North East Scotland CollegeAberdeen City Campus – Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB25 1BN

Fraserburgh Campus – Henderson Road, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire AB43 9GA

www.nescol.ac.uk

Yearbook 2014

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Introduction

cross a wide range of activities, the efforts and outcomes of students and staff have been recognised locally and nationally by numerous awards. The 2014 Yearbook offers an insight into, and examples of, some of those achievements. It’s only a snapshot.

It’s not one that does sufficient justice to the hard work that leads to the success of the people served by the College – its students, employer clients and local communities. The same is true for the committed staff who teach and support the people we serve.

We hope you enjoy leafing through our Yearbook and hope that these few pictures really are worth thousands of words.

Rob WallenPrincipal & Chief Executive

Recognised as a Scottish charity – number SCO21174

1Yearbook 2014

January – April

Volunteering Day

volunteering event was held at the College’s Aberdeen City Campus to encourage students to consider the benefits of gaining experience by volunteering with one of a wide variety of organisations, both local and national.

Those represented at the event included ABSAFE, Aberlour Family Service, Inspire, Befriend a Child and Children 1st.

2 www.nescol.ac.uk

January – April

Holocaust Memorial Day

Leanne’s visit is music to the ears of current students

ormer HND Music student Leanne Smith returned to the College to perform tracks from her debut album ‘Clockwise’ and to introduce herself to current music

students. Leanne is a twenty-year-old guitarist and singer-songwriter from Macduff who has been active in the local (and wider) music scene, supporting Lucy Rose, John Smith, Fossil Collective, Sandi Thom, The Darling Mundaring, Kate McGil, Cara Mitchell and various other artists and bands.

She said, “Since leaving college, I have continued with my solo music by writing songs, promoting myself and still being on the constant look-out for opportunities. I am also continuing my studies in music at Perth College UHI which is great.”

n recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day, HND Acting and Performance students from North East Scotland

College performed ‘Ghetto’ by Joshua Sobel in the Basement Studio Theatre at the College’s Aberdeen City Campus. The show is about the experiences of the Jews of the Vilna Ghetto during Nazi occupation in World War II.

W E D 2 9 T H & T H U R S 3 0 T H J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4

T H E B A S E M E N T S T U D I O T H E A T R E

N O R T H E A S T S C O T L A N D C O L L E G E

7 : 1 5 P M

T I C K E T S :

£ 8 , 5 0 S T A N DA R D

£ 7 , 5 0 C O N C E S S I O N S ( C H I L D R E N , O A P S , S T U D E N T S )

T I C K E T S C A N B E P U R C H A S E D B Y C O N T A C T I N G :

T O N Y Y O U N G : T : 0 1 2 2 4 6 1 2 5 1 9 E : T . Y O U N G @ N E S C O L . A C . U K

D O R O T H Y C A R N E G I E : T : 0 1 2 2 4 6 1 2 3 5 2 E : D . C A R N E G I E @ N E S C O L . A C . U K

B Y J O S H U A S O B E L

H N D A C T I N G & P E R F O R M A N C E Y E A R 2 S T U D E N T S P R O U D L Y P R E S E N T :

3Yearbook 2014

January – April

National Science and Engineering Week at NESCol

rimary schools across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire were invited to bring groups of pupils to North East Scotland College’s Aberdeen City Campus to experience a variety of

workshops as part of National Science and Engineering Week. The workshops on offer included ‘The Earth, The Stars and Alien Life’ in the Planetarium and ‘Explosions and Implosions’ in the laboratories.

4 www.nescol.ac.uk

January – April

Springboard Future Chef 2014

he College played host to the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire heat of the Future Chef competition 2014. Pupils from local schools were selected to

take part in these final stages and on the day, Connor Duncan of St Machar Academy was announced the Aberdeen City winner with Betsy Pepper of Mintlaw Academy the Aberdeenshire winner.

Connor and Betsy are pictured with competition judges Brian Donaldson from Hilton Craigendarroch, Graham Fryers from Marriot Hotel, Dyce and NESCol lecturer Craig Park.

