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If you're looking to take the next step in your learning, the vibrant and welcoming further education college located in North East London, Waltham Forest College could be just the right place for you. Hosting their first walk-in Open Event since the ease in restrictions throughout the UK, you now have the opportunity to visit the campus and discover why Waltham Forest College should be your first choice.
With the fantastic opportunities provided by their recent accreditation as a WorldSkills UK's Centre of Excellence, there's even more reason to take a look at this outstanding establishment. Waltham Forest College is one of just 12 leading institutions (colleges and Independent Training Providers) to have been selected to join the skills revolution by becoming part of WorldSkills UK's Centre of Excellence.
The Centre of Excellence ' partnered and funded by educational charity and awarding body NCFE ' will see more than 40,000 young students and apprentices, from all socio-economic groups across the UK, develop world-class skills.
Janet Gardner, Principal & CEO of Waltham Forest College said:
'I am delighted that Waltham Forest College has been selected as a WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence amongst some of the country's top, outstanding colleges. This is a fantastic opportunity to further develop world-class skills, embedding excellence and developing the higher-level technical skills that employers need. As anchor institutions, FE colleges play a key role in supporting local and national economies and working with WorldSkills and employers, will further support the development of our young people, springboard their careers, and prepare them to compete in a global market' .
There are a whole host of courses on offer for young people (16-19) and adults (19+). Whatever your intended career path in life you can make the best start possible. With courses including:
- Vocational courses from entry level to level 3 with pathways to university, employment and apprenticeships
- Access, Accounting, Teacher Training, English & maths and ESOL for adults
- Apprenticeship courses
- Part-time evening courses
There's truly something for everyone at Waltham Forest College.
Due to overwhelming demand, the College has also launched their new 'On-demand' courses that begin in November. Courses include Employability Skills, Childcare, Uniformed Protective Services, Travel and Tourism, Vehicle Inspection, Professional Cookery and more so that whether you want to start the journey to the job of your dreams or a qualification to go to university, these courses can help you to achieve your goals.
Prospective learners can apply online via the College website ' www.waltham.ac.uk
Making the trip to the college in person comes with a lot of benefits; not only will you be able to meet the expert tutors and other potential classmates, you'll also be able to take a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities that the college boasts, discovering more about where you'll be learning for the next few years.
Not only that, but with the chance to ' have a go' at some of their activities, you'll be able to delve deeper into your chosen course and find out just why Waltham Forest College should be your number one choice. Ambassadors and current students are also on hand to tell you about their own experiences and answer any queries you might have and talk you through the process.
Now with the option to apply for the course directly at the Open Event, there's no better time to develop your skills or learn something new at Waltham Forest College.
The Open Event will take place on Wednesday 3rd November, 4.30pm ' 7pm; register for the event online. The College is now taking applications for September 2022.
Waltham Forest College has joined a national initiative to help its staff and students support and connect with local communities in East London and surrounding regions.
The Good for ME Good for FE campaign aims to generate £1m of social value via a sustainable programme of community action including volunteering, fundraising and charitable partnerships.
Over 100 colleges have already joined the campaign which builds on the huge success of FE Foodbank Friday. This saw colleges around the country come together during the pandemic to raise over £47,000 and collect more than 20,000 items for local foodbanks.
With demand for Foodbanks remaining high, this strand of activity will continue as part of Good for Me Good for FE, to ensure that communities continue to be supported with basic food needs.
In addition, staff and students who are keen to undertake voluntary and fundraising activities will be supported to do so. There is a strong link between volunteering and improved mental health* ' a current key priority for colleges and their staff following such a challenging year.
Janet Gardner, Principal and CEO of Waltham Forest College, said:
'We are delighted to be involved in this exciting and important initiative. Working in partnership with colleges around the country means that we can have a really positive impact on both our own communities and those further afield.
'Colleges play a vital role as anchor institutions, which goes way beyond just education. Generating social value is key to helping our communities to prosper, particularly as economies begin to recover post-pandemic.
