Visitor Economy Week meets National Apprenticeship Week!
The College is hosting a number of events to highlight apprenticeships in the tourism industry, which are vital to the economy of Liverpool City Region.
This week is both Visitor Economy and National Apprenticeship Week (3-7 February), which are important events in the College’s recruitment calendar.
Each year, the College is involved in a showcase of workshops and events to highlight the range of skills gained by trainees and apprentices at the College. It also celebrates the impact apprenticeships can have on individuals, employers and the economy.
One event hosted at the College this week saw world-renowned game chef and Senior Lecturer in Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College, Jose Suto, deliver a seminar on his acclaimed Game Larder. His masterclass was followed with preparation for a Game inspired guest dinner, where he was supported by apprentices from The City of Liverpool College’s Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA).
Jose (pictured above) said: “I was keen to get involved with this event because Game is something that’s becoming more and more evident in cookery.
“It’s good for the future chefs of tomorrow to learn more about where Game comes from. These sessions allow us to impart on students the values of provenance, respect for products, and an understanding of how special a product can be.
“Nowadays, cooking and being a chef is all about understanding your food, the ethical side of the food, and also understanding about sustainability. We’re hitting every mark here in a demonstration such as this.”
Liverpool has a thriving visitor economy and remains the fifth most visited destination in the UK for overseas visitors. Latest figures show that Liverpool City Region’s Visitor Economy is worth more that £4.5bn.
Visitor Economy Week 3-7 February 2020
The City of Liverpool College supports Visitor Economy Week!
Visitor Economy Week is a regional initiative that brings together key Liverpool City Region partners, schools, colleges and employers, to highlight the range of careers and opportunities available in the thriving visitor industry. This sector alone supports upwards of 57,000 jobs and is worth £4.5bn.
The official Visitor Economy launch kicks off this important week on Monday 3 February at the Maritime Museum where a panel of industry experts will highlight the future plans and opportunities open to students and stakeholders in the visitor economy in Liverpool and the wider city region.
The City of Liverpool College principal, Elaine Bowker said: “We are extremely proud to be involved each year in this important initiative, which offers a insight to the important opportunities out there for young people looking for a career in the hospitality, retail, tourism and travel industry.”
Find out more about taster and showcase events taking place throughout the week at https://www.liverpoollep.org/growth-sectors/visitor-economy/
College trainee chefs are cream of the crop at prestigious UK competition
The College’s aspiring apprentice chefs proved a cut above the rest recently when they swept the board at one of the UK’s most prestigious culinary competitions.
Five trainee chefs including four of the College’s Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA) apprentices and a level 3 Professional Chef student, scooped a spectacular thirty-six awards at the bi-annual Salon Culinaire, one of the country’s fiercely fought culinary competitions.
The apprentices incredible haul included ten gold, eight silver, eight bronze and four Best in Class accolades. The college also walked away with the top prize of Best Visiting College for the sixth time in eight years.
College Executive Chef and Culinary Team Manager Ian Jaundoo, a Fellow of the Craft Guild of Chefs and a Master Chef of Great Britain, said: “Competitions such as this give students an opportunity to showcase their larder and kitchen skills in a high-pressure environment, which is brilliant preparation for a career in the industry. The success of these young chefs reflects the quality of courses offered at The City of Liverpool College, and we play a huge role in providing a highly skilled workforce for the city’s hospitality sector. The RACA Apprentice Chef course is the only one offered in the North of England, giving our students a huge advantage.
He added: “It’s critical that we continue to supply highly skilled, talented and work-ready staff who steer the incredible success of Liverpool’s hospitality sector.”
City of Liverpool College principal, Elaine Bowker, said: “We’re delighted at this latest success, not only for the students but also for the staff and lecturers who are helping them reach such heights. In the run up to National Apprenticeship Week (3-7 Feb), this is a shining example to businesses in the region of the top class apprentices we produce here at the College. It also reflects on the calibre of teaching staff we have mentoring our trainees, in not only preparing them for the workplace but also taking them to the next level, to guarantee that from the start of their journey our apprentices are an immediate asset to any organisation.
“It’s such an important part of Liverpool’s visitor offer and of such strategic importance to the economy and our role as a college to ensure that Liverpool has the skills it requires to continue its economic development.”
The City of Liverpool College’s success comes ahead of Visitor Economy Week, which runs across the Liverpool City Region, and will see the college host a number of events to promote careers in the tourism industry, including a Game Larder Seminar event at the student-run Academy Restaurant.
