News and Events

These are our current news and events stories from 2011.
You can also see archive news and events from other years too!

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November 2011

Preparation for The Christmas Frost Fair Warms Up

The Work Place is getting into the festive spirit by hosting a Christmas Frost Fair on Monday 5 December 2011. The fun packed event, open from 12noon until 7pm, will include a variety of stalls, entertainment and a mouth-watering range of food and drink for visitors to enjoy.

Over 60 stalls will be selling everything from seasonal gifts and crafts, home baking, fashion, jewellery, toys, beauty products and lots more! Massages will also be on hand for weary heads and feet. The Street Café will be open to sit and relax with a drink or a snack whilst savouring the atmosphere. There will be face painting, tombola with some fabulous prizes, a Santa’s Helpers Lucky Dip Room and children’s games to get involved with. Entertainers will be performing throughout the day so it promises to be a great afternoon.

The Work Place, managed by Durham County Council will also be supporting The Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland so what better reason to come along and do some Christmas shopping whilst enjoying the Christmas atmosphere?!

Admission is only £1 for adults, with free entry for children.

For more information contact The Work Place on 01325 375900.

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November 2011

The Work Place Christmas Frost Fair

Come along and join in the fun at our Christmas Frost Fair! The event is taking place on Monday 5 December 2011, from 12.00 noon till 7.00pm.

To find out more please click on the PFD of the flyer below:

ChristmasFrostFair-flyer.pdf (1 page, 3452kb)

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October 2011

Staindrop students organise half term leisure programme

As part of an ongoing partnership between Staindrop School an Academy and Durham County Council, budding PE students have been working with Leisure Services, (Durham County Council) to develop the October half term holiday programme for Teesdale Leisure Centre in Barnard Castle.

As part of the ‘Learn the Business’ programme organised by Cheryl Stirk at Durham Education Business Partnership, this latest activity between the school and local authority has aimed to give year 10 students the opportunity to bring their ideas to life and show their leadership skills being applied in their community.

Students devised the programme earlier this year by carrying out essential market research with their target audience, which is aimed at young people from 6 – 11 yrs of age.

The young people involved also had the opportunity to showcase their work by marketing their programme in a school assembly and develop their leadership skills by running taster sessions, including Dodge Ball and Football at Staindrop CE Primary School.

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October 2011

Call for entertainers at The Work Place Christmas Frost Fair

Calling all entertainers! Do you want a chance to show off and advertise your talents?? You could be part of a dance group, a band, a choir, a juggler, magician, solo singer or a miming act! Why not get in touch and book your spot in our Christmas Frost Fair. An ideal opportunity to advertise your services free to the local area, please contact Julie Turnbull on 01325 375995 or at julie.turnbull@durham.gov.uk for a booking form or further details.

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October 2011

Conference for Spennymoor students highlights career options

Students in their final year at Spennymoor Sixth Form attended a Post-18 Experience Conference recently in their newly refurbished sixth form base.

The conference, organised by Durham Education Business Partnership (EBP), included speakers and workshops designed to inform and advise students of a variety of options available to them post-18, including Apprenticeships, Higher Education, employment and self employment, as well as important topics such as financial planning and debt awareness, interview skills and CV writing.

Organisations supporting the event included Barclays, National Apprenticeship Service, Improving Progression of Young People Team (Durham County Council), Reckitt Benckiser and Regeneration & Economic Development (Durham County Council).

Savana Armitage, a year 13 student at Spennymoor Sixth Form, said it had been “a thoroughly informative day and a fantastic opportunity to use our new facilities.”

Mrs S McEwan, Head of Sixth Form, said “Our students have been given the opportunity to consider a wide variety of options post-18 and we are always grateful to the local business volunteers who give up their time to do this.”

