New College Durham Annual Report 2012/13 Last year our students achieved their highest success rates ever, with 98% passing their course. Many of them have gone on to jobs in their chosen profession whilst others have chosen to continue to study at a higher level. We will continue to offer the courses our students want to study and help them to build the careers to which they aspire. We will continue to work with employers and the wider community to ensure that we sustain our contribution to the economic success of our region and the prosperity of our communities. Inevitably, we will have to do this against a background of ever tighter resources. We are confident that we can build on the success described in this report and continue to offer the best possible education and training to our students’. John Widdowson CBE Principal & Chief Executive Welcome to the New College Durham Annual Report for the Welcomeacademic year 2012/13. www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 CONTINUING SUCCESS College. New College Durham Foundation HIGHER EDUCATION Degrees are addressing the local and regional DEVELOPMENT Overall success at New College Durham is skills’ needs by providing bespoke qualification for employers. outstanding, the College continues to make The academic year 2012-13 has seen the improvements and improve on already The College provides a comprehensive range of College continue to develop the breadth and exceptionally high standards. Students produce depth of Higher Education provision to meet work of a very high standard which receives education provision which is highly rated by the external quality assurance organisations. the demands of students and employers in the positive feedback from our external agencies. North East of England. Students demonstrate high levels of confidence Feedback from students and employers relating to further and higher education courses is and competence resulting in frequent success in The mission of the College remains ‘to provide gaining employment, moving onto other excellent. The innovative and adaptive approach of the College has enabled it to first class learning and training for individuals, education courses and in skills competitions. business and the community’ with Foundation The students acquire knowledge quickly, apply continue to improve, develop and grow in financially challenging times. Degree Awarding Powers enabling the College skills effectively, and their practical and to respond to changes and opportunities in a theoretical work frequently exceeds the timely manner. The first year of New College required standard. Students have confirmed Durham validated Foundation Degrees they enjoy their learning and make excellent progressed well, with external examiners progress on their courses. A key indicator of confirming the delivery of high standards of this is the very high retention and success on all teaching and learning, and students’ types of course. achievements comparable to that of other Higher Education Institutions. Another significant measure of the success of the students and the college is the number of A number of successful programme students who go on to positive destinations. validation events were held with Teesside New College Durham has been successful in University and, where appropriate, relevant enabling its students to move onto their professional bodies. All Foundation Degree intended destination. A broad based curriculum Level 4 programmes delivered were equips students with valuable skills and validated by New College Durham with only a experience, and they progress to positive small number of honours degree programmes destinations in further study or employment. and Foundation Degrees remaining with Leeds This has been enhanced by the increase in the Metropolitan University. number of Foundation Degrees offered at the Continuing success www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXTERNAL FUNDING This area of the College continued to The College’s External Funding Unit delivered a increase significantly and achieved additional series of initiatives that involved providing income to support the delivery of skills training, vocational skills and employment programmes for learners aged 19 years and outcomes to the unemployed and those under over. Utilising the Adult Skills Budget (ASB) and threat of redundancy. These projects supported European Social Fund (ESF) Work Place over 3,500 individuals during the 2012/2013 Learning, the scope of the College’s period. To achieve these outcomes the programmes, employers and training partners College worked in partnership with a number increased. of sub-contractors covering a variety of occupational sectors including manufacturing, The College’s Welding Academy, which was health and social care, retail, warehousing and launched in 2011 in Partnership with Caterpillar, logistics. increased capacity and extended their accommodation building on the success of The External Funding Unit worked closely with its first year. Additional funding from the ESF key stakeholders including the Skills Funding brought new markets including the Agency, Job Centre Plus, local authorities and self-employed and volunteer learners. the National Careers Service. Critical to the Unit’s success were the strong and vibrant Additional funding was secured for a Work Place relationships that were maintained with Learning programme which resulted in the employers across the North East region which delivery of courses for over 2,000 employed provided a range of job outcomes and learners in a variety of sectors. As a result opportunities for work trials and sector-based learners gained higher level skills, secured full work academies. time employment and gained promotion within their work place setting. The College continues New College Durham held a pre-eminent to offer employers in the region a range of position in the region in respect of delivering funded learning programmes that aid European Social Fund (ESF) provision. The Unit recruitment, selection, training, upskilling and increased the value and scope of this provision progression for their workforce to ensure that the needs of local communities and employers were met, in addition to responding to evolving government policy. The College proved to be flexible, responsive and innovative and this has a major impact on the social and economic well-being of individuals and their families in the North East. Business The College’s Welding Academy, in partnership Development and with Caterpillar, has built on the success of its first External Funding year. www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 COMMUNITY PROVISION New College Durham maintained its partnership with Waddington Street offering The Adult and Community Provision opportunities for vulnerable people in the local area, with varying degrees of mental health, to continued to offer a varied and access education in a supported environment comprehensive range of recreational and and assisting integration back into the vocational courses in community venues in community. Success rates within this group Durham, Chester-le-Street and North remained outstanding at 98%. Durham. This included Community Centres, Schools, Churches and Libraries. The College continued to work in partnership Engagement with external organisations with Aspire, a women only training centre in such as the YMCA, Job Centre Plus and Chester-le-Street. Aspire continued to deliver a Probation Service, further developed the wide range of courses whilst encouraging auspice and desire for welfare reform within learners to further their learning to gain the community. The ability to differentiate necessary skills. the service lies in the spectrum of courses offered and the continual search for ever widening the scope of inclusion. During the 2012/2013 period there were over 650 learners who attended community-based New College Durham maintained its partnership Community with Aspire offering opportunities for Provision women in the local area www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk ANNUAL REPORT 2012/13 ART AND DESIGN The Hive formed part of the Graphic Design Foundation Degree programme offering The Handmade Exhibition, inspired by the local businesses the opportunity to work with theme Vintage Art and Design, enabled students on real design projects. Course leader students to experience promoting themselves Richard Hall led on the initiative to equip through their artwork. Students worked hard to graduates with industry ready skills. The create the artworks and designs for sale on the Graphic Design Foundation Degree was one of stall and were delighted, inspired and flattered the many higher education training programmes to have such interest in their work. Thanks offered by the College. They are developed in to their hard work and generosity they raised partnership with industry to deliver innovative money towards the College’s chosen charities - higher education opportunities that are designed Team Kenya and Grace House. around the needs of industry and prepare students for their future careers. GRAPHICS MEDIA Having identified the opportunity to further First year students commenced their develop ‘work simulated learning’ and prepare qualification by being given a live brief for their students for industry, the College invested in very first Moving Image unit. They were set a an in-house design studio named The Hive. production challenge to film 50 interviewees This workspace is fully equipped with the digital over five months and