Harrow College student Alicja Palewska has won a challenge set by the college’s Enterprise Society and the Entrepreneurial Education Group to create a business idea from a £10 investment.

Palewska, who is studying towards her BTEC Business Studies Level 3, had the idea to sell homemade Halloween-themed cupcakes.

The aim of the £10 challenge is to explore the entrepreneurial mindset of students and encourage them to start and run a small business of their own.

Students are asked to submit a business proposal detailing their idea and how they plan to make the most of their £10 investment.

On successful completion of the project students pay back their initial £10 investment and a further 20% of the profits they make in order to fund future £10 projects. Students get to keep the remaining profit they make to reinvest in their business idea.

With her budget of £10, Palewska sold an incredible £56.84-worth of cakes. After taking into consideration the initial £10 investment and the 20% commission, Palewska took home a profit of £37.47.

Palewska said that she was overjoyed with winning the challenge.

“I’m really happy and proud of what I have achieved. I am looking forward to taking part in more competitions like this in the future.”

Kuukua Graham, business and professional studies lecturer at Harrow College added: “It is important for students to take part in an enterprise activity such as the £10 Challenge. It is a great way for students to exhibit their unique talents and abilities through the use of a limited amount of money in order to make profit”.

Students from Harrow College attended the safe drive, stay alive event at the Harrow Arts Centre, on Wednesday 19 November.

Over 80 students saw a powerful production which underlined the dangers to new drivers including peer pressure, driver distraction and drink driving.

The event included a filmed reconstruction of a car crash that was interspersed with real life testimonies; including an ambulance paramedic, a fire-fighter and a police officer. The students also heard from a bereaved parent and a car crash survivor who spoke openly about their personal experiences.

The performance was organised by the Road Safety Unit at the London Borough of Harrow. Sandie Petrie, enrichment co-ordinator at Harrow College said this is a performance our students will not forget.

"I am sure that every time they get into a car that they will remember what was said about the importance of wearing seat belts, not being distracted by others in the car and driving safely."

Maths savvy students from Harrow College have taken part in two challenges flexing their numerical skills.

The first competition was the UK Senior Mathematical Challenge, which took place on Thursday 6 November.

The second competition was the UK Senior Team Maths Challenge, which took place on Monday 17 November.

Eight students attended the UK Senior Mathematical Challenge, which took the form of an exam without the aid of a calculator.

Taking part were students Abdifitah Alasow and Samad Rashid, who were awarded silver certificates, and Viktoria Noel and Xiao Chen, who were awarded bronze certificates.

During the UK Senior Team Maths Challenge four Harrow College students took part, including Chen and Noel, as well as Olugbemi Moronfulu and Farhana Pinki.

The challenge included a crossnumber task and a mathematical relay race, which saw the Harrow College team eventually come in twelfth place out of all the schools and colleges that attended.

Students from Harrow College have attended an emergency training session at the Harrow on the Hill campus, on Wednesday 27 November.

ESOL science students were taught how to put someone in a recovery position, administer CPR and act as first responders in the event of a heart attack, cardiac arrest or choking and bleeding.

The training was delivered by Steve Malde who works as a volunteer for the British Heart Foundation and the London Ambulance Service.

Ameeta Jethwa, ESOL lecturer at Harrow College said: "My students have been learning about the functions of the heart in their lessons and this was a good follow up session that teaches them how to save a life. As they are science students who want to develop careers in the medical field, this was a fantastic opportunity for them."

Harrow College has welcomed a visit from its Tanzanian educational partner VETA (the Vocational Educational and Training Authority) who are the national agency responsible for vocational education and training in Tanzania.

The delegation met with Harrow College’s senior staff on Thursday 27 November.

The visit further bolsters Harrow College’s commitment to the international educational and business sectors.

Harrow College successfully completed a British Council project in Tanzania in 2012 and has since been advising VETA on skills development issues.

The delegation comprised of high level post holders, including Zebadiah Moshi, director General of VETA, Prof Idrissa  Mshoro, board chairman of VETA, Geofrey Sabuni, director of assessment and certification at VETA and Adeline Macha, corporation secretary of legal matters at VETA.

