June 2021 - Capital City College Group
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Games Design Student Achieves Competition Success

An aspiring games designer at Westminster Kingsway College has been hailed as one to watch after her performance in a design competition against students from around the world. Zahra Tilling, 17, who is studying for an Animation and Games Design diploma, was the only student not in higher education taking part in this year’s Grads in Games Rising Star challenge.

She was recognised in Character Art category where participants had four weeks to create a fully animated 3D model of a games character on a choice of themes.

Zahra, who is from Newham, said: “I drew my idea from Mother Nature and came up with a stylised fairy character with healing properties. She has magical powers and a satchel of herbs and flowers to make potions to help people and the environment.

“I’m really proud of myself, and happy to have represented the college against university students who are doing something similar a higher level. I went into it to challenge myself rather than as a competition and see how well I could do within the time and other restrictions given, and it was nice to be named one of the ones to watch.”

According to the Think Global, Create Local report by Ukie, the trade body for the games industry in the UK, the country has the largest video games sector in Europe with 16,140 full-time equivalents working in the business, including 13,840 in games development.

Zahra began designing games art before she attended WestKing but felt her course had expanded her knowledge and given her more focus and determination to make it her career.

She said: “I’ve played video games most of my life, so it seems like a natural progression for me to want to work in this sector and create the things I love. The course at WestKing has been great. I’ve learnt so much, which has motivated me to work harder. My teachers have helped me with everything, not just my college work but reaching out to companies and finding jobs and work placements. Because of the competition, I’ve already had some interest from recruiters.”

Grads in Games was founded by Aardvark Swift, a recruitment company for the video games industry, in 2014 before becoming an independent in 2021.

The company aims to help students make the leap from education to professional games developer through events, activities and resources to equip them with the skills that employers in the games industry need.

Dan Dudley, Marketing Manager for Grads in Games, said: “We’ve seen an exceptionally high bar of quality this year and some truly inspirational work from students hoping to soon start a career in video games, and we fully expect to see many of the names below leading the next-generation of the games industry.”

He praised the “exceptional” winners and finalists and added that those chosen as ones to watch had “shown the skills and potential to become fantastic game developers”.

Oran Tarjan, Lecturer in Media, said: “Zahra is an exceptional student, and this is a truly outstanding achievement. To produce the kind of 3D artwork she has created and to compete against university students at her age is incredible. It’s rare to come across a student who is so focused and dedicated. I have no doubt that when she finishes her education, she will get a job in the industry.”

Click here to Apply Now for Animation and Games Design courses.

Hairdressing Students Help Hungry Families with Donation to Tottenham Foodbank

Big-hearted hairdressing and barbering students from the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London have given their support to help hungry families in Tottenham.

They donated boxes and bags packed with food including tins of beans and soup, packets of pasta and rice as well as crisps, biscuits and chocolate to Tottenham Foodbank. The foodbank, based at Tottenham Town Hall next to the college’s Tottenham Centre, has seen demand for its service triple since the first COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.

Hairdressing student Shanicka Dixon, 33, from Tottenham, said: “When I go home, I always see the long queue outside the foodbank. A lot more people are struggling and having to use them with the COVID crisis that is going on, and we wanted to help them. Even if we help just a few families, that is something.”

Another student Shvan Jihad, 29, from Enfield, said: “Many, many people are not working and may need food. It’s nice to be able to give something back. When you do something good in your life, you feel better.”

Student Dennis Dobosan, 17, from Stamford Hill, added: “It feels good to help, and it’s nice to give back to people in need.”

Tottenham Foodbank opened in November 2019. Many of those using the service are elderly, disabled or have become unemployed due to the huge economic impact of the pandemic.

The foodbank was set up the Freedom’s Ark Church, also based at the town hall, and The Trussell Trust, a charity that supports more than 1,200 foodbanks nationwide.

Church Administrator Aleisha Armah said: “It’s been a very difficult year for everybody and families have been hit the hardest, but many organisations are rising up to meet the challenge.

