JOBSEEKERS were given a practical helping hand when a Worthing College organised an employer's fair.Northbrook College invited employers and job advertising companies to attend the fair, which gave practical advice on how to apply and secure a job position.
Organised by the college's Business Development centre, the fair also offered mock interviews, CV feedback and the opportunity to browse current job vacancies.
Visitors were also given the chance to sign up for courses at Northbrook which may improve their employability, such as the free level-two English and maths courses - a requirement given by most employers.
Lyn Fuller, business development co-ordinator for Northbrook College, said: "This is different from a jobs fair, because we invite employers to come and tell jobseekers what they are looking for in a successful candidate.
"It breaks down the barrier between the jobseeker and the employer, so they can gain advice in an informal way."
Carl Venkatarao, 20, had a mock interview while at the fair.
He said: "It is just like a real interview, I have had to dress smart and I've 'applied' for a real-life position. It was a bit nerve-racking but the feedback they give is really good."
One of the major employers invited to the fair was Southern Water.
Human resources business partner for Southern Water, Gemma Davies, said: "We want to show that we have far more jobs available than those in the call centre. We have engineers, analysts and many more.
When people come to us we look at their CV and tell them what is missing, because your CV is your first impression. Most of the time people don't realise what skills they have."
Northbrook College will also be holding employer's fairs on February 24 and March 30, 2012, at the Chatsworth Hotel in The Steyne, Worthing.
Northbrook College has been named 'Education, Training and Development Winner of the Year' for the second year running, at the annual Adur and Worthing Business Awards. The award celebrates the key role that education, training and employee development play in business success.The glitzy black tie event at Worthing's Pavilion Theatre saw the area's brightest industry talents turn out in celebration of what has been an extremely busy year. Principal Sue Dare said, "This is fantastic recognition for the work that the staff do at the College in support of delivering training solutions to approximately 650 employers over the last year. Winning for the first time in 2010 really gave us the confidence in what we are doing. We're looking forward to the opening of the College's new building which I think is going to make a real difference to Worthing and its businesses."
Hundreds of guests attended the Worthing Herald supported event, hosted by TV Celebrity Fred Dinenage, who described it as a "fantastic night" with a "wealth of worthy winners". The College was delighted to sponsor once again "The Business Person of the Year" award which this year was presented to James Stoner, Managing Director of JSPC Computer Services.
Over forty members of staff from Southern Water have been awarded NVQ qualifications with Northbrook College.Many of the achievers were presented with their certificates at a recent graduation ceremony held at the College and attended by Southern Water staff, including: Chief Executive Matthew Wright, Directors Chris Maloney, Kim Salmon and Paul Davies and several senior managers.
The Level 2 NVQ certificates covered one of three subjects: Customer Service, Business and Administration and Team Leading. Staff at Northbrook enhanced the company's existing training in these areas to meet NVQ standards.
Sur Dare, Principal, praised the partnership with Southern Water. She said:
"This is the first time we've teamed up with Southern Water to train its staff for NVQs. It's a credit to the company's existing training that there was not a lot of additional work to do, especially in Customer Service, because it is doing so much already. We look forward to working closely with the company in the future to provide more learning and development opportunities for Southern Water staff."
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Matthew Wright said the benefits to the business were clear and were contributing towards improvements to the company's Service Initiative Mechanism (SIM) score.
He praised the achievers for their efforts and said they deserved the recognition for the effort they had put in to go the extra mile for the company.
“This course really challenges us in the care sector and sometimes it makes you question what you thought you knew or believed.”
There are an estimated 820,000 people living with dementia in the UK, and a new Centre for Work and Learning course at Northbrook College is training professionals in the very latest techniques to support them to be actively involved in their own care.
Skills for Care, the Sector Skills Council for Social Care, is looking to establish a network of Dementia Care Champions across the country, who will take the lead on this area of work, raising the profile, inspiring others around them and training their own teams to follow the best practice models that they have been trained in.
