CIMA congratulates NULC

In the latest newsletter from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants Peter Stewart, Director of Learning, said: " You may recall that we launched a revised CIMA Global Learning accreditation scheme at the beginning of 2015, and I'd like to offer my sincere congratulations to five colleges in particular who have demonstrated a strength in performance and have been awarded our 'new' award of Advanced partner:
Newcastle under Lyme College (UK)
ISC – Indian School of Commerce (Kochi)
Robert Gordon University – Aberdeen Business School (UK)
Wise Owl Training (UK),
and The Richard Clarke Academy – Belfast (UK).


 

Accounting students compete in 2015 CIPFA Sixth Form Management Games

On 24 June seven aspiring  NULC (Newcastle-under-Lyme College) A Level accounting students took part in the 2015 CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Sixth Form Management Games at Staffordshire University.

CIPFA is one of the leading professional accountancy bodies in the UK and the only one that specialises in the public sector. 

The game involves the students adopting the various roles that make up the management team of a fictitious public body dealing with very real issues such as major cuts in funding whilst at the same time remaining accountable to the communities in which they operate.  

The day was an excellent introduction to the world of work and a way of developing and strengthening teamwork, leadership, management and organisational skills.  The introduction of new and unexpected challenges throughout the game also allowed students to develop the skills required to deal effectively with time pressure, strict deadlines and uncertain outcomes.

Richard Simpson, NULC’s Curriculum Leader for A Level Accounting said: “Our students were fantastic, they engaged with some very demanding problems in a really positive and collaborative way and achieved some very credible outcomes.  All the students found the day a challenging but very rewarding experience."

To find out more about our range of accounting courses, click here.

(Picture from L-R: Andrew Lewis, Stuart Leat, Kain Davies, Maddie Sykes, Elanor Baddeley, Chris Bowers and Amy Moriarty)

NULC apprentices sweep the boards at awards celebration

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) apprentices have won almost a quarter of all the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Local Enterprise Partnership Apprenticeship Recognition Awards.
Three NULC apprentices were recognised for their achievement in the run up to National Apprenticeships Week which started on 9th March. A total of 13 awards were presented at a ceremony in front of employers at the Kingston Centre in Stafford.
Dean Reddin, 22, of Caverswall who attended Rodbaston College, was nominated by his employer JCB. He is studying for a Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at NULC.
Dean has worked for JCB since August 2011 and has had 100% attendance and never been late for work in the last three and a half years. His performance was deemed outstanding as he'd made improvements to wire harnessing in one product which saved time and money, was a great JCB ambassador with customers and was trusted to write service help pages for a new model.
Kate Broome, Technical Excellence – Apprentice Advisor at JCB said: "Dean has always shown a great commitment to JCB Landpower and his apprenticeship. He continually puts in extra. He is an impressive role model to others in the team."
Mike Jones, 30, of Normacot was awarded a Level 3 certificate in Providing Financial Services at NULC. He has worked for Ageas Retail Partnerships of Trentham Lakes for eight years and has recently been appointed to a managerial role.
Said Mike's apprentice assessor Penny Bickley: "Mike has specifically helped with the retention of customers by offering first class service and leading the way with his approach. His product knowledge is second to none, aided by his ongoing endeavour to gain his insurance qualifications."
Mitchell Hill, 18, of Hanford, photographed above, who previously attended Trentham High School, works for Transairvac International of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Mitchell is studying for a Level 3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering. His award nomination highlighted that he took responsibility for designing and fitting the racking for his company's new warehouse.
Said his tutor Colin Alaimo: "Mitchell works well in a team and can also be trusted to work on his own. He has also suggested different ways of doing some work processes which shows he's growing in confidence and becoming a good asset to his company."
Young people wanting to find out more about apprenticeships can visit the College's 12th March open day between 5:30 and 8pm and chat with leading employers about training, support and vacancies. To register in advance please go to: www.nulc.ac.uk/events.
Said NULC's head of employer training Vicky Boulton-Clarke: "The College has outstanding apprenticeship success rates, with results generally 10% higher than the  national average. I am delighted our apprentices - and effectively their far-sighted employers - have been recognised among the best in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent."
For further information on what NULC can do for business including recruitment, training and apprenticeships, please visit: www.nulc.ac.uk/nulc-for-business.

100% pass rate puts accounting on course for platinum rating

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) students are this week celebrating a 100% pass rate on five different accounting courses.

