On Wednesday 19th October 2016 LLDD (learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities), Foundation and Entry students kick-started this year's student EXPO events at Harrow College.

The theme 'Walk In Our Shoes' aimed to provide a fun and interactive way for students to learn about disabilities and how we can work to overcome the challenges posed.

Attended by parents, staff and students from across Harrow College, LLDD, Foundation and Entry students hosted stands throughout Spring House at the Harrow Weald campus.

Displays at the event included an interactive game of Charades and The Whisper Game, introducing visitors to the challenges of dealing with hearing loss. The game provided participants with an opportunity to wear ear defenders (sponsored by Ashe Construction) whilst guessing the mystery word being spoken out loud. This aimed to communicate the importance of lip-reading and eye-contact as a means of communication and understanding when hearing is not possible.

IT students also presented a selection of games aiming to communicate how to understand feelings and emotions through facial expression. Students also presented a social media awareness display, with tips for staying safe online.

The Wilson Jones Snack Pack team were also on hand selling packaged snacks to visitors, an extension of their daily work with Harrow College's catering contractor Wilson Jones as part of the Ready For Work course.

Terry Knight, Curriculum Manager for Entry & LLDD said: "We chose the theme 'Walk In Our Shoes' for this year's EXPO as we wanted to communicate the importance of disability awareness. This area of the College is very diverse, with a huge range of students from all backgrounds and disability. It has been a fun but challenging job to organise today's event due to the sheer scale but we're pleased with today's outcome and the success that we've had with engaging students in other curriculum areas to learn more about their peers."

More photos and videos of today's event can be found on our Facebook page.

The student EXPO events will continue in the coming weeks as part of the enrolment and induction process at Harrow College. To attend public events at the College, view our events page here. Follow the activity through social media using the hashtag #HarrowEXPO16.

In June 2016 Harrow, Uxbridge and West Thames Colleges announced their intention to explore a formal strategic alliance. Discussions over the summer have developed to the point where we are now in a position to issue a formal public consultation about our intention to merge.

The consultation opened from Monday 24th October 2016. Please note that the receipt of comments is now closed.

This is an exciting partnership with a vision to develop an outstanding further education provision which will play a critical role in ensuring the economic success and social cohesion in West London, and more broadly in London. The colleges will provide a strong mix and balance of provision and age groups, with a diverse funding base. A robust local offer in each Local Authority area will be enhanced by clear, accessible specialist pathways. Pooling expertise will allow each of the colleges to further develop provision at all levels, but particularly at higher levels in London Enterprise priority areas, adding further value to our engagement with employers.

View or download the consultation document here.

Decisions will be made on the proposed merger by colleges before the end of December 2016.

We look forward to hearing your views and to working with you to secure an outstanding vision for the future of further education in west London.

Harrow College students hoping to boost their career prospects have taken part in a competitive audition day (Wednesday 19 October) run by Raw Talent Academy (RTA), the business founded by The Apprentice winner Lee McQueen.

Over 250 students applied to gain a place on the RTA Employability Academy programme. Following a rigid interview and selection process, this was then reduced down to just 50 students, who were invited to the audition. Students were competing for one of only 25 final places which would be announced at the end of the day.

During the day-long audition which took place at the college's Enterprise Centre at the Harrow on the Hill campus, students were put into five teams and rotated across specific employment related tasks which included trying to sell faulty/damaged products such as a broken bucket, an advertising campaign for a new sports drink, identifying revenue streams for the college to make money, a Dragons Den business pitch and undertaking a full recruitment process.

Raw Talent's Employability Academy aims to give students an insight into business through a hands-on programme, which is extracurricular to the students College studies. Activities on the programme include giving the selected learners the opportunity to visit a large corporation, visit the different areas of a live business environment and receive coaching from business experts on specific employability skills. Students will also take part in 'The Apprentice' style tasks before presenting details of their personal development.

At the end of the audition day the final names were selected, with unsuccessful candidates taking away valuable experience and receiving detailed feedback from RTA on how they can develop and use this knowledge in the future. The successful students, who come from a number of curriculum areas within the college, can now look forward to a programme of activities spread out over the coming months.

