Sports students were given a motivational talk by a former Harrow College student before she jetted off to complete the final stages of her qualification for the Rio Olympics.

Faye McClelland is a four-time World Paratriathlon Champion and three times European Champion and will be aiming to represent Great Britain at this summer’s Rio 2016 Paralympics Games taking place 7-18 September.

Faye has fond memories of her time studying at Harrow College and was keen to spend some time with the sports student to share some of her experiences.

The packed room of enthusiastic students listened carefully as Faye gave an insight into how she discovered sport and her motivations for pursuing her dreams of being a paratriathlete (which consists of swimming, cycling and running). She spoke about her training schedule and the importance of diet and exercise. Faye, who was born without her left hand, also touched on the adversities she has overcome and the psychological barriers she has faced. The overarching message of the day was around motivation, commitment and to work hard to achieve your goals.

Students asked lots of questions, keen to learn as much as possible from the Olympic gold medal hopeful. Many of the topics covered by Faye supported college work done by the students this year as part of their sports courses. Faye thoroughly enjoyed the session and was full of praise for the students for showing such a keen interest.

Speaking about the talk, Shelley Mitchinson – Sports Course Leader at Harrow College said “we’re delighted to have brought Faye back to the college today. Throughout the year, we aim to take our students out on inspirational visits and to meet inspiring people. Today has been a great example of that and the students have all benefited greatly from meeting Faye”.

Click here for more on Sports Courses at Harrow College.

A multiple award-winning international entrepreneur, conference speaker, author and life coach has visited students at Harrow College to speak about how to become a student of distinction.

Young learners from the college listened intently to Onyi Anyado who delivered an inspiring and motivational session focussing on positive achievement. Using personal life experiences, Onyi discussed overcoming negative influences of gang membership, going to prison and homelessness. He went on to discuss the strategies he used to turn his life around and achieve so many career aspirations. The talk covered topics including having a vision, time management, setting goals and employability skills.

The talk was interactive, dynamic and thought provoking. Students shared their thoughts and discussed some of the key points addressed by Onyi. This was followed by a lively question and answer session.

The event closed with students reflecting on the characteristics, habits and skills needed to be a student of distinction and the barriers they may face. Students expressed ideas about how they will use what they have learnt from the session to move forward.

The visit of Onyi Anyado was organised by the John Lyon Counselling & Mentoring Project at Harrow College who organise monthly workshops to inspire and motivate students. Rose Squire, Counselling and Mentoring Project manager at Harrow College said:

“We are delighted that Onyi visited our students. Onyi is a renowned speaker and he shared many experiences which our students can relate too. We will now follow up on today’s event by offering our students one-to-one mentoring sessions to support them with their course”.

Click here for more information about Counselling and Mentoring at Harrow College.

Health & Social Care and Childcare students have delivered a timely exhibition event to highlight some of the key issues affecting health and wellbeing in young people. In a week that is nationally recognised as Mental Health Awareness Week, students led workshops and activities which addressed key issues and also the interventions and positive steps which students can take to remain fit, healthy and safe.

The Level 3 students took over the first floor of the colleges Enterprise Centre on 17 May 2016 and set up display boards with colourful presentations, diagrams and information. Each exhibition stand was dedicated to different topics which included alcohol and drugs awareness, healthy eating, keeping active, benefits of pilates, smoothie making ideas, safe sex information and how mental health is portrayed on TV. Mental health charity MIND were also involved and provided lots of information about mental health and wellbeing.

The activities from the day were influenced by the engagement that students have had with organisations from within the sector during this academic year including MIND, Harrow Health Watch, Harrow Youth Parliament and The British Heart Foundation. Along with Harrow College, all organisations support the 'The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health,' that states, 'Children and young people are a priority group for mental health promotion and prevention'.

Mark Gillham, Chief Executive of Harrow MIND was “delighted” to open the event which was open to all students and staff to come along. One of the exhibitors was Health and Social care student Laraib Haider, 18, who said “Today has been really enjoyable and a great opportunity to spread the word about mental health and raising the profile about a topic which is often not spoken about. I hope to go to university after completing my course to study Counselling and Psychology”.

Kelly Ocloo is a Health and Social Care lecturer at Harrow College who commented after the event saying:

“Our students have really embraced today and delivered a high quality exhibition. They have carried out weeks of planning and research and during the process they have learnt and developed many of the attributes that we promote at Harrow college such as; team working, leadership skills, partnership working and effective communication. They have put a huge amount of thought and effort into how their activities and workshops can support good mental health and wellbeing in young people".

Click here for more information on Health and Social Care courses at Harrow College.