Twenty-six NULC students sat worldwide Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) exams in December and, when their results arrived this week, all of them had passed. This bucks a national average pass rate of 48%.

The clean sheet was for the Accounting Fundamental papers (F4, F5, F6, F7 and F8). NULC students also exceeded the national results in the Professional Papers where 77% of students passed P2 and 50% passed P3 against the national score of 50% and 48% respectively.

NULC was awarded ACCA Gold approval in 2013, which gives recognition to the quality of tuition provision and support for accounting students. Having exceeded the national pass rates in all December 2014 papers the College can set its sights on the Platinum level award following the next results in June.

In order to achieve the Gold approval the College demonstrated its commitment to quality by fulfilling a range of challenging performance targets relating to infrastructure, student feedback, quality of tutors and best practice provision of ACCA tuition and support.

Said NULC ACCA/CIMA Coordinator Sarah Champ: "The students and the staff are absolutely delighted with these outstanding exam results. Most of the students are sponsored on these professional qualifications by their employers so we are also pleased to be providing such a great return on investment.

"It shows that smaller class sizes and top quality teaching methods, rather than simply lecturing, really works for students."

Accounting is one of a series of professional part-time qualifications offered by NULC locally which allow students to improve their career prospects while continuing to work. These including law, finance, engineering, computing, business administration, health and social care, teaching, and leadership and management at a range of levels. To find out more, please click here.

Helping Each Other - The Benefits of Peer Learning

Nobody can argue that studying with friends is more fun than learning alone. However, educational research has found that the benefit of working with peers extends far beyond the social aspects. In fact by helping each other in the classroom and outside it, you are more likely to fully understand and remember the topics you share.

Whether it’s working in pairs, revising together in the final weeks, interacting in a Facebook study group or helping out a perplexed classmate, all types of peer learning have been shown to be highly effective in terms of boosting motivation, focus and depth of understanding.

You may have come across a situation where a friend is unable to figure out a difficult accounting problem in class. Where possible, I’m sure you’ve lent a hand by taking them through the correct method.

Clearly, this is of great benefit to your friend because they can move on with their work, but it also has inherent benefits for you too.

Studies have shown that the cognitive process of explaining the solution and dealing with your classmate’s questions and misunderstandings will actually embed that knowledge further into your own memory and enhance your own understanding of the subject.  This process can result in ‘deep learning’, the type that is retained by the long-term memory rather than ‘surface learning’ which can cause information to dissipate from memory, shortly after class.

Peer Work in a Classroom Environment

Fully aware of the extensive benefits of peer work, your classroom teacher may seek to harness these by integrating peer related tasks as part of your learning process. You may find yourself delivering presentations, marking and feeding back the strengths and weaknesses of a class mate’s work, producing quiz questions or even interacting in team debates.

These student-centred activities have been linked to more effective learning because you will need to actively engage with the material in order to participate- a factor that is missing when learning is passive such as listening and taking notes in a traditional lecture. Inclusion of this type of activity adds variation to learning, but can also enhance your interest and motivation levels, encourage group cohesion and should ultimately result in a better comprehension of the topic.

Misgivings

Some students can be reluctant to undertake peer related tasks. They may feel it is the job of the teacher to provide knowledge and that is the purpose of them attending college. However, they are likely to be unaware that in addition to the teacher’s expertise, the process of listening to a classmate’s interpretation of a subject, hearing it spoken in a familiar voice and expressed in a different manner can actually enable that information to internalised more readily. Research has shown that complex ideas can be processed more easily when communicated via a range of sources -your teacher’s explanation is just one of these.

Others students find they are hesitant to trust the opinions or views of their peers. They may feel that any feedback given is subject to strong friendship bias. This concern can be alleviated by tasks, which provide a level of anonymity, for instance, blind marking of each others written work or through use of online interactive platforms.

Employability

Adding to their worth, it is argued that student led classroom activities such as group presentations can provide a supportive environment to help you to develop those business critical skills that CIMA outline in their paper, Ready for Business  Bridging the employability gap [available online]

Peer work develops communication skills, confidence and instils the use of effective language. These are employability factors that employers are actively seeking alongside exam results.

