Hackney Building Lives Training Academy – a collaboration of partners including Harrow College – has won the CITB Training Initiative of the Year award at the Construction News Awards.

Over 1,300 people working in and around the construction industry attended the awards ceremony, which took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, on Thursday 17 July.

Building Lives were awarded the gong for Training Initiative of the Year by a judging panel fronted by 60 industry experts.

Steve Rawlings CEO of Building Lives said: “This achievement is all down the immense dedication and continuous hard work of the Building Lives team. We receive this award graciously on behalf of the entire Building Lives partnership, which includes a range of social landlords, contractors and colleges. Together we really are Building Lives. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Harrow College is the largest college partner working with Building Lives in three centres in Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Haringey.

Building Lives is an employer-led training provider aiming to close the gap between training and employment.

The organisation is working in conjunction with Harrow College as well as many contractors, sub-contractors and charities including, Crisis, Job Centre Plus, CITB, Mayor’s Fund For London, Homes for Haringey, Hackney Homes, Balfour Beatty, Avondale and Dunham UK Ltd, to name but a few.

Learners at Harrow College have been celebrating after receiving their GCSE results.

In total, 363 students received A*-C grades in subjects including Biology, Chemistry, English, Maths and Physics.

Student Beatriu Asamoa Kakote, who doesn’t have English as her first language and only moved to the UK in 2012, has achieved A grades in GCSE Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics.

“I’m so amazed by my results,” said Kakote. “I’m now hoping to study my A-Levels at Harrow College.”

Nishma Dinesh Thakor, who achieved Biology A*, Chemistry A*, Maths A*, Physics A and English Literature B, was also pleased with her GCSE results.

“I’m so happy and excited,” said Thakor. “I was really scared before I got my results but now I know what I got I want to jump up and scream. I now want to do A-Levels at Harrow College because I loved the teaching here. I’m hoping to study Biology, Chemistry, Maths and either Economics or Psychology.”

Student Hussein Merali said that he was “really happy” with his four As in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics.

“I wasn’t expecting to get these marks,” said Merali. “I came out of the exam playing over all the mistakes I could have made but I’m really happy with these results.”

Harrow College is proud of all the hard work its GCSE students have put into passing their exams and the college wishes them all the best with their journey into further education.

Vanisha Varsani and her three siblings, Bindya, Urvashi and Vinay, will all be attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity.

The 17-year-old quadruplets will set off on their journey to ascend the African mountain on Friday 22 August. They anticipate it will take them six days in total to climb one of the highest mountains in the world.

Vanisha Varsani and her family will be climbing the 5,895m high mountain in aid of the Friends of Kera (UK) charity.

The charity helps disadvantaged and disabled children by providing them with wheelchairs, hearing aids and Braille for the visually impaired. It also helps organise sports events to bring the children together.

“We chose this charity because we have a little sister with special needs who is fortunate enough to have all the resources available to help her thrive,” said Vanisha Varsani. “Unfortunately not every disable person has the same opportunity.”

The four siblings hope to raise £3,000 for the charity. So far they have received sponsorship in the region of £2,268.32.

If you would like to donate towards the Varsani sibling’s cause you can visit their Just Giving page. 

Vanisha Varsani, who is currently studying for A-Levels in ICT, Psychology and Biology, explained why she was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

“This is a once in a life time opportunity to climb the highest free standing mountain in the world. I was also keen to push myself to the limit physically and mentally for this challenge. Not only am I challenging myself but also raising thousands of pounds for an amazing charity that helps disadvantaged children with special needs.”

Students from Harrow College have been busy making plans for university after receiving their A-Level results.

Many subjects including Art and Design, Drama and Theatre Studies, English Literature, Further Maths, Government and Politics, ICT and Sociology achieved 100% pass rate.

Student Mateos Grigorian, who took A-Levels in Economics, Geography, Drama and Sociology and gained three Bs and C, said he was “over the moon” with his results.

“My hard work paid off and now I plan to go to university. My teachers at Harrow College have been so helpful and although my course was challenging it’s definitely been rewarding.”

Student Kashish Aswani Khudabadi was also pleased with her three Bs in Biology, Chemistry and English Literature and Language.

 “I am so pleased with my grades. I’m now going to study business and management at Queen Mary University. The staff and teachers in Harrow College have been very supportive. All of my teachers in the English and Science departments have helped me a lot and I am grateful to all of them. Studying Science and English at Harrow College has been a wonderful experience thanks to my teachers.”

