A guaranteed interview is awaiting anyone who signs up to a new three-day electrical course at Harrogate College.

The college is teaming up with local power supply firm APS to host the 18th Edition – Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671:2018 course in March.

The [re]boot course, which is free to applicants who meet certain eligibility criteria, will focus on how to interpret and comply with the 18^th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations.

Everyone who completes the short programme will be offered an interview with APS.

A great chance to get a foothold in a booming sector

Deputy Head of Department at Harrogate College, Les Potter, said: “This course is a great chance for anyone with experience of working in the electrical field to keep their skills up to date.

“It’s also a brilliant opportunity, for everyone who completes the course, to secure a guaranteed interview with APS.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the company on this and look forward to welcoming the participants.”

The course runs from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 March, with the end-of-studies exam taking place at 1pm on the final day.

It is suitable for anyone with electrical installation experience, and can be accessed for free* if the candidates are:

• aged 18 or older
• live in Bradford, Calderdale, Craven, Harrogate, Kirklees, Leeds, Selby, Wakefield of York
• employed or have been recently made unemployed due to the pandemic
• not currently enrolled in education or training

For more details or to book a place send an email to @alison.kwan@my.leedscitycollege.ac.uk.

*The 18th Edition – Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671:2018 course costs £500 for other applicants.
This project supports Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) all-age careers and inspiration campaign, #futuregoals, by providing relevant content and practical courses to address the skills shortages in our region. [re]boot is part-funded by the European Social Fund.

Harrogate College students are being offered the chance to experience a once-in-a-lifetime, fully funded work experience adventure in the United States.

We have teamed up with Camp America to secure the opportunity for up to 90 adult students.

All travel, accommodation and living costs will be covered on the trip, which is designed to hone students’ employability skills while giving them a taste of a different culture and the chance to make new friends.

While working for Camp America – supported, whenever needed, by guidance from a mentor – students will have the chance to become a role model for the children they are looking after.

Participants need to be 18 years old or over and will have the option of extending their stay, by up to 30 days, to further explore the US after they have completed their nine week placement.

To find out more about the offer click here. A snapshot of what life on a Camp America placement is like, meanwhile, can be found here.

Aspiring Paralympian Emily Holder is aiming for two ‘gold medals’– in fencing and in business.

The Harrogate College student may  only be 17 but she is already near the very top tier of wheelchair fencing, with National Championship medals – among others – for England to her name.

Emily, who made her debut for Great Britain last November at the IWAS wheelchair fencing World Cup in Pisa, Italy, now has her sporting sights firmly fixed on breaking into the Paralympic team and winning a medal.

She has also been flying high in her Level 3 BTEC National Extended Diploma in Business – despite having to contend with pandemic-related interruptions and a recovery period following surgery – which she will complete this year.

The challenges of chasing ‘two careers’

Juggling the two workloads has been far from easy, especially when having to travel to Milton Keynes regularly for her key training sessions, but it is a challenge she is enjoying.

She said: “This course has been a good choice for me and in terms of the college being flexible to let me continue my fencing and training, it’s been really great.

“The staff have been very helpful and understanding. Although we haven’t been going to too many things, because of covid, when it has come to me having to take time to attend training and fencing competitions they’ve been really good, on the understanding that I just need to make sure I get the work done. Which, to be fair, I always do!

“I also use a little bit of sport psychology, in terms of setting goals and deadlines, envisioning positive outcomes and that sort of thing, to help with my studies.”

Emily has cerebral palsy and the level of her mobility varies depending on how much chronic pain she’s experiencing and her spasticity (muscle tightness) and dystonic (involuntary muscle contraction) levels. She often uses a crutch but on good days can manage without it, and also has an electric wheelchair.

For her fencing she uses a specialist sports wheelchair which costs £4,000, and which the athletes have to pay for themselves, as the female GB team receives virtually no funding support. 

Her fencing gear – including two different blades, a foil and an épée, a mask, gloves and more – is also expensive so her participation has required a major investment in money, and time, from her family.

A model student – and an inspirational dad

The dedication she has shown to both her studies and fencing has led tutors at Harrogate College to hail her as a ‘fantastic role model’. Course leader David Gaunt added: “Emily is very conscientious and always prioritises her grades.”

Her love of business was inspired by the example of her father, who has proven to be very useful when it comes to her fine-tuning her coursework.

She said: “He’s been a great help as I can run things by him to see if they make sense in the real world too, because theory’s often very different from practice.

“I’ve always been aware that I need to commit myself to both things, my fencing and my studies. Some of my teammates, the Paralympians, only fence but they’ve always said to me ‘don’t just rely on it, you have to try to have two careers rather than one’.”