‘Person Centred Care for those Living with Dementia’, the new short course at Northbrook College, is designed specifically to support those Managers who will be taking on the role of dedicated lead in this area of work.
Karen Stevens, Regional Development Officer at Skills for Care welcomed this new initiative. She said
“there are very flat career structures in Social Care and courses such as this open up specialist practitioner routes. We need more advanced practitioners in dementia care”
. She invited the students completing the course to become some of the very first members of a network of Dementia Leads across the South East.
The five students completing the pilot course at Northbrook College are all senior managers within their organisations. They were very positive about doing the course and clear about the impact it would have on their organisations.
“This has been very useful – I can now establish a focused team to work in the community”
said one Manager who works for Leonard Cheshire Disability.
“People think of Leonard Cheshire as only working with those with physical disabilities, but more and more of our clients also have Dementia and this will really help us to know how to care for them better. I need to be able to retrain my staff into new ways of working.”
Students talked about how much the course had inspired them, not only enhancing their knowledge and understanding of dementia, but making them critically evaluate their own practice and that of those around them.
“This course really challenges us in the care sector and sometimes it makes you question what you thought you knew or believed.”
says a Manager who works in Domiciliary Care – an area that he feels has sometimes been neglected in other training courses with their traditional focus on Residential Care.
“The learning that we have received here on Person Centred Care techniques is so valuable and transfers to so many other areas of work that the course will help us not just to care for those with dementia, but to also improve our care processes generally."
The students, who will complete their training course by the end of May, were all proud of their achievements, and the fact that the course they have undertaken is awarded by the University of Brighton.
“The academic side really does validate it as a training course”
said one of the students, “and the assignment that we have to do makes you look at the work we have been introduced to in more depth and detail and makes you put your learning into practice.”
They would all recommend this course to others and will be returning to their own settings where they can’t wait to cascade the new techniques they have learned, down to their own staff.
To find out more about when the next session of ‘Person Centred Care for those Living with Dementia’ is due to begin, please contact Selina Shields Bishop on:
s.bishop@nbcol.ac.uk
or call 01903 607 218.
On Tuesday 10th May representatives from Northbrook College joined other individuals from business, local authorities and the education sector to hear more about the future development plans for Shoreham Port and the surrounding areas.
It was also an opportunity to think about how a partnership approach can help to inspire to people to learn, develop and innovate to maximise their individual potential with these new developments.
Further information (including documents and presentations from the day) can be found on the
Coastal West Sussex
website.
On Monday 4th April 2011 Northbrook College held another successful 'Meet the Employer' event at the Chatsworth Hotel, Worthing.
Local Employer's were once again invited to attend the event to promote their current job opportunities to a wide range of potential candidates including those that had recently gained qualifications through the College's redundancy retraining schemes.
Many Employer's expressed their interest in candidates throughout the event with a number of successful matches made. One such pairing was between local company 'Car Parts and Accessories' and Matt Charles, a young candidate who recently completed a BTEC in Customer Service.
Other candidates had the opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge directly from Employer's regarding career opportunities within a range of industries and hear first hand about the skills and attributes required at time of recruitment.
With companies already requesting further recruitment events to be arranged make sure you don't miss out by signing up to our eNewsletter (enter your email to the left!) to receive the latest news and opportunities that could support your business!
What travels faster then a speeding bullet from a Magnum 357? What can reach 1,000mph in just 42 seconds? What can cross four and a half football pitches in just 1 second? If you said Superman you are probably right, but in this instance we're talking about something a bit more firmly rooted in reality - The incredible
Bloodhound SSC project
.On Wednesday 25th May 2011 Northbrook College will be hosting a complimentary business breakfast with a presentation from Richard Noble, the man that brought the World Land Speed Record back to Britain in 1983 and is responsible for the first supersonic land speed record programme.
