Harrow College Hair and Beauty students have taken first prize at this year’s inter-college Inspiring Enterprise Challenge Day.

Students from Harrow College’s Health and Social Care and Beauty Therapy courses were joined by Barking and Dagenham College and St Dominic’s Sixth Form College for some friendly competition in the library, at the college’s Harrow Weald campus, on Wednesday 26 March 2014.

During the day-long event students were placed into college specific teams and asked to come up with social enterprise initiatives based on equality and diversity.

The teams of students were asked to brainstorm ideas, plan and organise a social enterprise and then pitch their idea before a panel of judges.

Entrepreneurs Patrice Hinds and Tony Henry, and last year’s Inspiring Enterprise Challenge winners Adrian Toski and Shezz Asif were on hand to give teams motivational speeches about how they could bring their social enterprise ideas to fruition.

NVQ Level 2 Beauty Therapy student Mona Patel said the Inspiring Enterprise Challenged had taught her essential teamwork skills.

“It’s really important for students to take part in initiatives such as this. My friends and I have improved on our communication skills, ideas and pitches which are all vital to succeed in business.”

Following a productive day of planning, inventing and preparing presentations the teams pitched their enterprising ideas to the judging panel that included Tony Medhurst, principal at Harrow College,  Santoshi Padhiar, professional photographer and Hinds.

After careful consideration it was decided that the team fronted by the Hair and Beauty team called ‘Pop Up Girls’ should win for their social enterprise idea to set up a pop-up beauty treatment service.

‘The Pop Up Girls’ walked away with a prize of £250 to help them establish their social enterprise. The team later decided to donated 75 per cent of the prize money to Great Ormond Street Hospital and invest the remaining 25 per cent into their pop-up business.

Patricia Brown, head of department for foundation learning and skills at Harrow Collage and curator of this year’s Enterprise Challenge said: “Well done to all the teams that took part in the event and good luck to those teams committed to launching their social enterprises. This was a fantastic challenge that showed just how creative and enterprising young people in the borough of Harrow can be.”   

Travel and Tourism students at Harrow College have learnt first-hand from industry insiders what it takes to have a high-flying career.

The students took part in mock interviews and CV clinics in the library at the college’s Harrow Weald campus, on Thursday 27 March 2014.

Each student, or interviewee, was allocated 15 minutes to impress a potential employer in mock interviews conducted by figures from British Airways, Harrow in Business, Bucks New University, TE Connectivity and the Prince’s Trust.

Following their interviews, the students were offered feedback on their performance and given advice on how to conduct a perfect interview to land their dream job in the travel and tourism sector.

One student who found the mock interview experience useful was Jake Luke Banfield. “It felt like a real interview. It really helped to show me where I could improve on my communication skills and eye contact. It was definitely a worthwhile experience.”

Lee Janaway, head of department for Business, English, Media and Health Studies at Harrow College added: “The mock interview day provided all travel and hospitality students with opportunities to develop experience and perfect their interview skills so that they will feel more confident when progressing into employment.”

Chen Xin Yang received two prestigious awards at the student awards ceremony in June 2013 and has now added to these achievements following her exam results.

Chen accomplished an A* in AS maths and an A grade for A2 further maths. At the student awards she gained the Governor's award for outstanding achievement and was named the most promising talent in maths.

Having studied at the college for three years, Chen will now progress to study AAT accounting, she said "I enjoyed my studies at Harrow College and the teachers were very helpful and supportive".

Parvaneh Alinaghian, curriculum manager for maths said "we are delighted with Chen's achievements and this reflects the excellent success of the maths department's results for this year".

The maths department has achieved 83% success rate in AS maths, 17% points above the national average. In addition to this, the college has also seen a 93% success rate in A-level maths and an impressive 100% for A2 further maths.

Harrow College welcomed new students to the College with Freshers’ Fair this week. The fair presents a great opportunity for students to familiarise themselves with the College and to make new friends before the start of the new term.

For two days at both the Brookshill and Harrow on the Hill campuses, students have learnt about College life and the activities available to them.