Emily’s interest in competitive sport began in 2013, when she was just nine, after attending a disability sports festival and deciding to pursue swimming and fencing.

She eventually chose to focus on fencing as that would give her a better chance of one day becoming a Paralympian.

Focused on competing at the highest level

She said: “Fencing is a really niche sport anyway, and when you add disability to the mix it’s tiny. There are only four competitive female GB wheelchair fencers in the entire country!

“Paris, in 2024, may be my first chance to compete in the Paralympics in a team event, but LA in 2028 is maybe a bit of a more realistic goal.”

Emily, who lives in North Rigton, started off at Harrogate Fencing Club but now does the majority of her training in Milton Keynes while also using online coaching plus facilities at Durham, York and Bath.

As for her studies, she is aiming to take up a Business Management or Human Resources course at university later this year, and has already had three offers. She has also been gaining some valuable work experience at Portakabin’s York base.

Anyone who would like to support Emily’s fencing by sponsoring her can do so by sending an e-mail to emilyholder43@yahoo.com.

For more information about wheelchair fencing visit britishdisabilityfencing.co.uk/.

Harrogate College students have enjoyed a tasty start to 2022 – by tucking into pizza at an ideas sharing event.

The Students’ Union organised a Student Voice Pizza Party on Wednesday 12 January as a fun way of encouraging students to air their views on college life. The party was also a way of thanking class representatives for the previous work they have done to collect and share feedback.

The Student Voice system ensures that students at Harrogate can influence their experience at college.

Here are some recent examples of measures the college has introduced in response to students’ feedback:

Students said: “Could we have a peer support system so it’s easier to find out about mental health services?”

The college responded: Great Idea! Students can sign up to be a wellbeing champion now.

Students said: “How can we make sure student achievement is recognised?”

The college responded: We’ll be making sure there are student awards every term.

Students said: “Some students aren’t sure if they are eligible for funding.”

The college responded: We’ve arranged drop-in sessions where students can speak to someone about their eligibility.

Students said: “I want to join the LGBTQ+ space but would prefer it to be online.”

The college responded: There’s an online LGBTQ+ space for students now.

Students said: “We’d like somewhere we are able to play our music without being disruptive.”

The college responded: We added a music space to the enrichment timetable.

Students can share feedback or ideas for college events by emailing hcsu@harrogate.ac.uk or speaking to their class rep, who can pass it on.

Harrogate College prides itself on working hand in hand with local businesses and organisations to provide the skills and training they need to ensure that our economy grows and thrives. Our monthly newsletter is a handy way of keeping our partners informed of developments at the college.

Business Newsletter – December, 2021 Dear Partners, Welcome, as we start a new year full of exciting fresh opportunities, to our monthly newsletter. Harrogate College prides itself on working closely with businesses to provide an employer-led curriculum, and on helping to provide the green skills training that will be so crucial to our economy as we transition to a more environmentally supportive model. So we are proud to focus, in this month’s edition, on a new course that we are launching this month, which is focused on what is becoming an ever more important part of the sustainability toolkit – retrofitting. Our securing of Department for Education funding to run a retrofit course follows on from our key role in helping the Harrogate district stage its first ever Climate Action Festival last year, and reflects our commitment to both the green skills agenda and the local construction industry. We also have a number of Harrogate College Employers’ Network events to look forward to as we progress into the new year, and seek to consolidate our ties with our local business partners while exploring new opportunities. I hope you enjoy the read and look forward to working with you throughout 2022. Danny Wild Principal Harrogate College —————————– Leading the way on green skills with our Retrofit course We are delighted to be launching a specialist new course, Foundations of Eco-Retrofit, that is designed to give local construction industry members a route into the ever-growing energy efficient homes market. Run by experienced retrofit contractors and experts from not-for-profit organisation, People Powered Retrofit, the two-day course is focused on helping small businesses and sole traders build on their existing knowledge and skills so they can carry out eco-renovation works. Those taking part will also benefit from meeting other local businesses, gain insights into how to stay up-to-date with the latest green building techniques, and learn how to find new retrofit opportunities. Harrogate College’s Partnerships and Development Lead, Holly Hansen-Maughan, said: “We are proud to be launching such a progressive course, and one that has been tailored to help those working in our local construction industry get ahead of the curve and be part of the green recovery. “This is a great example of how all of the excitement and networking which arose from last year’s Harrogate Climate Action Festival is translating into concrete action and movements towards positive change.” The first course takes place in January over two days, Saturday 22 and Saturday 29, and runs from 10am to 4pm. A second course will then be held in March, on Saturday 12 and Saturday 19. Places can be booked here. An £80 discount will be available to the first 15 course applicants – who should use the code ZEROCARBON80 – courtesy of Zero Carbon Harrogate. The college will also be hosting a retrofit awareness event in February, after staging a successful initial awareness evening, in partnership with Zero Carbon Harrogate, last November. It takes place on Thursday 17 February. Click here for more details. —————————– . Bringing local businesses and the college closer together Representatives from a wide variety of businesses turned out for the launch of Harrogate College Employers’ Network in 2021, and there are plenty of forthcoming opportunities for more firms to get involved as the network (HCEN) heads into 2022. First up will be a series of industry-specific sub-group meetings that will be held at the college between Monday 14 and Friday 18 February. Designed to encourage fruitful dialogue between employers in similar fields, the sessions will cover Energy & Construction, Health & Social Care, Hospitality & Retail, Digital, Education & Training and Business & Finance. Each will also feature an open table discussion plus a chance to network while enjoying complimentary tea and cake. Then on Thursday June 16, existing and new members will be invited to meet to review the network’s progress to date, explain what kinds of courses and skills they would like the college to provide, and discuss future activities. Harrogate College launched the network as part of its ongoing work to deliver a truly employer-led curriculum, and participating businesses can help shape the courses, and skills, that are on offer. HCEN members take part in quarterly discussion groups and enjoy a range of benefits including course discounts, plus free advertising and promotion across the college’s media platforms. For more details about upcoming network events, and booking links, click here. —————————– We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of our Business Newsletter – we’ll be back with more next month!

