The programme, which took place from 29 January to 9 February, gave ten students the opportunity to create props for the award-winning attraction The London Bridge Experience. Set in the vaults of the iconic London bridge, the immersive experience allows visitors to explore London’s history first-hand, featuring interaction with colourful characters and detailed set design.
During their work experience placement, students completed a tour of the attraction to learn more about the client’s requirements and get creative inspiration. After returning to college they carefully crafted their design briefs with the support of an art technician. They then used various materials to complete their projects, including modrock, oil paints, repurposed textiles and paints.
The work experience placement allowed students to develop their skills and gain hands-on experience in creating and producing props for use in a public-facing environment.
A group of Level 3 Art and Design students completed work experience with a leading interior fit-out company, showcasing their collaboration and design skills.
During their placement, the students were challenged to design imagery for construction hoarding, which is the street-facing panelling that surrounds a building or site during construction.
The students worked remotely in teams, collaborating for the first time with peers from different groups. They built on their design skills, using InDesign and Photoshop to complete their projects, and developed their professional skills by taking part in daily client meetings. The placement culminated in student presentations at the Willmott Dixon Interiors office where they showcased an impressive array of finished designs.
The work experience placement was organised as part of an ongoing partnership between Willmott Dixon Interiors and Westminster Kingsway College (WestKing), enabling students to gain valuable experience of working life and exposure to related industries.
Rebecca Davies, Social Values Manager at Willmott Dixon Interiors, said: “These placements have been great. […] The students have been engaged, and polite and attendance has been amazing over the two weeks. They communicated well with their groups and the final day presentations from all of the groups were so inspirational. Each group demonstrated professionalism and put so much effort in.”
The creative industries are growing faster than any other sector in the UK, so if you have a creative flair and are interested in courses in Art, Design or Fashion, take a look at what we have to offer!
Students from a range of courses enter prestigious national competition to showcase their skills and compete against their peers.
A number of Capital City College Group (CCCG) students are currently registering for this year’s WorldSkills competition. The competition inspires competitors to excel in their chosen skill areas, helping them progress into their chosen profession.
Registration for the WorldSkills UK competition is open until 28 March, and the National Qualifiers will take place between April and June 2024. Those who make it through the National Qualifying stage go through to the National Finals in November 2024. Last year, CANDI student Dante Senior brought home a bronze medal in the Laboratory Technician challenge at the National Finals.
Participation in the WorldSkills competition offers students the opportunity to broaden their horizons and demonstrate their skills in a competitive environment. It is an enriching and exciting process, giving students the chance to use and expand their subject knowledge.
We heard from students who have entered the Laboratory Technician category.
Quluuda Ahmed said: “I am currently studying T Levels. I am excited to be part of this competition because I want to expand my horizons and build up on my skills.”
Lidiany Nogueira said: “I’m delighted to participate in this competition to gain an enriching experience of a competitive environment, enabling me to present my laboratory skills that I’ve been enhancing for the past 7 months.”
Armony Hermitt said “I am entering as it will give me the opportunity to further my experience in a laboratory setting. By exploring this pathway it will allow me to engage my knowledge under pressure.”
If you’re interested in entering this year’s WorldSkills UK competition, be sure to register before 28 March.
We’d like to wish all CCCG entrants the best of luck in the competition!
The event, which took place on 3-4 March, also featured a series of make-up and nail competitions for aspiring students and industry professionals. Faith Omorogbe, a student on the Level 2 Diploma in Hair and Media Make-up course at CONEL’s Tottenham Centre, won first place in the Wedding Hair and Beauty competition. The judges praised her intricate hair styling and hand-sewn coral beaded headdress. They were impressed with her moodboard which elaborated on her inspiration, idea development and testing process. Faith was awarded prizes worth £1000 and a trophy.
During the show, the Hair and Beauty students from CONEL and CANDI also showcased their skills carrying out nail filling and polish demonstrations for visitors at the event.
