Fourteen apprentices from Keighley College have been assisting a local engineering company in the manufacturing of ventilator parts.

Shipley-based Produmax specialises in high precision engineering, operating globally in partnership with aerospace manufacturers. The firm typically produces machined components and assemblies. However, it has now begun manufacturing ventilator equipment due to the increased demand within the NHS.

As part of a longstanding partnership with Keighley College, students on engineering and business improvement courses can take part in apprenticeships at Produmax alongside their study. Many students have been on apprenticeships at the firm for over three years and the programme covers first, second and third year apprentices.

As a result of the recent rise in demand for ventilators, apprentices have been supporting the manufacturing of component parts, using advanced computer numerical control equipment and employing subtractive and additive machining techniques.

Ronnie Magee, deputy head of Keighley College, said: “It’s fantastic to see a local company supporting the NHS during these challenging times. Our apprentices are thrilled to be able to make a difference and assist with producing ventilator components. These apprenticeships are incredibly valuable for students, as they develop advanced practical skills while gaining great insight into a work environment.”

Paul Birtles, operations director at Produmax, added: “The apprentices have been a phenomenal help during these challenging times. It’s brilliant to see them involved in the whole process of the ventilator components, from using advanced equipment to quality checking. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how much the students have developed since starting their apprenticeships and we’re committed to providing an enriching learning experience.” 

Over the past five weeks, Produmax has produced over 60,000 components for the Rolls Royce and Formula 1 consortium.

I hope you and your family are safe and well. I know these last weeks will have been challenging but I wanted to thank you as the vast majority of students have embraced remote learning and have engaged with their tutors very productively.

Due to the likely further extension to the lockdown, we wanted to let you know that the college will remain closed after the Easter holidays (from 20 April) until further notice.

I’d like to reassure you that we will do our utmost to support you to achieve and progress this academic year and you can access careers support to help with your plans for September.

Your studies will continue remotely with Google Classroom or your designated digital platform. We hope you’re adjusting well to this new way of learning. If you are having any issues, please contact your tutor.

We have provided some Chromebooks and other devices to students who didn’t have access to these; again, your tutor can be contacted if access to remote learning materials, teaching and assessment remains an issue.

The Student Life enrichment team and the students’ union have created ‘I’m In (even when I can’t be)’, a weekly set of online activities that you can enjoy with your friends. Click here for more information.

We look forward to seeing you continue your studies with us when we re-open. While college is closed, we will still be available to offer advice and guidance to potential and existing students, parents and members of the public. You can contact us by emailing enquiries@keighleycollege.ac.uk

This is an unsettling time for us all. Below are some useful links if you are struggling with your mental health:

https://www.mindmate.org.uk/
http://bmywellbeingcollege.nhs.uk/
https://www.mindinbradford.org.uk/

All students who were entitled to a free college meal will continue to receive support through a voucher scheme. This seems to be working well but please do contact your tutor if there are problems accessing this. There is lots of information about our support services on the college website and the student intranet.

I do hope we can welcome you back to college before too long, but in the meantime, we need to maintain social distancing recommendations and do our best to limit the spread of the virus.

We will keep you updated of any changes, informed by recommendations from Public Health England and the government, as soon as they are made.

Take care and stay healthy!

Yours sincerely

Steve Kelly
Principal – Keighley College

Keighley College offers a range of enterprising welding courses, ranging from apprenticeships to diplomas.

To find out more about the courses, we spoke with course leader Simon Davison.

What welding opportunities are available at the college?

We begin the offering at Level 1 which teaches the basics of welding, right up to Level 3. Apprenticeships are also really popular here, which typically involves learning technical processes and developing practical skills.

What feedback do you get from students?

They love it. We have outstanding attendance across all our courses; it’s fantastic to see so many students excited about coming into college. We have a really nice mixture of male and female students on the courses. We’ve been so proud to see them go on to some amazing jobs, including working in the oil industry and travelling around the world.

What are the key benefits students can take away?

The students can develop their practical skills of using machinery through regular use of our facilities. We are one of few colleges that gives students their own welding bay, which creates a personalised experience, allowing them to master techniques much quicker than if they were sharing.

Due to us having 15 bays in the workshop, we usually have the same number of students per class. This is a great class size which creates a safe environment and good contact time.

