NEWSKeep up to date with the ayrshire college Foundation. Follow us on twitter here
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July 2022
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NEWSKeep up to date with the ayrshire college Foundation. Follow us on twitter here
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Archives
July 2022
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Lynn Kelly, Programme Executive, Bridge2Business - Ayrshire College I thought this would be an ideal time to reflect on the last eight months, since starting with Bridge 2 Business at Ayrshire College.
From innovative classroom workshops, A Nil by Mouth photography competition winner, on-going business projects with Supported Learning Students, exclusive events, exciting new collaborations with local employers, to classroom visits from Local Heroes and support organisations it has been an inspiring and enterprising year, and it’s not over yet! An exclusive highlight was the launch of the Enterprising Students Grant, which is designed to offer Ayrshire College students a comprehensive mentoring support programme and the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to £5,000. A first for a UK College, which is non-restrictive to a student’s age, level or course area. Since September last year, I have been privileged to meet so many inspiring and talented students who are interested in developing their enterprise skills to start up their own business. Four such students were the first to be recently awarded the 5k grant submission deadline in March. This was testament to their dedication to developing their practical skills and putting their ideas into practice, which is key to learning by doing. Each of the four students worked over 2-3 months to develop their business plan, which saw an idea progressing from a few thoughts jotted down to a completed business plan. Although the idea of completing a business plan may sound daunting, if you are passionate about your business idea and believe in the heart of the business – then anything is possible. I saw each student learn new skills and gain knowledge when preparing their business plan. The more they talked about their ideas, their confidence grew as did the scale and potential of their idea. Not all their original plans stayed on track – which is why it is so important to put your ideas into practice to then learn from the experience and adapt. Read the links below to learn more about the students who were approved for the grant and share their personal journey into enterprise. Aaron Gregory Scott Haddow Sandra Laurenson Bryan Shaw When you have a business idea, the quicker you can start to put that idea into practice then the sooner you will learn and develop. Over the last six months, I have worked with students on developing their practical skills, by securing work experience opportunities and exhibition stands at trade events to “sell” their business ideas and products whilst getting feedback and gaining essential practical skills. Networking is key for developing your business idea, as you never know what collaboration opportunities are around the corner. On that note, it was encouraging to see the initial round of applicants collaborate with each other. Bryan Shaw of 18:15 Media created digital campaigns for Scott Haddow’s 11:11 Events business, and Aaron Gregory of Artificial Pathogen created branded T-shirts – all in the name of collaboration and supporting similar start-up businesses. The original four students who have been approved for the grant have all agreed to act as mentors to give advice and support to future students who are planning to start their own business. This is an invaluable opportunity to learn and hear from students who have successfully completed the process and are still learning something new every day! When you start to talk about your ideas, you will soon gain feedback and confidence in your ability. Self-believe is sometimes hard to achieve, but as you make progress and start to develop your skills then this adds confidence to your approach in achieving your goals. The opportunities available now whilst studying at College are incredible. I would encourage every student to make the most of them all, and part of my job is to direct you to the right opportunities for your career and business plans. If you are interested in developing business skills, you can request for me to host a Bridge 2 Business workshop for your class or as part of an event. Equally there are on-going enterprise workshops I host for students interested in starting a business and who wish to apply for the grant, which you can request to join. If you are interested in meeting to discuss your own business plans, then this is something you can book with me anytime. You don’t need have finalised plans, or to have prepared anything – just knowing what you enjoy and how you want to develop your skills is a great starting point. I have included more information about the Bridge 2 Business programme and a link to the website, which hosts great resource materials and all our news updates across colleges in Scotland. At https://bridge2business.org.uk/ we practice a “Learning by Doing” model, designed to get students essential practical skills to develop their business skills. Bridge 2 Business offers college students first hand opportunities to engage with appropriate entrepreneurial role models. Role models who are relevant to college students who have an interest in setting up their own business now or in the future or for those who are looking to take enterprise skills to their workplace. Alongside the opportunity to meet and engage with role models the programme helps connect college students with the great networks that exist in Scotland to support our much-needed start-up businesses. Networking is key for developing your business idea, and here have been several Bridge 2 Business events at the college, which has seen college students in event roles, and presenting whilst developing their networking skills. For more information on the Bridge2business programme available to Ayrshire college students please visit http://www1.ayrshire.ac.uk/enterprising-student/ For information on Bridge 2 Business follow @bridge2business and visit www.bridge2business.org.uk For direct information please contact [email protected]
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An 11-year-old pupil from Wellington School took one giant leap towards her dream career, with an out of this world work experience placement at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Lillie McCluskie was invited to spend the summer in Texas with Sarah Murray, NASA’s Deputy for Vehicle Systems Performance & Analysis. The pair met at Ayrshire College’s Mission Discovery programme last year, supported by many local partners including the Ayrshire College Foundation, and Sarah was so impressed with Lillie’s attitude, knowledge and work ethic that they kept in touch once Sarah had returned to the United States. Now Sarah has given Lillie an inside look at her dream job, with a summer placement at NASA’s Johnson Space Center – where they conduct human spaceflight training, research, and flight control. Last year’s Mission Discovery Ayrshire programme was the third week-long space school at Ayrshire College delivered to secondary school pupils from East, North and South Ayrshire by the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET). Sarah was part of a four-person strong ISSET team that also included NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, ISSET’s Chief Scientist Julie Keeble and ISSET founder Chris Barber. The pupils – who were working in mixed teams throughout the week – were all aged 15, 16 or 17. Except for one: then 10-year-old Lillie McCluskie. Fi McClelland, manager of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, wrote to Ayrshire College asking for special dispensation for Lillie to join the programme. She said that Lillie, who volunteers at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, is obsessed with all things space and has dreams of becoming an astronaut. The College agreed on the basis that she was chaperoned at all times. Lillie not only enjoyed the week-long space programme but she also contributed massively to her team’s project. The teams designed space experiments, knowing that the winning idea would be launched into space and tested by astronauts at the International Space Station. Although Lillie’s team did not win the grand prize, she impressed the ISSET team with her ideas and presentation skills alongside pupils up to 7 years older than her. Since the Ayrshire College programme Lillie has had an amazing year: she’s recorded a podcast for CBeebies radio about telescopes, she’s working with an astronomer to develop resources to teach blind children about astronomy, and she has been asked to appear in a marketing programme about astronomy. Now she’s enjoyed a perfect summer in Houston with Sarah Murray at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Lillie said: “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! Spending time with all the astronauts was a dream come true. I kept having to pinch myself to make sure it was real. I’m incredibly grateful to Sarah for all the amazing opportunities she gave me and can’t wait to go back to Houston next year!” |
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July 2022
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