“It’s not easy hearing from people in distress saying they haven’t eaten for a week. We take so much for granted. When you think of people being hungry you often think of people outside this country, but there are so many people here in poverty, particularly in London.

“People have been so generous when it comes to donations, and with their time when it comes to manpower and effort, and I want to say a big thank you to the college students and staff for their support. Donations are always welcome, we’ll always find space for them and they always going to go to people who really appreciate it.”

The students decided to make donation as part of a unit of their Hairdressing and Barbering – Level 1 Certificate course relating to community action.

Sandra Burgher, Course Team Leader in Beauty Therapy, said: “The students were very keen to help the foodbank and support families in their local community. They were delighted with the support from students and staff at the college and thank them for their kindness and generosity.”

Find out how to make a donation to the Tottenham Foodbank. If you don’t live in Tottenham, but want to help your local foodbank, find out where your nearest foodbank is, here.

Engineering students discover more at construction site with Dickensian past

Engineering students at CANDI discovered more about groundworks and archaeology being undertaken at a construction site in central London.

Thirteen students visited the Middlesex Hospital Annexe site in Cleveland Street, Camden, which is being redeveloped by the University College London Hospital Charity.

The Grade II-listed building is a former workhouse dating back to the late 18th Century, one of only three remaining in London, with the remains of a former cemetery at the rear.

Charles Dickens lived in Cleveland Street as a child and later as a teenager, and it is thought the workhouse may have been the inspiration for Oliver Twist.

Morgan Sindall Construction and Ark Build PLC are converting the building and constructing a new block on the cemetery site to create a mix of healthcare, commercial and residential properties including social housing.

Archaeologists from Iceni Projects and L-P: Archaeology have uncovered extensive structural remains of the former workhouse and its inhabitants buried in the cemetery.

Morgan Sindall Construction is currently preparing the site and overseeing the safe excavation of around 1,000 burials before work commences on the new development.

Paul Harris, Site Manager for Morgan Sindall Construction, and Stephen McLeod, Senior Archaeologist at Iceni Projects, showed the students around the site.

They explained why an archaeological excavation had to be done before any construction started and the considerations that needed to be made when working on the site.

The students learnt some of technical language used in the industry and saw the temporary works in place as well as some of the ground preparation and piling being undertaken.

They then had the opportunity to ask them questions about the work and their careers.

Engineering students 1

Engineering student Joni Salillari, 18, from Haringey, said: “I’ve been on building sites before, but never one with skeletal remains. It gave me a deeper insight into the field and how there is much more to it than just putting up a building, and how they have to look at the history behind a site before they start any work.

“Trips like this are really important because they’re very interactive and can teach you things you might not learn in the classroom.”

Another student, Nikolas Vasilev, 17, from Haringey, said: “It was interesting to see how many different people work on a building site, like archaeologists to prepare the site and remove the remains. That was something that had never crossed my mind.

“We got to hear what they do on a day-to-day basis, which is really useful to know. It gives you a taste of what you are getting into, or if you’re unsure it gets you thinking about different aspects and the types of jobs you might want to do.”

The Middlesex Hospital Annexe was built in the 1770s as Covent Garden Workhouse to provide food and shelter for impoverished parishioners of St Paul’s Church.

It later became the Strand Union Workhouse and the Central London Sick Asylum before being acquired by the hospital and falling under the NHS.

The building was closed to the public and was vacated in 2005.

Chi-Chi Akutu, Work Placement Officer at CANDI, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to see first-hand the ground works and archaeology being undertaken at an actual construction site and find out more from experts in their field.

“Paul and Stephen shared their wealth of knowledge and experience on all aspects of preparing sites for development, project management, health and safety, environmental issue and logistics management. They also revealed how they started on their jobs and what career pathways there are in archaeology, construction and engineering.”

Click here to Apply Now for Engineering courses.

Principal ‘proud and honoured’ to be made Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA)

The Deputy Executive Principal of Westminster Kingsway College has been made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts (RACA).