Places at this free event are limited so contact us today at business.solutions@nbcol.ac.uk to ensure that you don't miss out!
This month Julie Hunt, Business Training Advisor at Northbrook is interviewed by the Business Solutions mysterious WebMaster.
WM. How long have you been worked in the Education sector?
JH. 11 years.
WM. How does your past experience relate to your role as a Business Training Advisor?
JH. The roles I have undertaken since joining Northbrook College have ranged from Customer Service, Coordinating various projects and programmes, Teaching and now more recently as a Business Training Advisor. The experience, qualifications and knowledge gained have enabled me to have a sound understanding of the educational sector from both an employee and delegate perspective and the impact training can have upon business performance.
WM. What does your role as a Business Training Advisor entail?
JH. To actively engage with the business community within the Business & Enterprise sectors in order to promote the College’s services and current training and funding opportunities.
Additionally I am responsible for the development and expansion of working relationships with local and regional businesses and facilitating the agreement of commercial contracts with business clients.
One of the key aspects of my role is attending business corporate events, networking activities and forums to heighten awareness of all aspects of the College’s business to local employers
WM. What advice can you give companies during these tough economic times?
JH. To continue to train all of their work force (including the managers) to ensure they have all the necessary skills in place to enable them to be more diverse and grow. It is a proven fact that the companies that continue to up-skill and also advertise continue to trade and recover through these tough times.
WM. How can a company arrange a free on-site consultation with you?
JH.
If you would like to arrange a free non obligation professional and informative consultation with myself or one of the college’s other dedicated Business Training Advisors please contact 01903 606114 or Email:
business.solutions@nbcol.ac.uk
.
The Winners were:
» Megan Laughlin (Customer Service) Sponsored by Bluebell Railway
» Ben Butler (Brickwork) Sponsored by Northbrook College
» Katie Herbert (Business Admin) Sponsored by Northbrook College
» Paul Muzzall (Carpentry) Sponsored by Northbrook College
» Lauren Jenner (Childcare) Sponsored by Northbrook College
» Matt Lee (Electrical) Sponsored by LR Knight Electrical Ltd
» Povilas Muraskovas (Engineering) Sponsored by EDO MBM
» Imogen Petty (Hairdressing) Sponsored by Richard John
» Jackie Short (Health and Social Care) Sponsored by Northbrook College
» Sarah Miller (Hospitality) Sponsored by Northbrook College
» Liam Killeeen (Mechanical Engineering) Sponsored by IMechE
» James Mitchell (IT) Sponsored by Travel Places
» Tom Massey (Motor Vehicle) Sponsored by Caffyns Plc
» Luke Chase (Swimming Teaching) Sponsored by Brighton Swimming Teachers Centre
» James Totczyk (Vehicle Body/Paint) Sponsored by John Hayes Auto Technics
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
» Kathy Kelly (Health and Social Care) Sponsored by Northbrook College
During this year's National Apprenticeships Week, local MPs Tim Loughton and Peter Bottomley both paid visits to Northbrook campuses and met with apprentices and some of their employers.
Minister and local MP Tim Loughton met apprentices at Northbrook College’s Business Development Unit on Friday, to mark national Apprenticeship Week.
During his visit, Mr Loughton met West Sussex Apprentice of the Year, Simon Browne and Tim Franklin, Director and Founder of local estate agent Molica Franklin, who employed Simon as an apprentice.
Mr Loughton also took a tour of the Business Development Unit and met two young apprentices who have joined the Business Development Team at Northbrook.
Mr Loughton spoke of the important role that apprenticeships have to play in tackling youth unemployment, helping the economy and in up-skilling the workforce.
The government is aiming to create 100,000 more apprenticeship positions by 2014. Apprentices gain qualifications by attending college one day per week while they work for an employer for the rest of the week. During Apprenticeship Week, Northbrook highlighted the benefits to businesses of employing an apprentice, which can prove a low cost asset to businesses in these difficult times.