The knowledge students gain from our staff is brilliant. All together, we have around 150 years’ experience and come from a variety of interesting backgrounds including teachers, facilitators and inspectors for the Welding Institute.

Why Keighley College?

Keighley College has an incredibly strong reputation in this field, we have been established as an engineering college for over 100 years and are recognised across the region for our engineering disciplines.

It’s one of the strongest colleges in the North of England for welding – we have an impressive range of equipment and many qualified staff members. The apprenticeship programmes we deliver are especially high quality due to our staff being qualified welding inspectors; we champion perfected techniques and excellent quality.

What advice would you give to a student considering studying a welding course at the college?

I would advise them to come over and meet us, we can give them a tour of the workshop and give some insight into what we do. We’ll let students have a taster and try it for themselves. If it is something they’re interested in, we will give them the best route possible to get on board – whether that is an evening class, full-time course or apprenticeship, we will be able to accommodate them.

Take a look at Keighley College welding courses here.

A Keighley College student is having her work published in an official booklet promoting women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Masie Eccles from East Morton recently visited the Hitachi Rail site as part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The County Durham plant welcomed females from schools across the north to learn about roles including engineering and marketing. The students heard from workers who spoke about routes into careers and job responsibilities.

The visit was organised through Bradford Council’s Careers Technical Education (CTE) partnership and Industrial Centre of Excellence (ICE) scheme, who worked with Community Rail Lancashire and Bishop Line Community Rail as part of their ‘Women in STEM’ project. The initiative aims to educate young women about typically male-dominated career opportunities related to STEM.

Following the event, Masie submitted inspiring poem ‘You’ll see’ which celebrates powerful women. Her poem has been selected to feature in the ‘Women in STEM booklet 2020’ published by Community Rail Lancashire, engaging young women from diverse backgrounds to produce inspiring writing to express their views.

The booklet was launched at the ‘Women in STEM Celebration’ event hosted by Community Rail Lancashire at the Railway Museum in York. The event raised awareness of STEM career pathways for women and highlighted how the rail and community rail industries are working passionately towards creating a more inclusive place to work.

Masie’s tutor, Lizzie Sagar at Keighley College, said: “We were over the moon to hear that Masie’s poem had been selected for this extraordinary booklet. Her writing underpins women’s determination to achieve their full potential. At Keighley College, we’re dedicated to providing our students with the skills and experience needed to establish careers in STEM.”

In light of recent developments and advice from the Government, I wanted to let you know how we are preparing for every eventuality to ensure that students’ safety and learning are our priority.

If the situation changes, we will communicate to students via text and email and clear information will be available on our website.  Also we will post advice on our social media channels Facebook and twitter (@KeighleyCollege). We are monitoring our staffing levels as well as following the advice of Public Health England and the Department for Education.  I am sure you understand that much of this is outside of our control.

We are protecting students and staff through:

• Enhancing cleaning and encouraging handwashing, including additional cleaning of rails and door handles throughout the day
• Ensuring that toilets are checked regularly and that there is adequate soap available
• Giving students advice, support and guidance based on the NHS information
• The postponement of some student events such as open evenings

We have been planning for the possible disruptions COVID 19 could bring and there are a number of possibilities, including partial closure of some of programme areas to the full closure of all college. We will keep our website updated as regularly as we are able and will work with as many students as possible to ensure they are able to continue their learning on a range of online platforms. As yet, we have no further guidance regarding summer exams and the advice from OFQUAL is to prepare as usual.

We also have been distributing work to students so they can work from home, including schemes of work – what to study and when, resources, work books and online learning. It’s important that we all reinforce the message that learning should continue and students complete the work that is asked of them.

We appreciate that this is a difficult and worrying time for our students, their families and communities and we thank you for your support in this matter.

Thank you,

Steve Kelly – Principal Keighley College

At Keighley College, we recognise that each student has different educational needs and we’re keen to celebrate these differences during Neurodiversity Week on 16-20 March.

Neurodiversity Week encourages schools to make a positive change in acknowledging learning differences and appreciating the strengths of neurodiverse students, such as creativity and problem solving skills.

We have a fantastic group of young people who process information in different ways. Neurodiverse people are an asset in the workforce and we’re passionate about raising awareness of their talents to give them a fair chance of employment and life fulfilment.

Students will be taking part in projects during the week, including researching what the word means and why we should celebrate neurodiverse people, as well as looking at famous people with learning differences and their achievements.