Students met representatives from different areas of the College, including the Student Union, Enrichment, the Bits & Bobs Shop, Learner Services, Health & Safety, Harrow College Environment, Clinic in a Box and the Harrow College Enterprise Society.

Businesses working alongside the College also attended the fair. Graham Clark of Barclays Bank said “we are building on the good work that the Barclays Bank Harrow branch has progressed with the College. This includes supporting education for general money management and the money skills initiative”.

Students enjoyed delicious food and drink samples served by Wilson Jones, the College’s caterers. In addition, Harrow Arts Centre encouraged signings for their membership list and the Raw Talent Academy promoted the forthcoming Employability Academy.

Phil Rowe, Director of Cycle Experience said “there is significant interest from students to cycle to the College. The majority of students recognise that further cycle training funded by Harrow Council would be a useful activity.”

Students can register online to receive free cycle training at www.CycleExperience.com/bookacourse. The fair provided an enjoyable experience with many students signing up for an array of College activities before the start of the new term. 

Students looking to take their next steps into academia or vocational courses have attended a Progression Fair at Harrow College.

Current lecturers and members from the Apprenticeships team at Harrow College were joined by prospective employers, freelancers, business owners and trainers in the Library at Harrow Weald, on Tuesday 1 April 2014.

Attendees included personnel from the graphic design and fashion industries and local Harrow entrepreneurs, as well as members from the Construction Industry Training Broad, Crossrail, Harrow Council, JLT, D&L Contract Services, Shout Out UK, and Home Instead Senior Care.

Assisting students with advice were Harrow College alumni Rianna Warren and Natalie Dean who are currently studying at Sussex University and Bucks University, respectively. Also speaking to students was Harrow College graduate Azeem Khadir who now works for PAYMILL, an internet payment solution provider.

Cardine Johnson, a freelance graphic designer said it was important for students to attend careers fairs as it provided a valuable starting point for students thinking about their career progression.  “I think it gives students an understanding of what types of jobs are out there for them and what routes to take to get those jobs.”

Level 2 BTEC Science student Ahmed Albu Swailin said that he was glad he attended the Progression Fair. “I’m still unsure as to what I want to do when I’m older. I’m thinking about either progressing onto a Business or Science course but have not made my mind up. I came to this event today to understand how I could further my study here at Harrow College. It’s really helped me focus on where I want to progress my career.”

Why not continue your studies with a BTEC at Harrow College?

At Harrow College we offer a large number of BTEC qualifications – our courses have high success rates and allow students to progress to a range of universities at the end of their two year course.

Awarded by Edexcel, BTEC level 3 courses are equivalent to A-levels and allow students to gain the same number of UCAS Tariff points for progression into university. Courses take a practical approach to learning, combining vocational and practical learning with academic theory on the subject. All courses are entirely coursework-based and contain a variety of units based around the subject area.

Each course includes personal guidance and support from your teacher who will help you to meet deadlines and reach your full potential and progress to university.

What can I do after a BTEC?

You can enter into employment or continue with your studies at university. In fact, the majority of our BTEC students progressed to university in 2013.

Destinations included:

Aston University
Bournemouth University
Brunel University
Coventry University
Glamorgan University
Kent University
Kingston University
Leeds University
Leicester University
London Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Middlesex University
Oxford Brookes University
Queen Mary, University of London
University College London
University of Bedfordshire
University of Hertfordshire
University of Northampton
University of the Arts, London
University of Westminster

Use our course finder to find a BTEC course to suit you today.

EFL students at Harrow College have come together to celebrate culinary delights from their homeland for International Food Day.

The students, who have English as a second language, shared their favourite dishes at Harrow on the Hill campus on Tuesday 1 April.

Thirty countries were represented during the event, including India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Colombia, Pakistan, Iran and the UK, among others.

EFL students shared the food of their homeland while also sampling dishes from the countries of their peers.

Iranian student Nilourfar Tafaghodi said that she felt proud to share her food with other EFL learners. “Sharing my food in this way has allowed my classmates to know where I have come from and understand my culture a little more.”

Vietnamese student Ngo Thi Mai Trang added: “It’s been really interesting for me to discover foods from other countries and the dishes that my friends on my course eat.”