Westking Culinary Head of Faculty Gary Hunter

Gary Hunter, himself a renowned chef and chocolatier, was one of only two members of the Academy to be invested as Fellows this year – the other being Michelin-starred chef Alain Roux.

He said: “I feel enormously proud and privileged to be part of the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, which I have been a member of for 17 years. It is a real honour to be named a Fellow of such a highly influential, inspiring and passionate organisation that truly represents and promotes the best practices in the industry.”

RACA Fellowship investitures recognise Academy members who have made a significant contribution to the industry. As part of their inauguration, new Fellows are asked to honour a historical and spiritual mentor who has influenced and inspired their career.

Gary dedicated his induction to the late Iwan Kriens, the first Headmaster of Westminster Technical Institute that would go on to become WestKing.

He said: “Iwan helped to change the professional and social cooking culture in Britain. During the First World War, this remarkable Dutchman taught the British public how to survive strict national rationing and produce nutritious alternative recipes with a minimum of wastage through demonstrations, newspaper articles and his book, The Victory Cookery Book.”

RACA was established in 1980 and is Britain’s leading professional association of head chefs, pastry chefs, restaurant managers and quality suppliers. Its patron is HRH The Prince of Wales who recently attended the Academy’s 40th anniversary celebrations with the Duchess of Cornwall, attended by three apprentice chefs from WestKing.

Gary said: “RACA does so much for the culinary and hospitality industry – even more so this year where so many businesses have been hugely impacted by the COVID pandemic. It also has a firm commitment to the future, through its education and training of young people and recognition of their talent, something that we passionately share here at WestKing.”

Gary began his career at WestKing as a Lecturer in Patisserie and Confectionery. He has worked with many leading chefs around the world and is a UK Chocolate Ambassador.

He has international Michelin star restaurant experience and has represented his country and led chef teams to success in international culinary competitions.

Gary is also the author of seven educational cookbooks, which have been endorsed by high profile chefs including Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal.

His many accolades include the Queen’s Anniversary Award for Education in Hospitality and Culinary Arts, which he shared with the college in 2014, and the Education and Training Award at last year’s Cateys, the hospitality industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.

John Williams MBE, Chairman of the RACA, praised Gary’s commitment to hospitality and culinary arts and developing the academy’s apprenticeship programme at the college.

He said “Gary is currently Deputy Executive Principal for the Capital City College Group of which Westminster Kingsway College is part of. Gary has been at Westminster Kingsway College for 25 years within the Culinary Arts and Hospitality School and has been instrumental in developing the RACA Apprenticeship Programme.

“Since 2012 we have had nearly 50 students graduate from this programme and the relationship continues to grow. Most recently we have been working with The Prince’s Trust to offer this

fantastic opportunity to more young people. We are delighted to welcome Gary and Alain as new Fellows.”

Gary’s investiture as a Fellow of RACA took place on 7 June.

CANDI scoops a hat-trick of accolades in Sixth Form College Association awards

City and Islington College’s (CANDI) Sixth Form College has won two awards and been named runner-up in another in this year’s Sixth Form College Association (SFCA) Annual Awards.

The SFCA Annual Awards recognise, celebrate and reward outstanding practice by colleges and individuals across the sector.

CANDI came first in the Independent Learning and Covid Above and Beyond categories, earning a special mention in the latter, and second place in the Social Mobility category.

The awards were presented by Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, at an online ceremony on 16 June.

CANDI won the Independent Learning category for a mentoring scheme it set up in partnership with Middlesex University.

The scheme equipped students with independent learning skills to help them during the COVID pandemic and later in work or higher education.

Student ambassadors from the university mentored CANDI students to help them stay on track, progress in their studies and achieve their potential.

The role of cleaning and facilities team during the pandemic led to the college winning the Covid Above and Beyond category.

The team was described as the college’s “unsung heroes” who have kept the college buildings clean and its staff and students safe.

CANDI came second in the Social Mobility category for its new Scholars Programme to help very able but disadvantaged students with high GCSE grades prepare for study at top universities in the UK and overseas.

More than 50 students joined the programme and attended workshops with several Russell Group universities including Cambridge, UCL and Queen Mary University of London.