North East Scotland College Career Showcase

ver 850 visitors attended North East Scotland College’s annual Career Showcase, held at Fraserburgh Campus. Individuals came from Aberdeen

and throughout Aberdeenshire to speak with leading companies from the engineering, manufacturing, nautical and oil and gas sectors.

Over 30 exhibitors were present, many of whom were actively recruiting, including Score Group plc.

5Yearbook 2014

January – April

Great Tapestry of Scotlandndrew Crummy, the artist who designed the Great Tapestry of Scotland, visited the

Aberdeen City Campus to give a talk about the process involved in the commissioning and design of the tapestry, his involvement, the themes and processes explored and its cultural significance.

He was joined by local ‘stitchers’ who reminisced on their involvement and experiences including lecturer Bruce Duncan from North East Scotland College who was involved in Panel 85 – ‘George Smith founds The Glenlivet Distillery 1824’.

North East Scotland College wins GOLD!

orth East Scotland College received two Gold Awards at the College Development Network Marketing Awards which was held in Glasgow. Designed to recognise and

celebrate the excellent marketing practice taking place in colleges, North East Scotland College won the Promotional Literature category and the Student Award for Best Prospectus.

Pictured are Lynne Andrews, Jo Humphries, Ian McDougall, Rhonda Fraser and Lindsey Hatherley from the College’s Publicity and Marketing team.

6 www.nescol.ac.uk

January – April

Students prove they are a ‘cut above’he Association of Hairdressers and Therapists Scotland North Area Competition was held at North East Scotland College Aberdeen City Campus for the third year in a row. The winners of this competition went through to the national finals, held in Blackpool in March. North East Scotland College students from both Fraserburgh and Aberdeen

City Campuses competed in various categories against students from Fife College and Dundee & Angus College.

7Yearbook 2014

January – April

Make working for yourself work for you!

orth East Scotland College students were invited to consider self-employment opportunities at Be Your Own Boss, held at the College’s Aberdeen City Campus.

A number of inspirational talks by young entrepreneurs took place, including one featuring Andrew Gibbon of Young Bull clothing, pictured, who was joined in the Basement Studio Theatre by up and coming band Suburban Saints.

Journey to Gothenburgwo North East Scotland College HND Acting and Performance students took to the stage to commemorate Aberdeen Football

Club’s success in The European Cup Winners Cup in 1983.

Andrew Johns Cameron and Andy Robertson joined the cast of Quids In Theatre Group’s production of Journey to Gothenburg, a play about the experience of three Dons’ fans who travelled to Gothenburg and attended the cup final.

8 www.nescol.ac.uk

January – April

Joint project scoops clutch of top awards for College and partners

orth East Scotland College, along with partners the Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen, has been presented with three awards for the North East of

Scotland Shared Data Centre, a project completed by the three organisations.

Pictured left to right are Lawrence Stevenson, Programme Manager, with the Green Gown Award, Graeme Russo, RM Service Delivery Manager, with the Computer Weekly European Datacentre Awards Best Public Sector Project Award and Frank Hughes, Vice Principal Student Services, with the 2013 UK IT Industry Award for Data Centre Project of the Year.

Verbatim theatre workshoplaire Bloomfield, training and engagement manager for Youth Theatre Arts Scotland and owner of Fishbowl Theatre Company, visited Aberdeen City Campus to lead a

verbatim theatre workshop for NC Acting and Theatre Performance students in the Basement Studio Theatre. The workshop was a great success and Claire was impressed with the students’ motivation and commitment. Claire was in Aberdeen to take part in the Interchange Youth Theatre Arts annual conference which also involved teaching staff from the College.

DegreeLink Memorandum of Agreement

new Memorandum of Agreement for DegreeLink was signed by North East Scotland College Principal Rob Wallen, second left, and Robert Gordon University Principal and

Vice-Chancellor Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski. Also pictured are Jamie Robertson and Ana-Maria Bogdan, who both attended North East Scotland College and are now DegreeLink students in their final year at RGU. They are also employed to promote DegreeLink in North East Scotland College and schools.

scottishmaritimeacademy SMaritimeAwww.smaritime.co.uk

9Yearbook 2014

January – April

New waters for Scottish Maritime Academy

he Scottish Maritime Academy, the centre of nautical excellence

within North East Scotland College, is celebrating the achievements of students who have recently completed the Seafish Introduction to Commercial Fishing course with funding support from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

This course is now the stepping stone for those who wish to access the new Modern Apprenticeship in Seafishing.