Some of the treats on offer included spring rolls from Vietnam, tteobokhi (rice cakes with vegetables in hot sauce ) from South Korea, jalebi (a deep friend sweet treat) from India, kashke budemjam (grilled aubergine) from Iran, haleem (a meat and lentil stew) from Pakistan and sausage rolls from the UK.

Kathleen Hughes, EFL lecturer at Harrow College said that International Food Day was a great way for EFL students to socialise with their fellow students and learn about other cultures. “This event is really important for the EFL students as they get to meet people from other countries and make friends. I know a lot of them enjoy trying out food from the UK as a lot of them don’t get the chance to sample it normally. It’s also a great way to bring some of the more isolated students out of their shell and show them that language is no barrier to making friends.”

Students from Harrow College have teamed up with student-led organisation People and Planet to raise awareness for Fair Trade products.

The campaign took place outside the canteen at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Wednesday 2 April.

People and Planet have been working with students at Harrow College for the past five weeks on initiatives to help promote Fair Trade food, drink and clothing in and around the college.

BTEC Level 1 Science student Shams Rahman was part of a group of students helping to campaign for clothing companies to use Fair Trade suppliers in Cambodia.

“We’re trying to help workers in Cambodian factories, that supply companies in the UK, get a living wage. It’s important to champion this cause as people’s lives and livelihoods are at stake. That’s why we’re speaking to our fellow students to help raise awareness.”

Juliette Daigre, education manager at People and Planet said it was good to see Harrow College students be enthusiastic about Fair Trade products.

“We’re keen to overcome the idea that students are apathetic. Supporting Fair Trade is just one way that students can show that they care. We’ve been working with Harrow College students to promote Fair Trade food, drink and clothing around the college and the response to teaching people about the cause has been immense.”

Students of Harrow College welcomed Melody Hossaini to the College where she delivered a master class in social enterprise as part of a wider programme she has developed called the Social Enterprise Revolution. This gave the students the opportunity to learn from real life examples of social enterprise and entrepreneurial activity.

Throughout the session, Melody guided students through a series of interactive sessions to encourage greater thinking around the idea of employability and sourcing enterprising and innovative solutions built on the basis of reinvesting money in a good cause. Lunch and refreshments were available on the day with service provided by Harrow College hospitality students.

As a former contestant on the popular TV show, The Apprentice, and CEO of InspirEngage International, Melody has sought a path to improve the lives of children and young people through her own social enterprise. Her organisation thrives upon engagement with young people and delivering innovative training through enterprise workshops, enabling participants to prepare for the world of work.

Melody said: “We’re really pleased to be working with Harrow College as the second pioneers of the social enterprise revolution. Throughout the year we’ll be working with their students to source ways to create jobs that benefit the community. For the first time, social enterprise is being built into the curriculum. We now hope that other educational establishments follow the example that has been set by Harrow College.”

Incorporating social enterprise into the College's curriculum will help students to feel more confident and socially enterprising. Harrow College is actively encouraging young people to contribute in a positive and proactive way to engage with society; the belief is that this will play an important part in the future innovation of the curriculum.

Tony Medhurst, Principal of Harrow College, said: “We are delighted to be working with Melody and her organisation to highlight the benefits of social enterprise to our students and the key role that they can play in society. Governors and staff of the College are committed to engaging in activities that directly benefit the local community and this programme makes a significant contribution to fulfilling that objective.”

Harrow College is pleased to announce that it has been awarded STEM Assured status.

NEF: The Innovation Institute has recognised Harrow College for its commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

Acknowledged as one of the UK’s top science and technology educators, the STEM Assured standard is awarded to institutions with advanced capability to support the needs of business and industry through specialist teaching and training in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths for its students.

Pat Carvalho, vice principal at Harrow College said: “Building on the development of Harrow College’s STEM strategy, the STEM team have demonstrated how cross-curricula STEM provision can enrich the learner experience and reflect the needs of STEM industry sectors. The STEM Assured framework has rigorously tested our STEM capability and provided us with a road map for further improvement.”

This UK-wide quality standard is recognised by the Government (Department of Business, Innovation and Skills), the UK Commission for Employment & Skills (UKCES) and The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS); accordingly, it is the only standard that assures the quality of vocational STEM provision.