The event will see world-renowned leading game chef and Senior Lecturer in Culinary Arts at Westminster Kingsway College, Jose Suto, deliver a condensed version of his acclaimed Game Larder Seminar. He will then work with The City of Liverpool College’s RACA Apprentices to prepare a game inspired dinner for guests.
College partnership produces first graduates from Steps into Work programme
A college partnership with one of the country’s leading charities has produced its first group of young graduates ready for the world of work.
The City of Liverpool College, in collaboration with the Salvation Army, offers an eighteen-month Steps into Work programme for young adults with learning difficulties and other barriers to employment.
Through the training hub, which is run from the iconic Strawberry Fields building made famous by The Beatles, trainees follow a ‘work readiness’ course which provides the tools needed to gain independence, discover their potential and learn skills to help them in the world of work.
Trainee Chris Higginson (22), worked in three theatres in the Liverpool as part of the programme: the Unity, Hope Street Theatre and the Everyman. He takes up his new position as an usher and theatre assistant at the Everyman over the next few weeks. Chris said: “The Steps into Workprogramme is brilliant. I really enjoy taking part and it’s helped me one hundred percent. I’m a lot happier and more confident in myself now and that’s all thanks to the programme and the support given to me by the work coaches.”
Other successes include two trainees who’ve completed an apprenticeship with a local nursery and a fourth who is now a permanent volunteer at Strawberry Fields.
Programme manager, Alan Triggs, said: “Seeing our young trainees grow and develop in terms of confidence, belief and self-esteem is truly amazing. As the first cohort gain confidence and independence, ready to enter the world of work, we see the spirit of how the Steps into Work programme is truly realised.”
Photo: first group of graduates from Strawberry Field’s Steps into Work programme
A Twitter historian and university Don says his achievements are all down to his start in further education.
Professor Frank McDonough has nothing but praise for his time at the Liverpool further education college (now The City of Liverpool College) that put him on course to success in education at the UK’s top red brick university.
The Everton-born scholar dropped out of education aged 15 to start work as a shipping clerk. After redundancy came at 25, he decided to return to learning and complete O-levels (GCSEs in old money) followed by A-levels at The City of Liverpool College. His straight A grades won him a scholarship to read History at the prestigious Oxford University.
Frank said: “The FE College was fantastic; it made me, and is such a fantastic feature of the education system. There they understood the older students coming back into education. I had a teacher called Jim Rand who was really funny – sounded a bit like Ken Dodd – and had this fantastic enthusiasm that I bought right into.”
Frank graduated with a first class honours degree that led on to a PHD at Liverpool John Moores University, where he’s now worked for the last thirty years. As Professor of International History he’s proud to be the only Scouser on the team, and a role model for his students, most of whom are from the local area.
“What I enjoy most is taking people from the local community as well as some who failed first time around and making them enthusiastic to learn. You hear them say: ‘Look, he’s done well, he’s from Liverpool.’ You can succeed if you’re from Liverpool. I’ve stayed authentic, I haven’t compromised my personality and I’m a high achiever,” he says.
He’s a published author specialising in Hitler’s Third Reich and counts several popular books amongst his credits, many of which have been translated into seventeen different languages. He’s also a TV historian and has presented more than 80 documentaries that have been filmed all over the world.
The self-confessed history geek has also built up a cult following on Twitter (42,383) with his daily tweets on THIS DAY IN HISTORY at 7.30AM (GMT). These highlight outstanding events of the day, and are full of images to conjure up memories for loyal followers young and old.
Frank concluded: “When I look back on my life, I never thought it would turn out this way – and it’s all because of further education. If I hadn’t gone through FE, what would my life have been? It may have been just as nice, but not the life of achievement I’ve had. Going to [The City of Liverpool] College was a transforming experience that changed my life completely.”
College opens its doors to the city’s rough sleepers
The City of Liverpool College opened its doors again in December to welcome vulnerable people living rough on the streets of Liverpool.
The visitors were treated to a three-course Christmas dinner, free haircuts and donated food and clothing, and they were also offered free advice and guidance from external partners in the city.
The event, now in it’s fifth year, was organised by the College’s Student Engagement Team, in partnership with homeless charity, The Whitechapel Centre, and Merseycare and supported by staff, student volunteers, and the City of Liverpool College Students’ Union.
