Hi, a warm welcome to all of our students starting or returning to study higher education courses with us in 2014/15.

I am Jenny Ashworth, Head of Academic Partnerships and Marketing. At Bridgwater College we are committed to providing you with the best higher education we can, and pride ourselves on the supportive environment we offer.

In our 2013/14 student survey 92% of students agreed, the quality of teaching on their programme was excellent. We are extremely proud of this achievement and hope to exceed this figure at the end of this academic year. You can help us do so by having your voice heard. I encourage and welcome you to speak out and make recommendations or offer praise where you feel appropriate.

We strive to deliver and add value to the experiences of all our HE students. We obtain feedback by gathering information at HE student forums, course programme meetings, student surveys and from

our Lead and Course Student Representatives.

We value the input of our students to help shape the HE environment we provide. Your suggestions and ideas are always taken into consideration and every effort is made to ensure they are followed

through. Below are comments we’ve received from HE students and responses to how we have addressed them.

The HE team and Student Union are starting to look

into and research social events to encourage HE

students from across the College to meet and form

an HE community; it is our intention for our Lead

Student Rep to lead on this project.

We have installed four computers in the mezzanine

area of the Health and Fitness Centre to enhance your access. Netbooks are also available to hire from the Technology Helpdesk,

which can be found on the A corridor of the main building.

We have given The Voice a make-over and made changes to its distribution; it is available on Blackboard, via your student email or as a hard copy.

The McMillan Theatre is ahead of schedule.

Would you like to become the Student Representative for your course? If yes, ask your Programme Manager for more information.

Food technology competition winner announced

Motorsport student works at Le Mans support race.

Public Services students organise driver awareness event.

Computing students impress employers

The Careers Shop is a new service being offered by the College where employers can advertise their vacancies. Students can receive help, advice and guidance in searching for employment.

There will be facilities at both the Bridgwater and Cannington Centres, and opening times are as follows:

Bridgwater Centre Monday to Thursday: 8.30am to 5pm Friday: 8.30am to 4.30pm

Cannington Centre Monday: 1.30pm to 4.30pm Tuesday: 9.30am to 12.30pm Thursday: 9.30am to 12.30pm

As the nights are starting to get darker, you may not have the enthusiasm to take part in sports, exercise or activities. To help

keep you motivated, we now have a diverse enrichment programme to help you enjoy keeping fit and active on a regular basis.

Team BC Active organises activities for you to take part in, these include; archery, indoor cricket, clay pigeon shooting, football, cycling, table tennis, rounders, wheelchair basketball, and Zumba to name but a few. New activities are always being introduced and if you have any other suggestions or questions, please contact Carly Martin martinc@bridgwater.ac.uk or pop in to the Sports Office, which can be found alongside the Sports Hall.

HE@bridgwater.ac.uk

We are looking to make your Higher Education experience at Bridgwater College as good as we can. If you have any suggestions to make, or feedback to offer, please get in touch with us by using the email address above.

The new look of the The Voice magazine has been designed by student Charlie Biddiscombe, who is currently studying a Level 3 Extended Diploma in

Computing and IT, but has a strong passion for graphic design. Charlie entered a College-wide competition to design and create a new front cover for four editions of The Voice and was successful with each of his designs. We loved his designs and ideas so much, that we asked him to design the rest of the magazine! We hope you love the new and improved The Voice.

By studying at Bridgwater College, you will automatically be issued with a free NUS card at

enrolment. The card will entitle you to a number of discounts at food, fashion, entertainment and online

retailers.

You can also buy an NUS Extra card for £12 from the College’s Student Union (SU). The SU is located on the

ground floor of the Bridgwater, Bath Road site.

This card gives you even more discounts, at even more retailers.