Diannia Scantlebury, a Lecturer in Hairdressing and Beauty at CONEL, said: “Professional Beauty is always an inspiring exhibition and a great opportunity for students to keep up with new technologies and trends in the beauty industry. Students have the opportunity to network; broaden their outlook and recognise a range of future possible job roles they could fulfil in the industry. Professional Beauty is always a very positive, interactive day that students and staff look forward to.”
We celebrate British Science Week with a selection of exciting science-based careers.
It’s British Science Week, a time to celebrate all things scientific and marvel at the diverse people and careers across the fields of science and engineering!
If you enjoy exploring what the world of science has to offer, then perhaps you should consider one of these fascinating careers.
1. Chemical Engineer
A sort of scientific magician, chemical engineers come up with ways to transform raw materials into something new. Using their in-depth knowledge of chemistry, chemical engineers can work in research and development, usually based in a lab, testing ways to develop products and using computer models to find the safest and most economical methods of production. This is a role that can also exist within manufacturing, where a chemical engineer designs, monitors or oversees a processing plant and deals with production issues.
2. Clinical Scientist
If you love biology, enjoy problem-solving or reasoning challenges, get excited by laboratory science and want to be at the forefront of medical discovery, then becoming a clinical scientist could be up your street. Clinical scientists develop new equipment and medical techniques to support the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of medical issues. This is a role that allows you to focus on science while also working with people. Clinical scientists share their knowledge of equipment and products with medical professionals and investigate the causes of people’s illnesses.
3. Ecologist
Are you the sort of person whose eagle eyes can spot interesting natural features and creatures when you’re out and about? Perhaps a career in ecology would suit you. Ecologists study how plants, animals and the environment affect each other. Day-to-day, an ecologist might conduct surveys, collecting and analysing data on environmental conditions, plants and animals. They’ll often use this information to advise on the impact of construction and farming on a specific area. Ecologists can also work on conservation projects and help raise awareness about ecological issues within the community.
4. Food Scientist/Technologist
Imagine Willy Wonka in a lab coat and you’ve got yourself a food scientist or food technologist. These roles centre around the development of food and drink products, with an emphasis on ensuring that they’re safe for human consumption. A food scientist is responsible for providing the correct nutritional information for food labels, testing food for quality and safety, and developing ways to keep food safe, fresh and visually appealing. A food technologist focuses more on the development of recipes, thinking about food production, looking at costs for raw ingredients and investigating quality control issues.
5. Forensic Scientist
Working in a role that blends forensic science expertise with legal knowledge, this is a career that suits those who can work under pressure, spot the smallest details and apply logic and reasoning to a range of tasks. A forensic scientist might be asked to analyse samples from crime scenes, give advice on explosives and firearms, extract data from electronic devices or analyse handwriting and signatures. Their expertise is vital for the preparation of evidence which is used in courts and legal cases.
6. Geologist
The ‘rock’ stars of the science world, geologists study the structure of the Earth. They look at how our incredible planet was formed and analyse rocks to find out more about its naturally occurring energy resources and minerals. Geologists need a deep understanding of maths and geography as well as a knowledge of engineering science, technology, physics and chemistry. They need strong analytical skills and a creative mind in order to develop innovative ideas into usable processes. Geologists travel to various sites to assess the ground and study the rocks in each setting, taking samples and recording essential information to find valuable resources. Geologists also play an important part in protecting people from natural disasters such as earthquakes, and may also be involved in studying seismic and volcanic activity.
7. Nanotechnologist
If you’re fascinated by the super-small, working as a nanotechnologist could be for you. Nanotechnologists work with materials on a tiny scale, using their science and technology skills and their knowledge of physics to design and build new devices and materials on the nanoscale. The nanoscale relates to things from 0.1 to 100 nanometers (nm) in size – for context, a human hair is about 80,000- 100,000 nm wide. Working within a range of fields like medicine, engineering science and manufacturing, nanotechnologists build things on the nanoscale before testing and analysing them. Nanotechnologists are often academics working towards a PhD, so they are often involved in writing articles, bidding for funding and creating reports.
