Foundation Degree in Broadcast and Interactive TV students enjoyed an innovative day at the Broadcast and Video Expo held at Earls Court on Tuesday 16^th February.  The students travelled to London to see over 200 specialists in the digital market present and showcase their wares.  

Interactive seminars on offer ranged from Underwater filming, Production Theatre, 3D Graphics and Animation to Sony Workshops showing how to create Blu-ray discs and presenting the latest technological advancements.

Among the FD students visiting the show, Will Aylward (18) said " I have gleaned so much information from the event today. It has given me a taste of the industry and it's great to talk to the professionals in this environment. There is such a breadth of information and I am  keen to see all the new functionality that is becoming available in the market.

I was actually going to have a gap year and go to university but I went to a WKC Open Day and saw the TV studios and the host of professional equipment I decided to take the course. They also offer so many more teaching hours on this course opposed to just the theory. It's such a good level of study and with industry professionals. It's also great to see a lot of our equipment matches up to some which is here which is the most up to date in the industry! "

Tony Osborne said "It's great that the college bring us to these events so we can interact with all the industry professionals. I work for Apple in my spare time and to come and see this event has really been an eye opener.  I have been very interested in the 3D television aspects. It's been great to learn in detail about the distinction between 2D and 3D and how this actually works when footage is taken.  I attended a seminar by Adobe and to see all the latest products was amazing."

The general opinion from other students mirrored the conclusion that the event was a successful outing. Some found it a little daunting being surrounded by producers and directors, but maintained that this would enhance their aspirations and one day this would be them!

Amongst the exhibitors were Vinten (part of the global corporation Vitec Group) who recently donated some filming equipment to the College. Vinten are one of the many vital connections that have been built up over the years through our industry professional tutors.

West Kent College held a hairdressing competition showcasing the talent of twelve of the College's work-based learners on Tuesday, 9^th February. Students were given 45 minutes to finish off a complete look, from hair, to make up and clothing, to represent a period in history. Judges Julie and Chantelle Matthias from Just Soe Salon of Excellence and Training in Gillingham, Jona McCann from Garbo's in Tunbridge Wells and Emma Barden from Adrian Clucas, also in Tunbridge Wells found the standard really high.

The winner was Tom Birch, a West Kent College apprentice with Matthew Cross Haircare Salon in Sevenoaks, for his creative interpretation of a twenties/thirties inspired look, modelled by Jenna Warner, complete with cocktail glass! Tom, who won a camcorder said: "I'm so pleased to have won. I'd never dreamt of being a hairdresser, but I was working in a salon as a Saturday job and the manager spotted potential in me and suggested I get a qualification. So I started a course at West Kent College and discovered I had a passion for hairdressing. It's not just a job - every day's different. The training and knowledge I receive at the College, put together with the experience I gain at work through the apprenticeship has benefitted me hugely. This is demonstrated through my competition work and completion of the course."

Tom's boss, Matthew Cross, commented "I was amazed at Tom's ability to accomplish something like that in 45 minutes. I thought the overall standard was really good, a few of the entrants really shone out and I think the judges got it right with their choices of first, second and third."

Congratulations also go to Lucia Bresifer in second place, who was presented with a hair straightener/curler kindly donated by Sally Salon Services and Carys Evans who came third and received a curling iron kindly donated by The Hair Studio at Hoopers.

The event was one of the first projects to benefit from funding from a new College initiative - the 'Enterprise Factor'. This initiative supports projects that challenge and inspire students and that allow students to showcase their talents for the local community and employers. This event was an all-round effort, with support from James Bennett and Jasmine Farram from ND Photography and Andrew Martyn, a Performing Arts: Production student.

West Kent College's television and production student Holly Jeffery recently returned from working at the famous Elstree studios filming Celebrity Big Brother. She has been a runner and is going back to work on the last series in the Summer.

Holly said "I watched it for years and when I first went up there and saw how big an operation it is - it's just crazy, so many people are involved, it is pretty intense. My parents are really proud. They were a bit scared at first because I had to move to London to stay in a hotel." Of the course at WKC, Holly said " In sixth form I was a bit lost, I didn't really know what to do, and then this course at WKC jumped right out at me. I thought it would be good fun and when I got here I realised I absolutely loved it."

Holly's tutor, Paul Andersen, who will spearhead the college's brand new Foundation Degree in Broadcast and Interactive Television from September 2010, said the show was a "great start to her career, it's fantastic and it's a really unique experience. Over the years we've had people go on to the BBC and lots of students go on to post-production houses in London."

Holly, whose job this summer will involve digitising footage, providing the editors with technical support and ensuring they have all they need to edit the show, said her highlight of this series was the wrap party.

The Tanner Brothers

Why did you choose West Kent and what did you study?

West Kent always had an excellent reputation for further education studies. There is a 5 year age gap between us so we studied at different times. James studied a BTEC diploma and Chris studied the City & Guilds 706-1/ 706-2.

What you're doing now/how you got there.

We have built up our own restaurant group based in the South West, currently employing around 50 persons. Our flagship site Tanners was established in July 1999. Our brasserie, the Barbican Kitchen will have been open for 4 years in April 2010. We are also involved in the media, with James in his 7^th year on Ready Steady Cook. We have written two books, and James is currently writing a book for release in Spring 2010.

2007 was a particularly exciting year: We were awarded Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Plymouth University for our services to the Hospitality Industry, and Tanners became the AA's Restaurant of the Year for England.

Did you have to do further study after West Kent?

The college was extremely good on guiding people towards further study if you needed it, however we both chose not to. We felt confident to go into our chosen industry immediately.

What's your most vivid memory of your time at West Kent?

Our college days were the best days of our lives. Looking back everyone was focused (well nearly everyone) and obviously wanted to go into their chosen industry, and therefore had a common purpose to succeed. The lecturers were very approachable and dedicated, and the organised trips were memorable. It still feels like yesterday!

Who's inspired you in your life?

Our Dad continues to inspire us. From the industry, for Chris it was the Roux Brothers, Albert and Michel. For James, Martin Blunos who owned restaurant Lettonie for some years. We now inspire each other (most of the time)

What advice would you give to a prospective WKC student?

You will not be disappointed! WKC has always been held in high esteem. As the industry changes, so does the WKC; keeping up to date with the latest trends whilst retaining the foundations of expertise and care that are so important in a modern world. Think carefully about your future plans and aspirations, and remember you can only succeed if you want to.

West Kent College played host to inspectors from OfSTED on their 'Focussed Monitoring Visit' on Wednesday and Thursday (6^th-7^th Jan) last week. The visit differs from a full inspection as it is considered as an interim progress report and risk assessment during the period between the full inspections. In this case, the College was being visited to ensure we are continuing to progress in improving outcomes for our learners. The visit looked at a number of areas that impact on our learners, including success rates for short courses, the use of ILT to promote learning, the College's courses for 14-16 year-olds and how the College responds to feedback from learners.  

Although the full results will not be reported to the College for at least four weeks, the initial feedback was positive, prompting the Lead OfSTED Inspector to comment that the College was operating "better than business as normal".

Alison Monk, Deputy Principal at West Kent College said: " We await the full report but are delighted with the immediate response. The visit took place in appalling weather conditions and we are very grateful to the staff and students who went the extra mile to attend College".