Years of hard work since the age of 14, when she began her part-time job in a salon, has resulted in a Dudey College of Technology student making it through to the final of this year’s WorldSkills UK hair dressing competition. 

Amelia Higgins (aged 20) a Level 3 Hairdressing Apprentice at college,  fought her way to the national finals after last month winning a closely contested West Midlands regional heat.  Demonstrating a range of technical skills including a classic cut and style and an editorial style hair up, Amelia was celebrated as one of the top seven stylists in the country, when selected to go forward to compete in the national finals in Manchester in November. 

She now faces a gruelling four-day competition in which she will produce a range of hairdressing looks including classic “bridal” hair, razored mullet, catwalk hair, natural textures and balayage.  Looking forward to the big event Amelia said:  

“It’s been a lot of hard work taking part in the Wordskills, whilst working full-time in the salon, but the support I have received from my employer, customers and staff and students at college has, been tremendous.” 

Her employer is Dy8 Desinz, in Stourbridge where Senior Director Isabelle Rose has given Amelia a huge amount of support and encouragement throughout the completion, transferring her own passion for creative hairdressing to Amelia.  

Thinking about heading to the finals Amelia is excited as she believes the competition has helped her to develop her own skills saying: 

“Taking part in Worldskills, competing against the best young hairdressers in the country has driven me to deepen my own skills and unleash my creativity. The best part for me is responding to the competition briefs in the most creative way I can, hopefully producing something of a high standard that will wow the judges!”  

And as a competitor in this year’s national finals Amelia could be invited to join the WorldSkills UK International Development Programme for the WorldSkills Competition in 2026, which will be hosted in Denmark.  

The Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology (IoT) today announced an exciting collaboration with two new college providers in the Marches.  

Joining forces with Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College and Telford College, the partnership will see much needed higher-level skills in engineering delivered in the Marches area. 

Led by Dudley College of Technology, the Black Country and Marches IoT aims to meet the skills demands of industry by providing technical training from Level 4, up to degree-level with university partners.  

The new partnerships were today confirmed through a formal launch event at the Black Country and Marches IoT main site on Zoological Way in Dudley. 

Commenting on the new partnership, Susanne Davies, Director – Black Country and Marches IoT and Partnerships at Dudley College of Technology, said: “We are delighted to have new partners on board to bring the wider reach of the IoT to the Marches area. Initially focusing on much-needed engineering skills, these new partnerships will inspire new entrants or those already in the workforce to achieve higher level qualifications in a sector with significant skills gaps, including a shortage of new recruits moving into roles. 

“Today’s announcement builds on the existing partnerships in place with Avensys, In-Comm, the University of Worcester and the University of Wolverhampton – working together through the Black Country and Marches IoT with a shared vision of delivering higher technical education and training for the jobs of today and tomorrow, transforming our local economy and people’s lives for the better.” 

Commenting on the new partnership Deputy Chief Executive of Telford College Janet Stephens, said:  

“It’s a natural strategic fit for Telford College to work under the banner of the Institute of Technology, as our purposes are aligned.  

“We are already working in close partnerships with business to deliver world-class technical education and training. It will allow us to expand our offering by delivering more niche short courses in specialist skills including mechanical engineering, electrical and computer aided design – meeting the skills needs of local employers. 

“By providing industry-led training that is designed by employers with clear career progression, we want to ensure young people and adults have the skills they need to build well-paid rewarding careers – while local businesses gain highly skilled and productive workers. 

“The BCMIoT has established itself as an organisation that listens to what employers want and delivers it and that is what we are all about too.”  

Echoing that, David Williams, Chief Executive and Principal of Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College said:  

“Our Local Skills Improvement Plan has highlighted a real need to address the skills gap in the Marches. By working together through the Black Country and Marches IoT, we can address this gap across the wider region and ensure that the technical skills and knowledge needed to overcome the biggest challenges communities face are accessible to all.”  Telford College’s delivery will be focussing on a number of new engineering pathways and skills delivery in emerging digital technologies, which are in high demand amongst Marches employers. Whilst Herefordshire , Ludlow and Shropshire College expect to focus their programmes at their Holme Lacey site linked to sustainable construction. 

