The introduction of our latest college therapy dog, Fudge, has already made a positive impression on staff and student wellbeing.
Fudge, a two-year-old Cavapoo based at Eastleigh College, joins Dexter, a nine-year-old Golden Retriever at Southampton College, with a further eight-year-old Bordoodle, Bella, at Fareham College. Each dog spends one or two days in college per week, meeting and greeting students, providing comfort to those who are struggling and helping students connect with the college environment.
Lorraine Wheeler, Designated Safeguarding Lead at Southampton College, is the owner of Fudge. She commented: “From the first day, we could already see the positive influence Fudge has made on the college community. There have already been so many examples of her helping students, but the one that stands out for me was during an exam period. We had a student who was sitting outside the exam room, unable to talk or bring himself to go in for his exam. But when Fudge went up to him, his demeanour changed completely, and he was finally able to articulate his anxieties. She empowered him to go in for his exam and even sat beside him while he completed it.”
Kierston Paskall, Emotional Literacy and Support Assistant at Southampton College, is the owner of Dexter. She said: “As well as being a therapy dog, Dexter is also a trained assistance dog and this training has already been invaluable, such as when he administered deep pressure therapy during a student’s seizure. We do meet and greets with him every week and I have seen him transform staff who previously had a fear of dogs and soften students who struggled with emotional volatility. He has helped people open up and feel calm and relaxed during their college studies, which is so conducive to positive learning outcomes.”
The benefits of therapy dogs are well documented in the education environment. Examples of these include increased attendance, stronger relationships between students and staff, growth in confidence and reduced anxiety. Extensive risk assessments are taken prior to the arrival of every new dog, and careful precautions are taken in relation to any allergies or fears around dogs.
If you would like to learn more about our therapy dogs, please contact our safeguarding team.
South Hampshire College Group have welcomed four local secondary schools to a special interactive event designed to introduce pupils to further education and career pathways beyond school.
This unique Game Show event which featured professional lighting, sound effects and even a dedicated theme tune, was hosted at Fareham College’s theatre and was scheduled to coincide with National Careers Week. Over 30 students and staff were welcomed from schools including Fareham Academy, Henry Cort Community College, Bridgemary School and Castle View Academy. Each school had a team of 8 students, all from Year 9, who worked together to tackle six challenges, each centring around a different college department, such as carpentry, media, art and sport. This fun and engaging approach to further education allowed students to explore and discover new passions in an exciting competitive environment.
A prize ceremony capped off the evening, with Henry Cort Community College being declared the winners, and recipients of special gift vouchers. All participants received a certificate and the entire event was captured on film by a dedicated broadcasting team from Solent University.
Danielle Logan, Community Outreach Coordinator at South Hampshire College Group, organised the event. She commented: “The National Careers Week Game Show was an exciting event designed to introduce Year 9 students to the range of subjects and courses available at our colleges. It was great to see the enthusiasm and energy that students brought to the challenges! I believe it has been a fantastic introduction for students to get a taste of what we offer at South Hampshire College Group and as they progress to Year 10 and 11, they will have even more opportunities to learn about our programs and pathways. The National Careers Week Game Show is an annual event that highlights our commitment to providing students with valuable insights into their future educational and career options.”
A teacher from a participating school commented: “This event has been so much fun both this year and last year. The students love seeing the college, finding out about some of the courses and the competitive element of the challenges. The length of the event is just right too.”
For any further information please contact the College Group at [email protected].
A packed programme of activities was warmly across South Hampshire College Group to celebrate apprenticeship and T Level qualifications as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2025.
Throughout the week a popular series of presentations and informative talks were staged across the College Group’s sites, comprising Eastleigh College, Fareham College, Southampton College, CEMAST and CETC, which have featured input from local government services including the NHS, the DVSA and the wider Civil Service. There have also been special networking events including an Employer’s Breakfast, bringing key local business and education figures together to celebrate apprenticeship developments this year, and a particularly useful ‘Meet your Match’ event which enabled progressing students and apprentices to connect with various employers from different sectors, opening up further opportunities for work interviews, placements and careers beyond college.