Harrogate College is proving it’s a cut above the rest by offering free haircuts and manicures to jobseekers.

The college, which prides itself on supporting its local community and economy, is providing the services to anyone who has secured a job interview.

Haircuts, which will be carried out in our fully equipped, professional standard training salons, can be booked now between 3pm and 7pm on Wednesdays. Manicures, meanwhile, will be available on Thursdays – starting on Thursday 27 January – from 10am.

Principal Danny Wild said he was delighted to see the college starting the new year with such a generous gesture, which he hopes will boost the participants’ prospects.

He said: “We are proud to show that we are living our values by being nurturing towards our community, and giving people the best chance to progress into a positive 2022 with a new job.”

Programme Manager for Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, Steph Keedy, added: “We really enjoy working with the local community and initiatives like this are very rewarding for our students – while also helping them complete their qualifications.

“We hope that by offering someone a new haircut and manicure it will give them a confidence boost that may help them on their way to finding a new job.

“It’s another great example of the college and local community really working together.”

Places must be booked in advance, and applicants should be able to show proof of their upcoming interview. To book a place in the salons, which close during half-term and national holidays, email katie.sharman@harrogate.ac.uk or call the college’s reception on 01423 879466.

Hospitality students at Harrogate have rounded off the year by serving up a European inspired Christmas feast to members of the public.

The Christmas around Europe gourmet evening took place at Harrogate College on Thursday 9 December when guests were treated to a three course meal featuring dishes based on festive continental classics.

The event attracted nearly 60 people and saw the college’s regular canteen area transformed into a fully operational restaurant.

An invaluable learning experience

Harrogate College’s Cultural, Contemporary and Heritage Studies Programme Manager, Jason Parry, said: “The evening put the learners through their paces, catering to over 50 with a three course meal.

“The students had the opportunity to experience how it felt working as part of a team and in a busy restaurant environment.

“They battled through confidence issues and worked really hard to perform well, and this was reflected in the customer feedback. The evening was a great success.”

The college’s hospitality students also recently enjoyed a fact-finding tour of the Grand Hotel, in York, as part of an enrichment day that included a walk along the city’s historic walls.

A grand day out in York

Mr Parry added: “The hotel tour was really well put together by the staff.

“We had some talks from key employees and learnt how the business, which runs its own amazing cookery school, diversified after Covid-19 as well as how it is performing now.

“Following a tour of the suites and key features of the hotel we had a mocktail master class, which was a lot of fun for the students.

“We then went for a walk on the wall until we got to the centre of York, where the students had some free time to explore the Christmas market, before all going for a meal at Bella Italia – which linked in to the students’ previous unit on pasta.”

The first event of 2022 for Harrogate College’s restaurant will be a food and wine pairing evening, which representatives from the wine industry are being encouraged to attend, on Thursday 10 February.

The hospitality students will produce five light courses for the event, which is designed to teach students and guests about how the right combinations of food and wine can enhance the dining experience. The evening will include tasting notes, a tasting menu, and specialist speakers.

For more details about hospitality and catering courses at the college visit harrogate-college.ac.uk/courses/.