Farewell to graduates – and hello to new faces
It was sad to see a lot of our students graduating back in the summer as we have come to know them well, writes Chris Jones , Head of Faculty at Walford and North Shropshire College.
However, it's exciting to see them progress further on to their chosen careers or on to places in Higher Education. I wish them good luck for the future – and, remember, you are all most welcome to come back and see us.
The cycle continues as the academic year has started with the new student intake starting a couple of weeks ago.
For the tenth year in a row we have reached our targets and increased the number of new students coming into the Walford Campus.
The agricultural student intake is up again and it's excellent to see young people coming into the industry and having confidence in its future. The industry needs new talent as they will shape the future whatever the elements throw at them.
Due to changes with the government funding of Further Educational programmes there is a greater emphasis on the important vocational elements of the student experience.
For example college farm duties, which we have maintained since the start of the Walford Farm Institute in 1948, have been acknowledge as an important part of the overall study programme. These allow students to gain practical experience while at the same time applying academic theory to practical situations. I think most businesses would understand the importance of this.
The overall study programmes also acknowledge the importance of reaching a good standard with English and maths and students who have not achieved a GCSE at grade C or above in these subjects will be given the opportunity to progress further.
If you are considering a future in a land-based or engineering career, then come along and speak to us. Whether this is a full-time college-based programme or an apprenticeship, we can still help.You might have already heard that on Sunday, September 22, from noon to 5pm we will open the Walford Campus free of charge to anyone who would like to see the huge investment we have made with the new dairy facilities.
There will be also a chance to see the equine facilities, animal zoo and engineering workshops.
There will be a number of specialist companies who are involved in the land-based industry displaying their machinery and equipment and will be very willing to discuss in detail their new advancements in technology.
