At a ceremony held at West Berkshire Library on Friday 20th May, the first group of Newbury College students, who successfully completed the Reading Ahead Challenge, were presented with their certificates and prizes.
Reading Ahead is a national scheme ran by The Reading Agency that takes place every year in libraries, colleges, workplaces and prisons. The challenge invites participants to improve their skills by reading, reviewing and rating six pieces of text. As well as books, participants can also read leaflets, instructions or magazines.
Commenting on the challenge, Laura Plester, Learning Resource Centre Assistant, said: This is the eighth year we've run the scheme in conjunction with West Berkshire Libraries and, once again, we were delighted by the number of students who took up the challenge and the enthusiasm and enjoyment they've shown whilst taking part in the scheme. Congratulations to Lorraine Taylor, Learning, Employability and Progression student, who won first prize for keeping the best reading diary.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue, Blackstone Security, Huntercombe Prison and the Army, were just some of the employers visiting us today to speak about potential careers in the uniformed public service sector. Students were given the opportunity to attend interactive sessions, allowing them to find out more about the variety of career options available and how to access them.
Tutorial Programme Leader, Sian Ellis, said: We're grateful to all the organisations who came along to inspire our public service students today, it really opened their eyes to the wide variety of opportunities available to them once they've finished their course.
James Morgan, Level 3 uniformed public sector student, commented: No matter what public service you want to do, it was all interesting. We learnt about all the different roles, it was really worthwhile.
For more photographs, visit the album on our Facebook page.
Newbury College welcomed Paralympian Jack Rutter to their Monks Lane Campus on Tuesday 10 May where he gave an inspirational talk to students on his career and how overcoming adversity can help towards achieving your goals, followed by an interesting Q&A session.
After eight years playing for Birmingham City Football Club Academy Jack was forced to retire from professional football when a criminal assault left him with serious brain injuries. Following years of extensive rehabilitation Jack has made a remarkable recovery, which has seen him captain the England Cerebral Palsy football team, secure a place in the Rio Paralympics and become an ambassador for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust.
Sports Maker and Enrichment Officer at Newbury College, Aimee Kaur, said We are delighted to have such an inspirational speaker attend the College and our students have thoroughly benefited from hearing Jack's story. He has taught them that with determination and commitment we are all able to achieve our goals.
Speaking of his visit Jack said, I'm honoured to be asked to come and talk to the students at Newbury College and hope that my story can show them that even through adversity you can still achieve your dreams.
Newbury College offers a range of sporting and enrichment for students which often includes guest speakers, these activities are held in order to enhance the learning experience.
Newbury College is hosting its annual family fun Open Day at its Monks Lane Campus on Saturday 14 May, between 10am and 1pm. The event showcases the wide variety of courses the College has to offer and includes the launch of its new part-time guide for courses starting in September. Visitors will have the opportunity to speak to subject specialists, take part in interactive activities and watch visual displays.
Alongside the event, and as part of their Skills Project, the Animal Care students are running a charity dog show. Dogs and their owners are invited to enter the competition, all proceeds raised at the dog show will go to the National Dogs Trust.
Principal Dr Anne Murdoch, OBE said, We are delighted to welcome the local community to the College, providing them with ideal opportunity to visit our facilities and understand the many programmes we have on offer. With such a variety of activities on offer there's something for all ages to enjoy on the day.
For visitors currently in year 11 the open event is a great opportunity to discover the options available when they finish school this summer. Adult learners, whether looking to further their career or take up a new hobby, can come and find out more about the courses on offer for the next academic year.