With students anxiously preparing for end of year exams and final coursework submission, the college were keen to acknowledge and reward students achieving high attendance levels during the spring term. Over 550 students achieved attendance over 95% and were entered into a draw to win one of two IPADS.

During the annual Student Union Summer BBQ event which took place earlier this month, Vice Principal Dylan McTaggart proudly drew two names from those who had achieved the attendance standard. The winning names were Vibushika Vigneswaran, 17, and Leighton Ngenge, 17 who were both present at the event and were clearly delighted with their prize and were each given a loud round of applause by the on looking crowd of over 400 students.

So not to interrupt the party atmosphere of the Summer BBQ Event, the two students were later presented an iPad each in the presence of their peers by Harrow College Director of Student Experience Lee Janaway (pictured) who again congratulated the individuals and others in the classes with high attendance. All students who achieved the high standard will receive a college certificate to recognise their efforts.

Vibushika, a BTEC Level 1 Business student achieved 97.1% attendance whilst Leighton recorded a near perfect 99.7% attendance. There is no surprise that their attendance and achievement to date has reflected positively in their academic progress.

Speaking after the presentation, Director of Student Experience, Lee Janaway said “Student attendance is a key priority for the college and further student initiatives will continue to ensure we recognise those students who show true dedication to completing their programmes of study and support the college to maintains high student attendance.”

If you are interested in joining Harrow College for 2016/17, click here for more information about the services and facilties Harrow College has to offer. 

Harrow College has further developed its close links with the British Council by getting involved with a new initiative - called Vocational Exchange Programme - for teachers and leaders interested in vocational education and skills.

Harrow College is the first college in the UK invited to be involved with this initiative as a result of its strong commitment and on-going efforts to developing international educational relationships and welcoming international students through its doors.

The International Education Exchange Programme is a new online magazine aimed at providing skills leaders and teaching staff from the UK and their overseas counterparts with a dedicated virtual space to share good practice in teaching, learning approaches and resources. It also provides a forum to discuss hot topics and find solutions collaboratively to support innovation and internationalisation of vocational education and skills.

In its pilot phase, the magazine has been launched in the six countries of the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) where youth unemployment is topping 60 per cent in some places. The ambition is to roll it out to further regions and cover the globe within a year.

Click here to view Harrow College’s involvement with the first issue of the magazine

Click here to view more about International opportunities at Harrow College

Media students have taken part in a pitching workshop hosted by the Westminster University media department (on 13 May 2016) as part of a continued program of professional skills based learning.

A pitch is typically a concise verbal (and sometimes visual) presentation of an idea for a film or TV series generally made by a screenwriter or film director to a film producer or studio executive in the hope of attracting development finance to pay for the writing of a screenplay.

Many of the BTEC Level 3 year 1 learners were pitching for either a hypothetical film, social media TV show or media production.

Learners worked in pairs to write a pitch and were then given the task of presenting their pitch in the university lecture theatre in no more than 5 minutes to a panel of university judges. On looking students were then invited to provide feedback and ask questions to the presenting pair. Each team received constructive feedback on their pitch from the Westminster University judges.

Owen Price, Curriculum Manager for Art, Design and Media at Harrow College commented "It was wonderful to see how well our learners responded to the professional rigours of a university workshop. Their pitches were terrific with real imagination and thought having gone into the production. It was not easy to pitch to the panel but all managed the process well with confidence and professionalism".

Click here for more on Media courses at Harrow College.

Fashion students from Harrow College had the opportunity to display some of their creative designs during the Spring Summer Fashion Show held at St Anns Shopping Centre in Harrow on Saturday 14t May 2016.

The event gave shoppers the chance to preview a selection of the latest spring/summer trends via fashion shows put on by various retailers. The show also presented Harrow College students with a stage to showcase some of the work they have produced during the academic year. A series of ‘mini presentations’ from Level 3 Fashion students ensured that the on-looking audience got a nice balance of current and contemporary fashion.

Prior to the show, the students had worked in teams at college to create three white garments, combining their ideas and creativity. Their inspiration came from the word ‘Movement’. Circular shapes and variations of it were incorporated into their creations. To help the learners physically create the outfits and to draw patterns for the dresses, maths sessions were embedded into fashion lessons at college. The ideas for the artworks ranged from movements in Indian dance to political movements in 1960’s. The fully completed range of student work, including further ‘movement’ inspired enhancements which will dramatically transform their appearance, will be on display at the Harrow College end of year art exhibition in June (click here for details).

Hair & Beauty students from Harrow College were also in attendance and put their creative skills to use by offering children’s face-painting to raise money for the local St Mark’s Hospital Foundation charity. The student’s efforts raised £150.00 which was a great success.