This is the fifth year Harrow College has partnered with Raw Talent, with their business offering a number of paid internships to students who have graduated from the programme. Commenting on today's audition process, Lee McQueen said:

“I am very proud of our long-standing partnership with Harrow College. Today’s Audition Day is a testament to the knowledge, creativity and attitude of the students. They impressed throughout and it was tough choosing the 25 for the training course”.

Successful student Shakil Uddin Mohammad, said that attending the auditions was a great experience:

"Winning a place on the Employability Academy will be a great opportunity for me to improve my employability skills and boost my confident when applying for a job in the future."

 Click photo below to view album from the day:

Black History Month - an international annual month recognising inspirational individuals and events from within the black and minority ethnic (BME) communities – was celebrated this month. As an extension to this, Harrow College also celebrated diversity more generally giving students the opportunity to explore what diversity means in the UK and how we embrace it.

The activities kicked off in style with live steel band music and Caribbean food in the canteen creating a vibrant atmosphere and a fitting start to the activities.

A number of special film screenings took place throughout the month. These included ‘Ali’ – the biographical sports drama film about the life of the late boxer Muhammad Ali, and also ‘Life in a day’ which gives a glimpse of peoples every day experiences around the world in a film comprised of 80,000 YouTube video clips, contributed by people from 192 countries, all filmed on a the same day.

Diversity Fairs were held across campuses where issues related to diversity including black history, multiculturalism, background, disability and ethnicity were brought to the forefront. Colourful displays, international food, local community groups and passionate students all came together to make the events a great success.

Throughout the month, an exhibition was also on display in the Learning Centre’s of both the Harrow Weald and Harrow on the Hill campuses offering information about iconic black figures in history and explaining the importance of this month long celebration.

Reflecting on the various activities which have taken place, Sandie Petrie, Enrichment Coordinator for Harrow College said:

"Black History Month and diversity are something we are proud to celebrate here at Harrow College. It is important to embrace multiculturalism and to celebrate the achievements and contributions made by black people throughout history".

Click here for more information about student life at Harrow College.

Media students from Harrow College have attended the BFI London Film Festival, Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s best and most established film festivals.

The Film Festival (simply BFI London Film Festival) is an annual event held in London, running in the second half of October with cooperation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.

As part of the festival, A-level & BTEC media students watched to an exclusive screening of a new film called A United Kingdom (not out on general release until November 2016). The film is a biographical romantic drama film directed by renowned UK film director Amma Asante.

After the film, the students were treated to a special question and answer session with Amma Asante herself. She discussed how she became a director and the career path she chose after leaving college.

A follow up trip saw BTEC Level 2 Media students also attend the festival. This time the students enjoyed an exclusive behind the scenes look at the new DreamWorks animation, Trolls which is released in late October 2016. They met the films two directors, Mike Mitchell & Walt Dohr, who answered questions about how the film was made which included sharing exclusive images of the artwork storyboards and showcasing exclusive clips from the film itself. They gave career advice to budding young film makers and the skills & attributes they will need to progress in the film industry.

One Harrow College student, Alex Buga, was lucky enough to win a Trolls poster signed by the directors and producers after he correctly answered a question about DreamWorks.

Commenting on this fantastic experience for the students, Sam Norton-Taylor, Arts and Media lecturer at Harrow College said:

“It was great that students could get a real insight into the film making process, and to hear from film makers who work for such a renowned company as DreamWorks. The students were really inspired by the trip, and are looking forward to starting the animation unit as part of their course”.

Click here for more information about Media & Film courses at Harrow College.

The red carpet was rolled out last night (1st November) as Hair, Beauty & Make-Up students from Harrow College wowed a packed audience with glitz and glamour for their ‘Red Carpet Showcase’ Expo 2016 celebrations.

Expo is an annual event held at Harrow College where each department showcase their work in creative and innovative ways. The Hair & Beauty department put on an open event where student, staff and the public were free to come along and meet the team as well as indulge in some free beauty treatments

The event, held at the Harrow on the Hill campus Enterprise Centre, brought together current students from various Hair, Beauty and Make-Up courses. Nail bars offered visitor's mini manicures including hand massages, nail filing and nail design. A pop-up make-over parlour meant that guests could experience new products such as glitter lips and also receive a free beauty make over. There was also a relaxation room where students were offering Indian head massage. This soothing treatment ensured an air of calm could set in before the highlight of the evening commenced.

