NEWS: SPRING 2011

YOUR LOCALCOLLEGE

www.argyllcollege.ac.uk

Lochgilphead Hair Show raises over £500 for charityWell over 100 people made the journey

on 12th May to support and applaud the

efforts of the Lochgilphead Centre hair-

dressing students at their annual Hair

Show. The evening raised over £500 for

locally based charity the ARMS Centre.

The theme, planning and project man-

agement for the evening was very much

in the hands of the SVQ3 students who

had been working towards this evening

for several months.

The students had enlisted the help of

the SVQ2 and Skills for Work students –

many of whom were models on the eve-

ning – to complete the ‘Show Team’.

Maria McKenzie, tutor, was delighted

with the way the students had worked

together from the initial concept and

planning to the final delivery of the pol-

ished show, “they are a great team and

I’m really proud of them. The way they

were received by the local community is

a testament to the amount of work they

have all put into the evening. They have

really raised the College’s profile”.

There were many highlights during the

evening – the ‘peacock hair’, the Extreme

Magic dance troupe and not forgetting

Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley!

The students were unanimous in their

desire that the money raised during the

evening – over £500 – should be given

to the ARMS Centre (Action and Research on

Multiple Sclerosis) who help local people suf-

fering from the debilitating effects of multiple

sclerosis.

On 17th June, Rothesay students Holly

Colhoun, Leanne Chisholm and Alana

Graham were each presented with an

outstanding achievement award to

recognise both their commitment and

efforts in completing Skills for Work

Hairdressing Intermediate Level 1.

The awards were presented on behalf

of Argyll College and Nadia’s Hair and

Beauty Salon – where the girls attended

for their course. Well Done.

Outstanding Achievement awards for three Rothesay students.

The Corran Hall was booked, a full sound

system was in place, the catwalk was built

and the canapés ordered.

Argyll College Oban Centre’s SVQ3 Hair-

dressing students had spent several months

planning the evening down to the very last

detail.

However, the arrival on 23rd May of one of

the worst spring storms for many years test-

ed their resilience and planning abilities in

the extreme.

Atrocious weather conditions meant that

many students and guests were unable to

make the journey to Oban. Widespread

blackouts made the Corran Hall unavail-

able and students and local salons preparing

models were left with no power.

But, at the Oban Centre at 7.00pm - in front

of around 40 guests and using a hand-held

sound system - the show began on time!

Five SVQ3 students successfully created

three models each, despite the conditions.

A further two SVQ3 students, twenty-one

SVQ2 students and two Skills for Work stu-

dents also produced models.

The students received great support from

five local salons – Rutherfords, The Ark, The

Studio, Trinity and Reflections – who all man-

aged to develop styles for the Show against

the odds.

The Show – whilst a triumph of crisis man-

agement – was a great success. The efforts

of all the models and stylists were much

applauded as were Michelle Petrie’s sixties

songs. One other particularly memorable

highlight was the transformation of Argyll

College UHI’s SITS Administrator into an un-

forgettable Barbarella!

No matter what, the show must go on...

... and it did and on time!

The UK’s Best Workplaces Awards 2011

winners were recently announced in London.

The Awards this year attracted over 5,500

entries from companies and organisations

worldwide.

Argyll College UHI is proud to have been

awarded 16th place in the Best Small

Workplaces United Kingdom 2011 rankings.

Best Workplaces Award for Argyll College UHI - Update

For further information: Michael Breslin, Director, Argyll College UHI 01631 559 755

Campbeltown Grammar

School was the venue on 5th

May for the Argyll College

UHI Campbeltown Beauty and

Hairdressing students spring

fashion show.

The show was originally the

brainchild of the NC Beauty

Care and Make up students

and they enlisted the help of

both the SVQ Hairdressing

students and the Skills for

Work students – many of

whom were models on the

night – to create and produce

an extremely imaginative and

visual show.

Fashion Through the Decades

The models line up to display the different eras.

Charlotte Gilbert models fashion from the 90s’

Compere David Brody introduces Suzie Thomson, designer of Eilidh’s avante garde style.