'We also know that helping others supports mental health and wellbeing ' so this is certainly something we are keen to encourage via Good for Me Good for FE.'
The campaign is being spearheaded by London South East Colleges, East Coast College and Loughborough College. A list of colleges involved can be found here.
For any other colleges wanting to get involved with Good for Me Good for FE or to find out more, contact Andrew Cox at London South East Colleges on
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is to get a world-class skills boost after Waltham Forest College has been selected to join an elite training programme.
Waltham Forest College is one of 12 leading institutions (colleges and Independent Training Providers) to have been selected in 2021 to join the skills revolution by becoming part of WorldSkills UK's Centre of Excellence.
The Centre of Excellence ' partnered and funded by educational charity and awarding body NCFE ' will see more than 40,000 young students and apprentices, from all socio-economic groups across the UK, armed with world-class skills.
The Centre aims to supercharge the quality and delivery of technical and vocational training by transferring world-class expertise and knowledge to help develop educators and learners.
Waltham Forest College is one of 12 institutions entering the Centre this year to join the first wave of 20 colleges selected last September, when the three-year pilot project was launched.
Educators at the colleges and training providers will receive exclusive train the trainer sessions and 60 hours of intensive continual professional development.
Those inducted this year are:
- Blackpool and the Fylde College
- City of Glasgow College
- Coleg Cambria
- Firebrand Training (London)
- Gower College (Swansea)
- JTL Training (London)
- New College Durham
- Northern Ireland Consortium (six colleges)*
- Oldham College
- Solihull College and University Centre
- Waltham Forest College
- Weston College
In its recent Skills for Jobs White Paper for England**, the Government cited the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, in partnership with NCFE, as a prime example of how it wanted organisations with the relevant expertise to provide high-quality training and development for teaching staff.
Janet Gardner, Principal & CEO of Waltham Forest College said:
'I am delighted that Waltham Forest College has been selected as a WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence amongst some of the country's top, outstanding colleges. This is a fantastic opportunity to further develop world-class skills, embedding excellence and developing the higher-level technical skills that employers need. As anchor institutions, FE colleges play a key role in supporting local and national economies and working with WorldSkills and employers, will further support the development of our young people, springboard their careers, and prepare them to compete in a global market' .
Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE, CEO of WorldSkills UK, said:
'In order to deliver the world-class skills that employers demand to be internationally competitive, we need to invest in the educators that are training young people for the future. The Centre of Excellence is a radical new way of bringing global best practice to local economies. Mainstreaming excellence in training standards and delivering it directly to tens of thousands of young students and apprentices at their places of learning is key to levelling up the economy and attracting inward investment.
'This new phase of the project means that we are now supporting young people the length and breadth of the UK.'
The programme covers three strands:
- Train the trainer modules
- Harnessing of international industry best practice through current preparation for WorldSkills Shanghai 2022
- Influencing setters of training standards.
The effectiveness of the programme will be tested by measuring impact on learners, educators and institutions in order to continually develop and innovate. This level of insight will help the organisations involved to develop a programme which will give more young people, irrespective of background, better work and life opportunities, and help boost economic productivity.
The three-year partnership deal is the single largest investment ever made by the NCFE Group.
- Belfast Metropolitan College
- Northern Regional College
- Southern Regional College
- South Eastern Regional College
- North West Regional College
- South West College
Source: FE News: Matt Gordon & Jan Calvert
The Education and Training Foundation (@E_T_Foundation) is the expert body for professional development and standards in Further Education (FE) and Training in England.
Through their work, the ETF supports teachers and leaders across the Further Education and Training sector to help them achieve their professional development goals for the benefit of learners and employers across England.
Since its inception, the ETF has supported a range of activity to improve teaching, from small scale projects involving single departments or individuals to region-wide activity promoting change and sharing of effective practice.
This work focuses on empowering practitioners to focus on effective practice that is most helpful for their own challenges. The wide range of activity that they deliver is brought together under the banner of Outstanding Teaching Learning and Assessment (OTLA).