Afshan Baksh, head of higher education and teacher training at Harrow College, who has family roots in Tanzania, said: “VETA have expanded greatly since the partnership began in 2009, but the need for vocational training centres still does not meet the demand in Tanzania. Harrow College has played a major part in supporting skills development in Mikumi and in Morogoro regions and we hope to continue to work on a national level in Tanzania.”

Students from Harrow College have welcomed a talk given by reformed drug addict and gang member Paul Hannaford, on behalf of Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

The mentor and lecturer spoke to Harrow College Sports and Health and Social Care students in the lecture theatre at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Thursday 4 December.

Hannaford spoke about how he turned from a typical teenager and talented footballer into a heroin addict and convicted criminal responsible for a number of gang-related and violent crimes.

After serving a total of 15 prison sentences and developing thrombosis – a direct consequence of his substance abuse - Hannaford turned his life around after entering a drug rehabilitation facility.

He now spends his time warning young people of the dangers of gun and knife crime, gang culture and drug addiction.

Hannaford has reached out to over 60,000 young people with his story in a bid to prevent them from falling into the same spiral of addiction and crime that he experienced.

Lee Janaway, head of department for Business, English and Health and Wellbeing said: “Paul has given a highly inspirational talk on the perils of knife crime and drug addiction and why students should be aware of the how small acts of unlawful behaviour can soon escalate into a much more serious problem.”

Tottenham Hotspur Foundation is the charitable arm of the club.

Harrow College has partnered with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to provide first-class football training for students.

• Read more about Harrow College and Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s Education and Football Development Centre.

Students from Harrow College have hosted their annual arts and craft fair for the people of Harrow.

Harrow College’s Winter Fair took place at St Anns Shopping Centre in Harrow on Thursday 11 December.

BTEC Architecture and Art and Design students sold and marketed their handmade arts and crafts to shoppers. Items on sale included lamps, tote bags and ceramic tiles.

Sukhmeet Singh, who is currently a BTEC Level 3 Architecture student, said that the fair was a great way to display his talents.

“I’m selling a lamp which I designed and made in class. By taking part in Harrow College’s Winter Fair, me and my fellow classmates can show off what we have learned in class and help raise money for our department.”

John Wischhusen, creative arts and multimedia lecturer at Harrow College added: “The Winter Fair is a great opportunity for students to explore their entrepreneurial skills and experience the process of developing products for a real market. I know from their class work that they really enjoyed making these products and they rose to the challenge of sticking to tight deadlines and design briefs.”

Ministry officials from Libya have been celebrating passing their EFL course at Harrow College with a certificate award ceremony.

The presentation took place at the college’s Harrow on the Hill campus on Thursday, 11 December.

In total, 22 Libyan professionals completed the 40-week course, designed to help the learners improve their English communication skills.

The Libyan government were attracted to the excellent, British Council accredited EFL teaching and learning facilities at the college, as well as its location.

Student Mustafa Salem Elamami said that he had very much enjoyed his time studying at Harrow College. “It was great learning at Harrow College,” said Salem Elamami.

“The college staff have been very supportive and friendly. I have already told my friends back home that this is a great course to attend to improve your English.”

Helena Mills, English curriculum manager at Harrow College added: “We are delighted with the progress these students have made and have really enjoyed having them in our EFL Centre. Many have improved their English by two levels during their time with us and so it’s an amazing achievement for them. I’d like to congratulate all of the students as well as their teachers on such a successful result. We wish them all the very best with their future plans once they return home to Libya later this month.”

Harrow College has been recognised for its partnership work with Building Lives, at an awards ceremony hosted by the community interest and social enterprise company and sponsored by Travis Perkins.

Harrow College won the College of the Year accolade at Building Lives’ Travis Perkins Star Awards, which took place at the offices of law firm Field Fisher, in London Bridge on Monday 8 December 2014.

Also recognised on the night was Harrow College lecturer Karl Vidol, who won the Tutor of the Year award.

Construction apprentices and staff from Harrow College joined around 200 people in attending the Building Lives awards ceremony, which celebrated the hard work and dedication of students, teaching staff and industry partners.

Included in the audience were industry leaders from the housing, construction and training sectors, along with Building Lives and Harrow College construction apprentices. 