Speaking after the event, Owen Price, Curriculum Manager for Art and Media at Harrow College said “Today’s event has been a great platform for our students to showcase their work. We regularly work with local businesses to give our students as many opportunities as possible to gain experience and to network with new people away from the college environment to support their career development”.

Click here for more about Arts & Design courses (including Fashion) at Harrow College

A proactive student from Harrow College maximised his opportunity during a college careers event to secure work experience with a global advertising agency which has 140 offices in 76 countries and employs over 6,500 staff.

It was during a speed networking event organised by the careers team at Harrow College that Michael Fadare, 18, took his opportunity. The event, as part of National Careers Week, saw professionals visit Harrow College from a breadth of organisations including Google, BT, Home Office, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Saatchi & Saatchi, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, IBM, Carlyle Group, NHS, and many more.

During the event, groups of students had 10 minutes with each employer to ask questions, learn more about their profession and attain as much career advice as possible. As the 10 minute buzzer rang, the professionals rotated from group to group, taking quick-fire questions from the eager students.

Michael was inspired when his group met Amy Steyaert, a Junior Digital Designer from Saatchi & Saatchi. Having already had some insight into Saatchi & Saatchi when the company featured in Lord Sugar’s Apprentice competition on TV, Michael has keen to learn more. He made a point of speaking with Amy after the event had finished and asked if he could do some work experience with the company.

Amy, impressed by Michael’s enthusiasm, advised him to email a CV and cover letter. Back at the office, Amy made the introduction to the companies HR and Accounts departments and before long, Michael was invited to spend a few days working with the global advertiser.

During his work experience, Michael was taken on a tour of the building and introduced to people across departments, given his own desk and Mac to work on, and then assigned his own project – to design an overtime availability tracker – to be used by management to keep a track of employee overtime. Michael applied knowledge acquired from his Harrow College BTEC Business course to plan and deliver the tracker which included colour coding, a timer, an approval process, accounts management functionality and business strategy. The tracker was a hit and is now live and used by the firm.

Speaking about his experience, Michael said “The Saatchi ethos of ‘nothing is impossible’ really opened my eyes and boosted my confidence. I learnt so much about new ways of working and thinking, applying my skills and having a positive attitude. With the support of the careers team at Harrow College, I’ve now worked for one of the world’s biggest companies. I plan to keep in touch with Saatchi and I’m already in talks with them about more work experience”.

Looking ahead, Michael plans to do an apprenticeship based within an estate agency with the aim of fulfilling his wider career goal of working in the property market.

For more on courses available at Harrow College, click here.

For more on apprenticeships at Harrow College, click here.

A Harrow College student who impressed her future employer during her work placement interview has, as a result, addressed an audience of over 100 guests.

Janice Dias is in the first year of her Level 4 Therapeutic Counselling Diploma at Harrow College. A requirement of the course is to complete a period of related work experience in order to develop your skills and accumulate working hours with clients. Janice was invited for an interview at Yakeen Counselling Services (a counselling project led by the DAWN charitable trust).

Janice shone at her interview and not only did she secure her work placement employment as a Trainee Counsellor, she was also invited to be a guest speaker for a forthcoming event organised by DAWN to address key issues about empowering women.

The event was attended by over 100 specially invited guests included MP for Harrow West Mr Gareth Thomas, Mayor of Harrow Cllr Krishna Suresh and an array of other VIP’s associated with DAWN. Janice, who is a mother of two aged 18 and 13, has been busy playing the role of mum for a number of years and was understandably feeling daunted prior to taking to the stage. However once the curtain was lifted, Janice was full of confidence.

Speaking about her role as guest speaker, Janice said “I had no idea about the scale of this event and how distinguished the audience would be. Counselling is very important to me. It was counselling that made me aware of putting me first on my own personal journey. The benefits are far reaching but unfortunately it is still a taboo topic. My talk was aimed at raising awareness and encouraging others to not hide away from counselling but to embrace it. Looking after our mind is just as important as looking after our body – for both men and women. My course at Harrow College has really given me the confidence to speak to such a large audience – something I’ve not done for over 25 years”.

During the evening, guests even stopped Janice to ask for her business card. Following this proud opportunity, Janice aims to qualify from her current course before embarking on a University Masters Degree in Psychotherapy. Janice commented “Hopefully people in a similar position to me will read my story and feel inspired to study as you can never stop learning”.

Click here for more information about Counselling courses at Harrow College

The second in a series of careers mock interview sessions has taken place at Harrow College (Whitefriars Centre campus) focusing on employment within the construction sector.