In September 2020, the seventh phase of OTLA projects funded by the Education and Training Foundation was launched, with the collaborative research project between two general FE colleges' GCSE English Language students and lecturers one of 36 projects exploring approaches for teaching English and Maths in the post-16 sector.
Objectives
The intention was to investigate how two practitioners in separate settings could work together to develop students' confidence in transferable skills and in the demands of the subject.
The overall objective was to produce collaborative, inter-college evidence-based research.
The research was centred around this question: how can we engage GCSE English students using digital technology for learning?
We aimed to:
- encourage post-16 learners to work collaboratively and online with others they may never meet and where they are separated by distance.
- seek to address current challenges in teaching, learning and assessment during online and face to face lessons via the deployment of digital or web-based resources.
- engage with, and positively develop, the student's view of the subject itself, exam questions, and with new ways of learning.
- enhance attainment, retention and progression for such learners.
Approach
We have been delivering co-teaching, learning and assessment methods across multiple digital platforms, such as delivering live and recorded webinars.
We have been collecting results in the form of questionnaires and surveys, aiming for around 100 student responses across both colleges. Although questionnaires and surveys run the risk of being ' data-rich, but information poor', the forms used have allowed for both multiple choice skills development and open questions.
The completion rate has been high as students find them accessible and relevant. We have also responded to individual students after completion of the surveys to discuss their learning needs and ways to progress. In the near-future we hope to conduct in-depth face to face interviews with learners on site, aiming for 10 responses (5 from each college).
Teaching notes and survey methods will similarly reflect ' learner voice'.
Evidence was collected continuously via real-time review of student's engagement in the webinar sessions, in class via the practitioner's reflections, participants' survey completion, face-to-face interviews with learners, anonymised completed tasks and subsequent feedback and results of assessments.
The practitioners met online on a regular basis to collaboratively reflect on how our teaching and learning practice was developing in the current context. Central to this aspect is the teachers sharing and reflecting on practice in terms of online versus face-to-face delivery, and how we responded to what worked well/not so well.
Feedback from students was used to inform how the practitioners design and deliver subsequent sessions, facilitating students' insight and impact on their own learning and how we incorporate this information and thus influence lesson planning.
Expected Results
We hoped to understand from the participants - students and practitioners - more about how post-16 learners (including adults) can be encouraged to help themselves learn, progress and achieve in the subject via digital tools.
Additionally, we wished to engage with, and positively develop: digital teaching, learning and assessment practice (TLA); the student's view of the subject itself and with formal assessment tasks; build on and enhance student's self-confidence and transferable skills relevant to the modern workplace' Currently, we are half-way through completion of the project.
Results will also be gauged by how students engage with the adapted TLA and the project in general; student work / feedback exchanges as well as in their confidence in approaching exam-style questions and assessment objectives; their enjoyment of the subject; and in formative in-class assessments, mock exams; and ultimately in summative assessments.
Further research
We would like to invite practitioners in the GCSE English Language re-sit domain across the FE landscape to participate in further research, informed by the outcomes and objectives from the current OTLA project will be published in summer 2021.
Matt Gordon, English Lecturer, Waltham Forest College & Jan Calvert, English lecturer, Shipley College
Future FE Pedagogies - Vol 1 | ||
The Future FE Pedagogies journal was categorically not intended to be a 'how to improve your e-learning skills' guide - there are professional associations, websites and online materials fulfilling this function already. Rather, we aimed to provide for time poor colleagues a series of think pieces: nuanced analyses of the potentialities and challenges of TEL for our practice. | ||
| @AoCDavidH | ||
| @BobHarrisonEdu | ||
| @DrMattOLeary | ||
Free, easy and fit for purpose TEL: lessons learned the hard way by a non IT whizz | Martin Compton | @Mart_Compton |
Matt Gordon & Jan Calvert | @mattgordonwfc @jancalvert | |
Pedagogy at the centre - getting the blend right | Eddie Playfair | |
Ways of Engaging: some approaches to developing learning skills | Ian Duckett | |
The Proverbs of TEL | Howard Scott | |
Digital Practitioners creating "artfully-crafted, student-centred, learning experiences" | Nigel Ecclesfield & Fred Garnett | |
Moving a class online | Dave Cheseldine | |
The Reality of FE TEL Post-Covid-19: Thoughts from the bike by an FE Teacher Educator | Jamie Heywood | |
An open letter to the Secretary of State for Education: preparing FES teachers and trainers to ' teach well' in a digital world | David Powell | |
Conclusion | Vikki Liogier | |
Waltham Forest College sees a wave of positive results on GCSE results day.
