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Archives for October 2018

My Work Experience

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Pictured: Mary Woodall sits on the bed inside one of the Premier Inn hotel rooms at Derwen College. Picture by Adam Fradgley

October is Work Experience Month. Former Derwen College student Mary Woodall shares her experience of work experience with Premier Inn, and how it led to paid work at Premier Inn in Greenwich.

My work experience at Premier Inn

I have been employed as a Receptionist at Premier Inn, Greenwich, in south east London since November 2016, but it didn’t start out like that. This article relates to how I first managed to gain some work experience so I could enter the world of proper employment. I was a student near Oswestry in Shropshire at a place called Derwen College, which is for young people with special educational needs. Through a scheme that was devised by the College in conjunction with Premier Inn, I was able to gain work experience and, with that, the confidence and skills to make the transition from being a student to paid employment. It took me several years but eventually I got there.

The scheme that I am on, started in 2013 when Premier Inn got together with Derwen College to create a training experience involving work areas including: Service and serving food to customers; Reception and front of house; and House-keeping. Once this was done, Derwen decided to create their own ‘Premier Inn work experience area’ enabling the students to practise these skills before going offsite to do it in real life. Premier Inn fully supported this initiative.

I had already had trial work experience in the Reception area at college when a team from Premier Inn was visiting the College, I took the initiative to ask if I could have work experience at a real Premier Inn Reception. After some consultation with the management, itwas agreed that they would take me on Reception at a Premier Inn in Chester.

When I started at Premier Inn, Chester, initially I had support from a job coach with travelling and so on, but after a few months I was able to gain enough confidence to get to work independently. Initially I started doing morning shifts and progressed to evening shifts.

In 2016 I graduated from Derwen College and I moved back home to the Greenwich area, in south east London. I was enjoying my work experience at Premier Inn located in Chester and, if possible, I wanted to continue at another branch of Premier Inn when I moved back to London. So the area manager for Premier Inn Chester contacted the area manager responsible for my part of South East London and I was able to continue my work experience at Premier Inn, located in Greenwich.

I believe that I was one of the first students from Derwen to join the Premier Inn work experience scheme (and the only one to work on reception).

After a few months on work experience at Premier Inn, Greenwich, they offered to make me an employee, so since November 2016 I have been in paid employment (by the end of November there will be 17 former students in employment with Premier Inn).

My work on reception involves greeting the guests when they arrive and either I enter all their details on the computer or I assist the guests in the Kiosk where they can enter their own details. I’m pretty talkative and I enjoy chatting to the visitors when they arrive. Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage site and so we have many visitors from overseas, especially from Spain, coming to our Premier Inn, Greenwich, to look at the famous historical buildings such as the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Naval College. I also provide maps and tourist information to visitors about Greenwich and London generally.

I have several colleagues at Premier Inn Greenwich. I work a lot with Nanna and Linda, and sometimes with Amber as well. We all get on well together and we know it’s important to give the guests a big welcome because first impressions really do count and we want our guests to enjoy themselves and feel welcome.

Being employed at Premier Inn has taught me important skills: to be punctual, time keeping and to have a smart appearance and make a good first impression; how to deal with all sorts of people and visitors to the hotel.

Overall this has been a great scheme for me and I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to do it. I am very grateful that Premier Inn were able to devise and run a scheme like this for people like me. I would like to thank the team at Premier Inn for giving me this opportunity.

And, of course, I hope I’ll be able to continue at Premier Inn, Greenwich.

Thanks to Rees Astley for raising funds through ‘scare tactics’!

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Becca Dean from Rees Astley Insurance Brokers handing over a donation of £264.38 to students Jamie Bullock, Alexander Thomas and Sam Innes.

Challenges involving spiders, slime and a zebra-print sofa have helped a Shrewsbury-based firm of Insurance Brokers to raise more than £250 for Derwen College, near Oswestry.

Rees Astley Insurance Brokers, whose offices are located in Sweetlake Business Village, ran ‘I’m a Celebrity’-style Bush Tucker Trials at Shropshire Oktoberfest. The challenges raised funds towards new health and leisure facilities for students at the college for young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Students Jamie Bullock, Alexander Thomas and Sam Innes visited marketing assistant Becca Dean at the Rees Astley Shrewsbury office to thank her and the team for their hard work and support.

Becca Dean said: “It was our second year at Oktoberfest, and we made the decision to go bigger and better than last year, launching the Rees Astley Bush Tucker Trials – as sometimes Insurance can be a jungle!