With the area now packed with standing room only, the much anticipated fashion show commenced. Music played aloud as student models took to the cat walk parading in fantastic costumes designed by their fellow peers. Hair styles were on point whilst make-up was creatively designed and applied with every little detail carefully choreographed. The student models enjoyed their moment in the spotlight and embraced the well-deserved cheers and applause as they waved to the crowds to close the show.

Speaking of the event, Tim Harding, Curriculum Manager for Hair & Beauty at Harrow College said "The students have worked really hard to make tonight a success. Lots of the skill and knowledge acquired from their college courses were put to full use and we're really pleased so many people were able to attend and see the high standard of work our students produce. With their continuing hard work and our support, we're confident that many will go on to have successful careers in the industry".

Click here for more information about Health & Beauty courses at Harrow College.

ESOL students (English for Speakers of Other Languages) have held a special Expo event as part of the annual Harrow Expo 2016 celebrations. The event (3rd Nov) was an opportunity for the students, who all originate from outside of the UK, to explore the theme of ‘language and communication’ in society and to showcase their work.

The packed event brought together staff and students from the entire ESOL department along with a number of visitors from within the college and outside. Each of the various ESOL subject classes had spent the past few weeks planning and preparing for today’s event. Each class focussed on one particular area of the language and communication theme.

Childcare students looked at the communication of healthy eating. They displayed nutritional information using colourful posters and leaflets as well as serving some healthy breakfast and lunch food items for guests to sample.

Foundation Entry students researched the history of communication; from ancient Egyptian times to the use of smoke signals and leading up to modern day use of technology. The students also looked at how and when different forms of communication including TV, radio and telephone were invented. Creative displays, posters and videos were used by the students to communicate the research they had done.

Business Entry students looked at business ideas and how they can be advertised. They produced colourful, creative displays to show how social media and other online advertising forms work and why they are so effective. Vocational Studies students used art to create Harrow College emoji’s to do some fund raising for Children in Need. Posters were produced to help sell raffle tickets which raised well over £250 by the end of the day.

Science students expressed their ideas through print and digital media. The groups wrote articles, cartoons and puzzles and took on the role of editors and creative directors to produce two broadsheet newspapers. The finished newspapers and a digital version were proudly displayed with the teams on hand to explain their ideas.

Entry 3 Certificate in Science students showed how Street Art is used as a form of communication to convey thought provoking messages. The students produced a video clip to convert their written text about graffiti into speech. Examples of work from famous graffiti artists such Banksy and El Seed were used to quiz the audience and students even created their own graffiti messages for students at Harrow College.

Other impressive displays were by students on the Young Foundation Entry 1 course who looked at how we use colour to communicate and how different cultures from around the world communicate through dance to celebrate festivals.

Reflecting on the event, Mumtaz Van-Der-Vord, Head of ESOL at Harrow College said "students have really embraced the Expo and should be really proud. Language and communication is at the very heart of our ESOL classes which makes today all the more special. The Expo is an opportunity for students to develop their skills in team-working and communication – key skills that employers are looking for”.

Click here for more on ESOL classes at Harrow College.

Sports students at Harrow College have enjoyed an action packed start to life at the college. As part of the annual Harrow Expo celebrations, the young learners have given fellow students and visitors a flavour of what they’ve been up to with their Sports Expo (on 3rd Nov), showcasing some of the skills and knowledge acquired on their course.

Level 1 and 2 Sports and Football students displayed an anatomy exhibition which included posters and projected videos. They were on hand to provide information about bones, muscles and joint movements. They further impressed by successfully labelling a life sized skeleton with the correct names of various bones and muscles around the body.

Level 3 students used the event to promote the opening of the on-site gym called Energise, which many students use and help to run. As an Expo special offer, new sign-ups were being offered a discount as well as keep fit tips. To get people thinking about getting active and how to make it fun, a rowing competition also took place. Guests were invited to compete with one another in a speed challenge.