8. Robotics Engineer
Combining skills spanning engineering, technology, computer operating systems and maths, the role of the robotics engineer is to design and build machines to do things for us. Working within exciting, constantly evolving industries like aerospace and medicine, robotics engineers design automated systems, build and test prototypes, analyse data and create reports on risks and issues. It’s a field that has embraced artificial intelligence, using it to enhance existing technology and take us into the future.
9. Textiles Technician
If you’ve ever looked at an item of clothing and instantly come up with three ways to improve it, a role in textiles could be a good fit for you. Also known as garment technologists, textile technicians are responsible for choosing which designs and fabrics work best to produce items of clothing at a specific cost. They do this by keeping a close eye on every stage of garment production, from fabric testing to sample fitting. They use their knowledge of production methods and quality analysis skills to give advice on the best materials and designs for a product, as well as analysing product queries, returns and faults.
10. Zoologist
There’s more to being a zoologist than feeding the animals at your local zoo – it’s a varied and fascinating role that could take you all over the world. Combining knowledge of biology and animal care, zoologists can work in fields such as agriculture, conservation or for the government, often specialising in one area such as birds or reptiles. Zoologists work both in labs and in the field, working to gather and analyse information and produce detailed reports or publish articles on their findings.
To find out more about any of these careers, you can consult the National Careers Service online.
Creative Media student Caner Dursun showcased his photography skills at a college event, with his image of Mark Warburton’s visit to CONEL featuring in local press coverage.
Caner, who is an EHCP student with autism, plans to incorporate the photo and coverage into his portfolio for future endeavours, particularly as he sets his sights on university applications.
Caner said: “I am a full-time student and have been at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North-East London for 7 years. I had good support from my teachers and student peers, and even though there was pressure I never gave up on doing the best I could do”.
Toan Pham, who is one of Caner’s teachers, said: “Caner didn’t think he would be able to complete a Level 3 course itself, but now he’s about to finish it off and apply to university, doing this photoshoot enabled him to gain industry experience and learning experience that he needs, he’s come along way with the media department.”
We are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all learners, empowering them to develop their skills and make an impact in their chosen fields. Take a look at our range of Digital Media and Creative Computing courses and apply now!
The team of five students, otherwise known as ‘Team W’, were Darko Kalia, Hajdari Krasniqi Bjorn, Khalil Abeed, Latif Subhan, and Said Nebil. They joined a shortlist of six entries chosen by judges. The winning entry will be chosen by a public vote, with voting ending at 12.00pm on 6 March 2024. The competition finalists have been invited to the Mayor’s Office on 8 March.
During the six-week project, students learnt about different career opportunities in the built environment sector and worked creatively and collaboratively while honing their skills. The project team worked together to identify problems relating to the Marlborough Building site in Islington before coming up with creative solutions.
One of the students from Team W, Bjorn Hajdari Krasniqi, said: “In this project, we learnt how to create an open space and put real-life ideas into it. This helped us with teamwork and creating ideas it also made us realise the problems of youth nowadays”.
The students decided to convert the site into a green space to provide opportunities and benefits for the local community. Their innovative design included a glass roof to provide shelter while retaining sunlight, separate pools for children and adults, greenery, food stalls, trees, benches and fountains.
Another member of Team W, Kalia Darko said: “We all worked in a team and gathered ideas to come up with our idea. […] By being involved in this project I improved my teamwork skills. I learned how to think of new ideas and create things, I really enjoyed doing this.”
Congratulations to our students on reaching the final for the Design Future London competition! You can vote for Team W here!
Danylo, who is currently studying for a Level 1 Diploma in Creative Media produced the competition-winning piece as part of his course.
