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.

On Friday the 20^th of January, we hosted an event at our Broadway campus, organised by Lord Austin of Dudley, alongside our Students’ Union and other local organisations to commemorate individuals, families and generations who have been and are still affected by the events of the Holocaust. It was attended by a variety of individuals from the local community, including faith leaders, members of the community and students from across Dudley borough.  

The commemoration involved a variety of speakers in our main hall, where we were joined by special guest and Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke BEM. It was an honour to have her at Dudley College, talking about her story and experience. Eva was born in Mauthausen concentration camp, Austria, on 29th April 1945. She and her mother were the only survivors of their family. 

Students that had taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s project ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ also spoke about their experiences, with photography students Sarah Ralph & Miah Bryan having been nominated to visit Auschwitz next February by the HET through the project to learn more about the effects of the Holocaust. 

‘Ordinary People’ was the theme for this year’s commemoration; the Holocaust was caused, affected and ended by ordinary people. This theme is to help ordinary people understand how everyone can take action to prevent and challenge situations of prejudice and discrimination today. 

A tree was also planted in Coronation Gardens to celebrate 80 years of the work the Association of Jewish Refugees has been doing, as well as paying tribute to AJR member Fred Austin MBE. This tree was also for Dudley Council to commemorate the work that the Dudley Refugee Committee does to continue welcoming refugees into the local community. 

Students’ Union President, Mollie-Amelia Hehir, said “We are so pleased that once again we can collaborate and highlight the importance of this event to our student members.”

“While the events of the Holocaust cannot be compared to the injustices of today, it is a reminder of the world we live in and we should never be silent upon seeing wrongdoing.”

“The event helps us educate all of our community members and act as a commitment to sharing the legacy of this dark period in history.”

We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in organising the event, with special thanks to our photography students; Beth Hewitt, Josh Harper, Jesse Jewkes, Sarah Ralph, Miah Bryan, Hollie Carrington & Corey Challenger, for capturing the event. 

If you’d like to find out more about Eva and her mother’s incredible story, please visit the link: www.het.org.uk/survivors-eva-clarke 

Higher Education Graduation 2022 saw family, friends, staff and members of the college’s corporation all came together to share in the success of this year’s graduates. Almost three hundred people gathered on Saturday 26^th November to formally recognise the hard work and commitment of learners graduating in over 25 programmes of study. 

David Whatton Chair of the College’s Corporation led the celebrations conferring HNC, HND and raft of professional qualifications on learners in disciplines as diverse as  HNC Computing and HND Animal Management.  

Neil Thomas Chief Executive Officer and Principal of Dudley College congratulated learners for staying the course; recognising many of them persevered with their studies throughout the uncertainty of Covid. Amongst them were a number of college staff who completed their studies in Teaching and Management, whilst also delivering lessons online to their own students.  

A particularly poignant moment in the ceremony came when a posthumous teaching award was presented by Neil, to Gemma and Lucy the wife and daughter of colleague Jeremy Pettifor. Jeremy achieved his ambition of qualifying as a tutor shortly before his tragically early death, this year. Conveying their delight at Jeremy’s memory being honoured in this way, Gemma and Lucy shared their pride in his achievement with everyone present.  

A sincere vote of thanks was given on behalf of all students by Level 4 Mechanical Engineering graduate Noah Megyesi- Schwartz, who admitted he had given his own parents some grey hairs during the last two years, as he struggled to meet the demanding workload higher education entails. But praised the support of tutors who had been instrumental in providing both the support and challenge he needed.  

Fittingly, Georgina Barnard, Managing Director of the Black Country and Marches Institute of Technology conducted the ceremony as the particular contributions of the Universities of Wolverhampton and Worcester, the IoT’s university partners:, was recognised for helping to expand HE opportunities locally and providing pathways to final degree programmes.   

On behalf of every one in attendance Neil Thomas thanked all of the staff who made this a remarkable event for all those involved.  The day ran like clockwork, and from the kind words guests shared with Neil, the day was regarded as a landmark in the lives of both the graduates and their families, one which will be remembered for many years to come.

Photographs from the day can be downloaded and shared from our Higher Awards Ceremony 2022 Flickr album.