BTEC students at Harrow College also celebrated their results.

One student who excelled in his BTEC in Media was Emeka Uzoh, who achieved a triple distinction.

“I feel extremely happy with my results,” said Uzoh. “I’m now planning on going to London Metropolitan University to study animation.”

Harrow College staff and governors are extremely pleased with the hard work the students have displayed throughout the year and wish them every success in the future.

Honorary Alderman Keith Toms has officially opened Harrow College’s new science block at its Harrow on the Hill campus.

Honorary Alderman of Harrow and past mayor of the borough, Keith Toms, opened five new science laboratories on Wednesday 3 September 2014.

Alderman Toms said that the new laboratories offered science students an enviable learning opportunity.

“It’s important that young people, particularly in the field of science, have the best facilities available. I’m sure that what I’m looking at today offers nothing but the best for the kids of Harrow College.”

Former Harrow College science student Matiullah Hamidi, who is currently working in the new laboratories before he continues his studies in civil engineering at City University, London, said: “I think the new facilities are much more suitable for students studying science. Working in these new labs has taught me a lot about handling chemicals and equipment like X-ray machines and radioactive materials.”

The £800,000 development completes a larger £1.5million, two-year programme, which has replaced a total of nine old laboratories across the college’s two main campuses at Harrow Weald and Harrow on the Hill.

The new state of the art facilities will benefit students of chemistry, physics, biology and related science subjects. In total there are two new chemistry labs, two new biology labs and one new physics lab.

Nick Evangeli, science learning advisor at Harrow College, said the new laboratories would offer students a more enjoyable learning experience.

“Having new labs enables us to compete with other local colleges that have upgraded to more modern learning environments. These labs will enhance our student’s learning experience; they are light and breezy, the desks are better, the chairs are more comfortable and the new air- conditioning will ensure a pleasant working environment. I am looking forward to seeing our students enjoy their learning in these labs.”

Dr Judith Abbott, director of finance and resources added: “As a former scientist myself and having personally studied in world class facilities at Cambridge University and Imperial College London, I am delighted that we have been able to make this very significant investment to transform the learning environment for our science students here at Harrow College.  I hope that these beautiful new laboratories will encourage many more students to study science, which is a national priority, here at Harrow College.”

Harrow College is pleased to announce that it has received funding from the London Mayor’s office via the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for its Gateway Asia II project.

The ERDF, which is allocated by the European Union, has awarded the college £1.2m towards Gateway Asia II.

The ERDF funding will be used to implement a programme of business that aims to engage and support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enhance their knowledge and export skills in emerging markets.

The award will go towards assisting 110 SMEs accelerate export and bi-lateral trade opportunities in emerging markets in the Asian diaspora and East and West Africa.

Gateway Asia II will primarily assist SMEs that have some awareness of trading opportunities but face strategic barriers to growth.

The college will jointly deliver the project with Gateway Business Consultants and Harrow in Business.

Alf Desire, business development manager at Harrow College said: “The Gateway Asia II ERDF programme represents the college’s largest bid win. The work undertaken on the programme will further demonstrate our commitment to working with our local business community. This is a key area of development for the college that nestles nicely within our own enterprise, entrepreneurship and employability agenda.”

The Gateway Asia II programme follows on from the previous, successful project Gateway Asia, which was led by West London Business.

Harrow College is pleased to announce that it has been chosen to become a City & Guilds TechBac pioneer centre.

The TechBac programme of study aims to support young people in developing the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

Students aged between 14- to 16-years-old, and who are interested in construction, are being offered the opportunity to enrol on the Construction TechBac from September 2014.

The new curriculum will provide learners with a professional pathway to their chosen career and give them the opportunity to achieve the technical qualifications and skills they need to progress.

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

Thomas Brosnan, Skills Centre lecturer at Harrow College said: “Harrow College is really excited to be a TechBac pioneer centre. Offering this qualification to our 14- to16-year-olds really does expand our provision in the locality enabling young people to succeed and develop their skills further within the construction industry making them a more rounded and employable individual."

Kirstie Donnelly, UK managing director at City & Guilds added: “We are delighted to be working with Harrow College to deliver the TechBac. City & Guilds has long believed that young people are not getting enough opportunities to interact with employers, making them ill equipped for the world of work and leaving businesses without the right talent to succeed.

