Newbury College held its annual Graduation and FE Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 9 December to celebrate the success of its learners. The College was delighted that, Mr Simon Greenstreet, Head of Communications UK/Ireland for Bayer Plc attended as the guest speaker.
The evening was a celebration of learners who have achieved Higher Education qualifications, Level 4 and above, and further education learners who received awards to recognise their hard work and dedication to their course. The event was attended by Governors and VIP guests, the Mayor of Thatcham, Cllr Gary Johnson and Cllr Billy Drummond. The FE Awards were sponsored by local employers who included Apple Print and Creative, M & B Hair, The Vineyard, Hogan Music, Hitachi Capital, Jewsons, Newbury Building Society, The Breeze and The Corn Exchange.
Dr Anne Murdoch OBE, Newbury College Principal said "The Newbury College Graduation and FE Awards Ceremony is a celebration of the achievements of our hardworking students and staff. The event is also an opportunity for family and friends to recognise the successes of individuals and for the College and employers to present special awards to recognise the outstanding achievements of some of this year's students. We are particularly grateful to Mr Simon Greenstreet, Head of Communications UK/Ireland for Bayer Plc, for presenting the certificates and awards to Graduates on this occasion, and to the sponsors of the FE Awards for their commitment to supporting our courses and their generous donations."
The Higher Education graduates came from a variety of courses including Computing, Accounting, Engineering, Teacher Training and Management graduated in front of their family and friends. There were also a number of Higher Education awards presented to recognise students who had shown exceptional commitment and achievement.
The Newbury College 'Outstanding Further Education Learner Award' was awarded to Mechanic Engineering learner Andrew McCutcheon, the 'Outstanding Adult and Community Learner Award' was awarded to ESOL learner Poly Nazmun and the 'Outstanding Higher Education Learner Award' was awarded to Gemma Stobie who has been studying the Reading University Foundation Degree in Children's Development. This year there were two Institute of Engineering Design 'Annual Student Project Awards' which were presented to Dominic Callaghan and Jamie Pinnell by Richard Willis, Newbury College lecturer and member of the iED.
Guest speaker Simon Greenstreet delivered a speech about his experience working in multimillion pound companies and reinforcing to learners to never give up on achieving your goals. Following the ceremony graduates, award winners and guests were treated to a drinks reception with canapés. The refreshments were made and served by the College's catering students in the new catering training restaurant.
Mr Greenstreet has spent most of his career working for large international companies including Rolls-Royce; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Pfizer and international law firms, including Eversheds. He also worked for a period in the Cabinet Office in Central Government working for the Deputy-Prime Minister, advising on small firms' policy. For three years Simon put his own advice into practice by running three businesses, before joining Bayer in 2012.
Bayer is a global Life Sciences company specialising in human, animal and plant. As a research-led innovation business, Bayer sets trends in research-intensive areas including cardiovascular and cancer therapies. Bayer's mission is 'Science For A Better Life' and its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve the quality of their lives. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In 2013, the Group employed 112,000 people; had sales of €40.2 billion, and invested €3.5bn in research and development.
Hairdressing students at Newbury College are taking part in The Rucksack Project, delivering rucksacks to the homeless.
The Rucksack Project is a national campaign to help the homeless. College students will be organising the event in their tutorial sessions, designating roles, contacting local charities to raise awareness and collecting items to include in the rucksacks. They will also attend and manage the event on the day.
Hairdressing lecturer Deb Chester whose class is taking part in the project said, "I'm involved in the Rucksack Project in Portsmouth and thought it would be great to get our students involved in. The Rucksack Project helps people when they most need it and I felt so passionately about it that I thought it would be great to get our students involved and I am thrilled with their enthusiasm and commitment to the project".
The Rucksack Project has been running since 2009, growing each year, and has now become a worldwide project.
A student from the hairdressing class who strongly supports the project said, "I feel passionately about helping people less fortunate than myself as I was homeless for two years so I know how it feels".
The Royal Marines Visibility Team visited Newbury College last week to give an insight to Uniformed Public Service students into recruitment, training and the role of the Royal Marines and Royal Navy.
The visit gave students the opportunity to speak to serving members of the forces and take part in a variety of fitness tests, which included sprints, press-ups and team competitions.
Course Leader for Public Services Neil Metcalfe organised the visit and said, "We are extremely grateful to the Royal Marines and Royal Navy for visiting the College. It is important for the students to see all aspects of the Military as well as other public services. The visit enabled students to understand what would be expected of them in the Marines and Navy and the types of fitness tests that they would be required to take part in throughout their time in the services".
Corporal Jones RM commented on how good the group were and how the students worked exceptionally hard during the physical activities. In his talk he told students that it's not just within the military; teamwork and commitment is important in all walks of life.
Ethan Prince, a student at Newbury College who has already applied to join the Royal Marines, stated that he "thoroughly enjoyed" the afternoon especially the fitness tests as he now has an idea of what to expect and feels more prepared.
His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, visited Newbury College on Tuesday 18 November 2014, prior to his appointment at The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service presentation, which was held at the College later that day.
The visit included a tour of the Motor Vehicle workshops and an opportunity to speak to students and local employers from the Motor Vehicle Industry. His Royal Highness had the opportunity to see a number of demonstrations from various areas within the Motor Vehicle department and from College employer partners. Staff and students demonstrated breaks pads, a rolling road, and how the Break Horse Power (BHP) of a car is tested.
Principal of Newbury College, Dr Anne Murdoch OBE said, "We would like to extend our thanks to His Royal Highness, The Duke of Gloucester, for taking the time to visit the College and engaged with our students. The visit was a fantastic opportunity to exhibit our state of the art Motor Vehicle workshop and for our students, and the local employers we work closely with, to showcase their skills. The Volunteer Awards Ceremony was held in our new Sports Hall, which is a fantastic facility that can transform into a gala marque".
Employers exhibiting on the day included Williams and Xtrac who work closely with the College on their Apprenticeship programme. West Berkshire's Classic Vehicle Club also exhibited two classic vehicles, a 1914 Morris Bullnose that was used in the hit TV show Downton Abbey, and a Super Charged Lotus.
VIP guests who attended the events included The Lord Lieutenant for the Royal County of Berkshire, Mrs Bayliss; High Sheriff of Berkshire; The Chairman of West Berkshire, Cllr Jeff Beck; The Chairman of Greenham Parish Council, Patrick Planterose; The Mayor of Newbury Town Cllr, Jo Day; The Mayor of Thatcham, Cllr Gary Johnson and the Mayoress of Thatcham, Mrs Heather Johnson.
The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is an annual award which recognises and rewards excellence in voluntary activities carried out by groups in the community. Following the event, His Royal Highness had the opportunity to meet with Catering and Food and Beverage students who presented the Duke with a cake. Students also catered for the event.