Assistant Principal Nathan Nagaiah said: “The past year has been one of the most challenging during my time in education, and it is fantastic to see that two of these awards recognise our work during the COVID pandemic.

“Our mentoring partnership with Middlesex University has been a triumph and we look forward to developing this scheme further with them, while our cleaning and facilities team has done an amazing job to keep us all safe.

“I am also extremely proud of our Scholars Programme and thrilled that this project has also received the recognition it deserves.

“I would like to thank SFCA, Middlesex University and Linking London, and all those involved in making CANDI Sixth Form a great place to work and study. I am enormously grateful for their hard work and support in what has been a very challenging time.”

Students’ Sweet Success as Game Design Comes Second in National Skills Challenge

Students from Westminster Kingsway College proved they were on top of their game after becoming runners up in this year’s National Skills Challenge. The group of Animation and Games Design students came second out of eight colleges across the country in the competition run by The Inspirational Learning Group.

Teams were asked to come up with an idea for a new video game that could be downloaded and played on a PC, mobile device or console. WestKing’s students devised a game called Arcandy in which players have to steal sweets from another player’s base to win points with the risk increasing for bigger candy.

The teams also had to decide how the game would look, the target market and how they would promote the it including the creation of an e-sports event. Each team was asked to give a presentation about their game ahead of a live online final. WestKing’s team comprised Ally Wayland, Kamile Pranckunaite, Tberh Abebe, Saleh Mehmood, Leeward Dela Cruz and Alfie Griffin.

Ally, 17, from Croydon, said: “The whole team feels very happy. We came into it not expecting much and we would just try our best, so it feels great to come second. We liked the ideas that we came up with and felt that compared to some of the others in the competition ours was quite unique, which may be why it did so well.”

“We wanted to create a game that wasn’t violent, something innocent, and thought sweets would be fun and something we could take a lot of inspiration from. We spent a whole day on the project. I only knew three other students in the team well, but we all believed in each other and made new friends from doing it.”

Kamile, 16, from Barking, said: “As a team I felt we did a really great job and came up with something incredible. To become the runner-up was a major thing for us. At college we have learnt a lot about the gaming pipeline and the steps that need to be taken and the different jobs that are required, which helped us understand what might be expected in the competition and what we needed to do to make it work.”

Kamile, who hopes to work in concept design or animation, added: “I’ve enjoyed my course so much more than I could ever have expected. The teachers are very clear and helpful if you’re struggling to understand. I couldn’t be happier.”

The competition was judged by Matt Brindley-Sadler, Director Of Staffordshire University London, and Sammy Engele, Head of Recruitment and Outreach, at the university hub based at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. They considered how realistic the games were, how well target markets had been defined, research undertaken by the teams and their ideas around branding and promotion.

Sammy said: “What we really loved about this project, from the WestKing team, was the strong concept and that it had mass appeal. We also liked that it had clear branding with all the different sweet tie-ins as well.”

Matt said: “It was incredible to judge the ideas that were submitted this year and see just how hard every college had worked. What particularly impressed me was the level of detail that each team had gone into about their ideas.”

The Inspirational Leaning Group provides opportunities for young people to develop their enterprise and employability skills to help them in their future careers.

Oran Tarjan, Lecturer in Media, said: “I am extremely proud the six students in the team who came up with the concept for Arcandy and went on to be runners up in the National Skills Challenge. They did an incredible job in the time available to them and showed what can be accomplished when you have a plan, communicate and work together, which are important life skills for their potential careers.”

Click here to apply now for Animation and Games Design courses.

Healthcare Students Help Develop Mental Health Website for Teenagers

Healthcare students at Westminster Kingsway College are to launch a new website with mental health charity Mind Allies to provide teenagers with advice and support.

The idea for the Teen Allies website came about while the students were on a work placement with the Westminster charity as part of their studies. They presented their proposal to the charity’s president and trustees who gave their full support to develop the project.

Young people are one of the groups whose mental health has been worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 one in six children aged five to 16 and a fifth of 17 to 22-year-olds had symptoms of a mental health disorder.