January – April

Students find recipe for success in fundraising

o fulfil the requirements of one of their course units, a group of Introduction to Professional

Cookery students held a bake sale to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer in Dino’s Café at the College’s Aberdeen City Campus.

Jennifer Mitchell, fundraising manager for the charity, visited the College to thank the students and pick up a cheque for £216 from Mhairi Stewart and Zoe Scruby.

11Yearbook 2014

January – April

Pedal power helps Sport Relief

ive NC Sport and Fitness students from Aberdeen City Campus clocked up an amazing 590km on exercise

bikes with a 24 hour cycle for Sport Relief.

Kim Jamieson, James Lamb, Leva Liesiontye, Andy O’Donnel and Danielle Ritchie cycled in half hour stints for an entire day – spending the night in Dino’s Café. Their hard work paid off – they managed to raise over £2000 for the charity.

Open Days get the thumbs up from visitors

n March, North East Scotland College held an Open Day at its Aberdeen Campuses and an Information Evening in Fraserburgh. Members of the public

wishing to apply, or who had already applied for a place, were invited to come along to have a look around and meet with staff and current students. Both events were well attended and feedback was very positive.

12 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Student success in scholarship awards

wo HND Business students from North East Scotland College’s Fraserburgh Campus have been awarded the prestigious Fiona Fuller Business

Scholarship by Atkins, the UK’s largest design, engineering and project management consultancy.

The sponsorship, which is now in its fifth year, was awarded to Kelly Bodley and Kerry Summers.

Plane sailing for Liam

ESCol student Liam Bruce took home two prestigious awards earlier this year. He was

named Apprentice of the Year by the Construction Industry Training Board just weeks before winning first place in the Scottish Association of Timber Trade Teachers Annual Craft Competition.

During the SATTT competition, Liam competed against 20 students from across Scotland. He was awarded a trophy and a collection of joinery equipment for securing first place.

13Yearbook 2014

May – July

Top award for communications student

ND Communication with Media student Claire Morrison (19) has been recognised by a prestigious industry group for outstanding achievement in her studies. She was

presented with the Aberdeen Communications Group (ACG) ‘Best Student Award’ by Julie Brander of ACG at a special ceremony at the College. The award is given annually to one student in the second year of the HND.

Clean sweep for computing students at Worldskills

hree NC Digital Media Computing students swept the board at a Worldskills UK national heat, held in Glasgow earlier this year. The competition focused on all the

essential requirements for a successful career as a web developer. Competitors received a professional brief and had to design a user-friendly website.

NESCol students Lucie Magnusson (pictured), Greta Juodeikyte and Taylor Innes were delighted to be named first, second and third respectively.

14 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Enterprising students pitch business ideas

ot a good business idea? This was the question NESCol students were asked as part of an Enterprise Postcard Competition. Students from across the campuses submitted

entries and six finalists were chosen by Enterprise North East Trust. Each finalist pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges and first, second and third place students were selected, winning £150, £100 and £50 respectively.

First place went to Kristupas Gezzins (HND Interactive Media – Web Development), second to Shane Johnson (HND Technical Support) and third place to Karol Godzinski (ESOL).

Students raise funds for Fairy Box

C Business Level 5 students held a number of activities, including raffles and a sponsored cycle to raise £268.84 for the Fairy Box. Two of the students, Sarah

Milne and Blanka Bartova, paid a visit to Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital to hand over the cheque to Fairy Box coordinator, Steve Lillie and RACH play leader Susan Clark.

The Fairy Box is a box filled with gifts, toys, books and games, lovingly donated so that children in hospital have access to a gift to help them through their treatment and to get on the road to recovery.

15Yearbook 2014

May – July

NESCol students join local fundraising campaign

group of NQ Administration and Information Technology students from our Fraserburgh Campus arranged a charity event as part of their course to raise

funds for local fundraising campaign Isla’s Dream. A sponsored leg wax took place in the Campus atrium where male volunteers had their legs waxed alongside raffles and competitions taking place.