Peer Assessment

Extending peer interaction into the area of assessment, the act of marking one another's work can lead to enlightenment and provide a marvellous insight into how exam candidates can miss marks through easily correctable errors in exam technique. For example, as you provide feedback on your classmate’s work, you will begin to generate ideas and see from a different perspective just how you can improve your own grades. With practice, you can start to view your own exam script through the eyes of the marker.  Your teacher can explain until they are blue in the face the importance of allocating the correct amount of time to questions based on marks available. However, there is nothing quite like seeing, firsthand, the disastrous impact on the overall grades of classmates when they have not followed this guidance.

Employability and personal growth

Providing honest feedback on a classmate’s efforts can be character building and prepares you for the day when you must tactfully appraise staff or communicate sensitive issues in the Boardroom. Finding a way to criticise results without offending or dismissing efforts is a delicate balance that requires immense interpersonal skills.

Faced yourself with constructive feedback from a peer assessment– you will start to develop the ability to respond positively to criticism and utilise comments to improve, this is far better than regarding them as a personal affront. Nurturing that key quality of resilience you will be equipped to begin the continuous cycle of self-improvement that underpins professional and academic success.

So next time you are stuck needing help, don't hesitate to ask a nearby classmate if they could talk through the method. They are likely to be happy to help and in fact you will be benefitting their learning as well as your own.

 

Catherine Shirley ACMA

Lecturer of Accounting

Newcastle under Lyme College,

Staffordshire.

*Catherine's article will also feature in the next issue of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accounts) magazine this October.

College achieves accounting gold

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has been awarded Gold approval by the worldwide Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The award, under the Approved Learning Partner  – student tuition programme, recognises the quality of tuition provision and support for ACCA students.

In order to achieve the Gold approval the College had to meet a range of challenging performance targets relating to infrastructure, student feedback, quality of tutors and best practice provision of ACCA tuition and support.

Dominic Whittaker, Head of Faculty: Technology and Enterprise, at the College said: “We are extremely proud to have been awarded gold approval for our ACCA qualifications.  It’s proof that we’re providing learners with quality tuition and support.”

The College offers ACCA accounting qualifications to eligible adults aspiring to become a qualified accountant at its £60 million campus on Knutton Lane.  The ACCA accounting papers are internationally recognised and membership provides improved career progression opportunities within the accounting profession.

Sarah Champ, Accounting Lecturer, at the College said: “By studying for an ACCA qualification at the College, you’re studying a professional qualification which once completed will certify you as a qualified accountant, enabling you to progress further in your career in the financial industry.”

To find out more about ACCA qualifications or other professional part-time courses for adults visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Accounting success for adult learners

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has achieved exceptional pass rates for a second year running.

Adult learners studying professional accounting courses by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have exceeded national pass rates.

Sarah Champ, ACCA co-ordinator and Accounting lecturer at the College, said: “Collectively the learners on the course have achieved pass rates of between 75% and 85% in three of the ACCA papers which is remarkably higher than the national pass rates.”

Learners studying an ACCA course have to study a number of modules and complete exams in various papers written by the ACCA.  Pass rates at NULC for the various papers are all above 75%, compared to national pass rates of between 32% and 47% (December 2012).

Ricky Allman, aged 21 from Whitchurch, is studying part-time for the ACCA qualification at NULC whilst working as a Junior Accountant at Teasdale & Co Accountancy Practice in Whitchurch, Shropshire. 

Ricky recently passed two of the Level 5 ACCA papers in Performance Management and Taxation scoring 72% and 77% achieving these marks is considerably higher than the pass mark of 50%.  Commenting on his success Ricky said: “I’m an ambitious person, and want to continually better myself and achieve the highest qualifications possible to enhance my future job prospects.”

Since studying part-time at NULC, Rick said: “I have much more responsibility at work and I’m trusted with more complicated tasks in the workplace.”

Ricky wasn’t the only one achieving exceptionally high pass rates.  Lewis Knapp, aged 21 from Stafford, also studying towards ACCA qualification has achieved 74% and 72% in the same papers.  Lewis is working as a semi Senior Accountant at Dean Statham LLP.

Sarah added: “Both Ricky and Lewis are dedicated students who’ve both clearly taken advantage of the resources available at NULC enabling them to achieve fantastic results and progress in their careers.”

NULC offers a range of professional courses for adults at its £60 million campus on Knutton Lane, including AAT and ACCA accounting courses.  The ACCA accounting papers are internationally recognised and membership allows greater flexibility when applying for accounting roles. 

To find out more about ACCA qualifications or other professional part-time courses for adults visit www.nulc.ac.uk or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk.