Clare Lewis is an employer at local mortgage broker business C L Mortgages, and has employed South Hampshire College Group student Cameron on an apprenticeship. She commented: “We need young people coming up through the ranks so we can grow our company. Apprenticeships are one of the best ways to achieve this and as an employer they allow me to shape staff to work how they need to in order to best support the firm.”
The week was also a unified celebration of T Levels, where the college group welcomed hundreds of young people and their parents to four special T Level information evenings where they had the opportunity to understand the value of the significant work placement and discover progression opportunities available through this dynamic new learning pathway. These events were gratefully supported by the University of Portsmouth, University of Southampton and Solent University, to endorse the progression pathways of T Levels and to continue to strengthen the important local community ties between Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE).
Briony is one of South Hampshire College Group’s many students currently undertaking a T Level programme – her study of Early Years & Education has opened up future ambitions for a career in safeguarding and supporting young people. She commented: “As part of my T Level, I have a large work placement in a school, which gives me real experience working with children from a range of circumstances. Our facilities at college also are really good because there’s a nursery and spaces where we learn hands-on skills, as well as classrooms, so we get a real mix of learning and experience.”
To learn more about National Apprenticeship Week and its importance in the education landscape, please click here.
For further information about South Hampshire College Group and its high-quality technical and professional training, please contact [email protected] or visit www.shcg.ac.uk.
South Hampshire College Group student Frankie McAll, 20, from Waterlooville, has won the South East regional heat of the Sparks 2025 Learner of the Year competition. He will now compete against 7 others in the grand final in Birmingham this April.
The Sparks Learner of the Year competition is one of the most exciting opportunities for emerging talent in the electrical industry, pitting the brightest and most capable prospects across the nation against each other in a competitive environment. During January and February, outstanding Level 2 and Level 3 students from across colleges in England and Wales have competed in six regional heats, tasked with completing a live practical installation under timed conditions.
Frankie’s success came in the South East regional heat at Aldershot Construction College, where he emerged victorious from ten students representing seven other colleges, as the only individual to successfully complete the installation project within the strict four-hour time limit. This involved carefully following instructions from a detailed spec document in order to put his college education and work experience into practice.
Frankie commented: “It was great to have this opportunity as I’d never taken part in an industry competition before and I was excited to see how I stacked up against others who were also put forward for their skill and ability. I was chuffed to win and I could really feel the benefits of both my workplace experience and time in college in making this happen. It was an intense and tiring day so it’s a little daunting thinking ahead to the final but it’s already really increased my confidence to have made it this far, anything else beyond this is a bonus.”
Paul Austin, Electrical Curriculum Area Manager at Eastleigh College, part of South Hampshire College Group, taught Frankie during his first year at college and put him forward for the Sparks competition. Paul said: “This competition is always of a very high standard but I could see Frankie’s quality of work in our workshops and knew he could handle this. He was well prepared, motivated and completed the project to a very high standard within the time frame – he has done himself and the College proud. It vindicates what we do as lecturers when we have a talent like Frankie who is able to showcase the skills and knowledge that we try to impart into all our students.”
The grand final of the 2025 Sparks Learner of the Year competition is set to take place in April (date TBC) at the JTL Training Centre in Birmingham. In addition to the competition, this event will provide valuable networking opportunities with industry specialists.
To learn more about the Sparks Learner of the Year annual competition, please click here.
South Hampshire College Group has been commended by Ofsted inspectors for making significant progress in all of the areas reviewed in its recent monitoring visit, including the college group’s shared vision, effective management, quality of education, and highly efficient leadership structure.
In their first visit since the merger of Eastleigh College, Fareham College, and City College Southampton, Ofsted praised the “exceptionally smooth transition into the new college group,” which aims to provide financially strong, responsive, and ambitious Further Education to meet the evolving skills demands in the Solent region.