Students show they care with charity donations

group of health and social care students from Aberdeen City Campus organised a race night in The Ashvale to raise money for two charities:

Step Up for Dylan and Roxburghe House. Over 70 people attended the event and raffle prizes were donated by local companies. The race night raised over £2500, which was split equally between the two charities.

16 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Joinery workshops get donation from Howdens

owdens Joinery made a generous contribution to NESCol’s Aberdeen Altens Campus earlier this year when they donated new kitchen units to the joinery workshops. As

part of the Training Assessment Programme, apprentice joiners have to undertake installation of kitchen units and worktops. Thanks to the kind donation of high quality materials, the students’ learning experience can be enhanced.

Pampered pooches help to raise money for animal charity

nimal Care students donated £548 to the Scottish SPCA after organising a charity dog show. SSPCA senior inspector Alison

Simpson was a judge at the dog show, which was held at the Fountain Equestrian Centre in Dyce. She also came to the Aberdeen Craibstone Campus to thank the students for their generous donation.

HND Acting & PerformanceFinal Year Students Proudly Present

A play by

Matthew Francisadapted form the novel by

Charles Dickens

THURSDAY 5TH JUNE / FRIDAY 6TH JUNE • 7:00PMTICKETS £8.50 / £7.50 (CONCESSIONS)

Aberdeen Performing Arts is a charityregistered in Scotland, No: SC033733

Donkeys!!

something will turn up...

17Yearbook 2014

May – July

Students bring Dickens’ tale to life on stage

s their final assessment at North East Scotland College, HND Acting and Performance year two students staged a production of Charles Dickens’ David

Copperfield (adapted by Matthew Francis) at The Lemon Tree. The cast of 21 students put on two successful performances of the classic tale.

Lecturer Vicki Jamieson said: “I am so proud of this year’s students – some of whom will be leaving after four years of study with us, all the way from Intro Level right up to their HND. They have all worked so hard this year.”

Women in Engineering Day sees launch of energy course

ver 80 female students from across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire came to NESCol’s Fraserburgh Campus on National Women in Engineering day to launch the College’s

Skills for Work – Energy course. The year long course will provide young women with a taste of what it is like to work in the energy sector and has been designed to encourage more females to consider a career in science, technology, engineering and maths.

18 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Rally cars make pit stop at Aberdeen Altens Campus

orth East Scotland College’s Aberdeen Altens Campus was transformed into a scrutineering station for 111 rally cars for the annual Granite City Rally. On the eve

of Rally, cars from across the UK arrived at the College’s automotive department for scruitineering and noise checks. This process determined whether the cars met the regulations for the race.

Not only did the College play host to a vital part of the Rally, but NESCol’s own automotive engineering lecturer Darren Robertson competed as a navigator in one of the cars.

Pop up shop raises money for Cyrenians

our Preparation for Work students paid a visit to the Cyrenians Clifton Road project earlier this year, after their class pop up charity shop on George Street raised over

£1000 for the charity. The group had a tour of the house and learned how their money would help the Cyrenians before handing over the cheque for £1253.20 to the charity’s project manager, Jane Fullerton.

19Yearbook 2014

May – July

iTech Award for Bring Your Own Device initiative

orth East Scotland College was the recipient of an iTech Award at the JISC RSC Conference. The award was for the College’s Bring Your Own Device initiative, which

was designed to promote independent learning, increase self-directed learning, give learners more choice in how they engage with learning materials and, from an efficiency perspective, reduce institutional hardware requirements.

Modern Apprenticeship Evening is a huge success

arlier this year, NESCol invited people to find out how they could work, earn and learn at the same time, by attending one of two Modern Apprenticeship Evenings. One

event was held at our Aberdeen City Campus and the other at our Fraserburgh Campus.

Both events saw a host of organisations from car maintenance, construction, engineering, hairdressing, plumbing, sea fishing and welding industries host stalls and discuss Modern Apprenticeship opportunities with attendees.

20 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Students impress with designs for Rosemount

leven groups of students from HND Visual Communication year 1 and NC Computer Arts & Animation courses took part in a three day live design brief for Rosemount

Community Centre. The groups were tasked with rebranding the centre, with logo, website, signage, social media and design ideas all considered. Each group presented their work to the client in a formal setting and a team from Rosemount Community Centre decided on a winning group, who were presented with iTunes vouchers. The winning design was described as ‘bold and fearless’.