Speeches on the night came from television personality and builder Tommy Walsh and current and former apprentices. There was also a motivational performance given by Rommell Wallace, poet from SAY.

The event also served to launch Building Lives Foundation. The charity will launch in early next year and help Building Lives open new academies, which will help more people enter into the construction industry.

Pat Carvalho, vice principal at Harrow College said: "It was a real pleasure attending this event which celebrated the success of our partnership with Building Lives and in particular the success of all our students as well as staff. The college won awards for best student attendance, best tutor (out of all the colleges) and best college partner. I would like to say thank you to the managers and staff who work at our Building Lives Centres for their hard work and dedication."

Steve Porter, head of development, enterprise and innovation at Harrow College added: "The Travis Perking Star Awards were a great event that showcased the best of apprenticeship achievement in London. Harrow College staff were proud to accept the College of the Year award, rewarding the contribution to the programme that Harrow has made over the past year."

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

The organisation has grown rapidly since inception from its first Construction Training Academy opening in 2010, to a portfolio of 10 academies, with 10 more academies due to open in 2015.

Building Lives works in conjunction with Harrow College and a host of other partners in and around the construction industry. It is a unique collaboration helping people into work, while benefitting the local community.

Sian Workman, interim managing director at Building Lives, hosted the awards ceremony. She said that Building Lives offered great opportunities to young people and the local community.

“Building Lives is more than a social enterprise or charity,” said Workman. “It is a strong partnership that demonstrates that when people put aside competition and commercial interests to focus on a common goal anything is possible. These awards provide the perfect platform to reward apprentices for their tremendous efforts and for us to say a massive thank you to all of the amazing partners that make up Building Lives.”

The night’s winners are as follows:

APPRENTICE AWARDS

Apprentice of the Year: Ismail Warsame

Best Attendance and Time Keeping: Daniel James, Daniel Fletcher, Stewart Cudd and Shane Easton

Team Player of the Year: Robert Ingleby, Highly Acclaimed: Sonny Keen

Most Improved Apprentice: Declan Norrie, Highly Accliamed: Ciaran Channing

Female Apprentice of the Year: Cielle Byran-Hamilton, Highly Acclaimed: Katie Sutton

PARTNER AWARDS

Subcontractor of the Year: R Benson, Highly Acclaimed: JA Stott Carpentry and Armour Group

Main Contractor of the Year: Berkeley Group, Highly Acclaimed: K&T Heating and Keepmoat

College of the Year: Harrow College

Supporter of the Year: CITB, Highly Acclaimed: LandAid and BITC

On site Mentor of the Year: Warren Lubin - Sisk

Social Landlords of the Year: RHP, Camden Council, Thames Reach, Poplar HARCA, Peabody, Hackney Homes, Homes for Haringey, Sutton Housing Partnership, Lewisham Council, Affinity Sutton, Swan Housing, Phoenix Community Housing and One Housing Group

STAFF AWARDS

Apprentice Officer of the Year: Lauren Edwards, Highly Acclaimed: Caroline O’Leary, Acclaimed: Abdi Yusuf

Tutor of the Year: Karl Vidol, Tower Hamlets/ Richmond

Assessor of the Year: Kwaku Dzidzornu, Highly Acclaimed: Jadavij Patel

Outstanding Performances: Claire Williams and Philippa Somerset 

Honorary Alderman Keith Toms and representatives from the Discovery Channel have joined Harrow College students at the launch of their annual Christmas sale.

The students hosted the sale at The Paint Pots shop at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Monday 15 December.

On sale were Christmas cards and hand-made crafts. Also on sale were hand-painted clocks made by students and Discovery Channel employees.

Earlier this year Harrow College learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LLDD) were invited by the Discovery Channel to their offices to make clocks during the company’s annual Impact Day, which sees Discovery Channel employees volunteer their time for good causes.

The Discovery Channel also donated items to be raffled off during the sale. Items included DVD box sets, Animal Planet pens and T-shirts.

Alderman Toms addressed the crowd gathered for the Christmas sale and commended the LLDD students on their hard work.

“I would like to compliment the college and students on the important work they are doing here,” he said.

Cathy Narayn, one of the Discovery Channel representatives who worked alongside Harrow College students during the Impact Day, said she was very impressed by the quality and range of items for sale.