West Worthing MP, Sir Peter Bottomley, met a group of young apprentices at Northbrook's Broadwater campus, where they have been employed as trainee electricians working on the re-building of their own campus.
Peter Bottomley met apprentices who work for Simpson Electrical, the company contracted to carry out electrical work on the eagerly awaited rebuilding of Northbrook’s Broadwater campus. During the visit, a plaque was presented to Simpson Electrical in recognition of their support of apprentices at Northbrook College over many years.
In response to the government's new 'Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules' which will be enforced in totality from Wednesday 6th April 2011, the College has arranged for Andy Williams of DMH Stallard and Officers from the UK Border Agency, both experts in business immigration, to provide guidance to local employers who may be affected by these changes.Employment of overseas workers has increased in the South East over the last four years so the event will also be exploring replacement strategies to support future staff recruitment policies.
Key Note Speaker: Adam Williams from DMH Stallard
DMH Stallard is a modern successful law firm providing legal services and planning consultancy advice to businesses, organisations and individuals. Based at the firms London Office, Adam specialises in Employment Law including Business Immigration.
UK Border Agency
The UK Border Agency is responsible for securing the UK border and controlling migration in the UK, managing border control, enforcing immigration and customs regulations. Also responsible for considering applications for permission to enter or stay in the UK and for citizenship and asylum.
For additional information about this workshop or to book your place, please download the course flyer and booking form below.
» Download course information flyer
» Download Booking Form
Northbrook College has been named 'Education and Training Winner of the Year' at the annual Worthing Business Awards. The award celebrates the key role that education, training and employee development play in business success.
The black-tie event, held at Worthing's Pavilion Theatre, was hosted by ITV's Fred Dinenage and saw companies receive accolades for their hard work this year.
The overwhelming feedback from businesses and organisations attending the awards was a sense of having to be innovative and flexible to survive challenging trading conditions.
Principal, Sue Dare, said, "I was honoured to collect, on behalf of the College, the Worthing Business Award for Education, Training and Development. This recognition, together with our achievement of the Training Quality Standard, demonstrates the College's strengths in vocational education and training and the key role played by our Business Development Team."
This month Janice Duff, Assessor and Internal Verifier at Northbrook is interviewed by the Business Solutions mysterious WebMaster.
WM. How long have you been involved in Assessing?
JD. I have been involved with Assessing with Northbrook for two years, but first started Assessing approximately 15 years ago.
WM. What made you choose to become an Assessor?
JD. I worked for a firm of Insurance Consultants who had been offered free NVQ courses for our staff with the local college. We jumped at the chance to take advantage of these and improve our staff's skills. I was in charge of the training in the company amongst numerous other responsibilities and after the Assessor had been visiting our offices for a short time, she suggested that I also train to be an Assessor. I was able to achieve this in a very short space of time due to my professional background and take over the assessments of our own staff. I also went on to complete the Internal Verification course too.
WM. What type of businesses have you worked with in the past?
JD. When I left school, I joined a Merchant Bank in Glasgow and worked as an Office Junior and then Accounts Clerk for two years. I left to join an Insurance Brokers office and remained in the Insurance Industry for over 20 years rising up to a position of General Manager, responsible for over 40 staff where I was actively involved in training. I then decided to take up a full-time position within training and my present role has evolved from there.
WM. What areas of Assessing do you specialise in?
JD. I specialise in Management and Team Leading, Customer Service and to a lesser extent Business Administration at all levels offered by Northbrook. I am the lead Internal Verifier for Management and Team Leading. I take great pride in being able to deliver NVQ courses within an organisation and see the differences these make enabling staff to achieve a nationally recognised qualification, improve motivation in the workplace and opportunities for promotion. From the employers' point of view, they have a better skilled workforce focussed on achieving success in all aspects of their business and increasing profits.
WM. What areas of qualification can you help employees gain?