The external validation panel commended Harrow College on their outstanding maths provision and the excellent opportunity that it provides for up-skilling.

Professor Sa’ad Medhat, NEF’s CEO said: "The STEM Assured Framework has ensured the currency of programmes at Harrow College and that they are delivering these programmes in tune with the needs of industry. In addition, the STEM Assured Independent Validation Panel provided Harrow College with invaluable feedback to guide its future development of innovative STEM solutions."

Sandra Calderbank a lecturer at Harrow College recently attended the official opening ceremony of the Bentley Priory Museum in Stanmore on the 12th September. The ceremony was opened by HRH Prince Charles the Patron to the Trust and HRH Camilla.

As a volunteer for the Bentley Priory Trust, Sandra has previously helped out at their open days as well as with volunteer recruitment drives and has attended the museum planning forums.

Sandra said that "during the ceremony, Prince Charles unveiled a bronze bust of Sir Hugh Dowding, the RAF Ensign was raised and speeches made. There was also a Hurricane and Spitfire flypast. I met the royal couple and they thanked us all for our work over the past few years".

In the future, Sandra will be volunteering at the museum as a guide for the weekend visitors.

Picture source B Thain, Harrow Times, Twitter.com

For the full story please see the Harrow Times article

We'll be supporting the world's biggest coffee morning this week with two events at our Harrow Weald and Harrow on the Hill campuses.

On Thursday 26th September, you can join us in the Conference Room at Harrow Weald for delicious treats from the team behind the “Great British Bake Off”.

There will be fabulous homemade sweet treats available as well as raffle tickets on sale with a chance of winning a top prize of £10,000 (you'll get a free yummy cake recipe for every ticket bought). There's also an opportunity to win in our contest on the day by guessing how many coffee beans are in the jar. Join the fun between 10.30 - 11.30am in the Conference Room at Harrow Weald.

The next event will take place on Friday 27th September from 10am - 12pm at Harrow on the Hill, where guests can enjoy coffee and cake with mini beauty treatments available courtesy of the student team at Image Salon. Bookings will be available on the day or please call 0208 909 6550 for information.

By participating in a Macmillan coffee morning we're helping to raise money to support patients through each stage of cancer from diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. That way, no one will have to face cancer alone.

It's an important cause and we're pleased to be supporting the charity by raising money in our own way. Hope to see you there!

Location details for both the Harrow Weald and Harrow on the Hill campus can be found here.

Harrow College has joined an initiative run by International Technology Products (ITS) to recycle its used and unwanted printer cartridges.

Each time Harrow College delivers its used cartridges to ITS a donation is made to charities including the Born Free Foundation, Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and the National Association for the Relief of Apnoea.

Harrow College donates around 50 used printer cartridges per term, benefitting the charities that are associated with ITS.

Spencer Routledge, IT technician at Harrow College said: “Donating our used toner cartridges in this way shows how we can support the college ethos to ‘Reduce Waste, Recycle More’ and benefit charitable organisations at the same time.”

On Sunday 15th September, former A-level student Richard Hounslow formed part of a duo with David Florence to beat Jaroslav Volf and Ondrej Stepanek of hosts the Czech Republic to win gold in the world canoe slalom.

They achieved the title with the tiny margin of 0.04 seconds in Sunday's C2. The duo were runners-up in the C2 event at London 2012 behind GB team-mates Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott.

Hounslow said "it was a very, very tricky course but we had a solid plan. It wasn't the fastest way of executing the course but it was what we felt was a safe, good risk to reward plan and it paid off for us in the end."

Read the full story here.

Harrow College is pleased to announce that enrolment for its ESOL courses, specifically designed for students with English as a second language, will open from Thursday 8 May 2014.

Prospective students can apply for ESOL courses by attending the reception at the college’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Lowlands Road. For enrolment times please see below.

Courses available include ESOL Pre-entry (Beginner) classes, which is suitable for learners with little or no English and ESOL English and Maths bridging classes, which is suitable for those students who do not require a qualification but would like to build upon their English and maths skills.