“I loved meeting everyone and was touched by the welcome my colleague Nicole Chan and I received,” said Narayn.

The money raised from the sale will go towards social enterprise initiatives for LLDD students.

The design for this year’s official Harrow College Christmas card has been unveiled by Principal and Chief Executive Tony Medhurst. 

The winner was announced at a presentation at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Wednesday 17 December.

LLDD students (learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities) were tasked with creating the greeting card during their final term of the year.

Student Piraseeth Kenkarajah won the annual competition for his festive design of a Christmas tree and Father Christmas.

Principal Medhurst said it was a pleasure to judge the entries.

“Once again our LLDD students have excelled themselves in designing the official Harrow College Christmas card,” said Medhurst. “Our winning entry this year is a testament to the creativity and the festive cheer of our learners. I look forward to sending the winning card design out to all Harrow College’s friends around the world to wish them a very happy Christmas and New Year.”

Lecturers and support staff at Harrow College have been celebrating their achievements throughout the academic year at their annual staff awards.

Over 100 members of staff attended the event held at the college’s Harrow Weald campus on Wednesday 17 December.

Thirteen awards were handed out on the night, two of which were for 25 years’ long service for Michael Moore, Science lecturer, and Nisha Raithatha, IT and Computing lecturer.

Principal and Chief Executive Tony Medhurst said that Harrow College’s staff awards was an ideal platform to showcase all the great achievements of lecturers and support staff.

“Once again, staff at Harrow College have come together to celebrate their great work over the past year,” said Medhurst. “We have exceptional members of staff in our college and it is good to see them recognised by their peers for their achievements.”

The night’s winners are as follows:

Lecturer Award
Rose French, lecturer in English

Tutor Award
Christine Goode, lecturer in Hair

Business Support Staff Member Award
Akash Miah, MIS assistant

Agency/Visiting Teacher Award
Lucy Lenkova, visiting teacher DDEI

Best Newcomer Award
Kashish Raza, HR administer

Innovation and Improvement Award
Akash Miah, MIS assistant

Leadership Award
Jane Gregory, supported learning manager

Teamwork Award
Marketing

Student Choice Lecturer Award
Liz Tattle, lecturer for entry/LLDD

Student Choice Business Support Staff Award
Communications support unit

Outstanding Service Award
Ian Kavanagh, estates manager

Long Service Congratulations
Michael More, 25 years’ service
Nisha Raithatha, 25 years’ service

Harrow College students have raised a whopping £527.34 for Save the Children.

On Friday 12 December 2014, students in and around the college wore their most festive Christmas jumpers in aid of the children’s charity.

Students from Harrow College Enterprise Society (HACOENSO), in partnership with Harrow College Student Union (SU), encouraged their peers to don Christmas-themed jumpers and donate money in a bid to raise money for the children’s charity.

The SU and HACOENSO also acquired sponsorship from Morrisons supermarkets to make and sell cupcakes, cookies and other festive treats.

BTEC Business student Anca Purcaru, who also heads the SU and HACOENSO said: “The response of staff and students has been brilliant. It is so good to see students take part in this worthwhile cause.”

This is the second year that Harrow College has taken part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper campaign.

Save the Children help children across the world by running programmes to save children’s lives, while lobbying world leaders.

Harrow College Enrichment Football Team has won their match against Queensmead School.

The Harrow College team played at home, winning 7-5, on Wednesday 14 January.

After finding themselves 4-2 down, Harrow College Enrichment Football Team launched a spectacular comeback to score four goals, with an additional own goal coming from Queensmead School.

Goals came by way of Harrow College students James Abiwon, Joseph Chidyausiku, George-Marcel Lapusan (2) and Christian Labiran (2).

Phil Nagler, enrichement coach at Harrow College and manager of Harrow College's enrichment football team said: “I am very proud of the players for the spirit and attitude they showed. This result really bodes well for our remaining matches this season."

Harrow College students have attended the annual Jack Petchey Achievement Awards for the Harrow region.

Mayor of Harrow Cllr Ajay Maru was also in attendance at the ceremony, which took place at Harrow Arts Centre on Tuesday 20 January.

Over 120 people attended the ceremony, which celebrated the achievements of winners from schools and colleges across the borough of Harrow.

