the students dressed up in scrubs and carried out CPR. They also listened to a presentation covering the history of the profession.

The experience enabled the students to consider an alternative progression route to traditional routes such as nursing or midwifery roles, explained course leader Karen Dodd. Links like the one with Bucks New University help us add value to the Health and Social Care courses we run here at Newbury College and we are grateful to the university for letting us visit for the day.

Newbury College is recruiting students for its Level 2 and 3 Health and Social Care courses in September 2017. Click here for details. For more photos, see the album on Facebook.

Click here for information about the Operating Department Practitioner course at Bucks New University.

Care Recruitment Fair 2017
Discover the opportunities in the adult health and social care

The reputation of the adult health and social care sector has suffered plenty since the failures at Mid Staffordshire Hospital and the Winterbourne View scandal. The negative connotations have not helped the sector in terms of attracting staff; it currently suffers from a severe crisis in recruitment. According to an article in The Guardian newspaper, there are as many as 90,000 vacancies* for social care jobs on any one day in England.

Along with the sector council, Skills for Care, Newbury College is promoting the positive side of working in adult health and social care in the Newbury area by holding a recruitment event at its campus on Monks Lane. The event takes place on Thursday 11 May between 2-5pm.

Visitors, who are perhaps thinking about a change in career or joining the sector for the first time, can speak with local employers and discuss the opportunities for progression with qualified Newbury College staff, explains course leader Karen Dodd. We will be joined by organisations such as Audley Care, Bluebird Care, Brighter Kind, Choice Care Group, Elysium Healthcare (Thornford Park), Newbury Weekly News, Skills for Care, Sugarman Care and Support Partners Ltd, all of whom will be showcasing their workplace and demonstrating what they can offer in terms of a rewarding and fulfilling career. The event will also help our own students by presenting work placement opportunities. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

The event is free to attend and visitors can pre-register for the event here or call 01635 845000 for more information.

*UK social care sector in crisis due to staff shortages, The Guardian Newspaper, Wednesday 08 March.