As we return to a sense of normality post Covid, our students have once again done us proud with BTEC level 2 qualifications achieving a pass rate of 92.5% showing a 4.6% increase from 21/22 academic year. With Art & Design and Business both achieving 100%.

Our C&G Technical qualifications at level 2 stormed in with a 100% pass rate, an increase of 10% from 21/22. Some of our outstanding technical programmes include:

• Technical Certificate in Bricklaying, where 25% of learners achieved at least a distinction grade and 69% at least a merit grade.
• Technical Certificate in Site Carpentry, 21% of learners achieved at least a distinction grade (71% at least a merit).
• Technical Certificate in Plastering, 66.7% of learners achieved at least a merit grade.
• Technical Certificate in Electrical Installation, 87.5% of learners achieved at least a merit grade.

In this academic year, for students who resat their GCSEs with us after failing at school, 63.2% of them achieved a grade 4 or above in their final grade for English and 22.7% of them achieved a grade 4 or above in their final grade for maths.

Nicole Mapolisa came to Dudley College after moving to the UK last year. She wanted to get her GCSEs in Maths and English so she would have the best opportunities to progress. She said:

“I’m so happy that my hard work has paid off! I’ve achieved GCSE English grade 6 – I never thought I would do that well. My tutors have been amazing, and I can’t thank them enough for their support. Next, I’m going to study Science Level 3 here at Dudley College, and then I want to progress to university to become either an Engineer or Doctor.” 

Neil Thomas, Chief Executive & Principal, commented:

“We have been at the heart of further education for more than a century and we are delighted to be helping our students achieve to their potential and start on their career journeys. Vocational learning continues to drive forward our place in society with many of our learners returning to us to continue their learning journey or going direct into employment.  

The results today prove that achievement comes in many forms including academic learning and hands-on training. We are proud to offer our local school leavers this balance and drive excellence across the Black Country”.

For all those collecting their GCSE results, whatever your grades we can support you through to your chosen career. Call into college this week and next week to secure your place. You can also visit our enrolment page for more information.

Dudley College of Technology and Dudley Sixth students are celebrating another successful year of study, as today they receive their final results.

Achievements in vocational programmes has been strong with an overall Level 3 BTEC pass rate of 90.8%, with 30% of passes being achieved at distinction level. And the overall rate for Extended Diploma was even better at 94.6%. 

In the new T level provision, students achieved a fabulous 100% pass rate in all four subjects, with 47% of all learners achieving distinctions. Particularly good performance was achieved in T level in Digital Support Services with 86% of learners obtaining distinctions and in T level in Education and Early Years where it was 82%.

Against a national trend of depressed A level results Dudley Sixth College students secured a100% overall pass rate in 24 of the 29 A level subjects. With Dudley students passing at a higher rate than their counterparts in the rest of England (JCQ pass rate for England 97.2%, Dudley pass rate 98.1%). But even more impressively 44% of all entries were achieved at high grades (A* -B) and 72% of all entries A*-C.

Celebrating with learners today College Chief Executive and Principal Neil Thomas said.  

“I’m delighted to see many students performing at this level and getting the grades they deserve. For many of them this is the first time they have sat formal examinations, so it is a mark of their hard work and that of their teachers they have done so well.”

Commenting on the A level performance Ben France, Curriculum Manager for Dudley Sixth said:

“I’m pleased that so many of them have achieved the grades they needed to secure their places at top universities.  I am particularly pleased that this year we have seen a very strong performance with all entries in a range of subjects including Economics, further maths and Media studies achieving A* to C.  And our performance in Science Technology Engineering and Maths subjects (STEM) was consistent with the last three years achieving 100% pass rate in Biology and Chemistry and 97% in Physics. We have seen a “deflation” of grades this year in line with the national pattern and we will be seeking a regrade for several students. I do believe it was too soon to remove all the mitigations that were extended to learners impacted by Covid especially as those concessions have continued in Wales, Scotland and Ireland., so it is especially pleasing that so many learners have done so well.”

Both Dudley College and Dudley Sixth are currently taking applications for September admission. Higher Education courses are also available at the college.  Students who are interested in joining should telephone 0800 783 6095 for further information or visit www.dudleycol.ac.uk  for technical courses and dudleysixth.co.uk.