Today, Thursday August 12, marks for many students another step towards creating their futures in higher education, employment or on an apprenticeship.
Young and adult learners arrived in their numbers today to be recognised and celebrated by college staff in light of their achievement.
Approximately 790 students sat GSCE maths and English exams this year, with many also taking vocational qualifications designed to help them progress onto their chosen careers.
The College has had a successful year for both GCSE English and maths high grade attainment. When compared to the previous year, the College has seen a significant increase of 35% in students achieving a grade 4-9 in GCSE English and a 23% increase in GCSE maths.
Principal & CEO, Janet Gardner said;
'We're so proud of our students celebrating their amazing achievement today. Not only is it proof of their commitment to succeed, but it also reflects the high-quality teaching and learning that takes place here at the College, especially amidst the pandemic.'
'We're happy to see so many of our students progressing to higher levels of study which includes progression onto university, apprenticeships and into exciting careers.'
Gulnar Gultekin, 18, is delighted with her maths grade 8 and English grade 6 results: 'I was recommended to come to Waltham Forest College and definitely feel I made the right choice! I'm really happy to have achieved these grades because I need them to progress further towards university. Next year is my final year on Public Services Level 3 but after that I want to go to university to study law or politics.'
The College offers the opportunity for many adults to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.
GCSE maths student, Awatef Brabra Ep Nefzi was excited about her results today after receiving a grade 8 allowing her to progress forward and retrain.
She said: 'I came to the UK with an existing science degree, but it was hard to find work locally around my childcare responsibilities. I came to Waltham Forest College to retrain towards a new career and am really pleased to have achieved a grade 8 in my maths GCSE. Now I can progress onto a teacher training course so I can use my skills in science to specialise as a biology teacher for adults.'
Dmytro Benko, who studied ESOL alongside GCSE maths, said: 'Everything has been perfect this year. The teachers have been great in both my maths and ESOL classes. It's been a brilliant atmosphere and would recommend it for everyone.'
School leavers who have received their GCSE results and/or awaiting BTEC results can visit the College today (August 12th) to enrol on a vocational course. Everyone else including adults can enrol from Monday 16th August.
The College's Learner Services Team is also on hand to advise and support those who are concerned about their grades and looking for a placement to start in September. For more information visit www.waltham.ac.uk.
Students from Waltham Forest College are proving that academic A Levels are not the only route to university and achieving their dreams.
Excited about their bright futures, scores of young people attended the College today in their numbers to collect their results after much anticipation. Many students secured top university places, proving that A Levels are not the only route to progress onto higher levels of study.
Equipped with a triple star distinction (D*D*D*) in Public Services Level 3, Moinul Islam, will be moving on to Coventry University where he will be studying Criminology and Psychology to become a police officer.
Poppy Palmer, 18, believes her triple star distinction in Business Level 3 is a further steppingstone in her dream to becoming a primary school teacher. She feels her teachers and support staff members played a major role in her success as a student at the College.
She said: 'I have enjoyed my time at college and am grateful for the time and effort my teachers have put in to support me. I am really happy to have achieved triple distinction star grades and am very excited to progress further to university. I can't wait to see what I will achieve in the future.'
Star student, Marini Tsako, achieved top marks in his BTEC Level 3 in Information Technology. He has now secured a place at Greenwich University to study Computing to become a software developer.