26 students on Plumbing and Carpentry courses attended the session on 16 May 2016, with the aim of learning how to positively market their skills and improve their interview techniques.

With the support of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), employers including the Construction Youth Trust, Mulalley, Guided Ultrasonics, Roalco, Bouygues UK and Wilkos volunteered their time to conduct mock employment interviews, just as they would in a real job interview scenario. This ensured students received the best understanding of a formal work related interview process. Students were assessed on their responses as well as other important competencies such as enthusiasm and body language. The students were given constructive feedback by the employers including what they could improve for future interviews.

Feedback from the session was very positive with students commenting on the experience being extremely valuable. Employers too were full of praise for the participating students rating the students highly for their performance. The students achieving the highest performance rating were awarded with Nando’s vouchers by the Harrow College Careers team.Curriculum Manager for Construction at Harrow College, Stephen Hogarth, will now follow up a number of leads which came from the employers who discussed potential future employment opportunities for construction students at Harrow College.

Joanne Whitehead, Careers Team Leader at Harrow College commented “Many of the students will face interviews from employers in the future so specific preparation like this from within the sector is designed to give the young learners a head start on their career journeys”.

Click here if you are interested in Plumbing, Electrical and Construction courses at Harrow College.

A level results day (on Thursday 18 August 2016) can be one of the most stressful but exciting times in a student's life. Make sure you are prepared for it with our step-by-step guide:

If you have gained the grades for your first choice of university, Congratulations! Here is what will happen next:

• Your “Conditional Firm” offer will change to “Unconditional” in due course
• You will receive confirmation of this on UCAS Track within 5 to 7days
• Login to UCAS Track using your UCAS ID and password to check for these changes. 

Were your grades better than expected? Congratulations again! If your grades are higher than what was required for your "Conditional Firm" offer (CF) and you want to apply for a course that requires higher grades, check out the UCAS Adjustment Vacancy section.

Are your grades lower than anticipated for your "Firm Choice"? Don't worry - help is at hand!

• First seek advice from a Harrow College Career Adviser
• Contact the university. They may still consider you for an offer of a place if your grades are just a few points out
• Or they may offer you an alternative, so contact them to enquire about this if they haven’t as yet responded

What about your 2nd choice of university (“Insurance Choice”)?

If the university for your "Firm Choice" has declined their offer, but your grades meet the conditions for your "Insurance choice" your "Conditional offer" will change to "Unconditional" and will be confirmed on UCAS Track in 5 to 7days.

What if you have no offers for both Firm & Insurance choice?

You will now be eligible for University Clearing. When you login into your UCAS online application it will say that you are "in Clearing". This means that you can contact universities with vacancies for the degree course you want to study, to enquire about getting an offer of a place, but please speak to a Careers Adviser first.

UCAS Additional Registration Fees

If you originally applied for only one Higher Education course, for the reduced UCAS registration fee of £12, you'll have to pay an additional £11 to apply for other courses through Clearing.

What if you weren't able to secure a place at university through Clearing?

Try looking at other available options such as:

• Increasing your qualifications through further studies
• Reapplying to university through UCAS the following year
• Advanced or Higher Apprenticeships where you will have the opportunity to get training in a particular job area, work towards either a Level 3 or Level 4 qualification depending on your results, and get paid at the same time.
• Completing an Internship - a paid or unpaid work placement with an employer that will help you to develop skills within the work place.
• Taking a Gap Year - you can use this time to do further studies, travel to expand your cultural knowledge, or work in the UK or abroad.
• Finding employment  with help from College Careers & Employability Team

What other higher education courses could you consider?

You could increase your Level 3 qualification to Level 4 or 5 by applying for one of the courses below. 

• Level 4 HNC (Higher National Certificate). This is the first year of a  Higher National Diploma
• Level 5 HND (Higher National  Diploma) completed in 2 years
• Level 5 Foundation Degree (FdA or FSc) completed in 2 years

On successful completion of either of these courses you can top up the qualification to a BA or BSc in the same subject, by doing a further one or two more year at university. You could also use these Level 4 or 5 qualifications to re-apply for degrees such as Nursing, Social Work etc.

Click here for more information about Careers at Harrow College.

As we approach a new academic year at College, there may be some of you who are still keen to find a part time job – perhaps a few hours on the weekend or during the evenings during term time. Or maybe even something for the remainder of the summer holidays only. Finding a part time job takes time and effort so here are some tips to help you along the way:

• The Largest employers of students tend to be supermarkets, for examples Sainsbury's, Tesco etc. followed by chain shops, such as Marks & Spencer, Boots TKMaxx etc.