JD. I have already mentioned the NVQ courses, but employees can also take advantage of the extensive range of industry related workshops offered by Business Solutions. At present I am also delivering short courses at our Broadwater and west Durrington campuses relating to Customer Service, Business Administration and Workskills.
WM. What makes in-house training and assessment so advantageous for businesses?
JD. Investment in future skills training is crucial if business growth and employment are to be supported. NVQ courses and Apprenticeships allow employees to achieve a nationally recognised qualification whilst being assessed at work. The assessor can observe them in their own place of work doing tasks carrying out the duties that are part of their job role. The learner receives regular positive and constructive feedback, guidance and support enabling them to develop and improve their existing skills.
An employer can also suggest particular areas for development. Regular reports are provided to the employer on the progress being made as well as discussions on how the training and assessing has had a successful impact on the organisation.
WM. Where can businesses find out about the range of courses that Northbrook deliver?
JD.
By visiting our website
www.northbrook.ac.uk/businesssolutions
or by arranging an on-site visit by one of our Business Advisers who will assess and recommend the best business solution. For more information call us on 01903 606114.
Partners Les Webb from Campus Training and Clare Mangan representing Adur and Worthing Borough Council presented the award and congratulated the College on its outstanding work with local employers and the high reputation developed.
Sue Dare, College Principal, explained how difficult the standard was to achieve, but, due to the strong employer relationships in place, the College was in a position to successfully go forward with its application. Jane Claxton, Chair of the Corporate Governing Body, congratulated the College on its success and was delighted to receive the award on behalf of the College.
To find out more about the work Northbrook undertakes with employers call the Business Solutions team on 01903 606 126 or drop in to the Business Development Centre for Adult and Employer Skills situated in Liverpool Gardens, Worthing.
More information about TQS can be found at www.trainingqualitystandard.co.uk
This month Paul Trew, Business Trainer at Northbrook is interviewed by the Business Solutions mysterious WebMaster.
WM. How long have you been involved in training?
PT. For over 25 years. I first started when I worked for First National Bank and became interested in personal development and coaching when running a large branch of the bank.
WM. Have you always worked for large corporations?
PT. No. For the majority of my career I have run my own training companies, at one time employing over 30 trainers, delivering training and development solutions to many blue chip companies such as The Prudential, Citigroup, Barclays, and Norwich Union.
WM. Have you worked with clients outside of the Financial Sector?
PT. Oh yes. Much of our work was delivered in conjunction with the London Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS). I delivered consultancy for business owners of Small to Medium sized Enterprises as part of a major review of their business practices.
WM. Who has inspired you over the years?
PT. It’s a long list, but in particular Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie, Anthony Robbins, Richard Bandler. Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a great source of inspiration both for businesses and families alike. Dale Carnegie wrote “How to win friends and influence people” in the 1930’s and it is just as powerful today. Richard Bandler is the “godfather of NLP” as far as I’m concerned and Anthony Robbins the “magician’s apprentice”.
WM. What sort of training do you deliver for Northbrook’s Business Development Skills Centre?
PT. A whole suite of training and development programmes designed for organisations and individuals alike who want to make a real difference to their businesses. All of the workshops are based on real life experience and enable the delegates to take back specific action plans which can then be measured in terms of a return on investment.
WM. Isn’t this the wrong time for businesses to spend money on training?
PT. Absolutely not. For those businesses who want to emerge from this downturn stronger and fitter, this is exactly the right time to invest in themselves and their staff. Our workshops are ideal for organisations wanting to gear up for future success.
WM. Where can companies find out about the range of courses you deliver?
PT.
By visiting our website
www.northbrook.ac.uk/businesssolutions
or requesting a training brochure by calling our team on 01903 606114.
Northbrook College Sussex have begun the roll out of their exciting new branding bearing the College's new logo - The Martlet bird.