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October 2011

Sellers invited to Christmas Frost Fair

The Work Place at Newton Aycliffe is holding a Christmas Frost Fair on Monday 5 December 2011, from 12pm - 7pm and we’d like you to get involved. One of the many delights of Christmas fairs is the mix of craft and trade stalls to create a unique shopping experience. We’d therefore like to offer you the opportunity to rent a stall for only £15 per table. With many tables already booked you’ll need to be quick to secure a place.

Other than the many stalls, there will also be Christmas food and drink to enjoy and entertainment throughout so it promises to be a great day.

If you are interested in renting a stall please contact Julie Turnbull on 01325 375995 or at julie.turnbull@durham.gov.uk for a booking form or further details.

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September 2011

Grand Designs in Bishop Auckland

A busy architectural design company based in Bishop Auckland has started forging strong partnerships with local schools via a competition with St John’s Catholic School.

PlanArch Design Ltd provide consultancy in town planning and in architecture. Keen to encourage young people into the industry they were delighted to be given the opportunity to take part in a competition organised by Durham Education Business Partnership, as part of the ‘Learning the Business’ initiative, to get employers and schools working together.

Eileen Wilson, Director of PlanArch commented ‘As a team we were delighted to partner with St John’s to enable us to extend our working relationship with the community. We enjoyed the enthusiasm and creativeness which the young people brought to their projects and we hope the guidance we were able to give them has broadened their understanding and appreciation of architecture and development, the young people involved in the project were a delight to work with’.

Having been partnered with St John’s for the competition, they enthusiastically created a project brief to provide a quote fee for a new facility at St John’s School. The building needed to be multi-functional and available for use by both the school and the wider community. Considerations had to include design, materials and cost.

Fifteen students from the school split into three competing teams, with Zaha Design winning the competition with their building project. Key to their success was their consideration to sustainability, a simple, clean, sharp design, with good access facilities and coming in under budget by £30k. Their ability to identify and overcome design problems also set them in a winning position.

PlanArch’s level of commitment to the partnership was highlighted throughout the competition with ongoing support from Colling Morris, Architectural Technician and Neil Box, Architectural Technologist, proving to be invaluable. School staff are very impressed by the interaction with the company, with Paula Watson from St John’s saying ‘The project delivery by PlanArch was first class’.

Planarch hope to continue with their support to education in the future and who knows, they might one day employ someone who started out as a student enthused and inspired by their work with schools.

NB. Photo shows PlanArch staff involved with the project (from left to right): Colling Morris, Eileen Wilson and Neil Box.

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September 2011

New cafe & courses available at The Work Place!

A brand new café is set to open today offering a fabulous menu of food and drink to everyone.

In an ideal place to meet whether it is work or pleasure, The Street Café is opening at The Work Place, Newton Aycliffe and will serve daily from 10am until 3pm. It will be run by CCS Catering from Barnard Castle who also run Café Nest in Barnard Castle and offer corporate and event catering and are now looking into expanding the business in the Newton Aycliffe area. For more details about CCS Catering contact Clare Dixon on 07970802207 or 01325 375917.

The menu includes paninis, wraps and meal deals as well as homemade cakes for morning or afternoon tea.

The Street Café will also have exhibition space available in the near future for local art/craft entrepreneurs to display their work - anyone interested should contact The Work Place.

This coincides with a brand new course range being offered at The Work Place:

Emergency First Aid at Work (1 day course), £60 per person, running on 19 September, 17 October, 14 November and 12 December 2011.

Paediatric First Aid (2 day course – meets OFSTED requirements), £90 per person, running on 27 & 28 September and 1 & 2 November 2011.

Food Safety Level 2 (1 day course), £60 per person, running on 21 September, 19 October, 17 November and 9 December 2011.

Health & Safety in the Workplace Level 2 (1 day course), £60 per person, running on 26 September, 31 October and 5 December 2011.

IOSH Managing Safely (4 day course), £350 per person, running on 24,25,26 & 27 October 2011.

