04
05
AYRSHIRE UPDATE
CAMPUS NEWS
CROSS CAMPUS NEWS
Ayr College Wind Turbine
Course Launched
Ayr College students were given a
unique insight recently into the UK’s
largest onshore windfarm. The 12
students are studying to become wind
turbine technicians through a
specially-devised diploma launched in
March that is supported by Scottish
Power Renewables.
Angela Constance MSP, Minister for
Youth Employment, met with the
students to hear about the course and
discuss their ambitions to establish a
career in renewable energy. Scottish
Power Renewables’ engineers also took
Trainee baristas at James Watt College
are making their mark locally as the
only purveyors of fresh Fairtrade coffee
in Kilwinning.
“We came up with the idea because we
discovered that nowhere in Kilwinning
sold fresh Fairtrade coffee and we
wanted to address that.”
Ten students set up coffee carts within
the Kilwinning campus as part of their
work towards a level one barista
assessment qualification.
The students working towards their
barista qualification aim to gain
employment within the hospitality
sector after graduating from the
College. All ten students involved in the
coffee carts initiative committed to the
project voluntarily and will gain course
credits for their entrepreneurship.
The enterprise was facilitated by the
students’ collaboration with the
company, Peros Coffee, and involved
stationing mobile coffee kiosks in ‘lost
space’ within the campus.
STEM WEEK
All the colleges organised activities for
STEM Week. STEM stands for Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths,
and the national campaign is aimed to
show how science and engineering
relate to everyday life. Engineering
students at Ayr College organised an
event showcasing science to other
students and staff and invited primary
school children to engage in a range of
exciting activities.
the students on a tour of the site. Simon
Christian, UK Managing Director at
Scottish Power Renewables, said: “The
renewable energy industry continually
needs qualified technicians who can
help to maintain wind turbines. We have
been working hard to ensure that
colleges can offer courses that deliver
exactly what the industry needs in terms
of skills, which in turn, helps participants
get employed in the industry on
completing their course. Courses like
this will provide local people with the
opportunity to be employed on the
local windfarms”.
James Watt College baristas
provide unique Fairtrade drink
for Kilwinning coffee-lovers
AYRSHIRE UPDATE
Both Ayr and Kilmarnock Colleges were
involved in the South and East Ayrshire
local council area finals of the Primary
Engineer Programme. The event saw
schools from across Ayrshire competing
in a series of different events involving
vehicles they had designed using a
shoebox chassis.
making solutions to a genuinely tough
engineering problem.
The Primary school pupils showcased
their designs to the various industry
judges, including Dr Peter T Hughes
OBE, Chairman of Primary Engineer,
who awarded points for design ideas,
final design, the use of tools and
materials, the quality of the finished
model, and the pupils’ ability to talk
about their own work.
The 42 finalists, all second year pupils,
were among over four hundred taking
part in the North Ayrshire Design
Challenge days. The theme this year
was Remote Operations and pupils
worked in teams to design and make a
prototype device that can be operated
remotely to simulate a heart and
kidney transplant.
James Watt College hosted the
‘Faraday’ schools challenge where
budding young engineers from school
groups across North Ayrshire took up
the task of researching, designing and
All the pupils attending the above
events experienced hands-on, practical
activities to challenge their perceptions,
and help them to understand the
exciting opportunities offered in
engineering as a rewarding career path.
Kilmarnock
Students Receive
Trust Award
Eco conscious students from
Kilmarnock College have been
presented with a prestigious
award for their dedication to
environmental work.
Students from the College’s NC
Environmental Management
course scooped a John Muir Trust
Discovery Award at a Celebration
of Success Day at Dean Castle
Country Park.
The dedicated students were
chosen for their work in the very
popular country park, clearing
areas of woodland, preparing
ground and building a pathway
within the grounds.
Comic Relief Event 2#0