Media students at Solihull College have made an impression with their animation skills after winning the Upcoming Student Film Maker of the Year Award at the Staffordshire Film Festival.

But the win came as a complete shock to students Vanessa Chileshe and Alice Williams as they didn’t know their tutors had entered them into the competition!

20-year-old Alice, from Chelmsley Wood, comments: “We are really critical of our own work and didn’t think the animation was good enough to enter, so when we received the call to say we’d won it was quite a shock! We are both fans of the film Juno so we decided to focus our animation around the main song All I Want is You and portray a story of love and happiness between a flower and a bee.”

The animation took the students four weeks to produce and was created using a range of props and taking hundreds of shots to form the final film.

18-year-old Vanessa, from Bearwood, adds: “We used lots of different items such as wallpaper for the background, cotton wool for the clouds, and pipe cleaners for the birds to create the animation, so it took a lot of time to move them for each motion! We really enjoyed the project and achieving this award makes it even more special.”

The students are in their final year of the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production, which covers a variety of modules including script writing, single camera drama, music video, and documentary, amongst others.

Manisha Parmar, Programme Manager for Media at Solihull College, comments: “We are extremely proud of Vanessa and Alice’s achievements. They are very hard working, talented students so it is fantastic their work has been recognised and showcased at such a prominent event. Their success has created a really exciting buzz within the team and we cannot wait for our students to enter more of these competitions in the near future.”

The Principal of Solihull College has received a personal invitation from Buckingham Palace to join celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee later this month.

Brenda Sheils, who has been Principal of the College since 2003, has been invited to the Garden Party on Tuesday 29th May in recognition of her services to Further Education.

She comments: “I am incredibly honoured to receive this invitation and am thoroughly looking forward to being part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The invitation was a complete surprise but I am extremely proud to be attending the event and representing the Further Education sector.”

Prior to joining Solihull College in 2000 as Vice Principal, Brenda enjoyed a successful career working in various educational establishments across England, following her first teaching post in the mid-1970s.

Since being appointed Principal, the College has played an increasingly pivotal role in developing the skills of the local and regional workforce, as well as almost doubling the numbers of full-time students and significantly increasing student success rates to well above the national average.

She has also led the College’s rebuild and expansion of its entire estate and seen it recently receive a string of national accolades, including the Crème de la Crème Business Award for Outstanding Business Achievement and Best Business Award for Best Communications (Public Sector).

The College has also been selected to become the Midlands Regional Centre for the Deloitte Employability Skills programme, as well as the West Midlands Hub for the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy and the Regional Training Centre for the National Skills Academy for Retail.

Brenda, who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, adds: “The significant contribution colleges make to social and economic development and prosperity should be recognised and celebrated, particularly at the moment when education and training is essential to support growth.”

Theatrical make-up students from Solihull College recently wowed the judges in the National Student Make-up Competition at London’s ExCel to win the Best College Award.

Ina Prusakova and Madoka Embury, who are currently studying the Level 3 Diploma in Theatrical, Special Effects and Media Hair and Make-up, competed against 40 students from colleges across the UK in two categories – Fashion/Catwalk Theme:1950s Glamour and Fantasy Theme: Pop Icon.

Madoka also secured second place for her personal creation of a Rock Around the Clock inspired theme for the 1950s Glamour category.

She comments: “I am absolutely thrilled to have contributed to the College winning this award and to achieve second place for the 1950s Glamour theme is a real honour. The competition was very intense and difficult under pressure, but it was a fantastic experience which will help me develop my passion for creating various theatrical make-up looks.”

The Level 3 Diploma allows students to learn about advanced make-up and creative techniques and is the ideal course for people looking to pursue a career in theatrical or media make-up. Students learn a range of techniques including applying camouflage and airbrush make-up to the face, and applying prosthetic pieces and bald caps, amongst others.

Gemma Richmond, Course Leader, comments: “We are extremely proud of Ina and Madoka’s achievements and to receive the Best College Award is absolutely fantastic. They were up against some extremely tough competition but they were very well prepared and this was evident in their final creations. Madoka will also be entering the World Skills UK competition in July and we wish her every success.”

When Daniel King was finishing his A Levels he thought it was the end of his time at St Peter’s Catholic School, but things quickly changed when he was offered an Apprenticeship in the school’s IT department.

The 19-year-old, who attended the Solihull school from Year 7 to Year 13, completed his A Levels in Business, IT and Geography last summer and began the Advanced Apprenticeship in IT with Solihull College in September.

Working in a team of four, Daniel’s role as IT Support Technician involves providing IT support to all staff and pupils at the school, as well as developing its Virtual Learning Environment, a complex piece of software that supports the pupils’ studies.