Enrol now for ACCA courses

Places are available for people who want to enroll for ACCA courses starting in September 2012.

The courses are aimed at adult learners who wish to qualify as Chartered Certified Accountants – this enables them to obtain employment and progress their career further in a variety of accounting settings – industry, private practice etc.

ACCA (Association Certified Chartered Accountants) is a private, internationally recognised institution who set a number of external accountancy related examinations which the students need to pass before they can obtain the status ‘ACCA qualified’ – the courses at Newcastle-under-LymeCollege are preparing students for these examinations via a day release study program commencing in September and January each year.

To find out more click here or contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or info@nulc.ac.uk

NULC Celebration Event 2012

NULC hosted it's first Celebration Event on Wednesday 27 June.  The event brought together a wide range of learners from across the College in order to celebrate their achievements over the past academic year. 

Awards were given in 11 different categories which recognised academic achievement, personal achievement, services to the College and the community as well as sporting success. 

Award winners from the Faculty of Technology and Enterprise

Award winners from the Faculty of Technology and Enterprise pictured with Head of Faculty Dominic Whittaker (centre). 

• Learner Endeavour: Alex Higgins – Level 2 Practical Engineering

• Services to College: Damien Coady – L2 Apprentice in Painting and Decorating

• Apprentice of the year: Adam Heath – AAT level 4 Diploma WBL

• Young Achiever: Keiran Weller – Level 3 year 2 Business

• Adult Achiever: Michael Jones – Level 4 AAT

• Work experience / placement; Ryan Leadbetter – Level 2 Diploma in Practical Engineering 

• Return to Learning: Jill Trueman – L1 Diploma in Bench Joinery

Each award winner received a unique trophy designed by a team of learners from our art and design courses and was made on College premises in the Engineering department. Award winners were joined by parents and guests to celebrate their achievements.     

To see the full gallery of images from the day visit our Facebook Page here.

‘Outstanding’ success for accounting student

A trainee accountant is celebrating after she achieved some of the best results in the country in a professional accounting examination.

Amy Saklatvala, aged 21 from Loggerheads, is studying part-time for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) whilst working as a trainee accountant at Turner Peachey Chartered Accountants which has offices in Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Oswestry, Shifnal and Welshpool.

Amy scored 91% compared to the national average pass mark of 50%.  Nationally only 38% of candidates achieve this pass rate, putting Amy in a privileged position.

Sarah Champ, an Accounting lecturer at the College, said: “It’s unusually rare for students to receive such high pass rates. The national pass rate for the course is only 38%, so for one of our students to receive 91% is phenomenal.”

She continued: “Amy is a dedicated student who has clearly taken advantage of all the facilities and resources on offer at NULC, which have enabled her to achieve such great results.”

Adults studying Association for Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualifications at NULC have also achieved exam results that are well above the national average, with exceptionally high first time success rates at Level 4 for both the Financial Performance and Financial Statements exams.

A number of adult students sat the exams for the first time at the beginning of the year. The groups collectively achieved a higher pass rate than the overall national success rate for AAT first attempts.

Tutors Sharon Beamon and Sarah Champ have received a letter of congratulations from the AAT, the global body for accounting.

The College offers a number of professional accounting qualifications at its

Knutton Lane

campus, with new courses starting in September.

To find out more about the range of part-time courses available for adults visit www.nulc.ac.uk/adults or contact the Information Point on info@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254254.

College helps young people boost their employability skills

Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) has provided a week long of events to help students to boost their employability skills.

Students studying the Network to Work course took part in various activities as part of the College’s Employers’ Week (10-14 October). A range of local business experts were on hand to offer advice, including Tony Altham (local businessman and networking expert), Louise Griffin of Achieve Your Potential, Kerry Bonfiglio of Appointments Personnel and Steve Cunningham of Blind Vision.

Students also took part in an ‘Employer Carousel’, where they got the opportunity to speed network with local employers including representitives from Newcastle Borough Council, Bibby Consulting and Support, Staffordshire Police and Intercog.

 Pictured: Craig Brown from Newcastle Borough Council and student Ben Adams aged 18.

Simone Taylor from Bibby Consulting and Support said: “As a former NULC student it was a pleasure to come back and pass on my experiences to the students. There’s an immense amount of knowledge to be learnt on the job and I am looking forward to passing this knowledge on.”

Carl Kelsall, Neighbourhood Policing Officer for Staffordshire Police said: “It’s important for young people to know there are various skills they need in the workplace. Confidence and communication skills are vital employability skills, which I can see these students have developed during the session.”