Students help uni team with formula for success

tudents from NESCol’s Aberdeen Altens Campus have been involved in the design and production of a race car that competed at Silverstone. Level 3 Vehicle Body Repair and

Refinishing and Level 5 Vehicle Body Repair students assisted Team Aberdeen University Racing build their entry to this year’s Formula Student competition, building the mould for the car’s shell and then painting the shell once it had been assembled.

21Yearbook 2014

May – July

Sports students go for goldESCol’s HND Coaching and Developing Sport students were awarded the Game Changer Award in the Sporting Contribution category for their 2014 Legacy Coaching Project, after providing more than 1500 coaching hours to 46 schools and clubs across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Their work meant more than 820 pupils got to

experience a range of sports that they wouldn’t ordinarily get to participate in.

One project that our second year HND Coaching students were heavily involved with, was to support Middleton Park Primary School in preparing their pupils to participate in their ‘Oldmachar Commonwealth Games’. Having secured funding from the ‘Celebrate’ fund, the school worked towards engaging 525 young people in over 240 hours of quality sports coaching to build skills, confidence and enthusiasm to help empower them to compete in the ‘Games’. The event, was a huge success.

22 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Students showcase creative flair at End of Year Show

reative Industries students at NESCol’s Aberdeen City Campus showcased their talents at the annual End of Year Show this year with exhibitions of their best work. Prizes

were given by show sponsors Paradox to students from Art & Design, Visual Communication, Textiles, 3D Computer Animation and Photography for having the best work on the wall in their category.

The winners were: Freya Whitaker, Katarzyna Skladon, Nicole Taylor, Ross Baxter and John Craig. This year visitors voted for their favourite work, with the Paradox People’s Prize being awarded to Visual Communication student Natalie Smillie.

23Yearbook 2014

May – July

24 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Fashion Week at NESCol

ND Textiles students took to the catwalk at their

annual end of year Fashion Show. Held in the Basement Theatre, Aberdeen City Campus, the students modeled their own designs, inspired by a number of themes from 1980s’ fashion: new romantic, punk and bohemian styles.

The fashion show was attended by friends, family and guests from industry and higher education, who were impressed with the style, quality and imagination demonstrated through the work on display.

Richard plumbs his way to success

lumbing student Richard Wilson saw success when he won the Aberdeen & District Master Plumbers Inter College Competition at NESCol’s Aberdeen

Altens Campus. Richard, who works for SugPlumb was also victorious in winning the Andrew Wood Memorial Trophy and went on to compete in the Scottish Skill Build Competition in Falkirk.

25Yearbook 2014

May – July

Taster sessions go down a treat

o celebrate National Adult Learners Week, NESCol ran a programme of free taster courses and treatments across its campuses and learning centres. Attendees

were encouraged to ‘try something new for you!’ Sessions in baking, photography, textiles, Spanish, sign language and beauty were among those on offer.

College students Score!utstanding engineering apprentices at North East Scotland College have been

recognised for their achievements in a prize giving celebration at Fraserbugh Campus. Conrad Ritchie, Managing Director of Score (Europe) Limited, presented engraved watches to three students studying at National Certificate level – NC Engineering Maintenance student Martyn Runcie, NC Measurement & Control student Kerry Taylor and NC Mechanical Engineering student Catherine Metcalfe.

26 www.nescol.ac.uk

May – July

Internationally renowned hair stylist visits NESColelebrity hair stylist Patrick Cameron visited NESCol to host an Inspirational Icon Day. The event allowed attendees, including

NESCol lecturing staff, to get ‘up close and personal’ with Patrick, who demonstrated 10 hairstyles inspired by vintage looks and runway trends. Patrick was thoroughly impressed with North East Scotland College’s facilities.

He said: “I want it to go on record that the College looks amazing. I have been to a lot of colleges and this is the best I’ve seen. The designers have done a stunning job.”