He said: 'It's an amazing feeling having received my grades today. I always say you either go the whole way or you don't at all, so I've worked really hard and it's paid off. This start has been really good and I'm looking forward to better things to come when I go to university.'
BTEC qualifications are vocational and work-related courses that open opportunities to secure employment.
Principal & CEO, Janet Gardner said: 'Our vision is to inspire learners to create their future and these students have great futures with many going onto top universities and others entering highly skilled and well-paid employment in a variety of sectors.
'Waltham Forest College offers a broad range of programmes from entry level skills for working life through to specialist higher level vocational and technical qualifications at level 3+ (with UCAS points equivalent to A levels), and technical apprenticeships. We work in close partnership with employers and universities to ensure our students have an exceptional learning experience with the skills needed to progress into great careers.'
The College has a wide range of vocational and technical courses and apprenticeship routes for GSCE students awaiting results. Enrolment begins on Thursday 12th August for those receiving results or who have been given an offer at the College. Open enrolment for all others including adults will commence from Monday 16th August. Visit the College website www.waltham.ac.uk for more information.
New skills emerge through efforts to support the low carbon and green skills climate agenda as leading building services and facilities management company, Aston Group, teams up with Waltham Forest College to install their first electric vehicle charger.
It follows Aston Group and Waltham Forest College co-designing and launching an electric vehicle charger installation course to upskill electricians in developing green skills to meet the growing demand for highly skilled workers. The course which is currently delivered to Aston Group's electricians is set to be rolled out to other current and aspiring electricians to help fill upcoming skills shortages and support The Mayor of London's Green New Deal to tackle the climate emergency.
Aston Group's electrician, Ian Wiltshire, who joined the team at the installation site, said: 'The EV charger course at Waltham Forest College has been an ideal course for advancing my career. In an industry such as the Electrical Industry, this course proves vital in keeping up to date with innovations and green skills' .
Ian goes on to highlight: 'Within two to three years, Aston Group will be going all-electric with its fleet and, as petrol and diesel will be phased out by 2030, other businesses and households will be doing the same. We've gained a valuable skillset here today and we will look forward to installing many more chargers.'
Assisting with the installation was Waltham Forest College alumni and Aston Group Apprentice, Trenay Graham-Jackson who has been with the company for 6 months after completing the electrical installation course at Waltham Forest College.
He said: 'Coming here today has opened my eyes to more opportunities. I used to think electrical work was just going house to house, but since working at Aston Group and seeing what we've done today, I now know there is more to it. We're moving forward into the future and I feel at my age I've got a good start working with electric chargers which in a few years will become the norm.'
The charger used for the installation was a Zappi, developed by British company myenergi Ltd. In a win for British industry and economic recovery, the Zappi is designed and produced entirely in the United Kingdom and has become the UK's number one EV charger thanks to its simple installation and user-friendly interface.
Waltham Forest College and Aston Group look forward to further leading the way in innovation and supporting the needs of employers and the local economy.
Two days of work experience was all it took for student, Dominik Krajuszek, to fire up his career with a full-time apprenticeship position at ASD, a specialist decorating firm.
As we emerge from lockdown, there is huge demand for skilled workers to join the Construction and Utility industries. Waltham Forest College, in partnership with ISG, has been working to provide students with opportunities, placements and insights with employers in the UK so that they can take their first steps into joining this growing sector.
Among these students is Dominik Krajuszek, a painting and decorating student at Waltham Forest College. His tutor later guided him towards the painting and decorating course after exploring and assessing his skills. This proved to be a vital step in Krajuszek's blossoming career path as he secured a placement with ASD Decorators with the help of the College's Employability Team and ISG global construction specialists. Just two days into this placement, Krajuszek secured a full apprenticeship at ASD Decorators.
Dominik says that he is 'really pleased to have been offered a chance to join the team at ASD Decorators,' and that he is 'excited for the future,' and 'looking forward to developing my skills further in the field.'