• Be aware that some shops e.g. Gap, Next expect a high level of customer service and you need to know about their company and products.

• Apart from shops consider Office administration roles, Fast Food Restaurants, Summer camps, Festivals, Sports/Theatre Venues, Sports Centres, Cleaning Companies, etc.

• Think small, one of the best ways to find a flexible job is to target small employers. Check out small shops on your local high street such as Dry Cleaners, independent cafes.

• Always have a copy of your typed CV & Covering letter when job hunting. These documents represent YOU, your skills and abilities, so make sure you have checked it for mistakes!

• Avoid going into a shop and asking for a job during their busiest time from 12-3pm. If there are no vacancies, ask to leave your CV & Covering Letter on file for future jobs.

• Don't be disheartened if a company has not got back to you. Try to follow up your applications by giving them a call to find out whether you have been successful or not.

• If you have no success, consider voluntary work half day a week with Oxfam, Scope etc. This will give you useful retail training and work experience.

• Network, network, network: As in any job search, the best way to find part-time opportunities is through a process of active networking. Tell everyone you know that you are interested in working part-time; reach out to former colleagues, employers and personal friends through both in-person initiatives and social-media channels. Create a LinkedIn account so you can connect with people whilst recording your skills too.

Always be prepared for an interview, even when you are making a telephone enquiry, as employers could use this opportunity to find out more about you and how well you communicate verbally. Try and prepare answers to the following questions:

• What do you think this job involves?
• What do you know about the business/company?
• Tell me about yourself.
• What skills or experience you have that might help you in this job?
• What is important when dealing with customers?

Use the internet to gain information on the company and to prepare yourself. There's lots of free advice on interview techniques, CV advice, questions to ask during an interview, telephone techniques etc. Use https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk. Remember first impressions count, so even if you are dropping off a CV, please look professional and smile! Good Luck!

Here are some useful website to help you get started
http://www.e4s.co.uk/docs/summer-jobs.htm 
www.inretail.co.uk 
www.retailchoice.com 
www.student-jobs.co.uk 
www.studentjob.co.uk 
www.gumtree.com/jobs/uk/summer 

Thursday 18 August is A-Level exam results day and many of you will have important decisions to make - University? HND? HNC? Clearing? Re-take your A-Levels? Gap year? Whatever your results, we're here to help you with advice and options for what you do next.

Top tips for Clearing

Clearing isn't so bad, especially with a bit of preparation.

1. Whether you're expecting to go into Clearing or not, there is no harm in doing some research before results day.

Research can be anything from reading up on courses to checking out campuses and facilities. Visit websites and see if the course content is what you are expecting to learn. Make a list of these courses so you are ready when the clearing lists are published. Thinking about Harrow College? Visit our campuses in Harrow on the Hill and Harrow Weald. If you're not from Harrow, don't forget to explore what the area has to offer.

2. Check the Independent newspaper on results day as it will have a list of all clearing places available.

Once you have found a place that you think you are suited for, you can phone and discuss it with the university/college. Don't rush it; speak to your family, friends and teachers first.

3. Make the process as easy as you can for yourself by having these essentials on hand before you call the clearing hotline:

• Your Clearing entry number
• Your UCAS personal ID
• You’re a-Level and GCSE grades
• A pen and paper handy

The Clearing hotline will be busy. But don't get disheartened, keep trying. Make a list of the opening times of the 'clearing hotlines' for your chosen institutions'. Save yourself some time by having the above all handy.

Remember when you speak to an admissions tutor, you need to show yourself in the best light and sell yourself as a potential student in order for them to ask you to apply. So put in your best.

Higher Education (HE) options at Harrow College

For current students progressing onto HND / HNC courses who would like further help, we would suggest coming into Harrow College on A-Level results day where the careers team will be available to help (Harrow-on-the-Hill campus on 18 August). Staff will be available between 9am and 1pm. Please call 0208 909 6208 or 0208 909 6583.

For new students joining us for the first time to study a HE course, you're invited to attend Harrow College (Harrow-on-the-Hill campus) on Thursday 25 August during our enrolment times of 9:30am – 6:30pm when all teaching staff and careers will be available to help.

How we can help

Our phone lines will be open throughout for general enquiries and clearing. From 18 August our careers team will be available for help and support (please phone 0208 909 6000 to check times and campus details). From 25 August, the college enrolment for September 2015 will be open. Click here for full details of dates and times

Remember, there is still time to apply to our Higher Education courses at Harrow College. Click for more details

Former Harrow College student Faye McClelland has successfully qualified for the Paralympics this summer and will now go on to represent Great Britain in Rio. Below, Faye describes the final stages of her qualification races before the news of her qualification was annouced. This intriguing insight give us an idea of the huge effort and dedication which goes into major triathletic tournament qualifcation. From all at Harrow College, a big congratulations to Faye and good luck to all of Team GB in Rio!