The martlet, or heraldic swallow, has been associated with the historic county of Sussex since the seventeenth century. It originally formed the basis of armorial bearings granted to the county councils of East and West Sussex. It also symbolises the constant quest for knowledge and learning.
Northbrook College was proud to once again be the main sponsor of Worthing’s Business to Business Exhibition held on 22
nd
September 2010 at the Charmandean Centre in partnership with Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce and Sussex newspapers.
Over 350 visitors attended, engaging with 50 local organisations and businesses exhibiting on the day, and taking advantage of a range of free workshops, one of which was delivered by the college’s business trainer Paul Trew on the topic of “ Gearing Up for Success ”.
Special guest Gill Fielding one of Channel 4’s Secret Millionaires went on to present the keynote speech in the afternoon and introduced the new business concept of “white rooming”.
“Everyone has been so friendly and chatty – it was really helpful,” said Michelle Noy from Rosemary Hensby Solicitors in Goring. “I’ve picked up some valuable contacts and some useful ideas.”
Among the stands, Northbrook College’s Apprenticeships team had brought along students to demonstrate some of the skills they are learning, including carpentry and electrical installation.
Councillor Bryan Turner, Deputy Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Governor of Northbrook College said, “I’ve really enjoyed speaking to people who are active in Worthing’s economy. Worthing is a great place to do business”.
City College Brighton and Hove and Northbrook College, with the support of Business Link, have begun a new drive to provide training to businesses in the Adur and Portslade area.
In their work across Sussex, the Colleges identified that businesses in Adur and Portslade are benefiting less than other areas do from opportunities to upskill their workforce. Initially the project will focus upon the two main employment sectors in the areas: Retail/Customer Service and Manufacturing/Engineering.
The Colleges aim to raise awareness of the wide range of grants and support services available to develop and train staff whilst helping businesses to grow and develop with a wide choice of training opportunities and support from business experts.
The training on offer also covers areas such as: Leadership & Management Development, Professional Development for Employees including specialised short courses plus support for businesses’ Recruitment & Growth Strategies with a focus upon supporting businesses to recruit local, job-ready young people as Apprentices. Dedicated staff from both colleges will be contacting local businesses in the area and providing information on the wide variety of opportunities that the Colleges offer together with advice on how businesses can support local schools and colleges prepare the workforce of the future.
Phil Frier (pictured right), Principal of City College, says, “The project aims to simplify the approach to businesses in the Adur and Portslade area by offering one point of contact for each sector. We hope that this will encourage businesses to engage with the opportunities we can offer their existing staff as well as thinking about employing local, recently trained and job ready people as business conditions begin to improve. Its important to both Colleges that we reach out to all businesses and by recognising this area as a joint focal point of activity for 2010/1, we hope to ensure that this area has as many opportunities to benefit from skills training as possible.”
Sue Dare (pictured left), Principal of Northbrook College, adds, “Through partnership collaboration, Northbrook and City College are in a unique position to develop and offer training opportunities for the Adur and Portslade business community at a time when economic pressures are at their highest. Investment in future skills training is crucial if business growth and employment are to be supported which will enable local businesses to respond positively to proposed economic developments for the area.”
NorthbrookCollege took the opportunity of the RAFA Airshow at Shoreham Airport to launch its Aero Apprenticeship Programme.
The event, sponsored by the Skills for Technology Project, included speakers from Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Airways and The Civil Aviation Authority who spoke about their apprenticeship programmes, the changing industry and the skills needed to ensure the viability of the industry in the future. Employers who attended from throughout the region were also treated to a tour of the superb facilities available for aero students at the College. The morning concluded with a champagne lunch before enjoying the attractions of the Airshow and flying displays.
The speakers spoke of the incredible breadth of expertise in the aero industry but, for the industry to maintain its position in the global market, a whole new generation of inspired workers (apprentices), with the new ideas and willingness to gain new skills will be required to push aerospace forwards.