When presented with the challenge of making an animation on a topic of his choice Danylo immediately chose to create a plasticine animation featuring his favourite prehistoric creatures, dinosaurs. He said: “I just understood that no other topic would give such space for my imagination as [a] plasticine animation about dinosaurs.”
When talking about the film, Danylo said: “I hardly thought about the plot, the story just appeared in my head, and I just had to figure out how to show it on the screen. In my film, I tried to show a beautiful and exciting prehistoric story, but at the same time make it realistic.” Danylo’s film showcased a range of dinosaurs that lived in North America about 150 million years ago.
Danylo was inspired by films and shows such as Jurassic Park, Walking with Dinosaurs, Planet Dinosaur (2011), Prehistoric Planet and his favourite YouTube animator, Dead Sound. His biggest challenge when completing the project was time. Danylo shot the film in just four days, which is an impressive feat as it was his first experience with stop-motion animation.
The IntoFilm judges were impressed by Danylo’s animation. Oli from The Film of the Month team said: “Myself and the other judges felt it showed huge artistic flare and incredible attention to detail through well-crafted animation and incredible sound design that transported us into the world of the dinosaurs!”
Danylo learnt a great deal from making 150 Million Years and hopes to create another plasticine animation for his end-of-year project. When talking about film-making he said: “My advice will be to do what you like the most. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new. But if you are doing animation for the first time do not immediately try to do something grand without having any experience in it. Start with something simple to discover all the nuances of this process and then when you create more complex projects it will not be a surprise for you. The main thing is to believe in yourself, and you will succeed!”
Winning the competition is an enormous achievement for Danylo, who is a refugee from Ukraine, as his film was chosen over entries from across the country. His animation may also be entered into Into Film’s annual award.
If you’re interested in learning more about animation or any form of creative media, we offer a range of Digital Media and Creative Computing Courses for learners of all levels and backgrounds.
Dwain is an international athlete who represented Team GB at the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000. He has won medals at World and European levels and continues to compete, recently breaking the world record for 45-50 year-old athlete in 60m.
During his visit to CONEL’s Enfield Centre on 23 February, Dwain spoke to the students about his upbringing, his reasons for getting into athletics and the highs and lows of his career. He talked about the various decisions he has made and the impact they have had on his career. Dwain spoke candidly about taking performance-enhancing drugs and the short and long-term consequences he faced after testing positive.
The students, some of whom hope to compete after completing their courses, were able to put their questions to Dwain. He shared his thoughts and experiences on a range of topics from what drives him, to whether he thinks people are still using performance-enhancing drugs today.
Today we were honoured to welcome former @Team GB athlete, Dwain Chambers to The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, Enfield Centre! 🙌🏆 Dwain, who is a former student at the college and represented Team GB at the 2000 and 2012 Olympic Games, came in to speak to the students about his career, why he got into athletics and some advice for our students who wish compete after finishing their courses with us. 🤩 👏 Dwain also answered questions from students and even showed us some running techniques to reach higher speeds! 🏃♀️ 🏃 Anybody aged 16-19 and enrolled on one of our courses can join one of our Sports Academies, which are partnered with local professional organisations to give you the best training, advice, and opportunities and allow you to combine your academic course with the sports training of your choice. 🌟 Click the link in our bio to learn more about our sports academies. #dwainchambers#olympics#Running#athletics#college#london#teamgb#enfield#tottenham#conel#lifeatcccg
Following his talk and Q&A session, Dwain led a training session where he showed the students how to deliver an athletics session and demonstrated running techniques for increasing speed.
Sports Academy student Reiss Gomes said: “I felt like the talk was really good. It helped me and it made me think about how I want to pursue my football career, all the mistakes that I need to put away so I can carry on and be the best I can.”
Another Sports Academy student, Prince Joshua Megbo, said: “I felt the talk was raw. It was very clear that he understood every part of the walk in life that he took. I really felt like that was good for young people to hear – something that we need to hear in this day and age.”
The event was filmed by media students who also attended.
