Picture for City College Brighton and Hove Apprenticeships
Picture for City College Brighton and Hove A Levels
Picture for City College Brighton and Hove Full time Courses

News

Picture for City College Brighton and Hove Business Open Event
Picture for Adult Funded Courses 2012

Spring Awards success for City College

21 March 2011

With three winners and a runner-up to its credit, City College Brighton and Hove has been celebrating outstanding success in this year's FE Sussex Spring Awards, recently hosted at the Brighton Hilton Metropole. As 'lead College' in this year's celebrations, the College provided fine dining service and also staged a dynamic entertainment segment incorporating acting, street dance and live music which received much praise on the night. In the prestigious ceremony, major players in the training and development world in Sussex and beyond joined together to celebrate the best and brightest achievements in training, development and lifelong learning.

'The FE Sussex Spring Awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the success of our students in gaining employment skills and qualifications', says City College's Principal, Phil Frier. 'There were some fantastic stories on the night of students defying all odds, and overcoming many obstacles in achieving their prizes. At City College, we were delighted for our four Award winners, who were selected from hundreds of entries. A great result for the students and staff, and for Brighton and Hove generally.'

Spring Awards 2011

Spring Awards 2011

Helen Ansell, who studied on the Access to Literature programme at City College, won The University of Brighton Award for Widening Participation in Higher Education. Helen was praised for her outstanding achievement on the course while coping with a devastating personal bereavement. 'Helen's determination and commitment to continue her studies throughout extremely traumatic personal circumstances was incredible', says her tutor Karen Mason. 'Most people experiencing such tragedy would have would have found studying in addition to all this emotional stress too much and withdrawn from the course. Helen didn't do that and from a combination of her own determination and support that was provided, she was able to continue. Her Spring Award is a wonderful achievement and I hope it will inspire other mature students to consider the Access route into Higher Education.'

Mature student Wendy Tunnicliffe, a Level 2 NVQ Professional Cookery student, has overcome literacy problems to achieve a remarkable hat-trick of achievement awards in one year. Having won an Adult Learner of the Year award in May 2010, Wendy went on to be named as City College's Catering & Hospitality City Achiever 2010 in October before achieving a Spring Award in the 'Hilton Brighton Metropole Hospitality Student of the Year' category. Wendy has also taught healthy eating classes at her local community centre and is now working part-time as a Teaching Assistant working with special needs students at City College after her tutors put her forward for the job. 'The way in which Wendy has overcome her literacy problems and thrived within City College's catering & hospitality department is remarkable', says Wendy's tutor, Allan Paul. 'The deep fulfilment she's discovered through finding her true vocation has been a pleasure to behold.'

Lewis Tydeman, winner of the Sussex Work Based Learner of the Year award, originally didn't have the grades to be accepted onto the apprenticeship programme due to his disrupted schooling after severe injuries sustained during a violent assault and he also didn't have an employer in place to mentor him through an apprenticeship. With the help of his City College Skills Adviser, Lewis, who is dyslexic, worked tirelessly to make the course acceptance grade while holding down two jobs and co-parenting his young son. Through City College, Lewis then secured an apprenticeship with Mid-Sussex Plumbing and has since matured into an outstanding apprentice. 'Lewis's confidence has come on in leaps and bounds, he's very methodical and diligent in his work and I know I can rely on him', says Arthur Huntley, Director of Mid-Sussex Plumbing. 'The combination of learning at City College and learning on the job has given Lewis an excellent grounding and his Spring Award is a great source of pride both for him and for Mid-Sussex Plumbing.'

Interior Design student Karina Carrick, runner-up in NCFE Sussex Learner of the Year award, had no background in art or design before coming to City College, having left school with no GCSEs and then studied IT for two years. After a period of working in care for the elderly, Karina came to the College to study Interior Design at Level 1, excelled in her studies and has since progressed to the Level 3 Advanced course. During her first year, she was heavily pregnant and had a 2 year old son at home. She had her baby in November 2010 at home with no midwife present and amazed her tutor and fellow-students by returning to college without missing a day. 'Karina stands out in the class both for enthusiasm and her high levels of achievement', says her tutor Eduardo Guimaraes. 'It would have been expected that her pregnancies and subsequent childcare responsibilities would have hindered her progress but they never did. I can see no reason why Karina won't make a successful career in this field and winning a Spring Award has been a tremendous boost for her during a challenging period of her life.'

City College is currently recruiting for Access, Catering and Interior Design courses starting in September 2011. For more details, see www.ccb.ac.uk. For more information on taking on apprentices, contact City College's Apprenticeship Co-ordinator Krystle Holford on 01273 667788 x 303 or email KHO@ccb.ac.uk

For City College media enquiries, please call Brian Bell, Marketing Communications Officer, on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk website www.ccb.ac.uk

About City College Brighton and Hove: Situated in the heart of Brighton, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international centre of vocational excellence. Every year, 2,000 full-time, 7,000 part time, almost 400 Higher Education and 400 14-16 year old students as well as many international and European students choose City College as their place of further and higher education training. In addition, the College provides training to over 2,000 businesses via its 'City Business Skills' department which focuses on employer training needs. Offering over 700 courses from basic level right through to business and postgraduate training, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.