Archives for July 2020

 

Derwen College has won national awards from Natspec and National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) for its ground-breaking work supporting people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) into work.

Derwen College won a prestigious Natspec Award – awards which recognise excellence in specialist further education. The award was for ‘Innovative Use of Technology’ for a suite of apps that the college has developed to promote employability skills for students with SEND.

In October 2020, the college also received the Innovative Award for Technology from NASEN.

The project was funded via the Marches LEP Growth Deal with Government for capital skills projects, and focused on developing a suite of apps to help young people with learning difficulties and disabilities to gain skills in work placements and supported employment.

The apps include a Premier Inn app which takes students step-by-step through servicing a hotel room. Students use the app on tablet or mobile phone at the college’s on-site training hotel, at Premier Inn work placements and ultimately during paid employment at Premier Inn.

Other apps include a CV Builder app which enables people with SEND to create their own CV with minimal outside support. The ‘Support Work’ project also supports employers in their recruitment of staff with SEND.

‘Incredibly proud’

Derwen College Principal, Meryl Green, was delighted to hear that the College had won, during a virtual awards ceremony.

She said: “I’m incredibly proud that Derwen College has won the ‘Innovative use of Technology Award’ in the Natspec Awards 2020. Competition in this category is extremely tough and this accolade clearly demonstrates that Derwen College remains at the forefront of creativity and innovation within SEND education.”

Natspec Chair of the Judging Panel Nigel Evans praised the high standard of the award submissions which demonstrated the innovation, expertise and creativity within the specialist further education sector.

He highlighted the strong partnerships that Derwen College developed with Oswestry-based Hunter Bevan Marketing & Design, Starfish Labs app developers, as well as with Premier Inn, and Makaton. These relationships were vital in ensuring the apps were of industry standard.

He said: “This project showed a strong use of partnerships within the hospitality industry, a technology firm and funding from the local enterprise partnership resulting in products that are easy to use, professional in appearance and will be easy to transfer to other employment settings. The incorporation of Makaton increased the accessibility of the apps and broadened the range of students able to use it.”

‘Collaborative effort’

Neil Bevan, Director of Starfish Labs and Hunter Bevan said, “The Starfish Labs and Hunter Bevan teams are so proud to have been a part of this project, working in partnership with Derwen College. It’s been a great collaborative effort including research and development to identify student and employer needs, and how the students interact with different learning methods in the apps.

“The apps are unique in the way they combine video, photos, Makaton symbols, text and sound, and in the ability for the college staff to tailor content to specific course pathways. I’m delighted that the suite of apps has been recognised with such a prestigious award from an organisation as highly respected as Natspec. Well done to all involved, and we’re looking forward to developing the apps further with Derwen College, to take them into other colleges and employers, both in the UK and in exporting British educational tech expertise in overseas markets.”

It was a testing time for students at Shropshire’s Derwen College when they competed in skills competitions against Sheffield-based Landmarks Specialist College this week.

Students at the specialist college, near Oswestry, competed in quizzes focusing on Hospitality & Catering, Customer Service and Travel and Road Safety in online competitions against Landmarks College.

The challenges were held virtually through Zoom via the Kahoot quiz app, and allowed students to take part whether they were currently learning from home or college.

Derwen College learners performed well despite the unusual circumstances. College Pathway Leads Alison Adams and Sioned Davies said they were very proud of their students’ achievements.

• In the Customer Service competition Aaliyah James was first, Adehle Stafford was third, Sam Innes was fourth and Tom Alexander was runner-up.
• In the Catering and Hospitality competition, William Chapple was awarded third place.
• In the Travel and Road Safety competition, Millie Clarke was fourth.

Alison Adams, Hospitality & Housekeeping Pathway Lead, said:

“The competitions held via Zoom with Landmarks College were a great success. All students did extremely well to focus on competitions during what has been a very different Summer term for everyone. Credit should also go to the dedication of the staff and parents who worked with the students to prepare them for this week, and to our colleagues at Landmarks College for organising the event.”

 

Derwen College Garden Centre and Gift Shop, near Oswestry, is delighted to welcome back customers from the 20^th July.

Safety measures have been put in place to ensure that visitors to the popular Garden Centre and Gift Shop, as well as the Garden Café, in Gobowen, can once more browse, shop and enjoy home-made refreshments.

The Garden Centre and Gift Shop opens with a grand sale in selected areas including special offers on David Austin roses, shrubs, alpines, seasonal plants, and gift shop ranges.

Regular customers will find some changes at the Garden Centre to keep staff and shoppers safe. The Centre has been designed with a new one-way system including separate entrance and exit. Shoppers are asked to use contactless payment where possible and to make use of the hand sanitiser stations. Staff will be available at the entrance and the exit to guide and support customers to shop safely.

The Garden Centre Gift Shop will offer the usual favourites such as home-made cakes, jams and chutneys, and gift items made by students. It will also be selling a range of hand-made cotton face masks with a variety of designs available. The Gift Shop food area will offer a fabulous new range of fruit and vegetables.

The Garden Cafe has a specially selected menu, including customer favourites, home-made cakes and hot and cold drinks. The cafe will feature table service to reduce contact between staff and customers. Tables have been spaced out to maintain social distancing rules, and contactless payment is encouraged where possible.

The Garden Centre will be open seven days a week from 10am-4pm and the Garden Cafe will be open from 10am-3pm.

Commercial manager Pete Evans said that the team were over the moon to welcome back customers.

He said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome back customers to the Garden Centre, Gift Shop, and Garden Cafe. During lockdown, we have been grateful for all the messages of support, and now it’s wonderful to be finally reopen our doors, again. We have been incredibly busy making sure that the shopping and café experience is safe and enjoyable, and are excited to meet and greet everyone soon.”

For more information click here.