Health and Social Care student Bibi Adegbie, 17, from Haringey, said: “The Mind Allies website wasn’t very teen friendly. We wanted to create a space that was more aimed at the younger generation, which is when we came up with the idea for Teen Allies.

“We suggested that they change the colours for the new website to make it more appealing to teenagers, and that it should include more videos for them to interact with and influencers to talk about their experience of mental health.

“We are really happy they listened to our ideas and excited that the website is actually going to be developed. It’s been a great opportunity and will be so beneficial.”

Another student, Jenise Watkiss-Wright, 17, from Enfield, said: “I think it’s so important for teenagers to have access to mental health support. There’s not enough support out there and we cannot always talk to family and friends because we feel judged.

“Teenagers often struggle to share their feelings with others. They’re scared they will be criticised, especially boys because they’re seen as the dominant gender and feel they have to maintain an image or they will be laughed at, which hurts them even more.

“I hope that Teen Allies will go far to help a lot of teenagers who feel alone or find it hard to express their feelings. It is important that people know that young people also suffer from mental health issues.”

Bibi and Jenise are among 42 students who have undertaken a placement with Mind Allies this year. During their placements, some students provided support to the charity’s Roses Campaign during Mental Health Awareness Week from 10-16 May. The campaign has been running since 2019 and sees volunteers from the charity hand out fresh roses to people with a positive, motivational message on an attached label.

Students helped create videos and social media posts for the campaign and gave out roses to people at Victoria station and to NHS staff at University College Hospital.

Adam Asfar, President of Mind Allies, said: “There are honestly not enough words to say how amazing the students have been, both working on the Teen Allies website project and volunteering for us. Creating a website for under 18s to get support is a brilliant idea. The students have drawn on their personal experience and expertise to build content and develop this service that will be so beneficial to young people like them. The new Teen Allies will provide a wide range of support and advice on so many different aspects of mental health along with resources on how to help yourself or a friend.”

Apply now for our Health and Social Care courses – it all begins at WestKing.

CONEL Football Academy Euro 2020 Predictions – Player v Head Coach

Ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 kick-off, our Football Academy team captain went head-to-head with the head coach on their predictions for the tournament. The Football Academy at CONEL is based at our Enfield Centre and is run in partnership with Spiral Sports and Fulham FC.

Team captain Ibrahim Sidibe and head coach Josemar Santos put their football knowledge to the test to give their verdicts on this summer’s European Championships. Do you agree with them?

The tournament, which was postponed last year because of COVID-19, is being held across the continent for the first time and starts on 11 June.

 PLAYER
Ibrahim Sidibe
HEAD COACH
Josemar Santos
Who is going to win Euro 2020?FrancePortugal 
Who will they beat in the final?EnglandGermany
What will be the score in the final?3-1 win to France2-1 win to Portugal 
Who will score the winning goal?Kylian MbappéBruno Fernandes
Who will win the Golden Boot?Harry KaneCristiano Ronaldo
How far will England go in the competition?Runner-upQuarter-final 
What will be the score in England’s first match against Croatia?2-1 win to England0-0
Who will be England’s top scorer?Harry KaneHarry Kane

The Football Academy competes in Association of Colleges leagues and provides professional coaching, fitness training, injury rehabilitation, nutrition advice, technical analysis.

CONEL also runs a Basketball Academy, Martial Arts Academy and Athletics Academy. The academies are available to students who are aged 16-18 on 31 August on the year they enrol. They must be enrolled on a full-time course at our Enfield Centre either as a CONEL student or as a City and Islington College student at our Sixth Form Hub, at the Enfield Centre. Elite players and athletes in any of our sports Academies can apply to become a college-sponsored athlete worth up to £2,500 per year.

Find out more about our Sports Academies.

01Founders – Tuition-Free Coding Courses in the UK With Guaranteed Jobs

Capital City College Group, which includes Westminster Kingsway College alongside the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London and City and Islington College, has partnered with Founders Forum to launch the first tuition-free coding school in the UK to improve diversity in tech and bridge the digital skills gap.