World Down Syndrome Day also takes place during this week, so we will also be hosting a bake sale on 16 March to raise money. From tray bakes to biscuits, there’ll be plenty of sweet treats on offer. We’ll also be welcoming a Down Syndrome dance company for a spectacular lunch time performance at 12 noon.

To hear more about upcoming events, make sure you follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

On 11 March 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) officially named COVID-19 as a pandemic.

Public Health England (PHE) and WHO are working with other international partners to constantly monitor the situation.

We would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that Keighley College takes the health and safety of its students and staff very seriously. We are carefully monitoring the situation and will keep you informed of any updates. In the meantime, students and colleagues are encouraged to continue to attend as normal.

Infections such as colds and influenza are very common in the UK at this time of year. For the time being, if you develop viral symptoms, you should manage these as you usually would. 

Advice for travellers and returning travellers
Below is nationally recognised advice for anyone due to travel or returning travellers.

Returning travellers
Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people (self-isolation) if you have travelled to the UK from the following locations in the last 14 days, even if you do not have symptoms:

• Iran
• Italy
• Hubei province in China
• Special care zones in South Korea (Daegu, Cheongdo, Gyeongsan)

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people if you have travelled to the UK from the following places in the last 14 days and have a cough, high temperature or shortness of breath, even if your symptoms are mild:

• Cambodia
• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Laos
• Macau
• Mainland China (outside the Hubei province)
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Singapore
• South Korea (outside of the special care zones)
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Vietnam

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. Instead, use the NHS 111 online coronavirus service to find out what to do next. In Scotland, call your GP or NHS 111. In Wales, call 111 (if available in your area) or 0845 4647.

Advice to travellers to and from mainland China
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) latest travel advice is that all Brits in China should leave the country if they can, to minimise their risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Additionally, the FCO advises against all travel to Hubei Province and all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao).

Advice to travellers

Brits travelling or living overseas should check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s official travel advice.

Frequently asked questions

Q:What is coronavirus (COVID-19)?
A: Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that are common across the world. The coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus that was first identified in Wuhan, China. 

Q: What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
A: Typical symptoms of COVID-19 include fever and a cough that may progress to severe pneumonia causing shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Generally, COVID-19 can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people and those with long-term conditions such as diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Q: How does coronavirus spread?

A: As this is a new illness, we do not know exactly how it spreads from person to person, however, similar viruses are spread in cough droplets. It’s very unlikely it can be spread through things like packages or food.

Official advice emphasises the importance of hand hygiene to protect yourself from infection and important hygiene practices to follow include: carry tissues and use them to catch coughs and sneezes, then bin the tissue and wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser if this is not available.

Q: Should I really be worried about COVID-19?
A: We would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that we recognise the seriousness of this situation. Though we would urge staff, students and parents/carers not to panic, we do encourage everyone to continue to follow government advice such as maintaining good hand hygiene.

Q: Is there a vaccine or cure for COVID-19?
A: At the moment there is no vaccine or cure for COVID-19, though a vaccine is being researched and developed. Antibiotics will not help as they do not work against viruses. Treatment aims to relieve the symptoms while your body fights the illness and you will need to self-isolate until you have recovered.

Q: What does self-isolate mean?
A: If you are advised to self-isolate this means you should stay at home and avoid contact with others for 14 days after your arrival. You should contact NHS 111 for advice and should not visit your GP or hospital. Anyone in self-isolation can resume normal activities after the two-week period as long as they have not developed a fever, breathing difficulties or cough. If you feel unwell during this time, contact NHS 111 immediately.

Q: Is my immigration status affected?
A: The Home Office recognises that some individuals in the UK are unable to return to China. The guidance states: “Due to travel restrictions because of coronavirus some individuals may be facing uncertainty in relation to the expiry date of their current visa or leave to remain in the UK. The Home Office understands that in many cases this is because of circumstances outside of your control. Subject to guidance, most people in the UK whose immigration status is affected by coronavirus will get an automatic visa extension until 31 March 2020. More information on visas is available on the government website.

Q: What is Keighley College doing about COVID-19?
A: We are following official advice from the UK government and Public Health England. Additionally, we are taking precautionary measures such as cancelling our March events and ensuring all staff and students can access hand sanitiser. We are monitoring the situation and putting in place contingency plans, all necessary information will be communicated to staff and students as required.