Students from across the college were involved, from trainee Air Cabin crew serving meals, to professional cookery students leading on the catering. Hair and beauty students were also on hand to offer treatments and barbering students free haircuts. The guests could take hot showers, and were given fresh underwear and toiletries; and they were also provided with donations from students, staff and volunteers. Each visitor received a hat, gloves and thermals to keep them warm during the searing winter months.
Elaine Bowker, Principal of The City of Liverpool College, said: “Christmas isn’t a happy time of year for everyone and for some, it can be an incredibly difficult and lonely time. We hope that our ‘Open House’ event goes some way to giving these vulnerable people joy during the festive season.
“We know how powerful acts of kindness can be, which is why we always encourage our students to volunteer and take part in activities such as this to support those who are less fortunate, particularly during the festive season. We’re so grateful to all of the students and volunteers who gave up their time to give back to the local community and give the city’s homeless a much-needed boost.”
COLLEGES IN THE NEWS: College applicants outperform grammar school pupils vying for HE degree level places
Higher education applications from college student have seen a steady increase over the last decade, according to UCAS applications data shared in a Times Education Supplement article recently.
The details also reveal that applications from College students have outperformed grammar schools when it comes to the number of successful places offered on degree level programmes.
Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “One in three higher education students started in a college and it’s good to see from Ucas statistics that FE college students have an acceptance rate that has improved and matches those from other routes.”
Bill Watkin, the chief executive of the association of sixth form colleges, reported that the data did not surprise him as it reflects how sixth form programmes are geared to independent study, much like university. It’s through this style of learning that students gain the skills needed to support the university application process. Mr Watkin went on to say that the data also highlights the quality of teaching and learning and how their particular levels of specialist expertise greatly benefits students.
A college collaboration with a leading city institution has delivered an inspirational programme designed to showcase the range of creative jobs on offer for the region’s future workforce.
The City of Liverpool College and Tate Liverpool event, which took place during Discover! Creative Careers Week (18-22 November), aimed to inspire young people to explore the opportunities available to them in the creative and cultural sectors.
Students from schools across the city region enjoyed a day of practical workshops and inspirational talks by Tate Liverpool and other influential employers from the design and creative fields. They also enjoyed a guided tour of the gallery to finish off their visit.
The visitors were amongst 40,000 young people who took part in events up and down the country throughout the careers focused week.
College Principal, Elaine Bowker, said: “The creative industries are incredibly important to our economy, and are growing all the time. Often, creative subjects and career pathways are not prioritised at school, despite the talent and passion shared on the subject by so many young people.
“Whether it’s photography, fashion, graphic design or architecture, we want to encourage students to pursue the career they want. It’s through events such as this that we raise awareness, and help to inspire and encourage the region’s next generation of creatives.”
The creative industries are the fastest growing economy in UK and account for more than two million jobs, which marks a 30% increase on 2011 figures. Looking to the future, creative jobs are here to stay, with 87% of jobs in the creative sectors coming out with a low to no risk threat of automation, compared to many other industries.
Elaine went on to say: “We are incredibly proud of our Tate Liverpool collaboration, which is just one example of the work we do with organisations to ensure our students have the best possible opportunities and access to employers.”
To find out more about creative courses and qualifications at The City of Liverpool College, visit: www.liv-coll.ac.uk.
College launches new course to bridge skills gap in advanced manufacturing
The City of Liverpool College launched an innovative new course recently aimed at bridging the gap in skilled workers in the advanced manufacturing industry.
The level 3 Robotics and Automation course, run in partnership with manufacturing firm CNC Robotics, was created as a direct result of the rise in manufacturers moving from more traditional methods to digitisation of their processes.
The course, which starts in October, is only the second of its kind in the country and will allow employers to upskill their existing workforce to meet the demands of the industry, and create new opportunities for highly skilled workers.
Principal at The City of Liverpool College, Elaine Bowker, said: “The rise of automation is now fast paced and businesses need to adapt. As a leading college in the region, it’s our responsibility to develop a pipeline of talent that employers need to help them grow.
“Through partnerships such as this we can deliver innovative and relevant courses to our students, allowing them to secure well-paid jobs with longevity.
“This unique partnership has been 12 months in the making and combines our quality teaching with CNC Robotics’ advanced technology, to provide students with the best possible learning and employers with quality staff to meet their needs now and long into the future.”
This flexible, eight-week course provides a Level 3 qualification in robotics and automation, and allows learners to choose either units from the qualification that are relevant to their role, or complete the full qualification.