Additionally, the Ofsted monitoring visit report highlighted the college group’s curriculum review and planned Centres of Excellence, which will provide investment on each of the campuses ensuring students are “operating in new industry-standard and well-resourced teaching spaces.” Encouragingly, the inspectors also recognised that the college group’s “leaders clearly communicate their plans to students,” with staff “already working together as single teams ahead of the move, enhancing their collaborative effectiveness.”
Further acknowledgement was given to the improvements made to the quality of teaching at Southampton College, including “highly effective teaching strategies in lessons”, “clear, useful and timely feedback” and “planning learning effectively to help students increase their knowledge”. Special commendation was also given to the increased access to high-quality resources as a result of the merger, enabling students to learn in environments that replicate industry.
The college group also received significant praise regarding its progress in improving the quality of its apprenticeship provision at Eastleigh College. It was noted that the newly appointed apprenticeship leaders “have an excellent understanding of the strengths and areas requiring development of the provision” and have made “substantial progress in making improvements.”
In addition, the Electrical department’s mentors were applauded, with inspectors commenting; “When they assess that apprentices are ready, they allow them to perform the same process under supervision. Consequently, apprentices produce work of a high standard, as well as making a valuable contribution to their workplaces.”
Andrew Kaye, CEO of South Hampshire College Group, was delighted with the report. He said: “This report rightly recognises the significant progress the college group has made since merger. South Hampshire College Group is very well placed to provide the highest quality education and training to meet the needs of the region.
“Looking ahead, we are excited about our future plans for nearly £12m investment in our colleges, which will provide our students and apprentices with new, industry-standard, learning environments.”
To view the full Ofsted monitoring visit report, please visit: https://www.shcg.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/shcg-ofsted-monitoring-visit-report.pdf
South Hampshire College Group (SHCG), comprised of Further Education colleges from Southampton, Eastleigh and Fareham, has acquired a state-of-the-art Digital Training Vessel, to meet the needs of new and emerging skills in the Solent region.
The new Digital Training Vessel (DTV) is an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) which will support an ambitious new Further Education curriculum for both SHCG’s Centre of Excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST) in Lee-on-the-Solent near Fareham, and SHCG’s specialist Marine Skills Centre located by the River Itchen, Southampton.
USVs are popular with industry and research bodies for surveying, patrolling, and search and rescue duties, as they have many benefits including zero emissions, lower operating costs, anti-fatigue, consistent routing, and are safer. It is believed to be a first for Further Education in the UK.
The new Digital Training Vessel USV is controlled remotely from either a shore-based mission control centre, or onboard a mothership, through digital remote operations, with optional AI (artificial intelligence) decision-aided support.
The SHCG Digital Training Vessel will contribute to supporting learning across new and innovative maritime skills, which will help to address the sector’s skills shortage and regional social employment challenges.
The skillsets required for USV Remote Operators combine digital, marine engineering, marine electrical, systems engineering, net zero understanding and navigational knowledge, which until recently were unavailable as a single career pathway. Through a new curriculum being rolled out this coming academic year, students from across traditionally distinct faculty areas will gain invaluable experience, knowledge, and skills to raise awareness of the maritime sector as a viable career option in which to progress.
The acquisition of the Digital Training Vessel was secured through a funding award by the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF), as part of the Group’s focus on pioneering the education of innovative skills and as a contributor in delivering the Solent’s Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
This exciting development comes off the back of numerous innovative assets recently unveiled by SHCG and LSIP include TECH:TRUCK, a collaborative mobile educational and technological roadshow shared between seven local education providers, and SHCG’s new multi-million pound Department for Education funded Institute of Technology (IoT) at CEMAST – the only IoT nationwide that is offering a specific Higher National Certificate in Robotics and Mechatronics.
Naomi Smith, LSIF Programme Director commented: “South Hampshire College Group is a pioneer in identifying new and emerging skill requirements. Maritime has been identified in the Solent Local Skills Improvement Plan as a key area of focus, particularly in digital skills and where traditional roles overlap with new, such as marine engineering and vessel operations.’