Celebrating Success 2023

Dudley College of Technology reinstated its Celebrating Success Awards Event, after the hiatus of the pandemic on Friday 16 June.  The event saw over 60 learners and their parents, family and friends attend the showcase for the outstanding achievements of learners – providing the opportunity to acknowledge the journey they had been on.  The awards were given in three main categories Outstanding Academic Achievement, Outstanding Distance Travelled, and Outstanding Achievement in English or maths. In addition, there were three Principals’ Awards the first was the Greener Future Award, awarded to Dan Watts who is currently studying at Entry Level 3. This award was given for the work he does at Saltwells nature Reserve maintaining wildlife habitats, litter picking and generally contributing to the maintenance of the environment.  The second award was the Principal’s award for contribution to our community, awarded to Molly Capewell for her work at the McMillan care home where she was initially on work placement but has continues to contribute to their fund-raising efforts and work with their residents. Thirdly, Dudley Sixth learner Ravneet Kaur won the Principal’s award for contribution to college life. Ravneet, who was nominated by the Students’ Union (SU) is an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Manager and an active member of the SU helping to mentor other learners across college as part of her many activities.

The evening began with a reception at which Music Production and Music Technology students performed an upbeat set list under the guidance of Tutor Matt Dudley. The awards ceremony itself was hosted by Chief Executive and Principal of the College: Neil Thomas and Vice Principal Curriculum: Dian Martin, with special contributions from Assistant Principal’s Rachel Corns, Samantha Jocelyn Sears and Claire Millard. 

The event was given the Wow! factor when guests were treated to memorable performances from Performing Arts Dance and Musical Theatre students: Susanna Greaney, Hannah Burgess,  Lucas Harrison, Clarissa Prince and Icarus Walker.

All of the winners were very much deserving of their prizes, and it was a proud moment for everyone there to acknowledge the diligence, perseverance and sheer effort the learners had given over the last academic year. 

Pictures from the event can be downloaded here : Celebrating Success 2023 | Flickr

The award winners were:

Outstanding achievement	Outstanding Personal Achievement	Outstanding achievement in English or Maths
Krzysztof Lomaziej	Zion Kelly
Sean Boyle	Shahinoor Rahman	Wesley Overton
David Price	Deon Gayle	Hussain Qadir
Jack Kerswill	Daniel Hancox
Chandni Lotia	Charlotte Carter	Mariam Abdallah
Olivia Prejs	Samathan Clarke	Madeleine Darby
Kirsty Clift	Jamal Mughal	Hezekiah Seriki
Mia Beddoe	Angad Jagtap
Shayera Afsar	Gurleen Kaur
Killian Crossan-Wale	Maria Cuestas	Brad Colley
Kaya Davy	Ethaniel Hickman Wright	Abigail Foxall
Natasha Darby	Cassidy Woodrow
Paige Benbow	Victoria Turley	Susanna Greaney
Jaskarnjit Singh	Zacary Barrett	Steffan Pearson
Zachary Lamb	Alfie Marsh	Kieron Simmonds
Lewis Taylor-Edgington	Josh Moon	Brandon Guest
Connor Pearson)	Aiden Nichols	Archie Randley
Adam Everiss	Jordan Hussain	Jamie Pitt
Lee Wilkes	Brandon Gamble	Tj Priest
Fakhreldin Yahia	Yobba Jallow
Leah Williams	Marni Evans	Miracle Ebdon
Ruby Ward	Kacey Forrest	Emmy Rogers
Katie Clee	Shannon Hinton	Elliot Guest
Alex Ancill	Tia-Mae Smith	Olivia Webb
Willem Jones	Emil Sid
		Jamie Mansell
	Ajae Obaze	Ralfs Viksna
Mehreen Ali	Callum Sidaway	Owen Capewell
Jade Charlton	Cameron Hewitt	Benjamin Dallimore
Lilli Holmes	Ben Richardson	Khizer Mahmood
Lauren Hill	Molly Weston	Manpreet Kaur
	Irene Chidlow	Lenny Bate
Callum Hubble	Rahmah Ghalib	Tammy Whitehead
Charlotte Endicott
Eve Woodfield	BIlly Jinks

The exhibitions are a chance for people to view work by emerging creatives in the Black Country, Birmingham, and the wider West Midlands region and to find out about the range of arts courses the college provides.