“Visitors to our stand had to take part in a daunting trial which included spiders, slime and a zebra sofa, all to win a prize from our wheel of fortune, whilst also raising money for a wonderful local charity; Derwen College.”

“With donations from generous ‘contestants’, we were delighted to have raised £264.38 for Derwen College, who do amazing work for young people with learning difficulties enabling them to learn and achieve their aspirations.”

Derwen College, in Gobowen, is a specialist college for young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The college offers students the opportunity to learn new skills in real work environments and to learn life skills which will enable them to live as independently as possible.

Derwen College is raising money towards a new hydrotherapy pool as part of the college’s fundraising campaign for the Therapy and Fitness Centre project.

For more information on Derwen College visit www.derwen.ac.uk

Election day at Derwen College

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Derwen College students took part in student elections this week, making speeches and pledges in the hope of being voted on to the college’s Student Union Board.

Students from each department, including first year ‘freshers’ who have been at the college for less than a month, stood up and appeal     ed to colleagues for their votes.

Elected student reps and deputies were announced to resounding applause. The chosen reps and deputies will represent their fellow learners for the next 12 months.

Sarah Laszlo, Learner Voice co-ordinator, said that all the students who took part in the election process should be very proud of their contribution.

She said to students: “Congratulations to everyone who stood today. It’s a really tough job to stand here and talk and everyone has done an amazing job.

For the next 12 months, your reps will be working for all of you. Anyone who didn’t get on the board today shouldn’t be too upset as there are still plenty of ways to help with fundraising and fun activities at the college.”

Sarah paid tribute to the new first year students.

She said: “In my 17 years here, this has been one of the best groups for listening and showing respect.”

Sarah also thanked everyone who helped with the Student Union Board elections through supporting students with their speeches, building confidence, getting learners to their voting sessions and supporting those who didn’t make the final team.

Derwen College is committed to giving students a voice in the running of the college through Learner Voice. Learner Voice work encourages many skills including discussion, negotiation, decision making and problem solving.

Student Union Board members and Student Union Officers are elected through democratic processes across programme areas every October. The Student Union Board meet regularly to discuss issues, suggestions and ideas raised by students, and meet termly with the college’s Leadership Team. 

So, here is the final line up for Student Union Board 2018/2019

Day Students

Oliver Burrows – Representative

Adam Gill – Deputy

Freshers 

Carys Williams – Representative

Shane Bland – Deputy

Living & Work Programme

Alice Hirst – Representative

Ellie Trevalyan – Deputy

Land-based Studies

Matthew Lane – Representative

Amy Wayman – Deputy, Ben Aston – Deputy

Creative and Foundation Studies 

Cerys George – Representative

Thomas Shacklady – Deputy, Maisie Thomson – Deputy

Retail Studies

Sian Walker – Representative

Bethan Charles – Deputy, Taylor Farr – Deputy

Hospitality & Housekeeping

Max Marek – Representative

Adam Ffoulkes Fenner – Deputy, Katrina Beacham – Deputy

Sarah Laszlo congratulates new freshers’ rep Carys.
Retail Studies rep Sian with deputies Bethan and Taylor.
Land-based studies rep and deputies celebrate election success.

Welcoming Morda Primary School for Eat Well Week

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Pupils from Morda CE Primary School visited Derwen College, in Gobowen, as part of their Eat Well Week this month.

The school’s ‘Rockies’ class visited the college for a practical activity to prepare a healthy snack with Derwen College hospitality students and staff.

Eat Well Week took place between Monday 1stand Friday 5thOctober. The week was part of the Morda Living Well project when pupils took part in lots of fun and enjoyable activities as they learned about keeping themselves healthy by eating well.

There were a variety of activities going on, pportunities for trying new tastes, as well as trips out for some classes and visitors coming to school to cook and bake with pupils.

Rockies learned about the Eat Well Plate at Derwen College as well as preparing a healthy snack with the students and staff.

Ahead of the visit, Derwen College Student Voice co-ordinators Sarah Laszlo and Sue Richards delivered disability awareness training to the whole of Morda school during their morning assembly.

Fundraiser Anna Evans and Commercial Development Manager Pete Evans took a Derwen College pop-up market stall to the school. Sales of home-made jam, chutney, cakes, and breads created by hospitality students, as well as plants from the Garden Centre, did a roaring trade, sales raised more than £80 for the college.