Also available is ESOL English and Maths summer intensive classes, which focuses on speaking, listening and number qualifications and is the equivalent of the B1 test and is suitable to the requirements needed for citizenship status.

All courses start the week commencing Monday 23 June 2014.

In order to be eligible for Harrow College’s ESOL courses you must have been resident in the UK for at least three years. Students are also asked to bring proof of ID (such as a passport or valid driving licence) or proof of benefits.

Enrolment times from Thursday 8 May:

Mondays 10am – 12.30pm; and

Thursdays 12pm – 2.30pm

• For more information about ESOL courses please contact Harrow College on 0208 909 6000

Football enthusiasts from Harrow College have taken part in an annual tournament against semi-pro German club FC 03 Radolfzell.

Staff at Harrow College hosted members of FC 03 Radolfzell at a four-a-side tournament held at Middlesex Stadium, Ruislip, on Friday 11 April.

After winning two matches and drawing one, the German team took home the winner’s trophy.

Showing there were no hard feelings, Harrow College staff took their German counterparts to see Fulham FC play Norwich City at Craven Cottage.

Afshin Najafipour, captain of the Harrow College's staff football team said: “The Radolfzell-Harrow tournament is an annual event. This year we wanted to make it that extra bit special for the Germans, as they treat us so exceptionally well when we visit. The hospitality and kindness of their players when we go over to Radolfzell is outstanding.”

Both teams have been hosting each other for close to 10 years and next year it will be the turn of Radolfzell to host the Harrow College team.

Student Farishta Sadeghi has scooped a coveted prize at the National BTEC Awards, promoting vocational excellence.

Sadeghi was awarded the runner-up prize in the Outstanding BTEC Student of the Year 2014 category, recognising the dedication and commitment she has shown to her BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Applied Science.

Farishta joined Harrow College in September 2012 following the successful completion of her GCSEs. Since starting her BTEC course she has developed her ability to plan practical work in the field of science and maintained excellent working relationships with her peers and lecturers.

Micheal Worgs, curriculum manager for Science at Harrow College said: “Farishta is a very pleasant and friendly student, who works well in groups as well as independently. She has good data processing and interpretative skills and can use these to link her findings to theoretical concepts. She has a genuine and well thought out interest in pharmacy, which is reflected in her choice of HE courses. With her commitment, determination and ability we expect her to succeed in her chosen career path.”

Harrow College has joined together with the Ministry for Growth and leading local Harrow businesses for an iBig event.

Aimed at spurring economic growth in the Harrow area, the iBig event was held at Harrow Council Civic Centre on Tuesday 29 April.

Under the iBig initiative small and medium sized businesses get practical help from experienced business professionals, gain vital support from experienced business people and gain access to solutions at affordable prices.

Harrow College and local Harrow businesses currently work closely together with apprentices to get them through an apprenticeship.

Hilda Stearn, director of Ministry for Growth said that iBig was an ideal platform for local businesses to get together.

“We’re trying to get local businesses talking about the challenges that they face and develop solutions to those issues and create a supportive environment.”

One local business owner who found the iBig event helpful was Sital Patel, business coach at Nurture Your Future. “It’s great being part of this innovative event. It’s a really organic way for businesses to develop ideas and help forge relationships in the Harrow business community.”

To attend the next iBIG event, please keep an eye on our events section where you'll be able to register your attendance.

Prime Minister David Cameron and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson have made a surprise visit to Harrow College.

The Conservative party leader and the Mayor spoke to students and staff at Harrow College Skills Centre on Monday 12 May.

Tony Medhurst, Principal and Chief Executive at Harrow College said: "We were pleased to welcome both the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to Harrow College today. Students and staff alike were delighted to meet with and talk to them both about the excellent work we do as a College in developing the skills of young people and adults to enable them to secure good jobs in the future.

"Both of them emphasised the importance of the work that Harrow College does in terms of meeting skills needs of the economy and our construction provision is an outstanding example of that work."

During their visit the pair were given a tour of the Skills Centre and discussed some of the construction and skills courses Harrow College has to offer.

As well as discussing tiling and woodwork with students, Cameron and Johnson doubled up for a round of table football, narrowly beating Harrow College students 2-1.