Costs include all course materials, certification, lunch and refreshments and there are discounts for group bookings. The courses are already proving popular and are set to be a great competitor in the training market.

Angela Wilkinson, Business Manager at The Work Place said ‘I am delighted with the developments we are seeing here at The Work Place, it’s good to see people just calling in for a cuppa or coming in more formally to attend a course. The buzz of the place is a great sign for the future’.

The Work Place, already playing host to meetings, conferences, training and corporate events, is a not-for-profit organisation. For more details contact Angela Wilkinson on 01325 375910 or at angela.wilkinson@durham.gov.uk.

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June 2011

Young Apprentice excels in world of football

A year 10 student at Sedgefield Community College is making his mark in football as part of the Young Apprenticeship in Sports Management, Leadership and Coaching course he is currently studying.

Football Development Officer Mr Brooksbank at the college is delighted with James Johnson’s enthusiasm, work ethic and commitment to the programme. James has worked alongside Mr Brooksbank during visits to the likes of Darlington Football Club, County Durham Football Association, County Durham Sport and Ferryhill Sports Development Team, during which he interviews coaches to find out more about how they work, always keeping a diary of responses for future reference.

James Johnson, 15, from Trimdon, is interested in working within sport as a future career, chose to study sport to gain knowledge and experience about the industry before taking his options further. He has certainly done that.

Through his work experience, organised by Durham Education Business Partnership, James has also volunteered to join a project with Trimdon Junior School. He coaches up to 30 girls who are forming a new team. They will be joining Trimdon Utd FC and he will be staying with them and working as a volunteer coach. This has led to him joining the Football Association young volunteers programme where he is rewarded for his volunteer hours.

Mr Brooksbank commented ‘In such a short time James has already been an excellent ambassador for the college. James has been a huge success in his placement and I’d have no hesitation in writing a reference for him as his time keeping, appearance and work ethic is superb’.

James, from Trimdon is now on work experience with The Gym in Fishburn gaining more experience and putting his newly acquired skills into practise.

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Staindrop students build the foundations for their future

Three year 10 students from Staindrop School Business and Enterprise College have had the opportunity to work with Durham County Council as part of a design and build project on two of its educational sites.

Jack Burnham (15), Nathan Cooper (15) and Robbie Waite (14) joined a group of Direct Services tradesmen to design, identify material requirements and construct a series of planters for Green Lane CE Primary School, Barnard Castle and the You Can Centre, Bishop Auckland.

The project, organised by Durham Education Business Partnership, offered a new and innovative model of work experience, offering students the opportunity to gain an understanding of a variety of careers within Durham County Council, working alongside staff to get the chance to put their employability skills to the test and go out into the workplace to bring their designs to life and to experience what it’s like to work on a busy site.

Direct Services Construction Supervisor Keith Thompson said ‘All three pupils tackled the projects with enthusiasm and were a real pleasure to work with’.

Paul Burr, Building & Facilities Maintenance Manager added that ‘Durham County Council welcome the chance of giving young people the opportunity to experience the construction and enjoy doing some hands on work. It is a great project for both Durham County Council and the children to be involved in’.

Cheryl Stirk from Durham EBP commented ‘This work experience model is a fantastic way for Durham County Council to engage with one of their local schools and is in turn a fantastic opportunity for the school to engage with their local community. This has provided an excellent opportunity for the young people from Staindrop School to develop their employability skills and build on their knowledge, which will hopefully help to inform career choices in the future.’

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March 2011

Young engineers learning the trade

A group of sixth form students from Carmel RC College in Darlington have been visiting some of the region’s best known engineering companies as part of their course to learn more about the way engineering companies run their businesses in the 21st century.

The programme of visits, now in its second year is organised by Durham Education Business Partnership and the college itself and is supported by companies in the area keen to get young people interested in engineering as a career. The companies involved this year from Darlington and the region were; Cummins Enginesorus Special Profiles, CTC Marine, Astra Engineering Services, TKA Tallent Chassis Ltd, Francis Brown and Intelect UK.