27Yearbook 2014

August – December

Sweet taste of success for Brogan

t this year’s Taste of Grampian exhibition, three NESCol students shone in the Aspiring Young Chef competition. Each

contestant was tasked with creating a menu that showcased seasonal Grampian produce.

The finals saw SVQ Level 3 Cookery student Kipras Preidys and Professional Cookery students Brogan Tilney and Louise Lee impress the judges, but it was Brogan that won over judges, including Lady Claire MacDonald. She was named winner, with Louise as runner up.

28 www.nescol.ac.uk

August – December

Apprentices gain recognition for their craft

tudents completing Joinery apprenticeships and HNC Construction at North East Scotland College’s Aberdeen Altens Campus were invited to attend a special award

ceremony hosted by the Wrights & Coopers Incorporation – one of Aberdeen’s seven incorporated trades – at Trinity Hall.

Three students walked away from the event with prizes: Chris Huntington who works for Chap Construction Aberdeen Ltd., Neil Forsyth who works for North Offshore Ltd., and June Stark who works for Aberdeen City Council.

Freshers’ Fair at NESCol

tudents at Aberdeen City, Altens and Fraserburgh Campuses enjoyed a Freshers’

Fair to welcome them to a new academic year at the college. The events, organised by the NESCol Students Association, were a great success and positive feedback was received from exhibitors and attendees alike.

29Yearbook 2014

August – December

Industry sponsorship for School College Links students

upils participating in Motor Vehicle courses as part of the School College Links programme received generous support from an industry trust. The Grampian Motor

Training Trust will consider a range of suggestions designed to support the engagement, motivation and onward progression of these pupils and, in the meantime, have funded the purchase of boiler suits for all the pupils participating in the programme – around 45 in total. The suits are branded with the GMTT logo.

Special Achievement for Fraser’s sticky toffee pudding

hree Qualification for Work students made it to the finals of the Up and Coming Bakers category at the NPA Bakery Awards earlier this year. Fraser Chalmers, Kimberly Massie

and Naomi Ellis travelled to the event in Bishopton, where Fraser was awarded a Special Recognition Award for his entry, sticky toffee pudding. Judge Melanie Andrews was so impressed by what Fraser had produced that she felt he deserved this recognition.

30 www.nescol.ac.uk

August – December

NHS Good Food Challenge heats up College kitchens

orth East Scotland College’s training kitchen played host to a national competition earlier this year. The NHS Good Food Challenge regional heat took place in the College,

with Professional Cookery lecturer Rosemary Robertson assisting in the judging.

The heat saw the team from NHS Grampian progress to the competition’s finals, which were held in Clydebank later in the year.

31Yearbook 2014

August – December

Celebrating the difference at NESCol

orth East Scotland College’s Fraserburgh Campus played host to a Celebrate the Difference event. Organised by Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Racial Equality

and other partners, the event was designed to bring together all groups within our diverse community to celebrate and appreciate all differences. The event saw people from all ethnic backgrounds and those with physical or learning disabilities come together to celebrate diversity.

32 www.nescol.ac.uk

August – December

Bridal Bash in Fraserburgh Campus

orth East Scotland College’s Fraserburgh Campus played host to one of the area’s biggest bridal exhibitions. The Buchan Bridal

Bash, organised by Ideas In Partnership, saw exhibitors from across the North East showcase their products and services to brides-to-be.

Among those in attendance were the Level 3 NVQ Hair and Beauty students, who assisted in the hair and makeup of models and held a raffle that raised over £100 for the charity My New Hair.

College trio take competition by storm

hree HND Interactive Media students celebrated success after landing Gold and Bronze awards at a national competition. Taylor Innes, Lucie Magnusson and Greta

Juodeikyte swept the board at the Scottish heats of the World Skills competition and then competed in the World Skills UK Finals in Birmingham.

The competition, which focuses on all the essential requirements for a successful career as a web developer, saw the students work to a live brief and design a website from conception to completion. The result saw Lucie and Greta take joint third place and Taylor, pictured, crowned the winner.

33Yearbook 2014

August – December

Author leads creative writing workshop for students

berdeen City Campus was delighted to welcome successful novelist and playwright Alan Bissett, who led a creative

writing workshop with media and PR students. Alan is the Cultural Ambassador for the National Collective.