Harrow College students who picked up awards on the night included students Alma Bida, Ewelina Jachimowska, Shivani Pindoria, Bibiana Malawakula and Sarah Shwea. 

John Green, learning support assistant at the college, picked up a Leader Award.

Special mention also goes to Harrow College students Kheybar Halali, Ashley Shread and Nia Brown, who won awards but were unable to attend the event.

The Jack Petchey Foundation - named after its founder, the businessman and philanthropist, Jack Petchey CBE - was established in 1999. Recognising young people who have excelled outside academia, the Foundation gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25.

According to a recently published government performance table, more Harrow College A-Level students progressed in to higher education than other colleges in a 10-mile radius of Harrow.

The Key Stage 5 Performance and Destination Tables, published on Thursday 29 January, are a comparative study of A-Level results for schools and colleges and show where A-Level students progress after they leave college.

Out of the nine further education colleges in a 10-mile radius of Harrow, Harrow College ranked highest for the percentage of students getting at least 3 and at least 2 A-Levels.

The tables also showed that a bigger percentage of Harrow College students went on to higher education than students who attended other colleges in the area.

Chris Faux, head of quality and learning at Harrow College said: “These results confirm that Level 3 students at Harrow College have a better chance of getting into university than those of any other college in the area.”

Harrow College is pleased to announce that it has been approved to run two new Career Colleges on its Harrow on the Hill campus.

The new Career Colleges will open in September 2015 and will specialise in Professional Services and Creative and Digital Media.

Central to both Career Colleges will be the development of enterprise skills to ensure that students are responding to the employment and business demands of the local community and across the whole of London.

Students will be prepared for employment and higher study on high-quality vocational courses designed alongside leading industry employers.

Students will also study English and Maths, while staff will assist in making these subjects connect with the vocational subjects taught in order to boost confidence and achievement among learners.

Over the next 10 years it is anticipated that one in 10 level 5-entry jobs in London will be in professional services. Harrow College and its Career Colleges are well placed in greater London to exploit very good transport links into London and surrounding areas in Hertfordshire. In particular, the Creative and Digital Media Career College will be able to provide sustainable talent to meet the skills shortage which is affecting Tech City in central London. 

Tony Medhurst, principal at Harrow College said that he was delighted that the college had been approved to operate Career Colleges. “We are very pleased to have not just one but two Career Colleges serving London. This opportunity will enable us to offer our students a circulation that meets employer needs now and in the future.”

On Wednesday 11 February, Kingston College hosted the Southern Region's AHT Competition, a national competition run by The Association of Hairdressers and Therapists. The AHT was founded in 1963 by a group of hairdressing teachers as a national network of like-minded specialists who exchanged good practice and support.

Students of Harrow College's Level 2 Media and Make up and Level 3 Hair group were successful in reaching the heats of the AHT competition.

Azhar Farham and Fayola Colaco excelled at 2nd and 3rd place in face painting whilst Katia Dos Reis succeeded with achieving 4th place in the Hair Avant Garde.

The students will now progress to the National finals taking place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool next month.

Harrow College offers a range of Beauty, Hairdressing and Complementary Therapies courses for students. Review your options and apply today.

Harrow College has welcomed a visit from the chief economic secretary to the Treasury.

Andrea Leadsom, who is also the Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, visited Business students at Harrow College’s Harrow on the Hill campus, on Thursday 12 February.

Also visiting was Conservative MP Bob Blackman.

The two ministers met with Business students and members of Harrow College’s student union for a discussion about the UK’s deficit and borrowing.

During the meeting students grilled Leadsom and Blackman about politics, finance, the Greek debt crisis and the future impact of technology on the job market.

Benedicta Abena Boatemaa, student and welfare and disability officer of Harrow College’s student union, asked Leadsom about her reasons for becoming an MP.

“I was really impressed that she answered all our questions really well,” said Abena Boatemaa. “I found the whole discussion really interesting. It really helped to broaden my knowledge about finance and gave me a chance to learn a little bit more about politics in action. It was a really eye-opening experience.”

Leadsom and Blackman also met with the college’s senior staff to discuss education funding and the college’s new building projects which are currently underway and are due for completion later this year.