Sweet success for bakery students’ memorial cake

When our Level 2 Bakery and Patisserie students were tasked with designing a cake for Remembrance Day, they came up with the idea of a ‘weeping window’ of poppies, similar to the display at the Tower of London 2014 commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of WW1.

Remembrance poppy cake

Remembrance poppy cake

The students discussed, designed and decorated the cake in just one three and a half hour session in our commercial bakery. The cake, named ‘Level 2 Remembers’ was one of several exciting student-made creations which created a lot of interest on Reaseheath’s stand at the Cake and Bake Show in Manchester’s Event City in November.

Among the hundreds of visitors ‘wowed’ by the cake was Royal British Legion member Philip Boreham, who in an email to the college praised the ‘first class, well executed response to the challenge’ and suggested that we send its photo to ‘Legion’, the RBL newsletter, so that other members could enjoy it!

Courtney Potts with remembrance cake

Courtney Potts with her remembrance cake

Course Manager Sam Copeland, who set the challenge, said: “I am so very proud of these students, particularly as this was only their sixth bakery lesson ever! They all worked very hard on the design and the ideas they came up with were really creative.

“Many show visitors stopped to admire the cake and we received a great number of positive comments. Some visitors said they were ‘blown away’ and that they were amazed that the students had come up with such a clever design. We were very pleased that Mr Boreham enjoyed seeing the cake and we were delighted to receive his feedback.”

Reaseheath is one of the few colleges in the country to offer bakery and patisserie courses from Level 2 (school leavers) to degree level. Students are taught in our £7.4 million Food Centre, an industry leading academy with an international reputation in the food and drink sector.

The student who designed the cake, Courtney Potts, is pictured above with fellow student Jade Walker, one of a small group who helped with decorating the cake.

Accolade for RHS students

Eighty-five students who gained Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) qualifications at Reaseheath this year have celebrated their achievements.

Mirroring the national trend, around half are professional horticulturists furthering their development while the remainder are career changers and keen leisure gardeners.

Level 2 Friday practical group

Level 2 Friday practical group

Reaseheath is recognised as the leading RHS training and examination centre in the north west and students currently travel from as far as the Wirral, Manchester, Oldham and Church Stretton to attend courses. This year 90 students with a wide age range are enrolled.

Reaseheath offers separate theory and practical qualifications at both Level 2 and Level 3. Once both awards are achieved they convert into a well respected RHS Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in the Principles and Practices of Horticulture.

Level 2 Monday practical group

Level 2 Monday practical group

 

Based in Reaseheath’s new £8.3 million Centre for Horticulture, the Environment and Sustainable Technology, RHS students complete a minimum of 430 learning hours to achieve the diploma. Apart from attending lectures they take part in practical activities in the college grounds and also play a key role in building our show gardens at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park. In addition they enjoy trips to outstanding local gardens and many will join a study tour to Barcelona next summer.

Congratulating the students at an awards presentation at Reaseheath Hall, RHS Course Manager Anne Harrison said: “These qualifications demand a lot of individual input and the final exams are very stringent. This is why they are so well recognised and respected in the industry. You have put in a tremendous effort, with some of you juggling jobs and home duties alongside your studies, and you should all be very proud of your achievements.”

Head of Horticulture Sarah Hopkinson and RHS Master of Horticulture Harry Delaney, who taught some the students before retiring last year, also attended the ceremony.

Reaseheath offers the RHS Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in Horticulture (theory and practical) as weekly daytime courses and an additional RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture (theory only) as an evening course.

Job opportunities at Reaseheath College

We are currently advertising the following job vacancies at Reaseheath College:

  • Lecturer/Course Manager in Animal Management

 

 

Reaseheath Training seek new tutor assessors

Reaseheath Training is the work based learning arm of Reaseheath College and is seeking to appoint new Tutor Assessors to the Apprenticeship Team to tutor and assess a caseload of apprentices at levels 2 and 3 working in a variety of local businesses. There are currently opportunities on the horizon to join a dynamic team within a fast growing department with numerous prospects for self-development.

We have a full/part time positions available in the following areas of expertise:

  • Construction Bricklaying / Plastering
  • Trees and Timber

Our expectation is that the successful applicants will be highly motivated, promoting high timely success rates of apprenticeship frameworks. You will have demonstrable evidence of working in the relevant industry and have qualifications in that area at Level 3 or above.

In addition you will ideally possess GCSE Maths & English Grade C or above and have experience of MS Office Applications. You will also have Assessor Verifier and a teaching qualification or a willingness to achieve these in a specified time.

