Our Autumn Newsletter - hope you like it.

Meet the Team - Andrea, our Accommodation & Welfare Officer.

Hello everybody...my name is Andrea Tolson and my role within the Training Partnership is Accommodation & Welfare.  This year has been extremely busy as we have had over 900 students and my task is to find host family accommodation for each and every one of them.

My job entails visiting and inspecting new host applicants and making sure that our students get the best possible experience.  Most host families I visit are lovely people who are happy to let students come and live in their homes and participate in their family lives.  I enjoy meeting the new hosts and chatting with them which helps me decide whether they will be suitable to look after our students.  Sadly I also visit some homes that are unsuitable   but don’t worry, I would never place a student in a home in which I wouldn't be happy to place my own children.

On a daily basis I receive student files from our work placement team and I then have to decide which host would be the most suitable for that particular student.  I base my decision on proximity to the students work placement so that they don’t have too long a journey to work each day.  I also have to consider which friends they want to share with and whether they have any allergies.  It is amazing how many host families have pets and how many students are allergic to animals.  I then have to key all information onto our computer system and produce detailed directions for the student so that they can find their way to work from their host family address.

On a personal note, I am used to dealing with teenagers as I have three of my own, all living at home with me and my husband.  I must say that (like most Mothers), some of the students I meet through the Training Partnership I would happily swap with my own teenagers - sometimes mine can be a nightmare (like most teenagers!).  But then again I was a teenager myself - a long time ago…. Say no more!

The love of my life is my beautiful Golden Retriever “Oscar”.  He is no trouble whatsoever. He does as he is told, doesn't answer back and never asks me for money! When I am not at work there is nothing better than going out at the weekends for long walks along the South Devon Coastal paths and beaches, getting lots of fresh air and enjoying the spectacular scenic views that south Devon has to offer. Afterwards I will cook a delicious dinner and open a nice bottle of Red! Life is good!

Movember is moving on!

Well the first thing we need to look at this week is the TTPL Movember moment...Hmmmmm I think Sam might be cheating!!! But the whiskers are progressing so please donate - its all for a very good cause! Have a look here on our TTPL Movember page.
This week also gave us the chance to present the prizes from last weeks Halloween party - Bea and Donatello were both worthy winners and we hope they enjoy their prizes...in fact, Donatello insisted on making an acceptance speech! Absolutely AMAZING! Well done both of you!

In 'other news' this week we have been out and about at Plymouth University Graduate Recruitment Fair - we still have a few places left for the fantastic GROWEurope project which will begin in January 2014.

We also attended the Institute of Hospitality 75th Anniversary dinner - a great evening at South Devon College Horizon Restaurant in conjunction with Mitch Tonks fantastic seafood event. Thanks to Brian from Number One Consulting for the invitation.

Have a great weekend and please stay safe...

Happy Halloween - a fun week for staff and students

This week we celebrated Halloween...and what a lot of fun we had! 

Sam, our Student Support Officer, really threw himself into the fun and organised a big party at a local bar - DTs in Torquay. On Wednesday we challenged him to create a Spooky Pumpkin with our logo and wow, what a result!

The party started early for any students who wanted to arrive early with any questions or travel refunds then went on into the night...Karaoke was the order of the day, with lots of amazing fancy dress costumes...lots of pics on our Facebook page here and a not so tuneful rendition of American Idiot that is her for you to 'enjoy'!

Thanks to all the students who turned up to create an fantastic fun party!

Finally...congratulations to Bea and Donatello who won the prizes for Fancy Dress - well done :0)

Have a great weekend everyone - stay safe and have fun

Torbay Hi Tech Forum MTI 13

Last Thursday we had a stand at the Torbay Hi Tech Forum at the RICC, and what a fabulous event it was. Such positivity and forward thinking. A really great opportunity to catch up with old friends and colleagues - and of course meet new people and find out what they do.
From a business perspective it was an incredibly successful day - our stand looked great, we had some great support from so many of our  business partners and the buzz from meeting young people just setting out on their career path was fantastic.
During the day we were able to speak to a great many people representing businesses from around the area and engage with some really positive young people who will very soon be entering the world of work and perhaps even travelling with TTPL on one of our outbound programmes like the current GROWEurope project.