The Network to Work course was set up by Computing, Accounting and Business staff at NULC to prepare its students for life in the workplace. The course is six weeks in duration and at the end of the course students have the opportunity to progress on to a full-time course, apprenticeship or go in to the workplace.

During a week when youth unemployment was reported at a record high with more than one in five 16 to 24-year-olds out of work, the College is keen to give its students the skills they need to succeed in securing employment after College.

Deb Harrison, Curriculum Leader for Computing, Accounting and Business said: “The Network to Work course has enabled our students to work closely with local employers to gain a wealth of knowledge including how to conduct themselves in a job interview, how to write CVs, how to network and more.”

Pictured: Employers and students from the Employer Carousel.

Ben Adams, aged 18 from Werrington this week completes the Network to Work course and has two apprenticeship interviews lined up. He said: “The course has helped me with CV writing, interview skills and shown me the general do’s and don’ts when in an interview. I have enjoyed chatting to employers and they’ve helped my confidence grow.”

Employers who are interested in getting involved in the Network to Work course or interested in employing an apprentice from NULC can find out more by contacting Deb Harrison on deb.harrison@nulc.ac.uk or call 01782 254374.

Students boost employability skills

Students from the Computing, Accounting and Business Department at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) are to get help boosting their employability skills.

Employers’ Week, which is being held from Monday 10 – Friday 14 October, will see students from the College’s new ‘Network to Work’ course taking part in various activities including CV workshops and mock interviews.

A range of local business experts will be on hand to offer advice, including Tony Altham (local businessman and networking expert), Louise Griffin of Achieve Your Potential, Mike Grocott of Intercog, Kerry Bonfiglio of Appointments Personnel, Steve Cunningham of Blind Vision and representatives from Newcastle Borough Council.

Students will also take part in an ‘Employer Carousel’, where they will get the opportunity to speed network with local employers.

The Network to Work course was set up by Computing, Accounting and Business staff at NULC to prepare students for life in the workplace. The course runs for six weeks and at the end students have the opportunity to progress on to a full-time course or apprenticeship, or seek employment.

Deb Harrison, Curriculum Leader for Computing, Accounting and Business said: “At NULC, we are proud of our close links with local employers, which enable us to ensure our students leave college fully prepared for life in the workplace. The aim of our Employers’ Week is to help our students learn how to conduct themselves in a job interview, how to write a winning CV, how to network and much more.”

A new Network to Work course will begin after October half-term. Anyone interested in joining the course can contact the Information Point on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk for more information.

Part-time accounting & finance courses for adults available now!

Adults in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and Cheshire who want to study part-time can now choose from a range of part-time courses which have launched at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC).

Local adults are advised to log onto the College’s website www.nulc.ac.uk/adults to view the part-time courses on offer and, in many cases, enrol online.

Part-time courses are available in areas such as accounting and finance, where you can study for industry recognised AAT and ACCA qualifications.  Other accounting and finance courses such as Book-Keeping and SAGE accounts are also available.

Janet Scrivens, Head of Lifelong Learning at the College, said: “We can provide help and guidance for anyone who wants to improve their job prospects, renew or refresh their qualifications or retrain for a new career. There’s never been a better time to enrol!”

To find out more about the part-time accounting and finance courses available at NULC visit www.nulc.ac.uk/adults or come along to the Part-time Course Advice and Enrolment Evening on Thursday 8 September, 5.30pm – 8pm.

Alternatively, for more information, call the College Information Centre on 01782 254254 or email info@nulc.ac.uk

Enterprising students rewarded for business success

Students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) have been rewarded for a range of enterprise initiatives including successfully developing proposals for new businesses as part of their studies.

Students from the Level 3 Business and AAT courses were rewarded for their achievements at a special awards ceremony, held on Thursday 16 June at the College’s new £60 million Knutton Lane campus.

The students presented their business idea, costing, business plan and marketing strategy to a panel of local entrepreneurs.

Representatives from local business Altecnic Ltd, who also sponsored the event, shared their business success stories with students and their guests.  Attendees were also entertained by the  Newcastle Performing Arts Group.

Deb Harrison, Curriculum Manager for Computing, Accounting and Business said: “The students excelled, showing tremendous creativity and business acumen.  I am certain that the business entrepreneurs of tomorrow are current NULC students, they are destined for great things.”

