Author: Liam Morton

Students at Belfast Metropolitan College have been spreading Christmas Cheer.

As part of the Enterprise and Lifestyle Programme, learners have been making rice-filled sock snowmen and cooking tasty Irish Whiskey marmalade which sold like hot cakes for charity!

The Centre for Supported Learning students complete ESB’s Entry Level Award in Developing Oral Interview Skills (Entry 2) qualification which includes a role play interview based on real life work experience.

Ian Patterson, ESB Trustee and Course Coordinator of Adult SEND Provision, says:

“The Pop-Up Shop activities give our learners a sound CV and lots of skills to talk about! This programme positively encourages creative thinking and aims to develop real business skills to include marketing and sales.

“Underpinning the curriculum, the learners practise their communication and speaking and listening skills. What better way to do this than to work as a team in making seasonal themed gifts for fellow students and friends.”

Belfast Metropolitan College is Northern Ireland’s largest college, with over 37,000 enrolments. Out of 400 students enrolled in full time and part time programmes at Belfast Metropolitan’s Centre for Supported Learning, 270 students are enrolled on ESB qualifications this year.

Juliet Meighan, Associate Lecturer and Tutor in the Centre for Supported Learning was awarded this year’s Burniston Bell Award at our 2019 Young Speakers of the Year Showcase. This accolade named in honour of our founder, Christabel Burniston and our Honorary President, Jocelyn Bell, recognises teachers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to teaching ESB in their centre.

Says Juliet:

“ESB qualifications enable exciting and dynamic learning pathways for the centre’s young learners. We actively engage in real life work, positively equipping our students for work and independence. We take great pride in the accredited ESB programmes our students follow.”

Course Tutors, Lara Thompson and Debbie Cusack also interpret the taught curriculum in a creative way:

“We constantly seek to add meaning to our learners’ vocational training. Access to sheltered employment often requires some background in a work setting which many of our students struggle to gain. We set up simulated industry experiences and then using ESB as our assessment tool we try to actively equip our students with job search skills, including using the telephone and participating in an interview.”

To find out more about out our Employability Skills qualifications, please click here.

Plymouth’s Got Talent! And that’s official!

One of ESB’s fastest growing centres – Articulacy – is branching out!

Based in the southwest of England, Articulacy operates in and around Plymouth and its aims closely match those of ESB’s of promoting excellent oracy skills for all.

Articulacy’s mission is to inspire all people regardless of age or abilities to become confident and articulate individuals capable of delivering their messages in all situations both professional and personal, no matter how challenging.

Now this successful organisation is developing a sister company called TalkTastic, a not for profit Community Interest Company (CIC) which aims to increase the confidence and communication skills of those who have to fight to be heard.

The fledgling CIC held its first major project, ‘Plymouth’s Got Talent’, and it was a resounding success.

Funded through Plymouth City Council, the four-week programme helped children entitled to free school meals to develop fundamental skills whilst taking part in enjoyable activities. Through an interactive and varied drama-based approach, participants developed vital skills including communication, teamwork and creativity, culminating in an ESB assessment.

Julia Ward, Director of TalkTastic and an ESB Trustee, says:

“Plymouth’s Got Talent was designed to empower young people with skills and confidence for future success! The group finished the four weeks with brilliant memories, enhanced skills, new knowledge and increased confidence, together with the added bonus of gaining an ESB Group Speaking qualification. Parents and carers were so impressed with the results that they are requesting the programme return next year.

“As a Community Interest Company, we are motivated and driven by our passion for utilising our knowledge to give back to the community and helping those whose voice is not one society is used to listening to. We are a values-based organisation, and we seek to run projects that allow us to achieve goals shaped by these values, whilst working with collaborators whose drive and vision compliment our own.”

Julia adds:

“ESB qualifications are a very important part of TalkTastic’s toolkit. Students are proud to gain a qualification that provides them with valuable skills that will last them a lifetime!”

To find out more about TalkTastic, please visit www.talktastic.org.

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. held its annual Young Speakers of the Year Showcase on Saturday, 16^th November. Winners travelled from around the country to Liverpool to attend the celebration and receive their awards at the ‘home of champions’ Aintree Racecourse.

Out of 12,000 learners who took ESB Speech assessments in 2018-19, 10 were selected as winners in recognition of their outstanding oracy skills. The Young Speakers each performed a poem recital, prose reading or gave a talk to an audience of family, teachers and friends.

The 2019 ESB Young Speakers of the Year, pictured below with Chief Executive Tina Renshaw, are:

• Alex lo Storto – Nottingham University Samworth Academy
• Anagi Bartholomeuz – Formerly of Nottingham Girls’ High School
• Archie Colville – Kitebrook House, Gloucestershire
• Ayesha Ahmed – Bolton School
• Ellie-Rose Heimans – James Allen’s Preparatory School
• Flora Low – Formerly of St. Francis School, Wiltshire
• Freddie van Daalen – Formerly of Magdalene House Preparatory School, Cambridgeshire
• Maddie Exley – Wilmslow Preparatory School, Cheshire
• Tom Lewis – Runnymede St Edwards School, Liverpool
• ‘Jimmy’ Shixiang Wang – Formerly of Sherborne International, Dorset

The celebration featured four additional categories alongside the Young Speaker Awards.

The ‘Spirit of ESB’ Awards recognise and encourage the potential of all learners, rewarding individuals who showed great promise in their assessments.

The 2019 winners of the Spirit of ESB Award, pictured below are:

• Tim Ye – Plymouth Grove Primary School, Manchester
• Guy Odams – Heathfield Community School, Somerset
• Mason McNamara – Broadfields Primary School, London
• Daniel Apetrei – Broadfields Primary School, London
• Liam Hart – Broadfields Primary School, London

 

The Burniston Bell Award recognises teachers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to teaching ESB in their centre.

The 2019 winner of the Burniston Bell Award is:

• Juliet Meighan – Associate Lecturer, Belfast Metropolitan College, Northern Ireland

The prestigious Richard Ellis Award was introduced in honour of ESB’s former Trustee, Richard, to reward an individual who has shown outstanding dedication to ESB.

The 2019 winner of the Richard Ellis Award, pictured below is:

• Georgina Marland – Assessor and Teacher of ESB

Finally, ESB chooses exceptional speakers to become Ambassadors. By representing ESB, they have the opportunity to inspire other learners and to promote ESB and its values. This year we have asked two former Young Speakers of the Year to accept the accolade.

Our 2019 Ambassadors, pictured below are:

• Sam Colyer – Formerly of Plymouth Grove Primary School
• Lilian Bingham – St Bede’s and St Joseph’s Catholic College

 

ESB’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, says:

“The standard from all candidates put forward this year was very impressive indeed. It is wonderful to reward their achievements and then share their passions at our annual Showcase.”