Upstairs in the sports hall, students were doing health screenings. By measuring blood pressure, height and weight, students were able to give visitors a Body Mass Index (BMI) reading. Other interactive activities included fun static jump measurements and a display of indoor basketball and football skills.

The Harrow College Expo has been celebrating student life at the college. The Expo has given students from each department an opportunity to provide an insight into what they do on their course and what their aspirations are for the year ahead.

Speaking about the Expo events, Katie Tarrrant, Sports Course Leader said "This Expo event has given our students an opportunity to show what being a Sport student actually involves - from the theory side to the more practical activities. We’ve had a great day and are now feeling very positive. We all now look forward to another successful year here at Harrow College".

Click here for more on Sports courses at Harrow College.

The Harrow College Student Council held a special meeting today (9 Nov) to discuss key issues and explore important topics impacting the young learners.

The session, packed with over 50 students, started with an introduction from Student Union President Trust Olamona, 18, who set the agenda whilst welcoming the audience comprising of fellow students, tutors, support staff and members of the senior management team.

The students then split into groups and tackled an ice breaker task called the ‘What If’ game. This included a number of scenarios such as ‘What if you had £10k to spend on something for the students, what would you spend it on?’ and ‘What if you could talk with the Prime Minister about education, what would you tell her’? Each group then presented their responses which ranged from more college trips to more travel support.

Next the groups took part in a ‘Meet the manager’s speed networking’ activity where each group had 5 minutes to quiz different managers from the college about what they do and how their work impacts on students. Managers from many different areas including Learners Support, Quality, IT and more were represented, rotating from one table to the next every 5 minutes.

The session ended by student groups thinking about what they like about Harrow College but also any areas for improvement. These were then presented to the room giving managers the opportunity to respond and identify possible solutions.

Speaking after today’s meeting, Sandie Petrie, Student Enrichment Coordinator at Harrow College said “Our Student Union and Student Council is run for students, by students. Today’s meeting was a great opportunity for some important issues to be discussed by our student representatives in the presence of college staff. Discussions can now be moved forward in partnership with Student Union officers and college managers”.

Click here for more on Student Enrichment at Harrow College.

Childcare Students of Level 1, 2 and Level 3, organised a ‘Diversity’ themed Expo this week (9 Nov), in a bid to understand the differences that exist in our multicultural society. Diversity will play an important role in the future for today’s students and topics including culture, family background, structures in society, ethnicities and communities were all explored.

The Expo included interactive activities to help the audiences, comprising of fellow students and guests, understand about diversity within different countries, traditions, food, religions, and languages as well as that of people belonging to communities like LGBT, people with disabilities and others.

Each student group displayed their work based on a specific diversity related topic. One explained types of rituals in different cultures such as marriage, puberty, harvest and funerals, while another described changing family structures and how they have evolved from joint dwellings to traditional families and more recently to nuclear, nomadic, childless and same-sex families. One of the displays highlighted the issues faced by the LGBT community by virtue of being classed ‘different’ from the norm set by society, while another aimed to get people thinking about those affected by a disability.

At least one interactive activity formed part of every display to challenge the audiences. These included matching wedding jewellery to their country of origin, matching family structures to their definitions, matching currencies, food and clothing to their heritages, practising your name in sign language, cross dressing and challenges using just one hand. Candle decorating, loom band knitting, and international food tasting were other activities which kept the crown busy amidst traditional music from around the world played in the background. Many students were also dressed in the traditional attire of their countries.

Minal Purohit- Robson, Lecturer in Childcare at Harrow College said, “Working together in different groups than usual has given the students an opportunity to learn about each other and brought them closer together as a team.”

Level 2 Childcare student, Teresa Correia, said “Working on the Expo has exposed me to so many different cultures, countries, traditions, religions and family structures, some that I didn’t know about before. But this knowledge will help me in my future when I work with children as I will have a better understanding of the background that they come from”.

Click here for more on Childcare course at Harrow College.

ICT students (Information & Communications Technology) have displayed their digital skills during an Expo event which addressed some important and hard hitting issues. As the Harrow Expo 2016 season continued, ICT students demonstrated their work on the topic of ‘Prevent’ – aimed at raising awareness of issues such as radicalisation, cybercrime and terrorism.

