Students at Cumnock Community College try the trades

By: Our Further Education Correspondent

A PROGRAMME offered by Ayr College to help disengaged young people into education and employment appears to be making a significant impact on the number of Jobseeker Allowance claims made by young people in the area.


Latest figures show that the number of claims in East Ayrshire, where Ayr College has been running a programme of courses tailored to young people in need of ‘more choices and chances’, have fallen by 55.7% compared to the same period last year. East Ayrshire was highlighted by the Scottish Government in 2006 as a ‘hotspot’ for disengaged young people, with 16.4% of those between the ages of 16 and 19 not in education, employment or training.

Since then, Ayr College (in partnership with Kilmarnock College) has opened Cumnock Community College, which is offering a number of training opportunities that were previously unavailable to the local community. In particular, the College’s unique ‘Try the Trades’ course, which is now in its second year, had a 100% success rate in its first year of running, with all graduates moving onto further education or employment.

Scott Dickson, 18, from Netherford, graduated Try the Trades last year, and is now working for local joiner James Wilson as a joinery Apprentice. He said: “Try the Trades was a great course – I really enjoyed it and the teachers were all really supportive. It helped me work out that I really enjoy joinery, and now that I’m working on my Apprenticeship I’m loving it. If Cumnock Community College wasn’t there I’m not sure where I would go – it would have been much harder to figure out what to do after school.”

‘Try the Trades’, which is the only course of its kind in the country, offers young people the chance to build their own ‘mini-homes’, therefore sampling the full range of trades before committing to studying one specialist area. By building a complete home, rather than a sample of construction which is then knocked down as in standard trades courses, students’ sense of achievement grows as their building does.

This year, the College has added further courses in Care and Plumbing and Electric, which are proving to be just as successful, and next academic year, students will also be able to study courses in Hospitality and Retail.

Ayr College youth development co-ordinator Lee Chesterman said: “Since launching Cumnock Community College, we have been able to offer young people in the area targeted courses with real job prospects upon graduation. I have no doubt that the drop in benefit claims is directly linked to the greater range of opportunities we are now offering. We have a great relationship with Job Centre Plus and every year we are building better and better relationships directly with employers, to the extent that they are now coming to me looking for employees.

“My only frustration is that, because our sums are capped, we’re only able to offer these opportunities to a limited number of young people. In its first year, the College interviewed 75 young people for 16 available places on the course and this academic year, there were over 150 year applicants for 32 available places. We are expanding the range of courses available, but it would great to be able to expand this even more to truly meet local demand.”

www.ayrcoll.ac.uk

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Winners of the 2008 South Ayrshire Council
Calendar Competition announced

STUDENTS from Ayr College, whose photographs have been selected to appear in the 2008 South Ayrshire Council calendar, attended the calendar launch at a ceremony hosted by Provost Winifred Sloan at the Council’s headquarters.


[Pictured at the calendar launch ceremony are the winning photographers, Provost Winifred Sloan, Councillors and Ayr College staff.]

The calendar has been produced as part of the Council’s arrangements for Public Performance Reporting, which it must publish under the terms of the Local Government in Scotland Act, 2003. The Act requires local authorities to develop ways of identifying who their stakeholders are, the information they need and want and how that information may best be transmitted to them, and then to respond accordingly.


The students submitted photographs that they thought reflected South Ayrshire, and from these a photograph was chosen for each month of the year and one for the front cover. The colourful 2008 calendar shows the beauty and diverse nature of South Ayrshire. Information in the calendar highlights the key areas of the Council’s performance, information about Councillors, contact details and where to find further information about the Council.

Each student whose work had been chosen to appear in the calendar was presented with a cheque by Provost Sloan. After presenting the prizes Provost Sloan said: “The standard of entries from the Ayr College students was very high and made selecting the winners a hard task. The free calendar has proved very popular in previous years, and it is something that people put up in their homes or places of business and look at all year round. People can admire the photographs, read about Council services and also have plenty of room to put in birthdays, appointments and other details.”

The winning photograph entries will be displayed within the Rozelle Galleries during the month of December so that members of the public may view them.

The Council’s 2008 calendar, which is FREE, will be available now. This year, to reflect the view that not all households wish the calendar delivered to their home, the Council is instead making it available from Council offices and a range of other locations.

Anyone who is unable to uplift a calendar and would like one posted to them should contact the Council’s Customer Services Team on telephone number 0845 601 2020 or e-mail staff at cst@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

The winners of the calendar competition are:

Front Cover - Flowers - Claire Maxwell
January - Culzean - Stephanie Weichert
February - Ayrshire Beach - Shona Cutt
March - Golfing at Prestwick - John Paul Docherty
April - Fishing Boats, Girvan - Steven Clark
May - Crossraguel, Maybole - Claire Maxwell
June - Black Swan, Ayr - Shona Cutt
July - Kirkmichael - Ryan Holland
August - Greenan Castle - Claire Maxwell
September - Craigie House - Ryan Holland
October - Evening Sunset at Dunure - Shona Cutt
November - Crossraguel - Claire Maxwell
December - Alloway Auld Kirk - Ryan Holland

www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

Clydesdale Bank Ayr branch teaches
college students about business banking

Willie Mackie, Managing Partner of the Clydesdale Bank Financial Solutions Centre in Ayr, played host recently to a group of 15 students from Ayr College who spent a day learning about business banking.


Presentations were given by Agricultural, Commercial, and Private Banking partners, who gave the students a unique insight into the workings of an Financial Solutions Centre team.