Our sincere thanks Steve Harper from Bay Light Vehicle for this great testimonial to what we can achieve with our students...Brilliant

Wendy, our Finance Director (and not at all boring)

Still smiling....even after paying the wages!

Working at The Training Partnership is very rewarding in lots of ways and you’ll usually find everyone here at TTPL are a cheerful bunch, but there’s an extra spring in their step today because it’s payday! [editors note: WOOHOOOO]  So as Finance Director paying the wages was one of my most important tasks this week! [oh yes!]  As it’s payday I’m meeting an old colleague from my banking days for a real English ‘pub lunch’ at the Devon Dumpling in Shiphay (sorry Mitch – I’m not implying you’re old . . . .) 

The student meeting yesterday was a great success – around 80 students from across Europe joined together in a friendly but competitive atmosphere at AMF Bowling.

The main reason for the weekly meeting is ensuring our students are happy and getting the most from their experience so it’s always great to go along and see what is happening.  Our Student Support Officer, Sam (King of Bowling) Swann has been with us a month already and is making a great impact

Well done Ladies...have a safe trip home.

 ‘It's always "wunderbar" to get to know someone whose personality actually matches so much with what they are doing jobwise’, 

He was kept busy running around organising lanes and chatting to everyone but unfortunately his self-proclaimed title has already been stolen by our very own Lorenzo  . . . .

I was really please to present Certificates of Achievement to our wonderful ladies from Germany who have been here for just 2 weeks on a Mobility for Professionals in Vocational Education and Training.  They have been learning about the very different ways Education is provided in an ‘inclusive’ manner here in the UK and despite Nadine’s driving, the trips to Dame Hannah’s and the Husbandry school were most enjoyable.

Earlier in the week along with Nadine and Lorenzo we met up with Olly and Charlie from Optix Solutions who are  busy designing a brand new website for TTPL – it’s very exciting and we’re really happy to be working with them.  Just to keep us on the right tracks Dan from Astley Media came along too.  It’s early days yet, so watch this space for our launch in the new year.

Next week is half term for our local schools, so I’ll be splitting my time between the office and home.  My 2 boys have made plans and following last weekends trip to PaigntonZoo we’re off to the Model Village on the final leg of the Great Gorillas, the newly reopened Plainmoor swimming pool and a trip to the ‘Golden M’ is promised too!  Plus I’ve got to squeeze in some study time for my ‘CIMA’ exam coming up next month. Wish me luck!

Have a great weekend everyone

Wendy xx

Jackie Bufton - our Educational Expert!

We have, for many years, had the benefit of an educational consultant who has developed may of our programmes and added huge value to the experience our Students and Trainees have enjoyed... here is an opportunity to find out what makes our Jackie tick :0)
I have worked in Education and Training for over 25 years and have advanced experience of delivery, assessment and quality assurance of learning.  I also conduct quality assurance work for three different UK Awarding Organisations.  In addition to this I still do what I love and that is deliver learning to groups of people on a face to face basis, but also remotely via the Internet.    The remote work I do is generally using a Moodle platform, which I not only use as a trainer to support students, but also develop for  organisations such as the Training Partnership Ltd.   My face to face delivery covers a whole selection of interesting subjects that range from: Business and IT, English and Culture, Environment and Art/Craft.  And interestingly sometimes I get to mix the subjects, so for example IT and the Environment when teaching people how to use GPS/GIS systems, or Environment and Art/Craft with the outside being used as the subject for the Art/Craft.  One of my favourite craft subjects is working with glass, and I have a studio where I work with stained, fused or kiln formed glass. 

In my spare time I like to go walking, which I do with my little dog Tansy, or go out and about in my old VW camper van.  When I am out in the countryside I sometimes incorporate foraging or Geocaching – both are great fun!