Students at the college have also helped to raise thousands of pounds for the Ronnie and Friends charity. It was founded to support Dudley Group NHS Charity Baby Bereavement by College employee Aimee Garratt, in memory of her son Ronnie. The students have made a book of all their charity work in this area, which they presented to Mayor.

The Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Andrea Goddard, said:

“I really enjoyed myself at the Artsfest exhibition, it was lovely to meet the students and see the sheer range and quality of the work they’d produced. The arts department offers a huge range of courses and there was just so much to see – paintings, clothes and fashion, music, photography and more. 

“The students were clearly passionate about their subjects and I’m sure with their talent and the support of their tutors, will go on to greater things.”

Commenting on the event Neil Thomas, Principal and Chief Executive of Dudley College of Technology said: 

“This annual event has become a highlight of the Arts calendar at Dudley, with hundreds of pieces of work on display, showcasing the diversity and quality of what students produce. Any member of the public can come and look round and I’m sure they will be stimulated by the breadth of creative talent we have”. 

Praising the hard work of students, Phil Brooks, Course Leader in Photography, at Dudley College of Technology, noted:

“Artsfest provides our students with the opportunity to showcase their work in a professional setting. It also gives visitors the chance to see first-hand what they are capable of, and with the new virtual exhibition which we introduced during Covid, even more people can see the results of all their hard work.

“I’m really proud of everything they’ve achieved, both with their studies but also the effort they’ve put into their fundraising. It was a pleasure to be able to share both the exhibition and their specially printed book documenting all of this, with the mayor.”

Artsfest runs daily from 9.00am to 8.00pm with a Performing Arts showcase on Tuesday 13^th June 6.00 – 7.45pm at the Evolve Theatre and a Media Production showcase showcasing short films and documentaries on Wednesday 14^th June 7.00 – 9.00pm also at the Evolve Theatre.

On Monday 13^th March, a combination of Level 1 to 3 Photography, Art, Graphic Design, Production Arts, Music and Tourism students along with members of staff took on the challenge of climbing Scafell Pike, despite challenging weather conditions. Accompanying the group on the day was former Dudley Mayor Steve Waltho, as an experienced climber, he helped the group of 30 reach 1,500 feet from the foot of the mountain. As the weather took a turn for the worst towards the end of last week which persisted through to their trip, achieving this height was even more impressive and a great reflection of the resolve and enthusiasm of our staff and students! 

This hike was in support of the College’s nominated charities, Ronnie & Friends and Black Country Mental Health, which students and staff have now raised approximately £1,500 for. This was through events such as bake sales, organised and hosted by students and Phil Brooks, along with other staff members from across the college. Individual students have also been fundraising for this cause, with Photography student Louis Simcox raising over £300 through his own efforts! 

Founder of Ronnie & Friends and staff member Aimee Garratt spoke about the fundraising, 

‘We are well on our way to reaching our goal, currently near £13k! This has been achieved by the fantastic community support and fundraising events, including the efforts of the wonderful Dudley College staff and students who recently climbed Scafell Pike, they are a true inspiration and I am so proud to work with them and have them supporting Ronnie and friends.’ 

Aimee set up Ronnie & Friends as a local charity dealing with baby bereavement, after having her own experience dealing with the loss of a baby. 

‘I founded Ronnie and friends after the loss of our beautiful little boy Ronnie, who was born sleeping on the 23rd of June 2022. The loss of a child is unexplainable, it is a pain that Ronnie’s Daddy and I will live with for the rest of our lives, along with our family. 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss, that’s 1 in 4 Mommy’s, Daddy’s and extended families that feel how we feel.  

‘Currently Russell Halls Hospital has 1 bereavement suite, which allows families to spend time with their precious babies, in private away from the ‘normal’ delivery environment. The current room allowed us to spend time with Ronnie, however with currently only 1 room available, if two families face the devasting loss of losing their baby, one family would have to wait or deliver in a ‘normal delivery suite’. As a mom that has lost, I am unable to imagine the additional trauma that this would bring.’ 