This job can be flexible and fit around other commitments. This is suitable for candidates who are passionate about training and working with young people. It provides opportunities to work with the forefront government initiatives and trends to support young people into the world of work through Apprenticeships.

In return we can offer a competitive salary of up to £25k and an attractive benefits package including generous annual leave entitlement, CARE pension scheme, employee assistance programme, on site gym, free parking and an attractive rural campus environment.

If you would be interested in finding out more then please register your interest by sending an up to date CV to recruitment@reaseheath.ac.uk and we will be in touch.

 

Reaseheath College commended by Ofsted for student success

Reaseheath College remains one of the UK’s premier technical and specialist land-based colleges, Ofsted has confirmed. The results of an inspection of the Nantwich, Cheshire college, held in November, shows that Reaseheath continues to be good (Grade 2) with some exceptional features and continues to be outstanding in many areas – in particular the very high number of Further Education students achieving success and progressing into employment or further study.

The report, released this week, congratulates Reaseheath on the way it has continued to build on its significant national role in providing high quality and relevant educating and training for its students and apprentices.

Describing the success rates of students, which sees over 96% moving into jobs or onto degree programmes in their chosen industry, as ‘a major strength of the college’, Ofsted Lead Inspector Derrick Spragg said his team had continued to be very impressed with the way Reaseheath responds to employers’ needs and ensures its courses are relevant to the world of work.

The inspectors noted that this close partnership resulted in college facilities and state-of-the-art equipment which were often sponsored by industry, and that this greatly benefitted students as they prepared for employment. The inspectors were also impressed by the ‘highly competent and experienced industry specialists who are trained and developed as teachers’, by the high expectations staff have of their students, and by the help and support students receive from industry mentors.

The team highlighted the ‘good quality, external work experience, which provides a rich mix of learning opportunities and clear career direction to students’. They were also impressed by the additional industry recognised qualifications offered to students and by the many activities outside the curriculum such as fund raising for charity and volunteering in the community, which resulted in ‘well rounded individuals’ and enhanced their future job prospects.

Reaseheath’s collaborative work with Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and with other local, regional and national stakeholders are described in the report as ‘highly effective strategic management’ and the college’s ‘strong governance and highly effective leadership and management’ is commended for always putting the needs of students first.

A particularly notable achievement was the college’s work with its LEP which will result in a new centre of excellence for advanced engineering and agri-technology, currently in the planning stage. The report states that the high levels of investment which Reaseheath attracts is based on good strategic planning and sound financial management and that this in turn enables students to benefit from excellent learning opportunities.

The Ofsted inspectors noted that students behave well, show respect to staff and each other and are prepared well for their future careers. They were impressed that the vast majority of students achieve their main vocational qualification and that particularly high success rates were being sustained. They also identified that high needs students benefit from ‘skilful, supportive and highly individualised teaching’, allowing them to develop independence and confidence and  encouraging them to progress to higher level programmes, internships, employment, apprenticeships and degrees.

Reaseheath’s safeguarding team is commended in the report for its commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of students, for its excellent approach to safe working practices and for its efforts to help students develop an understanding of British values.

Principal Meredydd David said: “This is a fantastic result that recognises the outstanding achievements of our staff and students and puts us in a very strong position for the future. It could not have been achieved without the exceptional effort and commitment of everyone at Reaseheath, across all teams including the management team, governors and of course our students and industry partners.

“The Ofsted inspectors told us that we continue to be a very good college with many very strong and outstanding features. These include our safeguarding, our employer engagement and strategic planning, our support for learners, the great work experience we offer and the further study and work destinations that our learners achieve. It is also great to know that we had an overwhelmingly positive response to the Ofsted learner survey, with 95% of students saying that they would recommend the college to others.”

 

Stock judging teams are top of the chops in College Challenge

Reaseheath’s stock judging teams beat off opposition from land-based colleges and universities nationwide to take first and third places in the College Challenge at the East of England Smithfield Festival, Peterborough.

The hotly contested competition, entered by 22 teams from 12 colleges including Newton Rigg, Askham Bryan, Moulton, Brooksby Melton, Derby, Shuttleworth and the College of West Anglia, tested the students’ skills at selecting livestock and carcases which would bring the greatest commercial return.

The teams had to judge pens of finished lambs, breeding ewes and breeding beef heifers and a selection of lamb carcases, then carry out a silage assessment and feed analysis before presenting their placings and reasonings to the judging panel.