He has written four novels as well as writing plays, songs and contributing to a number of anthologies. He has penned an award winning documentary, and teaches creative writing throughout the UK.

Modern Apprenticeship Awards

orth East Scotland College recently celebrated the talents of the Modern Apprenticeship programme at

an annual presentation evening held at both Aberdeen City and Fraserburgh campuses.

Over 30 apprentices from the automotive, engineering, hairdressing and fabrication and welding disciplines were congratulated on their achievement alongside family, friends and employers.

34 www.nescol.ac.uk

August – December

Stevie and Nathan find formula for success

cience lecturers at North East Scotland College awarded their annual prize for the top Graded Unit laboratory project to two students: Stevie Brown (pictured) and

Nathan Gordon.

Stevie’s project involved investigating a range of synthetic approaches in organic chemistry. He is now studying a BSc Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen.

Nathan’s project was a comparison of American and European wines. He analysed a selection of wines and was able to correlate these to differences in production methods. He is now working in the drinks industry as an analyst with Chivas Regal distillery.

Graduation success in Aberdeen and Fraserburgh

orth East Scotland College saw two successful graduations take place –

one for students of the Fraserburgh Campus in the Campus’ atrium area, and another – for Aberdeen City, Altens and Craibstone Campuses – at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom. Nearly 600 students graduated from the ceremonies.

Students in Fraserburgh enjoyed a talk from guest speaker, Grant Keenan, managing director of the North-east organics recycling company Keenan Recycling Ltd.

In Aberdeen, former radio DJ and Social Media guru Neil Weightman shared his experiences with students.

35Yearbook 2014

August – December

College ‘opened up the world’ to Robbieobbie Lawrence (31) recently graduated with an HND in Mechanical Engineering at the

North East Scotland College Aberdeen Awards Ceremony.

The road to his graduation was a long one, taking in a diagnosis of severe dyslexia, several jobs in various industries, a year on the other side of the world, and a life changing decision to apply to college aged 27. But the Kintore man believes coming to college was one of the best things he has ever done.

He said: “College helped me develop massively not only in my skills and knowledge, but in confidence. I was used to working by myself before coming to NESCol, but it really has opened up the world to me.” Robbie has used NESCol’s Degree Link with RGU and is now working towards a degree qualification in Mechanical Engineering.

Engineering scheme lands Kieran dream job

ieran Riddell has started work as a trainee Mechanical Technician at the St Fergus Gas Terminal following his

graduation from North East Scotland College.

Kieran was a Shell Engineering Scheme student at Fraserburgh Campus and graduated with an HND in Mechanical Engineering, an HNC in Measurement and Control, an SVQ in Performing Engineering Operations and an ILM certificate in Leadership and Team Skills.

Kieran said: “Studying through the Shell Engineering Scheme was brilliant. You get a real insight into the industry – and a real look into the kind of job you could be doing when you’ve finished.”

36 www.nescol.ac.uk

August – December

Lisa has a degree of care for animals

rom a young age, Lisa Mackie (22) has loved animals, so studying

Animal Care at college seemed like a natural progression from school.

She recently graduated with an HND in Animal Care at the Aberdeen Awards Ceremony in the Beach Ballroom. Alongside her studies, Lisa worked at the Aberdeen Pet Resort and NBC Bird and Pest Solutions.

After finishing College, Lisa has taken up a full time job at the latter as a subcontracted Wildlife Management Technician.

She said: “The course helped me gain more depth in areas such as genetics and animal behaviours, which will really help me with my future career.”

Graduation success for Sandaanda Gabrane has graduated with an HND in Social Sciences from the Fraserburgh Awards Ceremony.

During the first part of her course, Sanda fell pregnant, but was determined to continue with her studies.

When her daughter Nellija arrived Sanda’s mum helped to look after the baby while Sanda attended college.

With a lot of hard work and determination, Sanda not only successfully achieved her HND, but was awarded a special award, sponsored by Ede & Ravenscroft for her efforts.

Construction Crafts and Plumbing Awards Ceremony

he annual Construction Crafts and Plumbing Awards Ceremony is a formal event held at the College’s Altens Campus. It provides an opportunity to offer formal recognition of

the hard work and achievements of our students, who, with the support of College staff and their employers, have been involved in the vital process of education and training related to the construction industry.

