Kidderminster College learning salons opened (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Kidderminster College learning salons opened

7:40am Friday 13th November 2009 in News By Charlie Crabtree

AWARD winning hairdresser, Lisa Shepherd, officially unveiled a £120,000 set of new learning salons at Kidderminster College.

The investment was part of the extension of new diploma programmes for 14 to 19-year-old learners, intended to give students across the country access to more blended academic and vocational study choices alongside their traditional GCSE route of study.

Over the past year, The ContinU Trust – the schools/college consortium in Wyre Forest and Hagley – has been working with Kidderminster College and Worcestershire County Council to secure the investment for students undertaking the Diploma in Hair and Beauty.

Elements Salons have been created at Kidderminster College’s Market Street Campus both for the college’s hair and beauty students and for pupils from schools throughout the district.

Hair and Beauty is one of the 11 programmes that pupils across the trust can choose from. The full list is available on the ContinU Trust website, continu.org.uk.

Robert Chadwick, director of ContinU, explained: “We are delighted to have been successful in introducing this new and innovative range of qualifications.

“Staff from schools across Wyre Forest and Hagley are working collaboratively to share the very best practice for the benefit of all our learners.

“The Hair and Beauty Diploma takes learning in this area to a new level. ”

In its first term, Kidderminster College is already teaching 22 pupils from six different schools across the trust.

Adrian Ward, head of vocational studies at Kidderminster College, said: “We have been able to create a realistic hair and beauty salon, with state-of-the-art learning facilities, to really develop and train our new diploma students.

“In addition, this facility will further benefit other college learners, including part-time NVQ evening class learners. “ Jerry Temple-Fry, the county council's education improvement adviser for 14 to 19-year-olds, added: “The opening of this new facility marks the start of a new era of schools and colleges sharing facilities and expertise to make new courses of study available to young people.

“The Hair and Beauty Diploma has been designed by employers to highlight the skills and experiences necessary to make your mark in this popular career area."