Newbury College will be celebrating Adult Learners Week by offering a range of FREE taster courses throughout the week of 16th June and opening up all existing evening adult leisure classes for learners to come along and try out a subject of their choice, free of charge!
The College will be hosting a variety of courses throughout the week at various venues. Courses will include, Flower Arranging, Counselling and Coaching, Public Speaking, Digital SLR Photography, Windows 8, Spanish and Italian for your Holidays, Nail Art and many more. Venues will include: Newbury College's Monks Lane campus, Newbury College's Calcot Community Learning Centre and Greenham Community Centre.
Community Learning Manager, Sarah Hughes said, "We look forward to Adult Learners Week here at the College and are excited about putting on a large variety of free taster sessions for the general public ranging from Jewellery Making to a taster session on Creative Writing. It is a fantastic opportunity for people to try something new and to see what Adult Learning at the College has to offer. We will also be attending Thatcham's Lifelong Learning Adult Learners Week Celebration in Thatcham Broadway on Saturday 14 June, where we will have lots of free activities for all the family including a demonstration from Newbury College's Ballroom dancers, Arts and Crafts activities, an interactive flower arranging demonstration and much more".
To see a timetable of courses taking place throughout Adult Learners Week and to enrol on any of the workshops, please visit our website at www.newbury-college.ac.uk or telephone the Community Learning department on 01635 845213. Throughout Adult Learners Week there will be an enrolment stand at the Newbury College Monk's Lane Campus should you wish to speak to subject specialists or sign up for a course. Courses can be joined throughout the year by calling 01635 845000 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The importance of skills and employability is a key focus for young people and their parents and Newbury College have developed a new programme of IGCSEs, which offer skills beyond just academic achievement. The College will be offering the new international programme from September 2014 and welcomes Jilly Carrell as the new Curriculum Manager for both IGCSES and A Levels
As former head of English and Modern Foreign Languages faculty at a local International School, and with international teaching experience in six countries, Jilly is well placed to develop this international academic programme. Cambridge International Examinations is the world's largest provider of international education programmes and is part of the University of Cambridge, one of the world's top universities and trusted for excellence in education.
On her appointment Mrs Carrell expressed her enthusiasm about the new role and said, "I am delighted to be working for Newbury College. We are, for the first time offering international GCSEs and I am committed to enriching the education of our students and encouraging global citizenship with Newbury College. At the heart of our new sixth form will be global citizenship, identity, belonging, sustainability and rights and responsibilities, giving our students a better understanding of their local area in relation to the wider world".
Jilly has a keen interest in contemporary and world literature and languages and is a volunteer in teaching women's adult literacy. Jilly has previously worked in international finance and public affairs. A mother of two, who is married to an army officer, she enjoys spending her spare time in the countryside and regularly goes camping with her family, and is also as a brownie leader. The position will see Jilly developing the A Level provision along with IGCSEs. Newbury College will be offering Cambridge programmes and qualifications in subjects including; English (First Language), English (Second Language), Mathematics, French, German, Literature, Biology, Enterprise, ICT, Geography, History and Performing Arts.
Michael O'Sullivan, Chief Executive of Cambridge International Examinations, said "We are delighted to announce that Newbury College has joined our global community of Cambridge schools. We look forward to a long a productive relationship which will be of great benefits to learners throughout the region".
Cambridge programmes and qualifications are recognised and valued by universities and employers around the world. Cambridge helps schools deliver the best education possible by providing comprehensive support, including teacher training, classroom resources and membership of a global learning community.
Newbury College's Open Event on Saturday 17 May saw over 400 visitors attend the College where there was exciting activities for all the family that students were holding as part of their Skills Project.
The event showcased students work and the courses available at the College. Animal Care students ran a Dog Show raising money for Dogs Trust and Public Service students held a range of stalls to raise money for Help for Heroes and Air Ambulance. These included a cake sale, raffle, archery, climbing wall and bouncy castle.
The student's activities were part of their 'Skills Project', which help them gain employment skills alongside their studies. Skills Project Co-ordinator, Sian Ellis, who has helped organise some of the activities said, "This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to put their skills into practice as well as supporting fantastic causes. The day was a great success and I'm really proud of the hard work and commitment the students showed".
The day was a fantastic opportunity for the local community to view the College's state of the art facilities, including the brand new training restaurant and state of the art plumbing workshop. Potential learners had the opportunity to see the many courses on offer and speak to subject specialists. Current students were on hand to talk to prospective students and their parents and show them around while talking about their College experience.
For those in Year 11, the day was a chance for them and their parents to discover the options available including to new iGCSE programme for post 16 learners. Adult learners attending the event had an opportunity to find out more about Newbury College and explore ways in which to further their career or to develop a new hobby.
Newbury College took part in last weeks, 'Barclays Money Week' which is a national event, sponsored by Barclays Bank which teaches the importance of managing money effectively. Activities and events were held throughout the week cumulating with a Fashion Show on the final day.
Barclays Money Skills Week is a money management programme which has been designed to strengthen financial skills of further education students. The events help build knowledge and confidence, reduce financial stress and increase chances of achieving their goals. The week comprised of several financial based activities which included, guess how many pennies are in a jar, own brand taste tests and an interactive money saving game. The fashion show on the final day was part of the 'Style on a Budget' activity, which the students planned and organised, including the financial budgeting for the event.
Business Course Leader, Peter Doyle, who organised Newbury College's Barclays Money Skills Week said, "Barclays Money Week is a popular programme on our calendar. Business students look forward to it with a great deal of excitement. The students have been working directly with lecturers and classes providing activities for other students, booking events, rooms and organising resources. I am very proud of all the students."
During money week, students from a variety of courses took part in the 'Style on a Budget' tutorial where students were given £30 per group to go out and buy a suitable outfit for a job interview. They then put together a catwalk show to display what they have bought. The event was judged by students from a variety of courses. After gathering fame on the College runway all students were able to keep their outfits and the winning students received a 'Love to Shop' voucher. In third place was hairdressing student, Amber Stratford from Hairdressing, in second place Eddie Head from Public Services and in first place Benjamin Wrightson also from Public Services.