WorldSkills journey begins for landscapers

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Future garden landscapers, including three from Reaseheath, demonstrated their skills at the north west regional heat of the WorldSkills UK competition.

Level 3 Diploma in Horticulture students Nathan Webster, Matt Fletcher and Aaron Byrne challenged students and apprentices from other training providers in tests of block paving and decking construction and were marked on the quality of their work and attention to detail. The competition, run by the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL), was held at Myerscough College.

Aaron Byrne, Nathan Webster and Matt Fletcher compete at the WorldSkills UK regional round

Aaron Byrne, Nathan Webster and Matt Fletcher compete at the WorldSkills UK regional round

Selection of contestants for the semi finals, to be held at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July, will be made once all the regional heats have concluded. The highest scoring competitors at Tatton will  progress to the national final, to be held at The Skills Show at the NEC Birmingham in the autumn.

Jody Lidgard, APL lead judge and trainer said: “The competitors represented their colleges well and produced work to a good standard. This is very pleasing as we are putting all our efforts into increasing the standard of skills coming into the industry.”

WorldSkills UK feeds into the Olympic-styled Worlds Skills final, held every two years to showcase the world’s top young talent in vocational industries. Former Level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture student Matt Beesley was a member of the GB squad in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in  2015 and successfully brought home a silver medal – Britain’s first ever medal in landscaping.

Header image caption: The contestants are joined by APL lead judge and trainer Jody Lidgard

Agriculture students shine at the Young Stock Person of the Year

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Two teams of agriculture students successfully represented Reaseheath at The Young Stock Person of the Year regional competition, held at Beef Expo, Bakewell Showground, Derbyshire.

Nathan Sillitoe, Will Thomas, Will Leese, Mathew Kidd, Charles Hodgson, Dieter Kayley, Tom Hull and Liberty Turner demonstrated the extent of their knowledge and skills.against peers from other colleges and members of Young Farmers Clubs.

The eight Level 3 Diploma in Agriculture students took part in two competitions – a stock judging competition and a beef farmer challenge which was made up of four separate tests.

We did particularly well in the stock judging, with Charles Hodgson taking second place and Mathew Kidd coming third. The new stock coats being worn by the students were also admired by many show visitors.

Course Manager Mark Walton, who accompanied the group, said: “This was a really enjoyable experience for the students. They represented Reaseheath well and made a really good impression on both the judges and spectators.”

Header image caption: Reaseheath’s agriculture students take part in The Young Stock Person of the Year

Undergraduates go behind the scenes at Badminton

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BSc (Hons) Equine Science and Sports Performance undergraduates enjoyed a behind-the-scenes visit to the world famous Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.

The students were privileged to have an ‘access-all-areas’ tour of the Media Centre – an area exclusively reserved for accredited members of the press – with Badminton’s Media Director Julian Seaman.

Event rider Francis Whittington talks to the undergraduates

Event rider Francis Whittington talks to the undergraduates

Julian, who was also the Media Manager at Greenwich Park during the 2012 London Olympic Games, shared his expert knowledge with the students and answered their questions.

Reaseheath undergraduate Lydia Binks said: “Julian offered us an insight into what goes on behind the scenes at the Media Centre to make sure that Badminton is available to be watched and that results are constantly updated – this takes a lot of effort from many people.”

Our students were also given the opportunity to meet International Event rider Francis Whittington, who was himself competing at this elite event. Francis, who is one of this country’s most respected event riders, offered much sound advice about forging a successful career in the horse industry.

Reaseheath student Tyler Simpson, who intends to pursue a career in Eventing, said: “This trip was definitely an eye opening experience. We met some really good industry contacts and I have definitely found a path which I want to follow. Going to Badminton has given me the urge to keep working hard to achieve success in the eventing world”.

The visit concluded with a guided course walk to view some of the awe-inspiring cross-country fences featured on Guiseppe Della Chiesa’s magnificent four mile course.

Our HE equine students will next be involved at Bolesworth International Horse Show which runs from June 15 -19.

Head image caption: Julian Seaman with Tyler Simpson, Hannah Baker, Lydia Binks and Jack Moore in the Media Centre

Carol Edginton, Robyn Longden, Jackie Tudor and Shiona Fosh celebrate their awards.