Highlights of the event included Level 3 student designing and building their own websites related to ‘prevent’ themed topics. Key digital website functionality including the use of online menus, graphics, feedback forms and hyperlinks were used – much of which had been learnt by the during earlier class time. The website designers were on hand to engage with the audience and very professionally explain and demonstrate the process they undertook to build their websites.

A video diary had also been kept which played during the Expo, It showed the student busy at work creating their websites and includes sound bites from students describing their progress and the aspirations for the future.

Another Level 3 group looked at statistical information. Having researched local crime data from Harrow and Brent, the students used various online applications to analyse and interpret the data. They then produced colourful displays included tables, charts and graphs to present their results in a user friendly way.

Guests were also treated to interactive fun courtesy of Level 2 students. One of the activities included a game to raise awareness and inform others about bullying. The aim of the game was to select a picture card which featured a scenario. The task was to then identify if the picture showed an example physical bullying or cyber bullying.

The IT Expo ended with a presentation event where some of the best websites designers had the opportunity to present the work in front of their peers and invited guest. Awards were presented to students who had excelled in their work.

Sultan Soukani, Senior Curriculum Manager for ICT and Business said “the topics related to ‘prevent’ are very important among our student’s age-group. The IT Expo has been an excellent way of combining the curriculum with real life issues and the quality of work was been very impressive”.

Click here for more about IT at Harrow College.

Business students got in on the Harrow College Expo 2016 action last week by hosting their Expo which had the theme - ‘Starting your own business’. The young learners used this opportunity to put their knowledge to the test by delivering a masterclass on the intricate details of going it alone in the world of business.

Guests including fellow students, tutors and invited guests had the opportunity to mingle with the events hosts and learn more about the event. Refreshments had been laid out for guests and displays put on show by the passionate young learners who had spent many weeks learning about this and related topics during class time.

The business students split themselves into small groups where each had prepared a laptop presentation. The students invited guests to come to their tables where they then introduced themselves and their projects in a very professional manner. They created business scenarios to set the scene and posed questions relating to important issues such as business type, sources of funding and tax before providing thoroughly clear and concise responses. Each group member spoke with confidence, relating theoretical information to real life examples.

It was clear that the students had spent a lot of time preparing for the event – both in terms of learning the information acquired during class time as well as how they would structure their presentations, take questions and provide clearly worded answers. By the end of the Expo, guests were left feeling not only very well informed but also extremely impressed by the levels of quality and professionalism displayed by the Level 3 students.

Reflecting on the Business Expo, Sultan Soukani, Senior Curriculum Manager for Business and ICT said:

"By presenting our students with real life scenarios, not only do they learn the fundamentals of the curriculum but they do so in a way which is relevant, interactive and enjoyable. Feedback from students and guests today has been very positive".

Click here for more on Business courses at Harrow College.

The video production skills of Media students has been showcased at a dazzling Media Expo event. The free public event saw crowds of people descend upon Arc House Performance Space in Lowlands Recreation Ground to brave the cold evening temperatures and enjoy an evening of quality short video screenings (10 Nov 2016).

For this year’s Media EXPO, Level 3 Creative Media students were asked to produce short (3 minute) promotional videos exploring either a small business or team/department within an institution, a community group / club, an inspiring individual, a landmark or a specific venue. The video could either advertise a service, communicate a message or introduce audiences to a particular facility/cause.

Storyboards were first produced and were on display at the Expo showing how the students visually planned the sequencing of their videos. After filming their videos on location with the client, the students then came back to the media suites at Harrow College and applied their post-production editing knowledge to complete their videos. These included lighting and timing considerations, transitions and effects, music choice and careful cutting. The Expo provided students with the ideal opportunity to put their media knowledge, acquired during college term time, into full use on a real life client brief.

Well-known names from the world of media were also in attendance to enjoy the event. This included Rashid Kasirye, a former Harrow College student and founder of one of the UK’s leading music and entertainment platforms called LinkUp TV. Rashid was present to support the current cohort of students but also to watch one of the videos in which LinkUp TV was itself the subject. Also in attendance was regular broadcaster Richard Norton-Taylor who has been writing for the Guardian since 1973 and until recently was the paper's security editor. Many of the clients featured in the videos also attended to watch the première screening and to support the young learners.