37Yearbook 2014

August – December

Partnership brings Uni degree closer for students at north-east’s new college

ob Wallen, Principal of North East Scotland College, and Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, signed an articulation

agreement, which gives advanced entry to a wide range of university degree programmes for students enrolled on College courses.

The further strengthening of this partnership is a key element in the continuing drive to widen access to higher education in the north-east of Scotland.

The articulation agreement covers a wide range of subject areas from business to science, social sciences, engineering, computing, and including sport and music. Students on 12 different HND courses may be admitted to the University as students and progress to gaining a degree.

38 www.nescol.ac.uk

August – December

NESCol students a cut above at Hair and Beauty Festival

orth East Scotland College saw an array of successes at the North East Hair & Beauty Festival at Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom. Students from NESCol competed

against students from Colleges across the North East of Scotland.

The College’s winners included the Trainee Hairdresser of the Year, Jelena Ruksnaitiene, and Trainee Make Up Artist of the Year, Nicole Sarah Young – as well as medals awarded in a variety of other categories.

Children in Need

group of Introduction to Childcare students held a fundraiser for BBC Children in Need at Aberdeen City Campus’ Dino’s Cafe. Alongside face painters and a raffle

with prizes including tickets from Aberdeen Football Club and a Pudsey Bear, the group ran an extremely successful photo booth. Students who made a donation posed for pictures, which were uploaded onto the College’s Facebook page.

39Yearbook 2014

August – December

Passing the baton to College students

hree HND Music students were given the opportunity to conduct a local instrumental ensemble in preparation for a forthcoming concert. Hannah Stephen, Kieran O’ Neill,

and Tammie Jack rehearsed Haydn’s Symphony No. 99 with the Inverurie Orchestra under the supervision of the orchestra’s musical director, and College lecturer, Dr. Paul Tierney.

The second annual event highlights the on-going collaboration between the College and this community orchestra, which has provided additional performance and composition opportunities for young musicians studying on music courses at the College, as well as additional players for the orchestra.

All three students were very enthusiastic about their time on the podium, and the orchestra look forward to welcoming another group of budding conductors in the future.

A NESCol winter wonderlandrange of festive events were held across North East Scotland College’s Campus including raffles and a bake sale.

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August – December

Valuable visit to Royal Lyceum

ND Acting and Performance year 2 students were lucky enough to travel to Edinburgh, where they visited the Royal Lyceum Theatre. There, they watched Sue Glover’s

modern Scottish play, The Bondagers.

As well as enjoying the performance, the students were welcomed backstage at the theatre, where cast member Wendy Seagar spoke to the group. She chatted to them about all aspects of her journey as an actor and gave advice on how to prepare yourself to work in the industry. She also gave the group an insight into the show itself – explaining technical elements such as lighting, sound and costumes.

The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which allowed them to gain an understanding of life as a working actor and the running of a professional theatre production.

Students grow money management skills in College garden

group of Towards Employment students at North East Scotland College’s Fraserburgh Campus took on the Money for Life Challenge, a national competition which provides

grants for teams of young people to run a project to improve money management skills in their communities.

The group, who have named themselves ‘Mad About Plants’ decided to start a mini business growing and selling vegetables, herbs, bulbs and plants to the College community and beyond. The group sold some of their offerings in the Campus.

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Introduction

cross a wide range of activities, the efforts and outcomes of students and staff have been recognised locally and nationally by numerous awards. The 2014 Yearbook offers an insight into, and examples of, some of those achievements. It’s only a snapshot.

It’s not one that does sufficient justice to the hard work that leads to the success of the people served by the College – its students, employer clients and local communities. The same is true for the committed staff who teach and support the people we serve.

We hope you enjoy leafing through our Yearbook and hope that these few pictures really are worth thousands of words.

Rob WallenPrincipal & Chief Executive

Recognised as a Scottish charity – number SCO21174

North East Scotland CollegeAberdeen City Campus – Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB25 1BN

Fraserburgh Campus – Henderson Road, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire AB43 9GA

www.nescol.ac.uk

Yearbook 2014

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