01Founders is an innovative free coding school that is unusual because it does not feature teachers. Instead, students will be taught by 01 Edu software, solving gamified projects at their own pace while learning from their peers.

Students completing the two-year course will also be guaranteed a job at the end of the course as part of 01Founders’ commitment to train 100,000 software engineers by 2030. 01 Founders is now accepting applications for its first London cohort of 250 students to start in October 2021.

Roy O’Shaughnessy, CEO of the group, said: “Capital City College Group is delighted to be a partner in this exciting new educational venture – a first for the UK. We were the pioneers of free further education courses in London and 01Founders’ new coding school takes this concept to the next level. It will give anyone, regardless of their background, previous experience or educational level the key coding and digital skills they will need to transform their career chances and their lives. The school is a real innovation in education and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”

01Founders was co-founded by Brent Hobermann, the face behind online brands including lastminute.com and Made.com, and is backed by entrepreneurs, tech firms and educationalists.

The course is powered by 01 Edu, an internationally acclaimed pedagogy co-founded by Nicolas Sadiric, which has built similar coding schools with an alumni of more than 25,000 globally. Students complete core coding training for 18 months and then choose a specialism for the final six months from game development, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.

Joysy John, CEO of 01Founders: “We believe that digital skills give you the ability to shape the world around you. But, for too long, women, ethnic minorities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds have been underrepresented in technology. 01Founders is starting a nationwide movement that removes the barriers to job-ready technical training. It’s a coding school for ambitious individuals from every background, regardless of experience.”

Students are pre-selected based on a short cognitive test followed by a month-long selection process over the summer. Applicants must be over 18 by 1 September 2021. No previous experience or academic qualifications are required.

For more information, and to apply, please visit our 01Founders page.

CCCG Becomes First to Offer Tuition-Free Coding Courses in the UK With Guaranteed Jobs

Capital City College Group has teamed up with 01Founders to launch the first tuition-free coding school in the UK to improve diversity in tech and bridge the digital skills gap. 01Founders is an innovative free coding school that is unusual because it does not feature teachers in the traditional sense. Instead, it is a peer-led project, supported by facilitators and the 01 Edu software to enable students to solve gamified projects at their own pace.

Students completing the two-year course will also be guaranteed a job at the end of the course as part of 01 Founders’ commitment to train 100,000 software engineers by 2030. 01 Founders is now accepting applications for its first London cohort of 250 students to start in October 2021.

CCCG is London’s largest college group and comprises City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College, the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London and Capital City College Training. Roy O’Shaughnessy, CEO of CCCG, said: “Capital City College Group is delighted to be a partner in this exciting new educational venture – a first for the UK.

“We were the pioneers of free further education courses in London and 01 Founders’ new coding school takes this concept to the next level. It will give anyone, regardless of their background, previous experience, or educational level the key coding and digital skills they will need to transform their career chances and their lives. The school is a real innovation in education and we are thrilled to be a part of it.”

01 Founders was co-founded by Brent Hobermann, the face behind online brands including lastminute.com and Made.com, and is backed by entrepreneurs, tech firms and educationalists.

The course is powered by 01 Edu, an internationally acclaimed pedagogy co-founded by Nicolas Sadiric, which has built similar coding schools with an alumni of more than 25,000 globally. Students complete core coding training for 18 months and then choose a specialism for the final six months from game development, artificial intelligence and augmented reality.

Joysy John, CEO of 01 Founders: “We believe that digital skills give you the ability to shape the world around you. But, for too long, women, ethnic minorities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds have been underrepresented in technology. 01 Founders is starting a nationwide movement that removes the barriers to job-ready technical training. It’s a coding school for ambitious individuals from every background, regardless of experience.”

Students are pre-selected based on a short cognitive test followed by a month-long selection process over the summer. Applicants must be over 18 by 1 September 2021. No previous experience or academic qualifications are required.

Find out more and apply on our 01 Founders page.

Queen's Award for Enterprise