The year 13 students, studying Advanced Engineering witnessed the North-East’s world class engineering expertise as a result of the visits.

Jaqui Gardiner from Durham Education Business Partnership and Mark Holt from Carmel RC College worked together to arrange the visits with the employers. She said ‘The feedback has been really positive, for the students it was their chance to see in practice what they had been learning about in theory. For the employers it was a great opportunity to showcase their business and the skills of their staff by sharing practical knowledge and experience with the young engineers of the future’.

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February 2011

Students learn to market tourist attraction

Seventeen year 11 students from Greenfield Community Arts College have had the opportunity to carry out an innovative way of doing their work experience through the new vocational Diploma in Creative and Media studies, working alongside a variety of professionals from the Industry.

Nikki Locke, Arts Officer from Learning & Culture at Durham County Council designed the project in partnership with Durham Education Business Partnership with the aim to promote the DLI Museum and Art Gallery in Durham City as an attraction for 13-19 year olds living in the region.

Students researched other similar attractions in the North East and were offered first hand advice and tips from the front runners in the art gallery and museum industry, the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead and the Discovery Museum in Newcastle.

Some impressive ideas were suggested by the group which were then presented to a panel of Durham County Council staff. It is hoped that they will take some of the information forward when looking to promote the DLI in the future.

Through this applied learning work experience and supported by Cheryl Stirk from Durham Education Business Partnership, the students have been able to complete the ‘Create a Campaign’ unit of their qualification.

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February 2011

Barclays work with customers of tomorrow

Barclays Bank volunteers have been putting primary school students to the test to raise their financial awareness and capabilities.

The ‘Money Skills’ programme, organised by Durham Education Business Partnership and supported by the bank’s volunteers, involved 60 students from Belmont Junior School trying to improve their money skills via a range of activities throughout the session.

The programme aims to help participants gain skills, knowledge and confidence about money, whether it is sticking to a budget, or longer-term challenges like understanding the financial implications of life choices you make about education, training or work.

Barclays Money Skills is their long-term commitment to increasing the financial capability of young people and is delivered in partnership with a range of organisations across the UK.

The sessions have been held in primary and secondary schools across County Durham including Wolsingham School and Community College, Durham Gilesgate Sports College & Sixth Form Centre and St Mary Magdelen RC VA Primary School, Seaham. Business and Learning Co-ordinator Sandra Stephenson from Durham EBP confirmed the success of the programme having received very positive feedback from both schools staff and students.

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February 2011

Bright ideas ignite final at fire station

A team of students from Staindrop Business and Enterprise College cleverly designed their way to victory in a challenge to create a new design concept for the new Fire Station in Bishop Auckland.

Budding design enthusiasts from the school had the opportunity to work with Durham County Council’s Planning Services and Bishop Auckland Community Fire Station to develop their own designs for the fire station as part of the ‘Planning in the Community Challenge’ organised by Durham Education Business Partnership.

From the four teams involved, Barron Land UK Developments were chosen as the winning team, with members Hannah Barron, Tom Aldred and Andrew Wilson all being awarded with a certificate and trophy.

Other awards went to Adele Willis for Best Design Concept, Jack Welsh for Best Research and James Ebdon for Excellent Leadership.

Andy Bruce, District Fire Station Manager supported the project along with Fire Station staff. The project enabled students to work in partnership with Durham County Council and their local community, really bringing their learning into the workplace. The project briefs and resource materials were provided by Planning Services at Durham County Council. Andy and his Colleague Dominic Brown, Assistant Fire Station District Manager were included on the judging panel along with Durham County Council and Chris Padgett from Christopher Padgett Architects, who also contributed to the project.

The challenge formed part of the Learning the Business programme, organised by Durham EBP to enable young people to apply their classroom learning into the workplace. It is envisaged that this project will run next academic year.

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