"Due to an on-going calf injury and a bit of illness in March & April, it was a later start than I intended in the 2016 race season and therefore I didn’t compete until the all-important European Championships on 27thMay in Lisbon. This was a critical race towards fulfilling the second and only remaining Great Britain slot in my category for the Paralympic games. Despite the lack of racing, I was hitting my performance targets in training and beginning to feel quietly confident. The key to maximising my selection potential over my teammate and GB rival Clare Cunningham was to position well in Lisbon to gain maximum points…the pressure was on!

After a tentative and nerve-racking build up the race finally got under way. I had a solid 750 metre swim exiting the water in fourth place. It was then onto the 20km bike where I managed to put some good power down in the first two laps overtaking Gwladys Lemoussu from France and Clare Cunningham; I was now in second place. Lauren Steadman, my other GB competing team mate, was comfortably holding first place. During the penultimate lap to my surprise, Gwladys caught up and overtook me. Her biking had clearly improved since we last raced at the end of 2015 and for the remainder of the cycle it became a cat & mouse chase between the two of us. We exited head to head on the run but I soon began to pull away in the first kilometre. Finally I was building up a good lead, only to be shocked on receiving notice of a 10 second penalty for a wrongly executed bike dismount. I was completely mortified and in disbelief but had no option but to serve the penalty to avoid disqualification. More anxious now than ever to extend my lead on Gwladys, I pushed as hard as my legs could go into the last Kilometre, entering the penalty zone with the finish line a torturous 200 metres away and with Gwladys fast approaching. It felt as though time stood still in what seemed the longest ten seconds of my life. Just as I was released she came flying past and we had a sprint finish to the line. I finished ahead by just two seconds which is the slightest of margins in the world of Triathlon racing. Most importantly I had provisionally secured the second GB slot in the women’s PT4 category.

Besancon in France was the last remaining race in the World Series, marking the end of this year’s qualification period before the Rio selection committee make their final decisions. Three weeks after Lisbon, the team made its trip to France to be greeted by torrential rainfall. The river in which we would be swimming was completely flooded and deemed too unsafe by the race officials. The race therefore was switched to a Duathlon (run, bike, run). My main focus now switched to executing a strong run from the start. As we set off pounding the wet streets on the first 2.5km I felt strong although breathing down my neck was the all too familiar Miss Lemoussu. She was back and ready to attack!

I took the lead into transition and was first out onto the bike. It felt gruelling as my legs were already fatigued from the hard run and the rainfall wasn’t helping. Gwladys got the better of me and powered past half way through but I managed to keep her in sight, closing the gap on the last lap into transition. I pulled away in the first half and the gap just continued to grow as I held my lead for the rest of the race with no other girls in sight. I won the race by a comfortable two minute lead.

It’s great to feel my racing fitness returning again. I’ve settled into a good training routine which will see me through to the World Championships on 24th July in Rotterdam. I’ve since raced in a couple of local Triathlons to keep sharp and I’m looking forward to testing myself in Rotterdam against some of the best girls on the World circuit. We then have the British Paratriathlon Championship on 14th August which will be the last race of the season before I hopefully head out to Rio at the end of August.

In the meantime I’m patiently waiting, for what seems like an eternity, to be officially selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic games by the British Paralympic Association (BPA). The announcement will finally be made on Friday 15th July…I’m keeping fingers & toes crossed!"

Harrow College are proud to sponsor Faye on her road to Rio and we wish her the very best of luck!

A team of students from Harrow College has won a national competition which helps to connect young people with real employers.

The City & Guilds Team Challenge sees groups of young people aged 14-19 work together and compete on a real work project. This year’s task was set by the BBC, who are the 2016 Team Challenge partner.

Competition entrants were tasked with creating a ‘pitch’ for a new TV programme suitable to accompany the 2016 Rio Olympics and including the themes of health and wellbeing, social responsibility, equality and diversity, and sustainability. This was to include a 5-minute video pitch – explaining what their idea was and why it would make a great TV programme, as well as a 10-minute live presentation to accompany a PowerPoint presentation – of how team members worked together to create their pitch.

After winning their regional categories, each of the finalists then pitched to a group of leading employers including the BBC and City & Guilds at a finale day event held at the BBC Academy in Birmingham on Friday 8th July. The Harrow College team were delighted to be named winners of the under 16 category. As part of their prize, the winners were then invited to the BBC Mailbox, Birmingham to showcase their team’s pitch and receive expert feedback and advice as well as a tour of TV and radio production areas.