Annette McQuade - Beauty

Care Tutor - was thrilled with

the way both the preparations

and the evening had gone

“the students really mucked

in at every stage, it was real

teamwork and has given the

whole course a little extra

sparkle”.

Awards were made prior to

the event for technical skills.

On the evening Karen Willets

was rewarded with first place

in the ‘imagination and effort’

category for her ‘ensemble in

crisps’!

The students were supported

on the evening by Steps

Dance Troupe and a

staggering £570 was raised

for local charities.

Fashion Through the Decades

The models line up to display the different eras.

A futuristic Geisha look modelled by Siobhan Williams David Brody with Carly MacIndeor and Mahri MacKillop

Following a regional heat held at South La-

narkshire College in March, local hairdress-

ing student Aiden MacLaren has been cho-

sen as one of 20 national finalists who will

compete in London on 9th June for the Wella

Xposure 2011 title.

The competition - now in its second year -

attracted over 700 entries nationwide and is

designed to showcase the develop-

ing skills of young hairdressing stu-

dents throughout the United King-

dom

Following an initial photographic en-

try, Aiden was chosen as one of the

Scotland and North of England

region finalists. Along with his

model Gemma Hegarty he cre-

ated his design live for the judg-

es at the regional heat.

Aiden commented “the

most challenging part of

the competition was not

coming up with the design

but creating the mood

boards which build a scene

and setting around the de-

sign for the judges”. When

asked how he felt about

the finals and if he was ner-

vous, he said “a little, but

very excited – I just want

to be there”.

At the final in London on 9th June, Aiden will

have just one hour to recreate his design

and impress the judges for the last time.

Wella Xposure judge and Francesco Group’s

Head of Hairdressing Anya Dellicompagni

has said of the competition “I believe that

encouraging young people to showcase their

skills at this age will ultimately help instil the

passion and mo-

tivation which

they will need to

reach their full

potential in the

competitive hair-

dressing indus-

try”.

Aiden’s fellow stu-

dents at Argyll Col-

lege UHI are right

behind him and

have been put-

ting much effort

into fund raising

to help with the

costs of Aiden’s

trip to the final.

On 26th April the

students held a Fun

Day at the Oban

Campus with all

proceeds going to

Aiden’s ‘Finals Fund’.

Argyll College UHI Student Secures Place inWella Xposure National Finals in London

On Tuesday 26th April, Argyll College

UHI Oban played host to Scotland’s

First Minister Alex Salmond.

The First Minister made it clear he was very

supportive of the work Argyll College UHI is

doing in developing new courses and skill

areas to benefit the students of Argyll and

the Islands in 2011 and beyond.

Whilst discussing the impact renewable

energy schemes will have on Scotland in

the next 10 years, Mr Salmond said “Every

area of Scotland will benefit from this

energy revolution but Argyll particularly has

an opportunity to benefit economically. I

am delighted to learn that Argyll College is

already looking at introducing courses to

meet new skill expectations and I think it

is vital that the area’s education providers

understand and cater for the needs of such

a fast-growing industry.”

Michael Breslin, Argyll College UHI Director,

confirmed that the College is investigating

a number of options which could see

engineering disciplines added to our list of

courses. “The majority of jobs, particularly

in the offshore wind sector, will come about

in the long-term but we want to make sure

that we have the skills here in Argyll”, he

said.

Mr Salmond, who toured the Oban

campus meeting many members of staff

and students, confided to several of our

hairdressing students that he found a visit

to the hair salon an enjoyable experience as

it offered a relaxing environment.

“..I am delighted

to learn that

Argyll College is

already looking at

introducing courses

to meet new skill

expectations ” Alex

Salmond

First Minister at Oban Campus

It’s official: Argyll College UHI is one

of the best places to work in Scotland.

The announcement was made at the first

ever Scotland’s Best Workplaces Awards in

Glasgow on 31st March.

Argyll College UHI – your local college –

had already been included as one of the

25 finalists chosen from a large number of

Scottish companies, both large and small.

The shortlist was based on employee

surveys and independent assessment of

company management practices by the

internationally renowned Great Place to

Work Institute, the organisers of Scotland’s

Best Workplaces Awards. Argyll College

UHI took 11th place overall.