“South Hampshire College Group works with local industry leaders to ensure the skills, qualifications and progression routes provide further opportunities for our students to create better futures. In addition, providing public educational training resources such as the Digital Training Vessel is key to encouraging social mobility as it enables access to all.”
The Digital Training Vessel project is entirely British, with the USV built by HydroSurv based in Plymouth, together with its vessel control systems, including maritime autonomy and remote-control operations, provided by Robosys Automation based in Southampton.
The launch of the DTV was held at South Hampshire College Group’s Marine Skills Centre in Woolston, near Southampton, where maritime students and representatives from academia and industry were in attendance.
The launch event was also an opportunity to showcase the broad range of technical skills and career pathways available within the maritime sector and was a pivotal catalyst in bringing together multidiscipline curriculum areas for students. The USV showcased its capabilities on the water, with guests experiencing remote operations firsthand.
DTV “Trio” Collaboration Project Lead, Nigel Lee, CSO of Robosys Automation, which also provided the vessel control systems and autonomous operations for the USV said: “Today is a landmark moment for the maritime industry, as demand for trained operatives in this specialism is rapidly increasing, both across USVs and also larger vessels including uncrewed and lean-crewed ships. Having this advanced Digital Training Vessel as a Further Educational resource broadens the catchment opportunities, thus satisfying the very real skillset shortage in the maritime sector, whilst creating a consistent level of learning.”
The event welcomed representation from the UK’s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, National Oceanography Centre, Robosys Automation, Landau Marine, South Hampshire College Group, Solent Local Skills Improvement Plan, South Coast Institute of Technology, amongst others from supporting associations and industry.
The Digital Training Vessel will enter service in September ready for the 2024/25 academic year.
A student at Eastleigh College, part of South Hampshire College Group, has overcome challenging learning difficulties to procure paid work through a Supported Internship Programme.
Alfie Cole is 20 years old and first joined Eastleigh College at the age of 17 in 2020, aiming to develop his personal and professional skills to the point where he could successfully work. Alfie spent one day a week at college honing his English and maths skills, alongside specialist training for interviews and application writing. During the remainder of the week, he worked in the storage department at Winchester Hospital and became a trusted and well-loved member of the team. In his second year, he also had the opportunity to live away from home for three days a week through the Internship programme, where he learnt various life skills such as cooking, washing and cleaning. Earlier this Spring, Alfie was offered paid work for the first time as an assistant at Novotel, a four-star hotel in Southampton. Despite having been there only a month, he is already making a strong impact, as can be seen by the below review on Trip Advisor:
“At breakfast, we were especially impressed with the staff members Alfie and Veronika. Both were friendly, kind, attentive and polite. Thank you both for a great stay and a pleasant start to the day.”
Alfie Cole commented: “The Supported Internship has made me feel more comfortable and confident in my everyday work, and I’ve learnt many different interview techniques. At my old work, I would stand around and wait for instructions, but now I feel more able to take the initiative and pursue tasks that need to be done. My favourite part of my new job is chatting with customers and socialising with colleagues.”
The Supported Learning Internship is a one-year programme for learners with moderate learning difficulties who are seeking paid employment in the workplace. Most time on the course is spent on a temporary unpaid work placement, in combination with a support day at the College, in which students will undergo training in English and Maths where necessary, as well as specific career skills such as CV workshops and interview training. Students will also have regular tutorials with a job coach who will help them design a reliable vocational profile.
Alfie’s mother commented: “One of the biggest worries for parents of disabled children is how they’ll manage in the future. The positive change he’s undergone during this programme is overwhelming, he is so much more independent now – he can go to town by himself and get public transport by himself too. We are so grateful for this programme, we don’t know what we would have done without it.”
Lorna Cantwell, Alfie’s tutor and Job Coach at Eastleigh College, said: “Myself and everyone involved are extremely proud of Alfie and commend his motivation, dedication and progression into the world of work. We wish him the very best of luck with his journey at Novotel and his future in store for him.”
For any further information, please contact South Hampshire College Group at [email protected].
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