“Furthermore, the education system is hooked on academia, breaking the natural links that exist between education and employment and leaving some young people without the means to succeed. The TechBac will rebuild those bridges to employment and give ambitious young people the chance to embark on a curriculum that will allow them to progress to wherever they want to go.”

• For more information on TechBac visit their website.

WilsonJones Catering, educational caterers at Harrow College, has been shortlisted in the 2014 EDUcatering Excellence Awards.

WilsonJones has been nominated for contract caterer of the year, while Darren Neal, group development chef at WilsonJones, has been nominated for newcomer of the year.

The awards ceremony, hosted by EDUcatering magazine, will take place at the Royal Garden Hotel Kensington on Monday 13 October.

WilsonJones is a family-owned business and independent catering company based in Surrey, which specialises in catering for the educaton sector.

Speaking about his nomination Neal said that he was excited at the prospect of being included in EDUcatering Excellence Awards.

“The Educatering Awards are the highlight of the education catering calendar,” said Neal, “so saying I feel over the moon would be an understatement. WilsonJones are all truly delighted that the new concepts and initiatives that we have implemented at Harrow College have been recognised. We feel like we are already winners just to have been shortlisted.”

Harrow College student Vanisha Varsani and her three siblings, Bindya, Urvashi and Vinay, have completed their climb of Mount Kilimanjaro for charity.

The 17-year-old quadruplets took five days to climb the 5,895m high African mountain and a further two days to descend it.

Vanisha Varsani and her siblings were part of a team of 18 climbers raising money in aid of Friends of Kera (UK) charity.

In total the group raised a staggering £45,000 for the charity, which helps disadvantaged and disabled children by providing them with wheelchairs, hearing aids and Braille for the visually impaired.

Speaking of her expedition Varsani said: “Kilimanjaro was an amazing experience which our team and I will never forget. We’re so pleased we were able to raise money for such a worthy cause as well.”

If you would like to support Friends of Kera then you can donate to the Varsani siblings' Just Giving page.

Students from Harrow College have attended a motivational talk given by Jackson Ogunyemi, better known as Action Jackson.

Action Jackson held talks at the college’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Wednesday 8 October and Harrow Weald campus on Thursday 9 October.

Action Jackson founded Fix Up Seminars in 2001, which delivers workshops focused on motivating students, teachers and parents.

Student Leila Rahravan, who is on the BTEC Creative Media Level 3 course said she found the talk given by Action Jackson rewarding.

“I think this talk was pretty good and has helped me. Sometimes I feel I’m not motivated at college, but this talk has given me a renewed focus.”

Action Jackson added: “The journey [through education] can be tough. Students need encouragement along the way to stay focused, not just to continue the journey but to finish strong.”

Harrow College is proud to announce that John Green, learning support assistant at the college, has been awarded a Jack Petchey Leader Award.

Green works with Harrow College students who have leaning difficulties and disabilities.

For the past two years he has played a significant role in the college’s sustainability objectives by creating a flower meadow and pond with the students.

Green worked tirelessly with the students to build the pond from scratch.

The Jack Petchey Leader Award is an award designed to complement the main Jack Petchey Achievement Awards for young people. The Leader Award aims to give credit to adults who dedicate their time and support to young people.

Established in 1999, the Jack Petchey Foundation gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25.

Jack Petchey CBE is a businessman and philanthropist whose Foundation recognises young people who have excelled outside academia.

Harrow College enrichment football team has secured their first win of the season against Barnet and Southgate College in the MSFA 1st XI League.

Harrow College’s enrichment football squad won 7-2, playing at home at Harrow College’s Weald campus, on Wednesday 15 October.

Special mention goes to Harrow College player Christian Labiran who scored a hat-trick during the match.

Goals also came from Harrow College players Jordan Camacho, Fabrizio Avendano, Joseph Chidyausiku and Kennedy de Jesus Cordeiro Resende.

Phil Nagler, enrichement coach at Harrow College and manager of Harrow College's enrichment football team said: “We were sharp right from the start and, although our quality was very good, it was our hard work and team effort that ultimately won us the game. We never stopped working and all the boys ran themselves into the ground”.

Harrow College students hoping to make their mark in the world of employment have taken part in an audition day for recruitment and coaching company Raw Talent Academy (RTA).