Daniel, who lives in Solihull, comments: “I have always had an interest in IT so when the school offered me the Apprenticeship it was too good an opportunity to turn down. The role is allowing me to develop my IT skills and learn more about the implementation of software systems across the organisation. Having been a student at the school I am aware of what the pupils require from their IT equipment and services, so it’s great for me to be able to bring new ideas to the team.”

As part of his Apprenticeship, Daniel attends Solihull College one day a week, where he learns the theoretical aspects of the programme. The Apprenticeship for IT Professionals is designed for learners to develop the skills, knowledge and competence required to become an IT professional in a wide range of job roles. As well as completing work-based units, students also study vendor units and industry recognised content from Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA.

Charles McColgan, Deputy Head at St Peter’s Catholic School, comments: “We are delighted to have Daniel as part of our IT Department, bringing his wealth of enthusiasm and creativity to the school. The software systems used in education are often more advanced than those in other organisations so the Apprenticeship is a great experience for Daniel and allows him to be at the forefront of new technology.”

In addition to employing Daniel, the school has also recruited two further apprentices with Solihull College. One is working as a Site Manager and undertaking the General Maintenance Apprenticeship, whilst the other is working as a Teaching Assistant, undertaking the Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Apprenticeship.

Charles adds: “When we discovered the various Apprenticeships delivered by Solihull College we immediately saw the benefits this could bring to the school. The Apprenticeship offers an ideal balance between developing the right skills for the job, whilst providing employees with the level of training they deserve.”

To find out more about the various Apprenticeships delivered by Solihull College visit www.solihull.ac.uk or call the Employer Services Team on 0121 678 7181.

Dave Cooper, Director of Marketing at Solihull College, comments: “The cost of going to university is a real consideration for students and parents alike. With the affordable excellence offered by Solihull College students can study for a degree, including those awarded by Oxford Brookes University, without the high price tag. Our new interactive prospectus allows students to get a better view of what is on offer and by using the dedicated comparison area they can look at the different routes available and see how much they can save.”

TYP HE is a fully interactive, digital prospectus for students looking to study a university-level course and features a series of videos fronted by Birmingham-born television presenter Alison Hammond.

The prospectus showcases all of the study options available (including part-time and full-time) and the costs of each, which range from Higher National Certificates (HNCs), Higher National Diplomas (HNDs), Foundation Degrees, Top-Up Degrees and BA (Hons) Degrees, including a new 2+2 BA (Hons) Social Sciences Degree with Warwick University.

Dave adds: “Choosing where and what to study is as much a purchasing decision like many other products we buy. As part of day-to-day life we often use comparison websites to search for goods and services and now people can do the same for their Higher Education study.”

To support TYP HE, the College has also produced a pocket-sized Z-Card, which provides students with a brief overview of the different courses on offer and an indication of how much money they could save. The handy guide also features a selection of QR Codes, allowing students to use their smart phone and scan through to a mobile site to easily view all of the videos.

To view TYP HE and discover what Solihull College has to offer, simply visit www.solihull.ac.uk/typhe.

Solihull College has extended its animal family again with the arrival of four piglets from Countryfile farmer Adam Henson.

The piglets, which are Tamworth Pigs, are the latest group of animals donated to the College from Adam’s Cotswold Farm Park, and they are joined by four lambs from a local Warwickshire farm.

The new additions will be housed in the College’s Land Based Centre and looked after by students at all levels, from the Level 1 Diploma in Animal Care through to the HND in Animal Management.

Alongside staff, the students will be involved in ensuring the animals’ care and welfare, which involves cleaning of accommodation, feeding at their different life stages, and looking at their changing nutritional needs. They will also learn the various handling techniques to use as the animals develop.

Nigel Smith, Head of Land Based Studies at Solihull College, comments: “We are thrilled to welcome these new additions to the Centre and it is great for the students to experience working with all kinds of animals and learn about their welfare. As part of our Animal Care programmes we look at farming practice, so the lambs and piglets are ideal for the students to work with to help develop their knowledge and understanding in this area.”

As part of their course, the students will also look at the effects consumer choice and buying power has on the decisions farmers make, as well as the local economic value of buying local produce.

The students are currently on the Extended Diploma in Public Services at the College’s Blossomfield Campus and looking to pursue a career in the public services, including the police force, fire service, ambulance service, army, navy or RAF.

Student Nicole Lovegrove comments: “Meeting the officers was really good and it was interesting to see the different situations they have to deal with. It has definitely confirmed my plans to become a police officer in the future.”

Solihull College offers a range of Public Services courses from the BTEC Level 1 Diploma through to the HNC, which teach students the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to enter the public services.