The evening ended with an awards ceremony to reward students for their efforts and achievements with the Expo project. Speaking at the event, Owen Price, Curriculum Manager for Art, Design and Media said; “The quality of work on display has been of a very high standard. The Media Expo has given students the opportunity to go out and meet real clients. They have applied many new skills, methods and knowledge into practice and the experience of this will be invaluable for their future careers”.

Click here for more on Media Course at Harrow College

Art students at Harrow College have displayed their creativity and ingenuity at an Expo exhibition, inspired by the work of the late illustrator and cartoonist William Heath Robinson (1872 – 1944), who was best known for drawings of complicated machines achieving simple objectives. The exhibition took place at Memorial Park in Pinner – the village in which Heath Robinson lived and the very building recently restored to house a Heath Robinson Collection.

Participating Art & Designs students were all able to take inspiration from Heath Robinson in some way. Photography students took photos of items reflecting the works of Heath Robinson. Graphics students drew intricate pen illustrations. Textiles students transformed plain white t-shirts into die printed designs featuring object to solve everyday life problems. Ceramic students created Expo themed coasters, jewellery cogs and keys fittings whilst Architecture, Interior & Product Design students displayed wall hangings of the highest quality.

The Expo gave the young learners an opportunity to apply the creative skills and knowledge they had acquired during class time. As their Expo art work projects neared completion, the students understanding of key curriculum areas had been developed both theoretically and practically.

Ceramic learners applied new design skills such as glazing. Level 2 students applied research techniques, idea development and photography skills. Others used CAD (computer-aided design), laser cutting, modelling and 3D to assemble their work. The displays really did showcase the best of student work which also included tin cutting and wire work, painting, collage, dark room printing, fibre based printing, work from the photography studio and the use of textures and shapes.

Speaking at the event, Owen Price, Curriculum Manager for Art & Media at Harrow College said “Using their imagination in a surreal and fun way, the students really connected with the work of Heath Robinson. Taking their work out of college and into a public space has also been an exciting opportunity and a great platform for the students to showcase their creativity”.

Click here for more on Art and Media courses at Harrow College.

Today Science and Math students at Harrow College hosted their #HarrowEXPO16 event to celebrate student attributes through the themes of 'Science in Action' and a 'Maths in Business' competition.

The Science and Math takeover saw exhibitions delivered by A-level and BTEC students at the Harrow Weald campus.

Biology students demonstrated a series of tests including eye dissections, whilst Chemistry students put safety first as they carried out a number of live experiments including exothermic reactions that kept visitors intrigued throughout the afternoon.

The audience included local primary school children from Mitchell Brook Primary School, as part of Harrow College’s ‘Little Einstein’ programme.

Math students were briefed with a £200k budget which they ‘spent’ on planning how to run a business in relation to their core subject area. In small groups students were tasked to research costs for starting a business. After researching and presenting their findings, a winning group were chosen by visitors on the day of the EXPO presentation.

STEMNET ambassadors also participated in today’s event, with representatives from the NHS, Kings College London, KCL Dental Society and Blenkharn Environmental delivering employability talks to students.

Continuing the focus on employability, Level 1 students were also involved in a recruitment process with their Level 3 peers. A selection of ‘jobs’ were available and Level 3 students were encouraged to apply to be interviewed by their fellow Level 1 students. The learning exchange allowed both groups to understand the professionalism required for job interviews, as well as the type of roles that studying a course at Harrow College could lead to.

Michael Worgs, Senior Curriculum Manager for Science and Maths said: “Students at Harrow College are supported to be engaged, challenged and to enjoy their programmes of study. Today’s EXPO has allowed students to commit to the initial few weeks' of their programme and has successfully introduced fun to the learning environment. I’m really pleased with the support that the students have received from visitors of today’s event and the ongoing success that these students will now enjoy.”

Applications for 2017 are now being accepted. Browse and apply to join a Science or Maths course at Harrow College today.