Trials to win a spot on RTA’s Employability Academy coaching course took place at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Wednesday 22 October.

Founded by former The Apprentice winner Lee McQueen, RTA aims to nurture employability skills and talent among young people.

RTA’s Employability Academy aims to give students the chance to experience a job application process, as well as taking two groups of 15 students on an in-depth five-stage coaching course built around their current classes.

During the day-long audition students were asked to get into five teams and conquer The Apprentice-style tasks, which included critiquing anonymous CVs; trying to sell products to an audience, such as broken umbrellas; creating a TV advert for a product and re-branding a well-known energy drink.

Student Kanwal Munir said that attending the auditions was a great experience.

“These RTA auditions are a great way of gaining life skills within the business and entrepreneurial sector, especially because these skills aren’t included within the curriculum. Winning a place on the Employability Academy coaching course would be a great opportunity to improve my employability skills.”

This is the third year Harrow College has partnered with McQueen and his business Raw Talent Academy to improve students’ chances of securing employment.

McQueen himself will deliver the coaching alongside Raw Talent Academy’s experienced coaches, sharing advice on building relationships, an employee’s role within an organisation and the importance of knowledge, entrepreneurship and commercial awareness.

McQueen said that it was beneficial for students to attend RTA’s employability auditions as it helped them hone invaluable employability skills.

“I think it’s important for the students of Harrow College to experience employability auditions. A lot of these kids haven’t had a job before and don’t have much experience of the interview process. What Raw Talent Academy is aiming to do is make these students more confident when they face potential employers. The students that win the audition round today will be part of a course that will enhance valuable employability skills.”

Lee Janaway, head of department for business, English, health and wellbeing at Harrow College added: “We are extremely pleased to work with Raw Talent Academy and Lee McQueen again, to give our students the opportunity to develop key attributes and skills that will prepare them for employment.

"We really value the importance of developing students' skills and knowledge in employability and enterprise as we prepare them for life after college. Last year’s cohort of students who went through this course thoroughly enjoyed the bespoke training and it was evident from feedback from the students, employers and teachers that this training had impacted on their progression choices.”

Students from Harrow College have made a visit to the University of Westminster to see what life in higher education is like.

BTEC Applied Science students visited the university's biochemistry and pharmacology department in central London, on Wednesday 22 October.

As part of the field trip students experienced working in a large university laboratory.

They also undertook a series of practical activities to develop their understanding of the key concepts fundamental to research in the disciplines of biology and biochemistry.

Student Hasib Karimzadah said that he enjoyed taking part in the laboratory exercises.

“It was a great experience to learn about university," said Karimzadah. "The practical experiments were really interesting. It was great to see how different chemicals could produce such different reactions and products with such different properties. The taster day is definitely something I would recommend to a friend.”

Students also attended a talk hosted by the university on the career opportunities available in the sphere of biology, biochemistry and pharmacology.

Student Mika Zulu said: “The university taster day was great because I gained more experience about studying at university and the environment was friendly, which has encouraged me to think more about what I should study after college.”

Michael Worgs, curriculum manager for Science added: "The University of Westminster has offered our students a glimpse of university life and how science can be fun, interesting and lead to a fulfilling and useful career. The science department at Harrow College encourages our students to think about their careers after college and this taster day was a great introduction to what options are available to our students."

Students at Harrow College have taken part in a host of activities to fully appreciate what life is like for the disabled and less able-bodied.

The ‘Exploring Ability’ workshop, part of Harrow College's Diversity Week prgramme, took place in the main hall at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Tuesday 4 November.

The aim of the workshop was to demonstrate to students the difficulties that some disabled students face daily.

Participating students were presented with a number of activities which impaired their senses.

Tasks included trying to open doors while in a wheelchair, writing down instructions being read out while wearing sound-muffling headphones and walking through an assault course while blindfolded.

Anca Purcaru, student president at Harrow College said that it was important for students to learn how hard everyday activities can be for the less able-bodied.

“It’s very easy to overlook how difficult life can sometimes be for those who are disabled. Workshops such as this are a great way of demonstrating to students what some of their fellow peers are experiencing.”

Sandie Petrie, enrichment co-ordinator at Harrow College added: “It’s important for students to understand how it can be extra hard for some students at college. The activities that are taking place today help to emphasise what some disabled students experience on a daily basis.”