Florists take top prizes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

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Lifetime experience for florists at RHS Chelsea

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Reaseheath floristry students and staff enjoyed a lifetime experience when they helped to prepare and install a floral arch for HM The Queen at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The arch, a gift to the Queen on her 90th birthday, welcomed Her Majesty as she arrived to tour the world-leading show and wowed thousands of international visitors as they passed through the iconic Bull Ring entrance on the bank of the River Thames.

The make-over of the famous gates was led by royal floral designer Shane Connolly, who invited college students to become part of the build. Level 3 Diploma in Floristry students Clare Street, Lee Law, Sophie Garratt and Abi Rowley, accompanied by Course Managers Fiona Davies and Helen Cooke, spent a day preparing and conditioning the floral materials in New Covent Garden flower market.

Fiona and Helen returned to London the following day to join Shane’s team of 30 volunteers as they worked through the night constructing the arch from cherry pickers. The arch was made from British blooms, donated by UK growers, which will be recycled to charities after the show closes.

Shane, who holds a Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM The Queen and HRH the Prince of Wales and was responsible for the flowers at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, paid tribute to the contribution from colleges.

During a television interview from the show he said: “I was honoured and delighted to be asked to design this archway for HM The Queen’s Birthday. I wanted it to showcase the beauty and range of British grown plants and flowers and the skills of the British flower and plant growers. Having students of floral design to help install it provided the icing on the cake.”

Commented Helen Cooke: “We jumped at this opportunity to give our students this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  It was a great honour and fantastic that Shane genuinely appreciated our contribution.

“Watching this structure grow from a scaffold frame to a stunning archway bedecked with fabulous British foliage, plants and flowers was incredible, a floral journey we will never forget.”

  • Former Reaseheath floristry student and lecturer Mark Entwistle was also celebrating at RHS Chelsea Flower Show after the Interflora team, of which he was a member, won a gold medal for their stand
Fiona and Helen under the arch
Fiona and Helen under the arch

Reaseheath’s Brazilian partnership continues to flourish

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International links with similar training organisations in Brazil continue to flourish with an expanding programme of exchange visits and discussions.

Following the success of ‘Skills without Borders’, an Association of Colleges’ pilot social mobility scheme in which six vocational students from Brazil joined Reaseheath courses for two months, a second delegation of government officials and educationalists have visited Reaseheath to learn more about us.

Mark Harris signs the visitor’s book in the British Embassy in Brasilia

Caption 2: Mark Harris signs the visitor’s book in the British Embassy in Brasilia

Assistant Dean Mark Harris has also been on a reciprocal visit to the Minas Gerais region of Brazil and has continued meaningful talks with CEFET-MG, a federation of vocational technical colleges offering similar, professional, land based HE and FE qualifications and engagement in active research.

It is hoped that the developing partnership will lead to further sharing of best practice and the opportunity for both sides to explore curriculum development at both FE and HE level.
We are also developing opportunities for staff and student exchanges, internships and collaborative research and development programmes, plus the chance for consultancy and the training and development of technical and teaching staff.

The six ‘Skills without Borders’ students, who joined our Level 3 and Level 5 Food and Environment courses from January to March, came from CEFET-MG training establishments and have since given excellent feedback on this valuable student experience. This was officially recognised as best practice with a presentation at the British Embassy in Brasilia, attended by Mark and the students.

In November Ivete Pinheiro, a senior member of CEFET-MG, spent a week shadowing Mark Harris and signed a Memo of Understanding to further explore a collaborative partnership between Reaseheath and her organisation’s training institutions. Mark’s reciprocal visit to Brazil in March was to discuss further the long term sustainability of such a partnership.
Said Mark: “The development of closer links and shared programmes is aimed at helping UK and Brazilian institutions to identify partnership opportunities on behalf of their own organisations and within the wider UK and Brazilian skills sectors.

“Our Brazilian colleagues are particularly interested in the way Reaseheath focuses on STEM subjects within the curriculum and the emphasis put on employers’ input throughout the programme. The latest delegation were keen to see how we support horticultural employers with commercial and research trials and how we have developed our Eden programme to meet local, regional and national skills within the food production industry.”