With university places becoming scarcer, many more young people now will look at gaining practical skills as a route into employment. The key challenge, however, has always been encouraging employers to see the benefits to their company of employing an apprentice. Northbrook is committed to offering aero apprenticeships along with the many other subject areas. The College boasts experienced staff and superb facilities with many potential apprentices looking for placements. Northbrook is looking for employers who are willing to give a young person the chance to get a foothold on the career ladder.
For more information on how an apprenticeship could benefit your business please contact the Apprenticeship Team on 01903 606375 or email apprenticeship.team@nbcol.ac.uk .
Northbrook Colleges business Trainer Paul Trew was the centre of attention for Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerces 'Chamber Chat' this month.
The workshop topic for the evening was Time Management - unsurprisingly for most businesses this is something that can always be improved on!
Paul had this to say: "If we take the time to review, organise and evaluate how we can best use the 24 hours (there really are only 24 hours) we have in each day, the result will be improvements in our work and home life."
Some love to write lists, some hate meetings, others are email slaves but we are all the only ones who can make the changes to manage our tasks and put realistic targets in place. With practice, just a few simple changes can help us to feel good about ourselves in both our work ethics and home life; After all, the saying is all work and no play.... makes Jack a dull boy!
To help you get started on making the difference to your time management, below are some tips from Paul given during his lively and thought provoking workshop. If you want to find out how to effectively execute these tips, ease your workload and free up some personal time to spend doing what YOU want to do then check out our ' Time Management ' workshop
» Know the difference between URGENT and IMPORTANT.
» Spend more time on the important tasks, not the urgent ones.
» Learn to say "No" more often.
» Avoid Time Wasters.
» Plan and Prioritise your tasks.
» Spring clean your workspace (and your mind).
» Handle paper once.
» Don't procrastinate.
The Election is now over and arguably a Hung Parliament is exactly what the electorate wanted – and got. However, on the 27
th
April when there was still all to play for, we assembled a glorious cast of five local Parliamentary candidates to face questions of a business nature from the invited audience. The venue: the well appointed theatre at Northbrook College.
The five candidates – Worthing West: Peter Bottomley (Conservative); John Wallace (UKIP); Worthing East and Shoreham: Emily Benn (Labour); Dr Susan Board (Green) and former Mayor, James Doyle (Lib Dem) – assembled a little nervously. It was apparent that Peter Bottomley and James Doyle were in main opposition, not just because they had the most experience, but because of a little local difficulty surrounding Lib Dem Councillor and Election Agent Bob Smytherman’s Blog which hosted a controversial image of the Tory Leader Cameron with rude words attached. Major Tom Wye (a Conservative Councillor) asked about the propriety of using this image in an election. James Doyle answered shortly that he felt that such outrage was artificial. The other candidates looked on bemused, especially Susan Board who had not played this particular political game before and rather eccentrically insisted simply on answering the questions honestly.
The questions asked about business were good ones – can we expect less red tape?, do the candidates believe in ‘Big Government’?, What can be done to assist small businesses?, how can we reduce the tax burden on these businesses? – and, of course, the good old A27 – all came up and all were answered with varying degrees of knowledge. John Wallace rather disarmingly said that he did not know all the ins and outs of European legislation as he didn’t hold with Europe in the first place. Emily Benn probably won the debate on the basis of her fluent speaking style – but this was not her audience. James Doyle spoke with authority as always. It fell to Peter Bottomley, however, to play the part of elder statesman – assisting the less experienced Susan Board with her questions. There could have almost been the prospect of a Con-Green pact before we discovered that the bluster between Conservative and Lib Dem was all smoke without fire. A future coalition beckoned - they were the best of friends after all.
“IT would benefit children of both sexes if there were more male nursery workers” – the view of one of this rare phenomenon, a male nursery manager.
Graeme West got his first taste for working with children when he decided to try a week’s work experience in a primary school at the age of 15.
