New Vice Principal Appointed

Monday, 21 May 2012 12:07

Sussex Coast College Hastings has announced the appointment of a new Vice Principal for Enterprise, Employment & Skills.

Dan Shelley joins the college from Brighton & Hove, where, for the past ten years, he has been involved in regeneration, economic development and learning projects in the private, public, charity and further education sectors.

Following a role as Personal Advisor for Jobcentre Plus, Dan became an Employment and Training Advisor for a charity, the Hangleton and Knoll Project. In 2003, he joined Brighton & Hove City Council as a Regeneration Officer, where he was responsible for learning, and focused on tackling deprivation and low educational attainment. From 2007, Dan led the Brighton & Hove Learning Partnership, working with senior learning representatives, to implement citywide strategies for Apprenticeships, Skills for Life, ESOL and 14-19 Participation. He developed successful funding applications for Adult and Family Learning, Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) projects for 14-19 year olds and a highly successful Future Jobs Fund programme.

In 2010 Dan became Head of Policy and Partnerships at City College Brighton & Hove, initiating learning programmes for the unemployed, increasing Apprenticeship numbers, establishing regional contracts for working with disadvantaged families and low skilled employees and producing commercial plans for an Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) and Energy and Renewables Training Centre. City College Brighton & Hove has improved from grade 3/4 Ofsted in 2007 to Grade 2 (with outstanding features) in June 2011 and Dan has contributed to this journey from an outside and internal perspective. Working in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, organisations andindividuals is critical to repositioning a college at the heart of the community’s strategies and plans’, he says.

Dan recognises the challenges that are unique to Hastings and Rother and SCCH specifically. ‘I am joining the college in a period of austerity, with predicted cuts of 20-30% in the next three years, which will result in far-reaching changes to the way educational services are delivered. Increased competition for funding means we must prove that we can deliver education in cost effective and innovative ways. We need to adapt our models for delivering education and training and build private sector income from employers and individuals who can afford to pay.

‘The post of Vice Principal, Enterprise, Employment and Skills is a critical element of this evolution and I will use all the enthusiasm, determination and ingenuity I possess to forge strong partnerships with the town’s key stakeholders. The college must become more responsive, with a competitive range of training that boosts the local skills-base, meets the needs of employers and residents and fuels the local economy.

‘I will build on the expertise, knowledge and ideas of my colleagues at Sussex Coast College to ensure the College becomes a catalyst for change and growth in the local community.’

In his spare time, Dan is a keen runner who has completed three marathons, an avid Derby County Football supporter, a trustee of The Friends Centre (a specialist Adult Education Centre in Brighton) and father of two boys.

Dan officially starts his role on 1st August, but will be working one day a week at the College until then. He would welcome contact and meetings with key agencies and partners so if you would like to get in touch you can contact him on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on 07879 406892.

Thursday, 10 May 2012 13:00

Public Services students will support events all around town as part of a new initiative.

Pi Leau performance, coming to Hastings on 23^rd June

Public Services students are at the forefront of a new initiative to ensure that Hastings and St Leonards' year-round events programme has a team of people with the right skills to support them. Hastings Marshals is a new project developed by MSL Projects and 18Hours with Sussex Coast College and Phoenix Security to provide the town with a bank of trained marshals to join other volunteers in supporting events between June and September this year.

Events will include the Stade Saturdays events in the Old Town including the spectacular Pi Leau performance on 23^rd June and the Big Top programme for the London 2012 Torch Relay on 17^th July as well as other local events and festivals.

The idea has drawn support from Hastings Trust, Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust, University of Brighton in Hastings and Active Student, Hastings Fishermens Museum, Hastings Shipwreck Museum, the White Rock Theatre, Parrabbola and Neighbourhood Watch.

The aim is to train 50-100 local people in event safety, crowd management, health & safety and incident management, front of house, hospitality and marketing.

Training will be delivered in May and June by Mark Wells, Public Services Lecturer at Sussex Coast College Hastings. Marshals will learn on the job as well as within the College and will receive a certificate once their training has been completed. It is intended that the Marshals programme will continue as a new local business, adding to the already vibrant volunteering culture in Hastings. Hastings Marshals will be paid a small honorarium for each event they work at or will have their expenses covered.

Margaret Sheehy, who conceived the idea said ‘Hastings Marshals is a sustainable model. Many people steward because they enjoy being part of an event and want to help it run smoothly. For other people, being part of the Marshals programme will be a chance to gain work experience, boost their CV and open opportunities to work alongside a professional security team. It is a win-win model and other towns have already shown an interest in it.’

Mark Wells, Public Services Lecturer at Sussex Coast College Hastings said: ‘This is a great idea for Hastings’. A number of Mark’s own students have already signed up for the scheme, including James Baraclough, aged 18. ‘This is a great opportunity for me to get some first-hand experience of marshalling at large public events. We’ll be working alongside a professional security team and you never know what job opportunities it could lead to. It’s a really good thing to put on my CV too.’

If you are over 16 and interested in taking part please contact:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone 01424 446373

Tuesday, 17 April 2012 16:37

Queen on Toast

First year students on the foundation degree in Fine Art Contemporary Practice have spent the week installing a unique installation of 8300 pieces of toast, each bearing the image of the Queen's head. The installation is to be displayed in the foyer at Station Plaza from April 17 to May 4 2012.
The project is lead by Canadian-born artist Myles Calvert, working in collaboration with the students.
The installation has used 420 loaves of bread and involved teams working in relays over a three week period before attaching each finished work to the wall. Challenging the boundaries of printmaking, screen print was utilised to demonstrate the potential possibilities of the medium and revert back to its original intention for mass production. The college environment was explored and transformed during the laborious process.
The project has enabled students to understand the fundamentals of artwork and promotion in real world situations, through the planning and organisation process, from idea generation to final execution.
Calvert has alredy produced toasted artwork including portraits of Damian Hirst, Angus Fairhurst and even his own face. 'The idea came to me when an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of cheese on toast was sold on ebay for $28000', he explains, 'it is fitting that the Queen as an Iconic figure should be given this status in her Jubilee year'.
The toast team are now planning to take Toast on Tour to other venues.
Visit the Toast facebook page here
The work was filmed by the BBC and can be watched here...

Tuesday, 17 April 2012 13:24

Italian Students love Beautiful College

Beauty students from Italy show off their nail designs.

Thirty Hair and Beauty students from 'Centro Formazione Professionale Victory'in Vicenza, Italy, joined English students in class at Sussex Coast College last week.
Head of Beauty at the College, Jill Silverthorne, said ‘Beauty training in Italy is more conventional than the UK. Italian students attend ‘beauty school’ where they study traditional treatments and techniques.’  So the group of 16-18 year olds were impressed by the modern salons at Station Plaza and took the opportunity to experiment with new techniques and equipment.
Elisa and Anne, two of the students, said ‘The College is so organised here and we love the facilities. The tutors are very flexible around what the students need. We have enjoyed lessons in head massages, hot stone therapy and facials.’
The students also found it a novel experience to study at a College where multiple subjects are on offer. ‘It is great to have so many different students around, all learning different subjects’, said Elisa.
Sessional lecturer Tricia Lawrence was looking after the Italian students, who were also studying English at the College. ‘They were a lovely group of students and it has been great for our own students to find out how the beauty industry works in Italy’, she said. ‘It would be amazing to do an exchange one day.’