For more details about courses on offer at the College, call 01782 254254, email info@nulc.ac.uk or visit www.nulc.ac.uk.

Life coach helps students to build their confidence

Female Computing, Accounting and Business students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) have been invited to a workshop to improve their self confidence.


The Business, Accounting and IT students have been invited to a Confidence Workshop at the College on Tuesday 5 April.  Louise Griffin, a local life coach will be running the workshops. She’s previously worked with NULC and is now on a crusade to help women across the area with confidence and self esteem.


Louise will spend the day with students and aims for the young ladies to leave feeling positive, confident and ready to tackle to working life and succeed in the professional world.


The day will be broken into two sections; emotional and physical. The morning session will address emotional needs such as self esteem, body image and state management such as coping with interview nerves.


The physical afternoon session will lead with demonstrations; helping them explore make up techniques and clothing styles for interviews and professional development.

To find out more about the Confidence Worskshop contact Curriculum Manager Deb Harrison

NULC do 'something funny for money'

If there's one thing that NULC staff and students like to do its ‘something funny for money’ in aid of Comic Relief.  NULC was a hub of activity on Friday 18 March with fancy dress, bake sales, waxing and the most talked about event of the day, the NULC FlashMob.

Dance Lecturer Faye Matthews rounded up her troupes which included students, staff and even a member of the senior management team.  Then headed to the new Sainsbury’s store in Newcastle-under-Lyme, where they wowed the crowds and are now rapidly becoming an online phenomenon.

Other activities taking place throughout the day included a fancy dress competition which resulted in a monkey and pirates roaming the corridors!  A yummy bake sale organised by Early Years students, Fun Run by Sports Performance and Excellence students, leg waxing in the Transform Salon.  As well as various fund raising efforts by Learner Services, Starbucks staff and the Students’ Union.

The money is still being counted but so far NULC have managed to raise over £500.00, which is a fantastic amount.  Thank you to everyone who took part and did ‘something funny for money’.

To see all the photos and videos from the day visit our Facebook gallery at www.facebook.com/NewcastleULymeCol and give us a ‘Like’.

NULC students meet inspirational business people

Business, IT and Accounting students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC) have taken part in Overcoming Obstacles Week.  The week is aimed at inspiring students and helping them overcome personal and professional barriers in business and employment.  Inspirational talks from successful business people including Steve Cunningham, world’s fastest blind man and Mo Chaudry, one of the UK’s top 100 Asian business people have been taking place since Monday 28 February and will run until Friday 4 March.

Career Academy students head to the Capital

Career Academy students headed to London on Tuesday 30 November to get a taste of life at Accenture, one of Britain’s most influential organisations, and to boost their employability skills. 

The eye-opening visit is part of the annual day-long event, ‘A Capital Experience’, organised by aspiration-raising business-education charity Career Academies UK.

Students took part in a ‘behind the scenes’ look at how Accenture works, including a workplace tour. They also took part in a question and answer session with recently employed graduates who spoke about their experiences.

The students also they received valuable advice from speakers including The Apprentice finalist Claire Young, Career Academies UK Chief Executive James McCreary, and former Career Academy student Emmanuel Akintunde. 

To read more about this story click here. To find out more about the Career Academy programme visit www.nulc.ac.uk/careeracademy

Local entrepreneur lends a helping hand

A local entrepreneur delivered talks to budding Business students from ICT courses to Accounts and Travel and Tourism.

Tony Altham, proprietor of AdGifts Online and other thriving business came to NULC to inform students on his networking skills and knowledge. He talked about how correct networking can create good business prospects, whether they are used in meeting prospective clients, or closing a deal.

Tony was also a student at the College and spoke about how the staff and learning environment helped him to achieve his successful career in Business.

Here’s what a couple of our students had to say:

“In this session I have learnt how to address possible customers and how to present myself to other aswell as the correct way to shake hands with clients”

Gareth Moores

"I found that Tony’s presentation was very informative. I learnt how to go about making first impressions, to be open when making new contacts and that there are a lot of opportunities on offer if you look in the right places”

Kirsty Sproson

Children in Need 2010

Staff and students at NULC dressed up in outrageous costumes and took part in a range of activities to raise money for Children in Need.

Fun activities included ‘Pudsey’s Fundraising Grotto’, whilst some students raised cash to have their legs waxed – Ouch!

The College has so far raised over £900 and all proceeds will go to Children in Need.