Ryan Squibb, Contracts Director at ASD Decorators and alumni of Waltham Forest College, found a kindred spirit in Dominik as a fellow Waltham Forest College student taking his first steps into the industry. He said: 'Coming to the College at 16 years old and progressing through my career, I always said if I had the chance to help other young aspiring decorators, I would.' Ryan notes how through his own experience in cultivating his career, he wants to support talented young professionals that are following the same process through providing opportunities to aspiring decorators. This has been made possible with the aid of the College's Employability Team and ISG.
'We offered Dominic a role as an apprentice with our company as he has shown great willingness to work and learn. He's been working alongside experienced painters, and we can tell he has the potential to be a great decorator.' Ryan highlights Dominik's talent, dedication and professionalism as some of the key factors as to how he secured the apprenticeship, something that has been noted throughout his time at Waltham Forest College as well.
Leon Smith, painting and decorating tutor at the College, affirms that Dominik is a 'model student and has helped other students develop a passion for the craft' . He adds 'Just like Dominik, we've seen great successes amongst our students this year with more students going on to secure apprenticeship opportunities across London, and I am delighted that our focus on developing highly skilled and work-ready students supports their first steps into their great careers.
If Dominik's story has inspired you and you would like to apply for the painting and decorating course at Waltham Forest College, our construction and utilities course page here. Waltham Forest College provides exemplary support to students so that they can fulfill their potential ' whether that's through internal resources such as the fantastic Employability Team or exciting partnerships with global specialists like ISG; no opportunity is out of reach.
Aston Group, a leading building services and facilities management company, has recently announced plans to further expand its partnership with Waltham Forest College co-designing and developing green skills to meet the growing demand for highly skilled workers to support the low carbon and green skills climate agenda.
The Mayor of London's Green New Deal aims to tackle the climate emergency by doubling the size of London's green economy by 2030. The new programme for electrical vehicle (EV) charger installation course will support the green economy and help provide vital skills needed to support recovery and growth of the economy.
In line with the UK's economic recovery plan, the partnership expansion will now see an increase in industry experience for students, the co-development of new courses designed to retrain and upskill and climate-conscious measures to positively impact the local community and environment.
The successful partnership, which has been developing over the past two years, is a perfect example of how employers and colleges work together to provide a great learning experience for students while fulfilling business and sector requirements.
As part of the ongoing partnership, Aston Group has made a series of equipment donations to Waltham Forest College, delivered insight days, as well as supporting apprenticeship opportunities for learners.
Alan Thomas, Managing Director at Aston Group said: 'Aston Group is proud to continue our collaboration with Waltham Forest College, reinforcing our commitment to provide opportunities that bring young skilled people into our industry as we move to a low carbon future.'
The collaboration is now set to expand further with the launch of a 2-day EV charger installation course. The eco-friendly course has been designed to upskill those already working in the Electrical Industry and provide increased skills for those starting. It will also help to fill upcoming skills shortages as the Government bans the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, paving the way for zero-emission electric vehicles.
Craig Buist, Head of Curriculum for Automotive, Construction, Electrical and Engineering said: 'We are excited to be working in partnership with Aston Group to deliver the EV charger installation course to enable Aston Group's engineers to install chargers across London. We are conducting further training with several other engineers to help support their company strategy as well as the green agenda within Waltham Forest and across London.'
To celebrate the launch of the EV charger installation course, Aston Group has donated EV chargers and kits to the College and will be offering students the chance to experience installing them within Waltham Forest.
Alongside the EV charger installation course, Waltham Forest College is working with Aston Group to develop a Sector Based Work Academy. This will help support unemployed Waltham Forest residents with short work experience training programmes that will focus on energy efficiency with employability skills, supporting the economic recovery of the region.
Waltham Forest College and Aston Group look forward to further collaboration in the future and the expansion of eco-friendly training, skills and courses, leading the way in innovation, supporting the needs of employers and the local economy.