Thomas Brosnan, Skills Centre lecturer at Harrow College, said: “The team worked extremely well to generate ideas and discuss different thoughts before coming up with their final concept. This was a practical joke style TV show which had a premise of engaging with the public and performing Olympic themed pranks. The team showed all the characteristics worthy of the winner’s accolade they received including communication, presenting ideas in front of others, innovation and teamwork. The experience will be of great benefit to them as they progress with their education”.

The Team Challenge aims to support young people in developing the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and is part of the TechBac programme. Students aged between 14 to 16 years old, and who are interested in construction, are now being offered the opportunity to enrol on Harrow College’s Construction TechBac.

The TechBac curriculum provides students with a professional pathway to their chosen career. Students also have the opportunity to achieve the technical qualifications and skills they need to progress.

TechBac courses, which have been developed and endorsed by industry, carry UCAS accreditation which will allow students to progress to higher education.

Click here for more information on TechBac at Harrow College.

It was a fantastic evening of celebration for over 200 guests as the annual Harrow College Student Awards 2016 took place yesterday (Wednesday 22 June).

Students from the across the college were celebrated for their achievements in all subject areas - from business, IT and the arts through to science, humanities and construction. Special Principal and Governor Awards were also presented to students for their courage, commitment and dedication.

A number of influential keynote speakers were in attendance and inspired the audience with their stories. The first speaker was Lee McQueen, Lord Sugar's Apprentice in 2008 and now Director of the Raw Talent Academy, which aims to provide employability skills and work opportunities to young people. The 12-stage training course includes topics such as in goal-setting, motivation and the power of knowledge. This year 14 students from Harrow College collected certificates after graduating from the Raw Talent Academy.

The next speaker was Gopesh Pathak, a former student, who left Harrow College last year to study Politics at university. Whilst studying at Harrow College, Gopesh also co-directed a documentary with Queens Park Rangers Football Club which saw him interview notable footballing personalities including Harry Redknapp and Joey Barton.

The final keynote speaker was Faye McClelland. Faye is a 4 x World Paratriathlon Champion and 3 x European Champion and will be aiming to represent Great Britain at this summer’s Rio 2016 Olympics Games. Faye spoke passionately about her journey into the world of athletics and how dedication and perseverance will always help you to fulfil your ambitions.

Guests in attendance at the fully dressed and decorated Kenton Hall venue including proud parents, tutors, governors and community members were treated to entertainment from college students including sisters Preya and Prachi Shah who performed a Bollywood dance routine as well as singer Bobby Milenovski who performed a medley of songs. A very impressive short video made by film students was played on the big screen (winner of the Film of the Year Awards) and guests also enjoyed a highlights video looking back at the Harrow College Expo from earlier in the year. Student volunteers from the college were at hand to ensure everyone involved had a fantastic evening.

The QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education) is an independent body which is entrusted with monitoring and advising on standards and quality in UK higher education. A Higher Education Review (HER) of Harrow College was carried out in January 2016; the College received a very positive report.

One of QAA’s main aims is to ensure that students working towards a UK qualification get the higher education experience that they are entitled to expect.

The overall aim of HER is to inform students and the wider public whether a provider meets the expectations of the higher education sector.

Following Harrow College's most recent HER in January 2016, the QAA review team judged that Harrow College met expectations in all four areas of higher education:

• academic standards
• quality of student learning opportunities
• quality of the information about learning opportunities
• enhancement of student learning opportunities

Following the review Harrow College is required to publish an action plan which has now been produced in collaboration with our students. This continues to demonstrate Harrow College’s commitment to take forward the findings of the HER; the full report by the QAA can be viewed here.

View higher education courses at Harrow College and apply today.

More than a third of young people expect to have at least five jobs in their lifetime, with 75% believing that long term employment with one company is a thing of the past.

The new research of more than 1,000 14-19 year olds currently in education, reveals that one in seven expect to work in at least four industries and that an unstable job market will force them to change roles regularly.

Career Colleges Trust provide 14-19 year olds with high quality, employer-led education – ensuring they are equipped with the skills needed to progress into employment or higher education. 

At Harrow College, two Career Colleges opened in September 2015, specialising in Digital & Creative and the UK’s first for Professional & Business Services. These are industries which are facing severe skills gaps over the next few years and as a result, offer exciting career opportunities for young people.

Employer involvement is integral to the Career Colleges concept – providing students with exposure to work and the workplace.