Local charity Ronnie and Friends. has received a massive boost thanks to the fundraising efforts of  staff and students at Dudley College of Technology and the generosity of  the Saleem Foundation.  As part of activities supporting national Baby Loss awareness week, which ran from the 12^th of October learners at the college raised over £850 for the charity in just a week. And a generous donation of £1,000 from the Saleem Foundation has bolstered their fundraising efforts further.

Ronnie and Friends was founded to support Dudley Group NHS Charity Baby Bereavement by College employee Aimee Garratt ,in memory of her son Ronnie. Benefiting from the huge support she received from the trained midwifes and the sanctuary of the specialist bereavement delivery suite at Russells Hall hospital Aimee was motivated to set up her own charity to help other mothers receive the kind of support she valued. Commenting on the fundraising she said:

“After the loss of my baby I wanted to do something to help other people going through this dreadful time and I knew how much the specialist facilities and staff had helped me cope with the trauma of my experience, so it seemed right to try to help the hospital build a second purpose built delivery suite. I’m delighted to have the backing of not only my family and friends but my employer too, in helping the fundraising effort.”  

Through a series of activities involving learners from across the college who ran coffee mornings, offered free beauty treatments in exchange for fundraising donations and a sold raffle tickets with prizes donated by businesses who work with the college, money was collected to support the work of the charity which was founded in 2022.

Praising the generosity of staff and students; Chief Executive and Principal of Dudley College of Technology  Neil Thomas said:

“Ronnie & Friends is one of three charities that the college has chosen to support this year, as it is a cause close to the heart of many. The grief that families feel, and the value of their babies’ lives is often seen to be very private matter and not publicly acknowledged, which is something we wanted to help redress. We have over 500 students studying health and care related programmes and have been able to draw on the expertise of the bereavement team from Russell’s Hall Hospital who have worked with students to educated them about this subject. This year is the 20^th anniversary of Baby Loss Awareness week, and awareness raising continues to grow.” 

Director of Human Resources at Dudley College ; Kathryn Jones whose team helped to spearhead the activity said:

“I am aware of a number of our own staff who have been affected by the loss of a child in pregnancy, and it seemed right that we mark Baby Loss Awareness Week in this way. It’s great that over 60 charities in the UK collaborate on this activity to foster wider public understanding and call for tangible improvements in research, care and policy around bereavement support.”  

 After hearing of the fundraising activity, Cllr Shaz Saleem founder of The Saleem Foundation Charity, has also donated a thousand pounds to the cause, which chimed with the Foundations values to support serious causes across the Dudley Borough in a broad range of areas including mental health and wellbeing. Talking about the work of the Foundation he said:

“The Saleem Foundation wants to support grass root groups working at the heart of our community to make life better for our residents. Ronnie and Friends is one such organisation, with a big heart and a clear aim. With the way things are in the world, it’s important to get involved, work together and be united in making positive change. So, I’m delighted we could make this gesture of support.”

Holly Haden specialist midwife and bereavement lead at Dudley NHS Trust received the donation on behalf of Rusells Hall praising the efforts of everyone involved saying:

“One in four pregnancies results in baby loss so, this impacts on hundreds of people every year.  Over 50 families used our specialist suite last year and they tell us it provides some comfort to them. We need to raise £45k to build a second suite and thanks to efforts such as these we are well on our way.”

Anyone wanting to donate to Ronnie and Friends, can do so through their “Just Giving” page at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ronnieandfriends

Meet Cassidy Woodrow, Level 3 Photography student, who has been selected as one of the Top 10 Photography Students nationally! She recently exhibited her work in the diversity competition, which was held at The Photography Show at The NEC, Birmingham. 

She has also won a range of prestigious awards, including Dudley’s Young Photographer of the Year 2022. 

Cassidy, former Beacon Hill Academy student, told us: “I chose Dudley College because I heard nothing but good things. All of my siblings have been to Dudley College and they all had amazing experiences. Everyone is so lovely, welcoming and supportive and I wouldn’t have performed as well without all the support from tutors and staff. The atmosphere I get from being at college is great.” 

In the future, Cassidy would like to set up her own freelance photography business. However, she is keeping her options open for University too.

We are so proud of her excellent achievements. She is a fantastic role model to others and an exceptional student here at the college. 

Cassidy has shared about her experience of the college in our latest video, which you can watch below.