Eastleigh College becomes the first College in the UK to offer a Supported Apprenticeship for students with Supported Learning needs
Eastleigh College provides all students with the knowledge and skills they need to prepare them for their career.
Level 3 Plumbing student represents Eastleigh College during the regional heats for the annual HIP UK Heating Apprentice of the Year competition.
Jordan, a Level 3 Eastleigh College student was put forward to compete in the South West regional heat, after he won a competition testing his skills and knowledge against his peers’ last year. The regional heat which was held last week at Petroc College in Devon, saw Jordan being challenged against other apprentices and full-time students.
Each student was set specific tasks to complete which tested their ability to produce a good quality of work using their skills, while working under pressure, as expected in the industry. Jordan is a full-time student at Eastleigh College with limited experience fitting equipment to tight deadlines, so the time pressure experience he gained from taking part in the competition was second to none.
Jordan, highlights what the competition meant to him, “It was a good and fun experience but also a challenge to try and fit everything into the time frame of six hours. It was a great opportunity to test my skills and see what I can do, and a lot of the things I have learned in the workshop helped me in the competition.”
The annual competition has been running for nine years and is an opportunity for students to gain recognition for their hard work and skills they have learned at college, or in the workplace. The event is also a chance for the college to network with leading industry manufacturers and support the next generation of installers.
Plumbing Lecturer and Teaching and Learning Coach, Michael Lock comments on the competition, “I’m proud of Jordan for testing his abilities while working under time constraints which is an area Jordan has not been exposed to before. It was a great learning curve and will look great on his CV. I hope the College will be involved in more competitions to recognise our students’ hard work and skill sets which makes them more employable and stronger in the industry.”
To find out more about Apprenticeships and Full-time courses in Plumbing, visit the careers webpage.
Eastleigh College provides all students with the knowledge and skills they need to prepare them for their career.
Apprentice Dominic Dray recently won Gold in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, at the WorldSkills UK Live Event, held at the NEC, Birmingham.