The Scafell Pike hike and all fundraising that has already taken place has been a massive achievement for our staff and students and is greatly appreciated by these charities and the local community.  

Donations from all are still welcome, please contact Aimee.Garratt@dudleycol.ac.uk for more information. 

SWAPs are currently receiving an injection of government funding, which is administered by the WMCA regionally, as the government seeks to help jobseekers who are claiming either Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), to build confidence, improve job prospects and enhance CVs whilst also helping businesses build a skilled workforce.

Commenting on the success of the SWAPs which are run from the centre, Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Dudley College, Neil Thomas said: “Our sector-based work academy programme (SWAPs) is an opportunity to learn new skills and get an experience of working in a particular industry.

Participants continue to receive benefits whilst taking part in a SWAP and receive support with covering the cost of public transport and childcare whilst studying. The best thing about them is that each SWAP is linked to one or more genuine job vacancy. Last year nearly half of the people completed SWAP programmes were then taken directly into employment, which is something we are really proud of”.

During his visit Andy met with Pauline Jones, Business Manager at the Department of Work and Pensions who works closely with the Skills Shop to refer people to the centre who will benefit from a skills boost. Learners such as   Beth Illidge, who has been recently unemployed and was attending the Skills Shop to find out about the pre-employment training she could benefit from and the hospitality SWAP which is supported by three local employers, McDonalds, KFC, and The Hop House who are working with the centre to recruit new employees.

Anyone wishing to join a SWAP or employers looking to fill vacancies should contact Black Country Skills Shop team on 01384 363790.

Our very own Photography students Beth Hewitt, Marni Parkes, Sarah Ralph, Olivia Rhoden and Jordy Webb were successfully selected by Historic England in the project ‘Picturing High Streets’. This exhibition aims to depict high streets, individuals and communities around the country. The soon to arrive exhibition is part of a three-year project presented by Historic England and Photoworks in partnership with various national photography organisations. 

All of those who entered photographs were given fortnightly challenges with themes such as “high street hang outs” and “bright lights to dark nights”. Photographs were submitted by posting under the hashtag #PicturingHighStreets on Instagram, with all entries creating an unofficial archive which documents high streets. 60 entries in total were selected out of over 1,000 entries nationwide to be displayed in a variety of towns and cities across the country, so we are ever so proud of our students’ achievements in being selected! 

Dudley College of Technology has appointed Professor Paul Noon OBE, as its new Chair of Corporation. 

He will succeed David Whatton on the 1^st April 2023, the current Chair, who steps down following eight dedicated years of service to the Corporation, four of which in the role of chair.

Paul’s appointment follows a robust recruitment process led by David, to find his successor.

Paul is well suited to the position with an extensive career in the public sector with previous roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and as Regional Director of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) West Midlands. He currently works as Pro-Vice Chancellor (Enterprise and Innovation) for Coventry University where he is involved in projects as diverse as developing the health sector in Yorkshire and aviation and manufacturing sectors in Indonesia and Brazil.

With his vast experience in developing the economic prosperity of the UK, supporting business of all sizes to develop their export markets -Paul champions a de-centralised approach to economic development working collaboratively with the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Midlands Engine to drive growth and prosperity in the West Midlands region.

Commenting on Paul’s appointment David Whatton said:

“I am delighted we have been able to secure such an outstanding appointment for the post of Chair of the college’s Corporation. I am confident Paul will help the college to continue to give a great education and experience to all of our students. His background and knowledge will also help the college to meet the needs of our communities and the businesses we serve.  His professional experience and wider understanding will help the Governors and the staff of the college to navigate the changes in further education and ensure that Dudley College continues to be the best college of technology in the country.”

Welcoming Paul and thanking David prior to the hand over Neil Thomas, Chief Executive and Principal of Dudley College of Technology said:

“David has been a huge personal support to me in my leadership of the college, helping to make it the vibrant place it is today. I very much look forward to working with Paul to continue the college’s journey of success by developing innovative approaches to meeting the skills needs of our economy.”

Paul will initially take up the role for a period of four years.