Header caption: Prinicpal Meredydd David,  Assistant Principal Rachel Ellis-Jones and Mark Harris are pictured with visiting Brazilian delegates  Paula Oliveira (International Relations Manager SENAI National), Anne Litaiff (Innovation and Education Specialist SENAI Santa Catarina), Luiz Leao (WorldSkills Specialist SENAI National), Paulo Leao (Strategic Advisor, SETEC, Ministry of Education), Cyrio Dellezzopolles (Science and Technology Analyst CNPq) and Anna Connors (Student Support Officer, AoC).

Reaseheath ‘Access to HE’ student flies high with OCN award

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A falconer who is flying through his Reaseheath College course after returning to learning has had his achievements recognised with a prestigious regional award.

Joe Cooper, from Nantwich, will be presented with a £500 Open College Network (OCN) West Midlands Learner Award for Outstanding Achievement in June. The ‘Access to HE’ student was nominated by tutors at Reaseheath for his commitment to his academic studies and for his support for fellow students.

The 27 year-old, who has had a nine year break from formal education after leaving Malbank Sixth Form College., will progress onto a BSc degree in Wildlife Conservation and Ecology in September.

A former Head Falconer at Peckforton Castle, Joe has found that the range of topics offered through his course has encouraged him to explore alternative careers within the wider conservation industry.

He said: “My ‘Access to HE’ course has opened new and exciting doors for me.  I was convinced, through social pressure, that it would be almost impossible for me to achieve a degree because I had been out of education for some years. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“This course has been brilliant because it has allowed me get back into education comfortably while learning about incredibly interesting subjects.  It has been one of my best decisions ever, particularly as I can take advantage of the financial help available.

“I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received from my Reaseheath tutors and particularly for their passion in their specialised subjects. I now have the confidence to move onto a degree and I’m really excited to see where this new path will take me.

“This award has come as a complete surprise but I’m delighted that my tutors decided to nominate me.”

Said Course Manager Cheryl Stevenson: “We have all been very impressed with Joe’s positive and mature attitude towards his studies and with the constructive way he supports his peers in his role of course representative. He is totally committed to his studies and his work is always is well researched and referenced and shows a great deal of thought and critical evaluation.  We are delighted that his dedication has been recognised through this award.”

Reaseheath College’s  ‘Access to HE’ course prepares mature students for degree level study. For more information see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/further-education/courses 

Header caption: Caption: Joe Cooper pictured with Ravi, Reaseheath’s Indian Eagle owl

Reaseheath accolade for Bombardier apprentice engineer

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An apprentice engineer at Bombardier’s Crewe works has been crowned Reaseheath College’s ‘Engineering Apprentice of the Year’.

Liam Barnett, 21, from Biddulph, Staffordshire, received his award from Bombardier General Manager Tony Webb at a workshop floor presentation in front of fellow apprentices and work colleagues. He is one of 16 engineering apprentices, aged 16 to 50, who are employed by Bombardier and trained by Reaseheath’s specialised staff.

Liam, who has completed his Level 2 apprenticeship programme and has progressed onto a Level 3 advanced apprenticeship, joined Bombardier three years ago after completing ‘A’ levels at Biddulph High School.

Bombardier’s Crewe factory specialises in servicing and overhauling rolling stock for internal and external customers. It has a skilled workforce of 350 and is investing in its apprenticeship programme as part of future plans to enable the site to be considered as the UK’s Centre of Excellence for Rolling Stock Refurbishment, Service and Repair.

Liam is currently a member of the tram refurbishment team. He attends Reaseheath, in Nantwich, once a week to learn academic and practical skills and is supported by college assessors at his workplace as well as by his colleagues.

Presenting Liam with a trophy and certificate, Tony Webb said: “Apprentices are the future for engineering industries like ourselves. Bombardier is looking forward to a bright future, thanks to the predicted growth in the rail industry, and by investing in our apprenticeship programme we are ensuring that we have young, talented and skilled staff to provide workforce succession.