Despite a very early start, our team of Libby Turner, Charles Hodgson and Will Thomas (Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture) and Will Leese (Level 2 Diploma in Agriculture) excelled in all five tasks to take the top spot, closely followed by Matthew Kidd, Dieter Kayley, Tom Hull and James Hodgkinson (Level 3 Extended Diploma in Agriculture) in third place. The teams were supported throughout the day by fellow student and team mascot Eden Gray, who also helped with coaching and pre-competition preparation.

Apart from their rosettes and prizecards, our students came home with a total of £400 in prize money which will be spent on new stock coats and other equipment for next year’s show and stock judging teams. In the same competition last year our teams came fourth and eighth.

Needless to say the atmosphere was electric on the way home, with lecturer James Bickerton taking everyone to Macdonalds to celebrate!

A very proud James, who teaches beef production to the teams and primed the members for the competition, said: “The students were a great credit to the college, both in their general behaviour and in the way they tackled what is a very demanding competition. I couldn’t have been more delighted!”

The Smithfield Festival showcases some of the country’s premier livestock and the day’s event also included seminars, demonstrations and career based learning opportunities.

Our picture shows our prizewinning teams celebrating in the show ring.

Reaseheath College is seeking experienced engineers

If you are an experienced engineer who is keen to pass on your skills and experience then teaching could be for you.

Reaseheath College is one of the country’s leading providers of Engineering Further Education courses, with a particular specialism in Plant and Agricultural Engineering. With industry standard equipment, facilities and a modern working environment, students receive teaching and learning in as close to an industry setting as possible. Reaseheath College has close links with major engineering industrial partners such as JCB and Case New Holland and ensures that its’ teaching content closely mirrors current sector developments.

Classes are taught in a workshop setting and students are encouraged to engage in practical hands-on learning. Personal Protective equipment and health and safety guidance are rigorously enforced.

Reaseheath College is looking for enthusiastic and experienced engineers with a practical and academic background in Plant, Agricultural or Motor Vehicle engineering who can deliver on a variety of programmes up to level 3.  Experience in the operation, overhaul and repair of agricultural and associated machinery is desirable.

Teaching experience is advantageous but not essential as on the job training and support is available.

We do require a minimum of a level 3 qualification in a Land-based engineering subject and experience of agricultural field equipment, hydraulics, electrics and farm vehicle technology.

In return we can offer a competitive salary of up to £33k per year and an attractive benefits package including generous annual leave entitlement, CARE pension scheme, employee assistance programme, on site gym, free parking and an attractive rural campus environment.

If you would be interested in finding out more  please register your interest by sending an up to date CV to recruitment@reaseheath.ac.uk and we will be in touch.

 

Imogen’s on the front-line innovating on-the-go snacks and treats

After graduating with a degree in Food Industry with Management in 2014, Imogen Johnson landed her dream job in New Product Development with Street Eats, the Chester based sandwich and street-food manufacturer.

Imogen Johnson and family on her Reaseheath  graduation day in 2014

Imogen Johnson and family on her Reaseheath graduation day in 2014

As Street Eats ‘Development Technologist’, Imogen, 22, develops new recipes, helps monitor product quality and researches market trends (‘breadless sandwiches’ are very on trend at present). She’s is also responsible for sourcing new ingredients and photographing the latest tasty creations ready for launch.

Working closely with Street Eats’ Head of Innovation and Procurement, Mark Arnold, Imogen has the chance to work with a variety of different customers. Street Eats currently supplies sandwiches, hand held street food snacks and curries to a range of organisations such as, hospitals, schools and colleges, including the current range of sandwiches served in the Reaseheath College Restaurant.

Imogen believes that her BSc top-up and the Foundation Degree in Food Industry with Management which she completed beforehand gave her the skills and experience to achieve her new role. One particularly realistic challenge was set by a leading supermarket to create a tempting new deli product, which proved especially significant. Imogen and fellow students were tasked with developing their dishes in line with consumer feedback while keeping a strict eye on profit margins, costings, packaging and labour.

In her role, Imogen continues to draw on the knowledge she gained during her studies on a daily basis such as food safety, nutrition, marketing and product positioning.

Said Imogen: “I’m really enjoying the experience and challenge of my job. It’s great to be involved in the whole development process, from the initial ideas stages right through to the final product. Most recently I was involved in launching an innovative toastie concept inspired by the Korean vegetable dish, kimchee.”