Amy Snow, Marketing Co-ordinator at Derwen College, said: “Thank you to Morda CE Primary School for making Derwen College part of their Eat Well Week. It was a pleasure to welcome them to the college to work alongside our hospitality students and staff.”

Derwen College, in Gobowen, near Oswestry, is a specialist college for young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The college offers students the opportunity to learn new skills in real work environments and to learn life skills which will enable them to live as independently as possible.

Hospitality and Customer Services is one of the core vocational areas at Derwen College. The college has received three consecutive ‘outstanding’ Ofsted gradings.

For more information on Derwen College events and leisure facilities visit www.visitderwen.co.uk.

Marking World War I with art

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Drew and Megan – two of the Derwen College poets who helped create the moving poem ‘100 Years’.

A commemorative poem written by students at Derwen College is to be displayed on the country’s first life-sized statue of Oswestry-born war poet Wilfred Owen.

Students at Derwen College, in Gobowen, near Oswestry, wrote a poem entitled ‘100 Years’ which has been incorporated on a life-sized bronze statue of Wilfred Owen by local artist Tim Turner. The statue will be unveiled in Oswestry’s Cae Glas Park on Saturday, 20th October as part of a week-long World War One festival of commemoration and remembrance culminating on Armistice Day.The

The statue features Owen in military uniform with a book and a pencil in hand. Words from his letters and poems will adorn the statue, along with five new poems written by local schools and colleges including Derwen College.

The statue features Owen in military uniform with a book and a pencil in hand. Words from his letters and poems will adorn the statue, along with five new poems written by local schools and colleges including Derwen College.

As part of the commemorations, Derwen College Creative Studies students have also been busy producing ceramic poppies and a poppy and forget-me-not mural and ceramic poppies to be displayed at Oswestry Library.

Wilfred Owen Festival commitee member Jan Wilkins said that she was pleased to have been able to work with Derwen College on the project.

She said: “The students at Derwen College composed an incredibly touching poem; I loved the way their work all came together. This poem will share pride of place with the works of Wilfred Owen and schools from the area.”

Chris Woods, Festival Head Co-ordinator said: “Having just read Derwen College poem, I have been deeply moved . . . and I can see why Jan suggested I have a hankie close by when reading it.”

The students will be reading their poem as part of ‘A Poets Day’ on Sunday 4th November at Oswestry School, tickets priced £5. Go to the festival website for more details at http://www.wilfredowenoswestry2018.org.uk/events/2018-11/

Derwen College, in Gobowen, is a specialist college for young adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The college offers students the opportunity to learn new skills in real work environments and to learn life skills which will enable them to live as independently as possible. The college has received three consecutive ‘outstanding’ Ofsted gradings. For more information go to www.derwen.ac.uk.

Derwen College – NASEN Awards finalist

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Derwen College is delighted to have been shortlisted in the NASEN Awards ‘excellent practice in post-16 education’ category.

The national specialist college near Oswestry prides itself on its vocational training and supported living accommodation for young adults aged 16-25. It provides inspirational learning, development and care and enables the achievement of aspirations which transform lives.

Students learn skills in hospitality and housekeeping, horticulture, retail and creative and foundation studies, with a view to living as independent a life as possible after college.

The college works hard at building relationships with businesses and the local community to provide a top quality learning experience. Work experience opportunities are provided on site at the college’s Garden Café, Garden Centre & Shop, Orangery Restaurant, Karten print shop and Premier Inn training centre and through a wide range of partnerships with local and national employers. Derwen is committed to building strong links with industry to provide sustainable employment for young people with SEND.

The college prides itself on supporting students’ independence skills and wellbeing through extra-curricular and enrichment options. This year, saw 50 students achieve Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards, and a thriving Learner Voice programme continually encourages students to make their own choices and ensures their opinions are heard.

Meryl Green, Derwen College Principal, said she was very pleased to have been shortlisted in such an expansive category.

She said: “Everyone at Derwen College works hard to ensure that each of our students gets the best chance possible to reach their potential and achieve their aspirations for the future.  We are delighted that our efforts have been recognised by NASEN. It is truly a team effort which couldn’t be achieved without the commitment and creativity of our dedicated staff, it is also a testament to the talents and hard work of our amazing learners.”

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October is Work Experience Month. Read about former @DerwenCollege student Mary who started work experience @premierinn and is now in paid employment https://t.co/Gp75yesjuD #WEM2018 @FairTrainOrg

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