Pat Carvalho, Principal and CEO at Harrow College says: “Harrow College is committed to developing an entrepreneurial mindset in young people and this too is at the heart of the Career Colleges Trust. The College has chosen Creative & Digital and Professional & Business Services as its two Career Colleges because of their relevance to London’s economic drive for growth in these sectors and locally to strengthen the College’s contribution to the Regeneration Strategy for Harrow and improving the job prospects of young people"

Luke Johnson, Chairman of the Career Colleges Trust who commissioned the research, says: “We are keen to highlight to the next generation that there are many industries offering exciting career paths, with many job opportunities at all levels. Skills gaps are growing and employers are finding it more of a challenge than ever to recruit a skilled workforce."

Former Education Secretary and Founder and Trustee of the Career Colleges Trust, Lord Baker, says: “We need to ensure our youngsters get better careers advice at an earlier age, and have access to innovative educational pathways like Career Colleges, to prepare them for employment.”

Harrow College and Career Colleges Trust understand the need to ensure that young people are aware of the expanding industries in which many jobs will be available over the next 10-20 years – such as digital, construction, healthcare, hospitality and many more. High quality educational pathways must also be available to provide people with the support and guidance to acquire the employment and life skills needed to succeed in their chosen career.

Career Colleges offer young people real opportunities to develop their employability and entrepreneurial skills to make informed choices about their future careers.

Join Career Colleges at Harrow College or browse our courses and apply today.

We’ve put together some advice to help you cope with your feelings before, and on, exam results day. We hope this helps. The most important thing we want you to remember is that, even if things don’t go your way, there are always options open to you.

Don’t bottle your feelings up

If you’re nervous or anxious, talk about it. Tell your family or friends, or write it down in a diary. Don’t be embarrassed about your feelings – you might think nobody else is feeling this way but chances are they are. The Harrow College Careers Service will be available to help. Staff will be available on Thursday 17th August (A-Level results day) between 9am and 1pm at the Harrow on the Hill campus. Please call 0208 909 6208 or 0208 909 6411.

Make a plan

Be organised – know what time you’ve got to go and pick up your results and where you need to go. Think about what you might need to do if you don’t get the grades you were hoping for so you’re not panicking on the day.

For example, if your college or university place offer is dependent on you getting certain results, have their number handy so that you can call them on the day to see if they’re still willing to offer you the place. Also read up on the UCAS clearing system in advance.

The night before

Sleep may be the last thing on your mind the evening before results day but a good sleep will put you in a good frame of mind to face what lies ahead.

If you didn’t get the exam results you were hoping for

Do not panic. We repeat, do NOT panic. You have options if you didn’t get the exam grades you wanted. Take a deep breath and start talking. Speak to your teacher, careers adviser, and whoever else you can to find out what you should do next. Find out as much as you can before making a decision and remember, this is not the end of the world. There are lots of paths to success so use your disappointment as motivation to find yours.

If you got the exam results you wanted

Hooray! Massive well done to you and make sure you celebrate your tremendous achievement.

Enrolment at Harrow College starts on Thursday 24th August (GCSE results day) so if you are interested in joining us for a September start, come to see us at enrolment - click here for enrolment dates and times. Our Careers team will also be available to help you on that day. For more information call 020 8909 6000.

A group of Art students from Harrow College have put their art work on public display as part of the annual Harrow Open Studios event.

The free open studios event sees various artists from across Harrow come together to open their individual studios or homes over the same weekends. This enables the public to go along and see a diverse range of art in creative environment and to meet the artists who are happy to explain how they work.

The students from Harrow College will be demonstrating a range of media including Painting, Textiles, Ceramics, Wood, Metal and Plastic. Their work will be on show at The White House (Art Gallery) located at the Harrow on the Hill campus (click here for contact details).

The exhibition dates and times are Sat 4th June, Mon 6th June, Sat 11th June (11am - 4.30pm). Closed on Sunday's.

The students include:

• Idiirs Jama BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Art & Design exhibiting a range of ceramic masks
• Henal Gerage BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Fashion exhibiting a handmade 2 piece garment and screen printed shawl and fashion styling images 
• Ibrahim Said BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Art & Design exhibiting digitally produced film poster designs 
• Arron Blake-Fournillier BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Graphics exhibiting a selection of digital graphic illustrations 

Susan Dean, Creative Arts and Multimedia Lecturer at Harrow College commented:

'The Open Studios provide a positive creative link with our local community in Harrow enabling the students to get a flavour of what it means to organise and set up an exhibition and become aware of what it means to market and sell their work. It is also a platform for the college to offer a taster of the variety of work that will be displayed at our main end of year show next week.'

Click here for more about the Harrow College end of year show.

Click here to visit the Harrow Open Studios website.