Students from the Harrow College Football Academy were today invited to visit White Hart Lane as guests of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

More than 30 BTEC Sport students from Harrow College were invited to collect their Foundation football kits at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club with an exchange of the official plaque as confirmation of the partnership.

Tony Medhurst, principal and chief executive at Harrow College said that the partnership would be the start of a valued relationship with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

“We are pleased that our students are representing the college through this fantastic opportunity and believe that they will provide a winning formula to our growing football academy. To see Harrow College students being associated with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is a true credit to the staff that are leading this initiative. I hope that the students will continue to be inspired to work hard on and off the pitch.”

Harrow College Education and Football Development Centre links football theory, academy standard coaching and affiliated league and cup competitions with a range of academic studies for students aged between 16 and 18 years old.

Andy Rogers, Senior Manager Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “On behalf of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation I would like to thank the staff and students of Harrow College for their support in launching this brand new partnership.

“Through our Education and Football Development Centres, we’ve seen first-hand the positive impact sports participation can have in helping to support young people in a range of engaging, educational activities. As part of the Foundation’s commitment to creating opportunities that change lives, we’re extremely proud to celebrating this new partnership with Harrow College.

“We look forward to working with the staff at the college to deliver education and high quality football coaching for the BTEC Sport students over the coming years.”

The partnership between Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and Harrow College includes:

• A permanent team of qualified staff from Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and Harrow College will deliver the coaching and teaching elements of the programme
• All coaching staff has appropriate FA qualifications in Football, are emergency aid trained and are DBS checked to an enhanced level
• Classroom sessions will fit around the football training and playing element of the programme
• Learners will receive up to 10 hours of Tottenham Hotspur Academy standard coaching each week at the Vale Farm sports ground
• A physiotherapist will be available for all students

All students at the Harrow College Football Academy are currently enrolled on full time BTEC Level 1, 2 or 3 Sport courses.

Next year the partnership between Harrow College and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation will further strengthen with the introduction of a ladies’ football team joining Harrow College’s Education and Football Development Centre.

Harrow College has successfully passed its first audit for its environmental management system.

The college has also retained its ISO 14001 certification, which establishes that the college is environmentally responsible.

Greville Payne, lead assessor at QMS International who assessed the college said that he was impressed with the college’s commitment to green initiatives.

“The management team demonstrates an excellent commitment and the college have worked very hard to get the EMS up to a high standard,” said Payne. “[Harrow College’s] green initiatives, not least in the area of biodiversity, are exceptional. The new build with its BREEAM Excellent aspirations is very exciting and I look forward to seeing its many green aspects next year.”

Students from Harrow College have watched a film offering a candid snapshot of a single day on planet Earth.

The students watched the screening of Life in a Day, directed by Kevin Macdonald (State of Play, Last King of Scotland) and produced by Liza Marshall and Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner), on Wednesday 5 November.

The film is comprised of 80,000 YouTube video clips, which have been contributed by people from 192 countries.

Life in a Day aims to give a glimpse of peoples' every day experiences as a global society.

The film was screened as part of Harrow College’s Diversity Week to show students a perspective on lives that are different to their own.

BTEC Level 3 creative media production student Jacob Spanner said that the film was thought-provoking.

“Life in a Day was great at showing how people’s lives are incredibly different and a stark contrast to my own. I thought it was a really interesting piece of film and it made me think a lot.”

Harrow College will be at the biggest jobs and careers event in London promoting the college and the courses and apprenticeships it has to offer.

The Skills London 2014 show will take place at the ExCel London Exhibition and Convention Centre on 21-22 November 2014.

The event will be open to 15- to 24-year-olds and will offer over 180 exhibitors including employers, colleges training providers and advisors.

There will also be skilled demos bringing the world of work to life, as well as information, advice and guidance to students who are looking to progress their education and careers.

To pre-register for free entry into the event visit Skills London 2014.

Students from Harrow College have continued their celebration of different cultures by attending a Diversity Fair.

The event took place at the college’s refectory on Thursday 6 November.

During the fair, students were asked to describe what diversity meant to them and explore the aspects of other cultures they enjoy, such as food, music and film.

Students were also given the opportunity to sample food from around the world and learn about notable figures throughout history that have not let their disabilities stop them from achieving success.

Harrow College student Kanwal Munir said that the fair was a great way of getting students interested in other cultures.

“It’s good to see so many students trying out food from different countries and learning about the diverse cultures that make up the college.”