Q: How will Keighley College keep me updated with information?
A: Students will receive any important updates via text. We have spotted some fake new stories circulating on social media, if you spot any fake news stories or have any queries feel free to contact us.

Contacts and resources

If you are a member of staff and are concerned that you (or another member of staff) are affected by the situation please contact your line manager.

The below general resources are trusted sources that may be helpful if you wish to learn more about coronavirus and keep up-to-date on the situation.

Please note, we encourage all of our staff and students to act based on advice from official channels such as those listed below.

NHS COVID-19 page

Official NHS information and advice on coronavirus can be found on the official COVID-19 page on the NHS website. This includes an overview, recommendations for self-isolation, information on the 111 coronavirus service, information on the disease and how to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus.

UK government guidance

The UK government continues to update its official website with new advice, guidance and policies relating to the coronavirus outbreak.

Government response
Updated information relating to the government’s response to COVID-19 including stay at home guidance, NHS information, guidance for health professionals, travel advice and the number of cases can be found here.

Government action plan
More information on the government’s action plan including existing measures and potential future actions as well as information on the contain, delay and mitigation phases can be found here.

Government information for the public

Information on the number of cases and risk level in the UK, advice on what to do if you have symptoms and details on the government’s response can be found here.

WHO updates

To see a summary of the COVID-19 timeline alongside rolling updates from WHO on the coronavirus disease, click here.

Keighley College has partnered with Screen Yorkshire and the National Film and Television School (NFTS) to deliver a new course that will provide young people with  industry-recognised UK craft certificates for film and TV.

Screen Yorkshire and NFTS will deliver five new courses in construction, lighting, hair and makeup, costume, and production assistant. The courses will be delivered by NFTS, one of the leading film schools in the world, in partnership with local education institutions.

As part of this partnership, students will be able to study the Costume for Film and Television UK Film and Television Craft Certificate at Keighley College. Students will take part in two ‘boot camps’ to prepare for the specific requirements of costume crew in film and TV, such as their role within a department, set etiquette, and the challenges of freelance life, including taxes, invoicing and networking.

Costume for Film and Television at Keighley College
Crew for the costume department are in huge demand across the UK’s booming film and television industries. This course gives students basic and advanced costume training, as well as preparing them for the specific rigours of working within the film and television industries. Students will also receive valuable Health & Safety Production Passport training.

The course is taught by industry professionals and includes work placements on active film and TV sets. It has been created in response to increased demand for costume expertise on UK-based productions, with the role identified by the BFI and ScreenSkills as an ‘in demand’ skill-set across film and high-end television production.

The course is specifically targeted towards students who want to break into film and television, and the organisations are actively trying to address underrepresentation within the screen industries by encouraging people to apply regardless of their background.

Students will learn a range of technical and interpersonal skills including building work relationships, preparing work stations, managing wardrobes and supplies, understanding the characteristics of costume materials and measuring, cutting, sewing, and pressing clothing by hand and machine.

Keighley College supports the region
Keighley College has a range of benefits for students, including industry partnerships with local employers, professional facilities, supportive staff, and an emphasis on wellbeing.

Keighley College is also recognised for contributing towards the local economy and supporting the district. Most recently, Keighley College was praised for hosting the Bradford Apprentices Live event.

Additionally, recent data provided by labour market intelligence, EMSI, revealed the accumulated contribution of former Keighley College and Leeds City College apprentices currently employed in the regional workforce amounted to £181.8m in added income in the year analysed.

For more information on vocational courses and apprenticeships at Keighley College, click here to visit our courses page.

With the general election looming, BBC Look North visited Keighley College to talk to young people about the issues affecting them and what they would like to see in the parties’ manifestos.

Keighley is part of a divided constituency, with one of the closest marginal seats in West Yorkshire. Look North were investigating whether young people could potentially sway the vote. The team visited the open day on 6 November to find out what our students thought.

They spoke to a number of learners across Public Services, Textiles and Health and Social Care who expressed their views on the NHS, public transport, employment, laws around staying in Europe and public safety.

Look North also spoke to Principal Steve Kelly who talked about equality and LGBT rights. He emphasised the college’s commitment to promoting democracy by bringing in a voting booth to remind student to register to vote.

A representative from Keighley charity, Project 6, was also interviewed and highlighted the importance of health and social care investment.