Harrow College Principal and Chief Executive Pat Carvalho has taken the opportunity to speak with students and address some key issues surrounding the proposed merger of three west London colleges. Ahead of a public consultation on 23 November, Pat Carvalho spoke at a recent Student Council meeting where she outlined the plans.

Described as an exciting new partnership, the proposal will see Harrow College, Uxbridge College and West Thames College come together to help deliver on a vision to develop an outstanding further education provision for West London. The plan will also aim to better meet employers’ and residents’ needs for skills whilst being a more financially secure.

Shared vision:

One of the major strengths of the partnership is the vision shared by the three colleges. These include maximising the volume of high quality education and training as well as the opportunities for success of students and communities in the local area, including employers and residents. One key result, as outlined in the shared vision, will be to achieve a grade of ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Benefits:

The local offer will remain in each borough, namely Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. The intention is to maximise student choice and increase opportunities to gain higher level skills that employers need in different sector as well as continue to provide courses for those furthest away from employment. The colleges also aim to offer a seamless service to meet local employer and student demand for apprenticeships. The Principal also talked about the commitment to ensure facilities across all campuses are of a high quality and that investment in staff is critical to achieving these benefits.

Pat Carvalho and Nick Davies (Chair of the Board of Governors) will host a public consultation to discuss the proposed partnership on Wednesday 23 November at 6pm. The session will take place at Harrow College’s Enterprise Centre, located at the Harrow on the Hill Campus.

Click here for more information about the partnership.

Using a support aid should not deter your confidence. That was the message from Health & Social Care students during their Expo event where visitors were shown how applying a bit of creativity to support aids could make them less noticeable and more importantly, an extension of the users personalities.

The Expo (on 15 Nov 2016) included displays and activities detailing how every support aid can be ‘blinged up' for fun whilst also making the user more confident, allowing them to express their creativity through their support aids.

The ‘Personalised Casts’ project was once such way to jazz up the boring white and blue casts worn by patients. The project idea involved running hospital workshops for children and adults wearing casts, showing them how to design and decorate their cast in an attempt to make it fun and to lift their spirits.

There were many displays to show visitors how they could decorate their support aid, whether it was a wheelchair, hearing aid, glasses, or even maternity clothes. A raffle was held with one lucky visitor winning the top prize of a wheelchair decorating kit. The student message was being spread loud and clear - have fun with your support aids and to make them a part of you.

One project highlighted the decoration of walking sticks with a glow-in-the-dark design in order to increase visibility of the user on busy roads and in the dark. Another transformed glasses worn by young children so they would not feel secluded from their school peers.

The ‘concave hearing aid’ was slightly different from the rest because this offered you the opportunity of using a support aid without anyone knowing of its existence. Although expensive, it was a significant aid to those who didn’t want to draw any attention to themselves. Similar to contact lenses, these hearing aids would need fitting into the ear by a professional.

The students also did a dance to drive home the message of having fun irrespective of your support aids.

Kelly Ocloo, Health and Social Care Lecturer at Harrow College, said; “Students worked really hard and came up with creative ideas about making support aids fun and interesting”.

Rabia Shah, level 2 Health & Social Care student said; “Working on the expo has helped me engage with the audience and encourage them to try out the activities on the stall. It has improved my customer communication skills.”

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

Construction and Engineering students have unveiled their Eco House structures at a special Expo event (11 Nov). The structures, which show how modern-day buildings can be environmentally sustainable, have been in production for a number of weeks by the students who have made this the focus of their Harrow College Expo 2016 celebration.

Teams consisting of student plumbers, electricians and carpenters on City & Guilds courses embarked on the project which put sustainability and renewable resource at the heart of the build - a key focus of today’s construction industry. Solar energy and rain water harvesting were just two of the methods showcased at the event.

Both theory and practical elements were applied during the progression of the project. Topics including the risk assessments, material choice, cost and team work were all addressed.

As the weeks went by, the passionate young learners and proud course tutors saw the Eco House take shape. Working together helped to develop key teamwork, communication and presentation skills. The successful application of these skills ultimately ensured the students achieved their building project objectives. From idea conception at the start of the term to a final presentation event, students unveiled their Eco House in a packed room filled with students, staff and parents.