“What started as an interest in teaching soon blossomed into a fascination with child development,” says Graeme. After his A Levels, he enrolled on the CACHE Diploma in Early Years at Northbrook College Sussex.
Although conscious that he was the only boy in the class, Graeme says, “I knew what I wanted to do, so I didn’t mind. Society talks about people being ‘maternal’ but not ‘paternal’. People are just stuck in their ways. More men are coming through now and hopefully it will balance out as times change”.
NorthbrookCollege is keen to concur. Childcare Lecturer, Sue Pratt, says, “We want to encourage more young men to consider this as a professional career pathway because the college recognises the value that a male role model can offer to an Early Years setting”.
Graeme’s career began with his college work placement at Cbabiesafe nursery in Worthing and he was quickly promoted to Nursery Manager.
At the age of 24, Graeme has just been promoted to Area Manager, based mainly at Cbabiesafe’s head office in Hove, where he and his team are currently reviewing the outcomes from a successful OFSTED inspection.
“The best thing about this job is seeing the children’s progress throughout their time with us,” says Graeme. His evident enjoyment of his work was once tested when he thought he’d try a different career and left the nursery to run a bar. His venture only lasted three months before it confirmed to him that childcare was his natural vocation and so was reinstated in his previous position
Like many Early Years professionals, Graeme is continuing his education while he works. Early Years staff are often trained on the job through schemes such as apprenticeships and work based NVQs which are successfully offered through Northbrook College. Graeme has completed training for ‘special educational needs’ and is currently studying for an NVQ 5 in management.
He also plans to embark on the Foundation Degree in Early Years, offered part time at Northbrook College. The degree course has been designed to be integral to working life in the Early Years setting thereby facilitating learning in the workplace.
“With many families having no adult male at home, male Early Years professionals can help provide a rounded education for young children. The current media stereotypes are the worst thing for the sector”.
Graeme has recently taken on a new male nursery worker to join the team at his Hove nursery and he stresses, “I would say to any young man considering training in Early Years, ‘Don’t let them scare you off. If you want to do it, go ahead!’.”
THE Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce chamber chat for February 2010 was held at the Burlington Hotel and attended by around 40 members and guests all keen to get a grip on their goals for the next year.
The free workshop of the evening was delivered by Paul Trew, Business Trainer from Northbrook College. The focus was finding time to set goals and asking specific questions of how others could help achieve these.
The conversation was intense and very productive with surprising support from the other attendees.
The hot buffet was a welcome distraction along with some well-needed refreshment. All around it was a great evening.
Top Tips for goal setting and goal achievement (as delivered by Paul at the workshop)
- Make sure your Goal is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound)
- Challenge your “Reason Why” you want to achieve the goal. How much do you want it, on a scale of 1-10?
- How achievable do you believe your goal to be, on a scale of 1-10?
- Think “Possibilities”. Then prioritise those you believe will help you achieve your goal, and plan in the time to action them.
- Involve other people. Think “who could possibly help me achieve this goal?” then ask them to help you.
- Take Personal Responsibility for your goal. Don’t blame others for your lack of action or achievement.
- Take action NOW!
Local businesses Euro Training and Warwick Davis Insurance have joined forces to come up with a new scheme to reward successful students who train for a new skill or need to re qualify every five years in their chosen trade, as required by GAS SAFE.
Now successful students at Euro Training’s Gas Training and Assessment centre at Northbrook College in Worthing will benefit from insurance discounts in a raft of sole trader and small business insurance policies, to include Public liability, Employer’s Liability, Motor and Tools cover and Personal Accident and Sickness cover.
Euro Trainings Managing Director Christie McMahon says “Many of our students who come back to us to re-qualify already work as sole traders or run their own small businesses. Others hope to set up their own small business when they qualify. We approached Warwick Davis Insurance with the idea of skills based insurance discounts and they were happy to help reward our student’s achievements, which is particularly welcome in these difficult economic times”.