The Institute describes a great place to work

as an organisation where the employees:

“Trust the people they work for, have pride

in what they do, and enjoy the people they

work with”.

Crucially, two thirds of the score which

secures a place on Scotland’s Best

Workplaces Awards list relies on the

employee survey, ensuring that success

is based firmly on the voice of those who

work at the coalface.

A delighted Michael Breslin, Director, Argyll

College UHI commented: “I’m incredibly

proud that Argyll College UHI has received

this accolade. 2011 has already been an

exciting year for us, and to know that my

colleagues throughout Argyll College UHI

feel so positive about the college and our

future, puts us on a stronger than ever

footing for the rest of the year and beyond.”

Argyll College UHI Reaches The Final of Scotland’s Best Workplaces Awards 2011

Our SVQ Hairdressing and Skills for Work

Hairdressing students on Islay raised

over £390 for Comic Relief with a ‘Glam

Walk’. The SVQ students undertook the

3 mile walk, raising around £290, whilst

the Skills for Work students organised a

street collection along the route adding a

further £100 to the total.

At the end of April, Argyll College UHI

Islay student Rasa Bagdzeviciute

stepped confidently into the Dragon’s Den

at Lews Castle College. Rasa, an HNC

Business student, had been chosen as

one of seven finalists in the Lews Castle

Dragon’s Den Business Ideas competition.

She presented her business proposal, via

a video conferencing link, to a panel of the

best Lews Castle Dragons.

The idea which secured Rasa a place in the

finals has at its heart good coffee, great

conversation and accessible surfing. The

proposal was designed and developed with

the specific wants and needs of her local

Islay community very much in mind.

Rasa is now awaiting the Dragon’s verdict.

COMIC RELIEF NEWS FLASH

INTO THE DRAGON’S DEN

The Scottish Government has put in place

a scheme - ILA Scotland – to help students

with the costs involved in either learning

a new skill or in developing their existing

skills.

If you are over 16, living in Scotland and

have an income of less than £22,000

per annum, or are in receipt of benefits,

then you can receive up to £200 a year

towards a wide range of courses available

throughout Scotland.

Once in place, your Individual Learning

Account (ILA) is available for you to use

throughout the following 12 months to

undertake as many further education

courses as you choose up to the value of

£200.

The money is not a loan – so you will not

have to pay any of it back.

Over the next month, Argyll College UHI

will be holding an ILA Information week

across its local campuses. College staff

will be on hand to explain exactly how the

scheme works, advise which courses are

right for you and to guide you through the

application process. Please contact your

local campus for further details about their

ILA Information Week.

Don’t miss out.

Did you know you can get up to £200 a year towards the cost of learning something new?

www.argyllcollege.ac.uk

Argyll College UHI students have once again

been showcasing their media talents – with

six radio shows and an award winning film to

their name they have now made an exciting

and eye -catching foray into the world of

animations.

The students – many of whom are members

of the Isle of Bute based Phoenix Centre –

really seem to have hit the right mark with

this latest enterprise. The steadily growing

number of hits on their website is helping

to bring their talents to an ever increasing

audience.

Nicola Jones a tutor with Argyll College UHI

was pleased to report: ‘Since the Animations

went online a month ago, we have had

hundreds of hits and lots of interest in what

we are doing. We are making people laugh

with our music videos.”

The students have many more projects in

the pipeline. You can check them out on the

links below.

“We are making people

laugh wi th our music

v ideos.”

Also check out what’s going on at Rothesay Campus

2 February was a historic day for

Argyll College UHI as UHI Millennium

Institute became the University of the

Highlands and Islands (UHI).

Following confirmation from the Privy

Council, the milestone was marked

by celebrations hosted jointly by the

Scottish Association for Marine Science

(SAMS) UHI and Argyll College UHI.

On the day Michael Breslin the director

of Argyll College UHI said: “Argyll

College UHI is delighted with today’s

announcement that UHI is now the

University of the Highlands and Islands.