Stephen Hogarth, Curriculum Manager for Construction and Engineering at Harrow College commented "Sustainability is key a topic for the sector and events like today's Expo are fantastic for combining real life issues with curriculum studies. The students have been really enthusiastic throughout the process and taken the opportunity to put their skills into practice. The results of their hard work is very pleasing to see".

Seventeen year old Hysen Zejnullahi is a Level 2 Plumbing student who was involved in the project. He said "The Expo has been really fun and seeing the Eco House come to fruition has been the best part. I’ve learnt a lot about team work and working with fellow trades people on a project such as carpenters and electricians”.

The Eco House will now continue to be built and developed by the learners to further enhance their learning experience and provide opportunity for assessment.

Click here for more on Construction, Electrical and Plumbing courses at Harrow College.

Reports of a big yellow American School bus seen driving around Harrow can now be explained after the famous mode of transport used by American school and college goers made its way into Harrow College. The bus called the 'Ideas Bus' was visiting courtesy of a company named Driving Technology who specialise in showcasing the latest technological trends.

Driving Technology launched earlier this month and selected Harrow College as one of its first college visits. The aim of the bus is to take new technology to students all over the UK. With experts on board, the bus is then opened for students to come in and interact with some of the many gadgets and gizmos on display.

The bus itself is very tech driven and automated. Apps have been installed which can start the engine, open the doors and switch on the lights. The apps themselves are controlled by artificial intelligence voice recognition. Green credentials are also on display including solar panels and wind turbines. Various exhibits showed the students how technology interacts with the real world. A 3D printer, a refillable ink printer and the latest trends in Wi-Fi technology were just some of the audience favourites.

Harrow College is already implementing its own drive to promote IT for young learners. A specialist Digital & Creative Career College aimed at excelling student learning with the involvement of employers and creating work experience opportunities into the curriculum, is already well into its second year. Students from the Career College as well as other IT students were invited onto the bus and thoroughly enjoyed their time listening to the experts who also spoke about employability issues and career progression.

Speaking about the bus visit, Sultan Soukani, Senior Curriculum Manager for ICT and Business said “Today has been about bringing the latest IT to the students. Having the opportunity to physically touch and play with these new items and learn more about them from industry experts is very beneficial. Today has provided a great opportunity for our students who have all fully embraced it”.

Click here to learn more about IT courses are Harrow College

Employers are far more likely to be impressed by a CV which demonstrates attention to detail/spelling & grammar (66%) and work experience (64%) than one which focuses on qualifications, according to new research.

However this has come as a surprise to 14-19 year olds. 56% of those asked said they think that employers look for GCSEs and A-Levels (55%) when in fact the reality is that only around a third of HR decision makers actually do look at GCSEs (38%) and A-levels (33%).

Less than half of the 14-19 year old respondents identified attention to detail / spelling and grammar (47%) as something they think employers look for – when in fact, two-thirds (66%) of HR decision makers flagged this up, putting it at the top of their list.

The study, conducted by the Career Colleges Trust, questioned HR decision makers and 14-19 year olds to see what employers actually look for compared to what young people think they want to see. The top five things that HR decision makers look out for from a school leaver / recent graduate:

• Attention to detail and good grammar and spelling (66%)
• Work experience (64%)
• Real life evidence of skills (60%)
• Example of where the applicant has added value (57%)
• Achievements (54%)

However work experience was identified as key for both groups – with 74% of 14-19 year olds and 64% of HR, decision makers recognising the importance of gaining exposure to industry.

Ruth Gilbert, CEO of the Career Colleges Trust who conducted the research, says:

“Schools and colleges need to ensure that they give students access to work experience opportunities and ensures they are equipped with all the softer skills desired by employers. Evidence of these skills is crucial and this is something our Career Colleges work hard to ensure their students can demonstrate”.

Harrow College offer a number of Career Colleges in Digital & Creative and Professional & Business Services. These courses are very closely associated with employers, offering students the additional benefit of involvement in work related projects, developing enterprise and communication skills to prepare them for work and life.

Click here for more on Career Colleges at Harrow College.