If you’re unsure how to register to vote, we’ve put together a handy guide to give you all the key information before this year’s general election.
As part of Colleges Week 2024 (26 February-1 March), we’d like to shine an all-important light on student political engagement. With a general election due to take place this year, it’s important for eligible voters of all ages to ensure they are registered. If you want to have their say about who’s in charge of the country – make sure you’re on the electoral register.
In 2019, more than 30% of those eligible didn’t exercise their democratic right to cast a ballot. If you’re thinking about voting in this year’s general election (or any election for that matter), then make sure you’re registered to vote. If you’ve moved house, changed your name or nationality, then you’ll need to re-register using the same process.
Here’s our simple guide to help you through the process.
1. Visit the Register to Vote webpage
Your first port of call when registering to vote is the government’s Register to Vote page.
2. Add essential information
Once there, you’ll be asked to enter the following information:
Where you live (which UK nation)
Your nationality
Your date of birth
Your full name
Details of any name changes
Your National Insurance (NI) number
Your UK address and postcode
Details of a second address
Information if you’ve permanently left an address in the last 12 months
Your phone number
Your email address
3. Opt in or out of the open register
The electoral register has two versions:
The full version
The open register (known as the edited register in Northern Ireland)
The full version of the electoral register is used for:
Elections and electoral activities
Preventing and detecting crime
Checking applications for loans or credit
Jury summoning in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
The open register is a list of names and addresses that can be bought by a person, company or organisation. It’s often used by charities and businesses to confirm contact details.
If you don’t want your details on the open register, make sure you opt out when you register to vote.
4. Await confirmation
Once you’ve completed the online form, you’ll be given a reference number. Confirmation of your application to vote will be sent to your email address, along with the reference number and details of which Electoral Registration Office (ERO) your application has been sent to. The ERO should respond via email or letter within around 10 working days – but if there is an election taking place in your area when you apply, there could be delays.
The ERO may contact you to confirm the address you have given or to request supporting information.
If your application to vote has been successful, the ERO will inform you that your details have been added to the electoral register.
Voting FAQ
What’s the deadline for registering to vote?
If you want to vote in a specific election, be sure to submit your application before midnight, 12 working days before it takes place. If you miss this deadline, your application will still be processed but you won’t be able to vote in that particular election.
Do I need to register every time I want to vote?
No. Once you’ve applied, you’ll stay on the electoral roll for future elections. However, if you move house, change your name or nationality, then you’ll need to re-register. The ERO will get in touch with you every year to check that they still have the correct details on file.
Do I need to take a photo ID with me when voting?
When voting in person, you must take a form of photo ID with you when you go to the polling station for the following elections and referendums:
UK Parliament by-elections
Local elections in England (including councils, mayors, the Greater London Authority and parishes)
Recall of MP petitions in England, Scotland and Wales
Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales
Neighbourhood planning referendums in England
Local authority referendums in England (including Council Tax increase referendums)
If you want to vote in person but don’t have an accepted form of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate.
How does the ERO check my identity when I register to vote?
When you register to vote, your name, date of birth and NI number will be matched against records held by the government. If they match, your application should go through easily.
If the ERO is struggling to check your identity, they’ll ask for supporting documents such as a passport or driving licence. If you’re unable to provide these, they might allow someone you know (not a family member) to sign an attestation, which is a document confirming your identity.
The ERO can only confirm your application once you’ve sent them supporting documents or an attestation.
What do I do if I’m away when an election is taking place?
If you’re on holiday when the election is due to take place, you’ve got two options.
Apply for a postal vote: You don’t need to give a reason to vote by post. However, you must already be registered to vote before you can apply for a postal vote. You’ll need to apply 11 working days (before 5pm) before the election that you want to vote by post in.
Use a proxy: You can ask someone else (known as a proxy) to vote for you if you’re unable to vote in person. They should be someone you trust and you’ll need to let them know who or what you want to vote for.