“Liam has shown real passion for the job and really wants to learn and get involved. He is exactly the sort of young person we need to attract into the industry. Reaseheath is an excellent training partner and delivers a training programme which suits our needs and aspirations.”

Liam added: “Becoming an apprentice has suited me very well because I like working practically and you pick up a lot of skills at your workplace. You get a lot of variety at Bombardier because you work on many different projects, and I also enjoy the classroom and workshop sessions at Reaseheath.”

Reaseheath assessor Trevor Palmer said: “Liam works hard and is extremely keen to learn. He will be a qualified engineer at the end of his programme and as such, will have an excellent future ahead of him. We were delighted to choose him as our Apprentice of the Year.”

Reaseheath College currently has 355 apprentices studying agriculture, animal care, construction, construction plant, engineering, food industry skills, horse care, horticulture, motor vehicle and sports turf.

Header caption: Liam Barnett receives his award fromTony Webb, watched by Bombardier Training Manager Mark Mackay, ReaseheathTraining Assessor Trevor Palmer, Training and Competence Assessor Russell Clarke and fellow apprentice engineers

In-house butchery training for major supermarket

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Butchers from a major supermarket chain spent a bespoke training day extending their knife skills in the butchery department of Reaseheath’s Food Centre.

The ten employees, a mix of team managers, line leaders, technicians and Quality Assurance staff, are based at the retailer’s Winsford site which supplies the fresh meat for all UK sites.  They are part of a substantial team responsible for processing fresh, chilled and formed products for in-store counter sale and also for its popular on-line butchery service.

The highly practical sessions were taught by Simon Hoyland, a butchery advisor for the retailer, and were held in our industry standard butchery facilities. This is the first time this supermarket have used our resources for in-house butchery training, and follows successful  discussions between  Emily Fisher, Commercial Development Manager for our Food Centre, Simon Hoyland and key decision makers.

The supermarket’s People Advisor and Trainer, who attended the training session, said: “It is really important to us that our butchery staff continue to advance their professional training. It enables our staff to move forward in their careers and ensures that we continue to offer our customers a service of the very highest standard.”

Reaseheath’s Family Festival draws visitors from across region

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Over 10,000 people from across the region poured into Nantwich on Sunday to enjoy the carnival atmosphere of Reaseheath College’s Family Festival.

The action-packed festival, which offered hundreds of activities and displays to appeal to all ages, attracted visitors from several counties and caused a storm of appreciation on social media.

Messages from families from as far as 90 miles away praised the friendly and professional attitude of staff and students, the range of activities and the organisation of the event, with many saying they were already looking forward to next year’s event.

Headline acts included The Knights of Middle England, who thrilled spectators with a medieval jousting show, and Team Extreme, whose BMX stunt riders and skaters gave an exciting performance of acrobatics on wheels. Families also enjoyed meeting three realistic mountain gorillas and their explorer friend, who delivered a conservation message about the threats facing the species.

Other activities included tours of Reaseheath’s progressive technical training resources such as its Centre for Horticulture, the Environment and Sustainable Technology and its European leading Food Centre. Visitors were also able to learn about the college’s current £30 million investment in facilities including a Sports and Performance Academy with 3G rugby pitch, new Lab Learning Hub and advanced agricultural technology and engineering centre.

‘Have a go’ activities ranged from tree climbing and bushcraft to brick laying and operating machinery, and other highlights included sheep shearing, calf and sheep shows,  horse riding displays, visits to the college zoo, a fun dog show and musical acts on the main lawn.

A farmers’ market and refreshment stalls throughout the campus offered opportunities for families to enjoy vintage teas and locally produced products.

Reaseheath Principal Meredydd David said: “This was Reaseheath at its very best. Our Family Festival gave visitors a fantastic day of activities, demonstrations and displays which were packed with fun and enjoyment. Visitors told me they were amazed at the experience. Part of our mission is to reconnect people with the countryside and food production and this great event certainly achieved that.

“It would be impossible to run this highly successful event without the huge effort and contribution from staff and students.  It is this positive and welcoming approach which makes Reaseheath the wonderful college that it is, and I am very proud to be part of the team.”