As one of the university’s academic

partners, we have helped to create

a university for the area but we also

remain a college where further education

is the mainstream of our business.

Being part of the new university allows

our students to study at all levels in

further and higher education, up to post

graduate level. Providing students with

local access to education is at the heart

of what we do and recognition that we’re

part of this new university gives us even

more reason to be proud of what we’ve

achieved here in Argyll and the Islands.”

Argyll College UHI has centres scattered

through Argyll and has been offering

further and higher education in one of

the most geographically fragmented

areas of Scotland since late 1999.

“Providing students

with local access to

education is at the

heart of what we

do” - Michael Breslin

UHI comprises thirteen colleges,

specialist institutions and research

centres spread across the Highlands

and Islands of Scotland; an area twice

the size of Wales. It uses information

technologies to link together students

and staff to bring access to higher

education to dispersed communities.

The achievement of university title by

UHI is the realisation of a long-time

ambition for the region to have its

own university to support economic

development and to help sustain rural

and island communities.

Historic Day For Argyll College UHI as University Of The Highlands And Islands Becomes Scotland’s Newest University

“The achievement of title and the

University of the Highlands and Islands

is wonderful news. This is the fulfilment

of a long held vision. Social justice and

economic prosperity have always been

our aspiration in creating Argyll College

UHI as an academic partner of UHI. We

are delighted with the news.” said Wilma

Campbell, Chair of Argyll College.

Chris Talbot, Argyll College UHI student

and UHI Student Association Vice

President said: “There is a certain

amount of kudos in graduating from

the new university. Overall this will

help the Islands regionally, and after an

initial period of time will help centres

of excellence to win funding from

the government which in turn aids

employment.”

Student representative, Hannah Poulton is

a seventeen year old degree student from

Bunessan on the Isle of Mull. Currently

studying BA History and Politics Hannah

said “Argyll College UHI has been fantastic

and the course fits in with my personal

life. There’s not many jobs on Mull and

the few jobs that are available don’t have

a big career progression. It’s important

to get young people to stay on the island.

Knowing about your own culture and

history is important which is harder to

do from a distance. University status

will encourage more students to stay and

study with the prospect of employment.”

Pink, white and blue pyjamasfor Red Nose Day

Childcare Studies students at Argyll

College UHI Dunoon held a 2 day pyjama

party last week to help raise funds for

Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day appeal 2011.

Alex Davies, Childcare Tutor at Argyll

College UHI Dunoon commented:

“The students made the decision to

support Red Nose Day themselves.

The planning, promotional ideas and

successful fund raising was entirely down

to them. We had a great two days.”

Thanks should also go to the Skills for

Work students from Dunoon Grammar

School who joined in enthusiastically while

attending Argyll College UHI Dunoon last

week.

In excess of £ 115 was raised for Comic

Relief and the many projects it actively

supports both at home and abroad. A

great effort from our students and staff –

thank you.

Martin Stephenson, formerly of

the Daintees, delivered a one-

day workshop for Argyll College UHI

in December. Funded by prize money

from the Good Practice in Adult Learning

Awards, all the students involved in the

Bute Multi-Media Project were invited to

take part.

The singer-songwriter travelled to

Rothesay Learning Centre to pass on

some of his skills and experience from

more than twenty-five years of touring

and writing music.

The result of the day was a song written

by the students (with a little help from

Martin) titled “Breath of Life”. The song

was recorded and mastered by college

staff and made it’s debut on Bute FM

96.5, Christmas Day 2010. The track was

received well by listeners.

Martin said “This has been an amazing

experience, it’s been a learning curve for

everybody, I’ve learned a lot from the

students as well as them learning from

me. It’s amazing how everybody works

together for the common goal, the team

have done great things here.”

“Breath of Life” is still being given air time

on Bute FM.

Above: Martin gives advice on writing verses.

Left: Diane, Christine, Anne & Tommy, put their imagination to the test.

Martin G Stephenson Gives Students “Breath Of Life”

Above: all smiles, taken after final recording.

Left: Martin gets everyone singing.

Below: Peter takes ideas from his group.

Click here for more Martin G Stephenson