Following a buffet lunch in the boardroom the visit concluded with a tour of the flagship Clydesdale Bank branch situated below the Financial Solutions Centre in Alloway Street.

Jeanette McCulloch, Curriculum Manager, Business Management, Ayr College said: “I would like to thank Willie Mackie and his team for the excellent and very informative visit they organised for our students. This was very much appreciated and will significantly benefit the students’ understanding and awareness of local businesses in and around Ayrshire.”

Charity walk

And staff from Clydesdale Bank’s Financial Solutions Centre in Ayr have also taken part in a sponsored walk along the River Ayr Walk.


For most of the team the route was divided into stages covering around 4, 7 and 11 miles.

One of the highlights of the day was achieved by Drew Mackin, Senior Partner Agricultural Business who ran the full 40 miles in one day.


The team raised £785 on the day which was matched by the Bank. A donation of £1,570 was made to the British Heart Foundation.

The Clydesdale Bank Ayr branch is a member of The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle is an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.

Its purpose is to publicise its members, and to celebrate and promote the rich diversity of industry, commerce and business services available within the county boundaries of Ayrshire in southwest Scotland.

Members include the Clydesdale Bank, Ayr Racecourse and the Western House Hotel, and member company activities include estate agency and land management, chartered accountancy, legal services, brand management, website design and public relations consultancy.

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle runs its own online news magazine, which can be found at www.ayrshirebusinessnews.com

As well as regularly updated illustrated articles about member companies, Ayrshire Business News also features rolling news, business and sports headlines, and its own online department store.

www.cbonline.co.uk

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Ayr College takes the lead

AYR College has developed an innovative new way to attract international business by offering “Study at Home Programmes” to Indian students. The programme is run in partnership with the Canadian Institute of International Studies, and offers students a low-cost way to study foundation courses in preparation for entering HNC level at Ayr College, as well as specialised vocational training.


Picture shows: John Muir, Director of Community Service Industries, Ayr College.

International students provide vital revenue for many of Scotland’s colleges and the competition to attract them is growing – not just in Scotland but internationally. In particular, Indian students are a key target market as many students are left with no option but to gain their qualifications overseas due to the dense population and over-subscribed education system in their home country. Scotland’s colleges are competing against other countries such as America, Australia and Canada for their business and it’s vital they attract them.

John Muir, Director of Community Service Industries, visited six cities across the Punjab over a period of seven days. John commented: “The visit was mainly about promoting our foundation courses in Engineering, Fashion and Design and Creative Studies – and this generated a lot of media interest in each location. Indian colleagues and I saw approximately 200 prospective Indian students, and I was consistently impressed by the dedication and seriousness with which these students approached their study plans.”

As for the country itself, this is the third visit John has made over the past year. He said: “India is a country of extremes. Most people live in villages, although there is also a growing population of more affluent professionals. Things are improving gradually for most people, and the opportunities for international study will not only bring benefit to individuals, but to the Indian economy as a whole”.

Wendy McFarland, International Officer at Ayr College and Project Manager of the Study at Home Programmes, said: “Our programme is essentially a very focussed marketing strategy that concentrates on delivering a quality product that meets our customer’s needs. We have deliberately avoided the short term, high-cost, low-impact international marketing strategies that other institutions have gone for, and we are reaping the benefits.

“In the future we intend to expand our provision of these foundation courses and we also hope to launch a sponsorship model that encourages UK firms to sponsor the education programmes for international students, through either financial support or by providing a paid work opportunity. There are so many options out there for taking this model forward, and Ayr College is leading the way.”

Businesses wishing to participate in the proposed new sponsorship programme should contact Wendy McFarland on 01292 293457 or email: w.mcfarland@ayrcoll.ac.uk
To find out more about Ayr College’s international programmes go to www.international.ayrcoll.ac.uk

Game On at Ayr College

COMPUTER buffs with a passion for gaming will be able to merge entertainment and education this coming September when Ayr College opens the doors for its new Higher National Certificate in Computer Games Development.


(Picture shows: Ayr College’s Computer Games Development Course Leader Jim Scullion.)

The HNC in Computer Games Development has been created as a direct result of the industry’s demands for skilled staff and each module reflects the increasing employment opportunities available within the industry. Modules range from 3D Modelling & Animation, Human Computer Interaction, Games Design and Programming and a Computer Games Development Practical Project.

Jim Scullion, Ayr College’s Computer Games Development Course Leader, comments: “Scotland employs over 500 professionals in the computer games market, generating an annual turnover of £20 million and producing world famous titles such as the Grand Theft Auto series, Lemmings and Harry Potter.

“With the creative industries forecasted to grow by 10% per annum, the industry in Scotland is screaming out for more fresh talent - Ayr College wants to respond to this demand by training the game developers of the future, keeping Scotland at the top of the charts in this lucrative field.”

The new HNC in Computer Games Development addresses the lack of a Higher National Certificate in the gaming field. A qualification at this foundational level will provide students with a new route to employment, as well as expanding opportunities to progress to the HND in Software Development at Ayr College or access to the second year of a Games Development degree course at University.

The students can also use the transferable skills gained on the course to branch out into other technological areas such as healthcare, medicine, the military, business and management disciplines.

For more information on the HNC in Computer Games Development course or any other qualification available at Ayr College please call 01292 265184 or email information@ayrcollege.ac.uk

www.ayrcoll.ac.uk