News
Cadbury Design Graduate Wins Global KSI Competition
One of Cadbury’s successful alumni, Hamza Ali, has won a competition to create a new Reddit icon for social media superstar KSI. Hamza, who is set to graduate from Birmingham City University as a Graphic Designer in the summer, has been praised for his “passion, imagination and huge flair” by the famous YouTube influencer.
Hamza saw off thousands of rivals from around the world with his entry, which will now be viewed by KSI’s army of 2.9m followers. KSI, who also has more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube, added: “I’ve seen Hamza’s work all over Reddit. I love his passion, imagination and huge flair for artistic design. I know his work is in hot demand by other YouTube influencers. He is very talented. Hamza managed to whip up a madness of colours and energy, combining all the things I love in this icon. The design is super awesome and sick.”
Hamza, who goes by the name Ballpoint Papi on social media and has more than 40,000 followers across TikTok, X and Instagram, said: “It’s pretty amazing and it’s hard to put into words what this means. KSI rarely changes his icon for Reddit, so it’s really massive. It means the entire KSI community will know my work. KSI is very into Dragon Ball Z, so the icon was inspired by this and the Reddit logo.”
Hamza hopes this competition win will improve his chances of impressing leading design agencies in the USA when he heads to New York later this year with a group of fellow creatives from the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at BCU. He also plans on travelling to Japan to publicise his work next summer with a series of exhibitions.
He added: “Apart from my academic pursuits, I have arranged studio visits in New York City. During my visit, I will be exploring ‘SlangInc’ and Design Bridge to broaden my knowledge and gain real-time exposure to the professional world of graphic design. This opportunity follows a similar experience I had last year when I met with esteemed designers such as Michael Beirut at Pentagram and Georgia Stout at 2×4. These visits have shaped my approach to design and have inspired me to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity.”
Hamza credited his experience and lecturers at Cadbury for paving the way to his growing success. “The A Levels I chose have played a significant role in shaping me into the designer I am today. Stuart, my former graphic design tutor at Cadbury, challenged me creatively, and I am incredibly grateful for him pushing me beyond the boundaries of what is considered ‘normal’ for a graphics designer. He encouraged me to pursue a career in graphic design, and I attribute my success in this field to his guidance and unwavering support.”
You can view Hamza’s winning icon here
New £6.6 million STEM Centre at Cadbury
A new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) Centre has opened to its very first students at Cadbury Sixth Form College.
Due to the overwhelming demand for places at Cadbury Sixth Form College, the £6.6 million centre is focused on delivering a new technical curriculum, responding to a growing demand for specialist teaching facilities and learning for students. The centre aims to ensure that Cadbury Sixth Form College can offer students the broadest choice of advanced courses, including A levels, T Levels and vocational qualifications, across Birmingham.
The 1,000 sqm, two storey STEM Centre supports the education of young people looking to enter careers in advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other critical sectors of the economy. It houses dedicated suites for Digital Media, Health, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Employee Engagement. Digital learning labs and VR suites will offer robotics and coding opportunities for new T Level and A Level courses, alongside a media suite, a practical healthcare learning space, extended classrooms and flexible study and social spaces.
The project marks Phase 2 of Cadbury College’s ambition to position itself to support as many young people as possible who aspire to advanced learning and university; and continues the multi-year investment following the opening of its £3.5 million Science City facilities in 2021. This new facility will support the growing need for new skills and jobs across Birmingham and the West Midlands for both universities and employers.
Julia Stevens, Principal of Cadbury Sixth Form College, commented: “We’re so excited to open the doors to our new STEM Centre, providing local students with even more opportunities to study in state-of-the-art facilities.
“The new building allows students to get hands on and see what their industry looks like, preparing them for life after college – whether that be for university or straight into employment. By providing specialist teaching facilities in growth areas such as advanced manufacturing and life sciences, the new STEM Centre will be a huge benefit to the wider community and the regional economy.”
To find out more about the new STEM Centre at Cadbury College, sign up now for one of our next open days.
Images © Speller Metcalfe
Cadbury 2023 Wrapped!
Excellent Results
We celebrated record results this year at Cadbury and our pass rate went UP for the third year running!
BBC Breakfast visited us ahead of A Level Results Day to film an interview with our student Zeeshan, who was nervously (but confidently!) awaiting his exam grades.
Among our star students were:
• Florida who achieved A*AA and is now at the University of Birmingham studying Biochemistry
• Arun who got AAA and is now studying Law at the University of Nottingham
• Sherika who achieved A*AB and started an apprenticeship with tax, audit and advisory firm Grant Thornton
• T Level students Lucy and Jessica, who both achieved Distinctions. Lucy is now studying Primary Education at Manchester Metropolitan University and Jessica is studying Counselling at Newman University.
New Developments
Our state-of-the-art STEM centre is now complete and students are now beginning their first year of studies in this brand-new £10 million Science City campus.
Perfect Partnerships
Thanks to Old Friends Care Ltd – a local domiciliary care company, our Level 3 Health and Social Care students were able to complete their moving and handling training, and learn more about care assistant and care manager job roles in the healthcare industry.
Criminology students had the opportunity to immerse themselves in mock crime scenes and discover the fascinating world of collecting and analysing evidence at a CSI day with CSI Training Events.
Next-Level Events
• Cadbury Culture Day celebrated the amazing diversity of our college.
• King Charles III’s royal representative Deputy Lieutenant Ian Sargeant OBE was a special guest at the Cadbury Big Coronation Party and tree planting ceremony.
• Creative Arts students wrapped up their studies in style with a striking End of Year Show.
Landmark Visits
• Spanish A Level students put their language skills to effective use in Malaga
• English Language & Literature, French, and Early Modern History students explored the cultural and historic sights of Paris
• 3D Design students got a chance to catch the quirky Arnifurniture exhibition at the Design Museum and the inspirational Herzog & De Meuron exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts
• Science students spent an incredible day at BBC Birmingham where they teamed up with BBC STEM Ambassadors, who are experts in using and communicating science
• Performing Arts students went to see an immersive-style production of Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre in London and had fun interacting with the cast members
• Ex-professional football player Luke Staton and entrepreneurial success David Baldwin hosted an Empowerment Day for Business and Finance students. David shared his story of building up his family business and selling it for £250m!
• Stage star Nic Myers worked with our Performing Arts Students on a Cabaret Masterclass. Nic, who has just returned from a four-mouth residency at the Lido in Paris performing in Cabaret, taught students choreography
• Law students from Cadbury got real-life Crown Court experience in a Bar Mock Trial Competition.
Inspirational Projects
Cadbury’s new Fab Lab was awarded funding from Millennium Point to invest in emerging technologies. The funding has been used to set up a 3D Immersive Learning Lab, introducing innovative STEM-related learning projects, such as virtual reality programming.
Stars of Tomorrow
• One of Cadbury’s Star Alumni Khalid Daley – currently starring in Hamilton – returned from the West End to run a musical theatre masterclass for Performing Arts students
• Science student Zainab Mallah was one of the 2023 finalists for Further Education/Higher Education Student of the Year in the Titan Awards at Aston University.
We’re looking forward to even more in 2024! Join us on our journey 😊
Older News & Event Articles
Performing Arts and T Level Media students from Cadbury Sixth Form College took part in an IGNITE workshop with the National Youth Theatre, sponsored by Netflix—opening doors to amazing opportunities.
Faye Campbell, a former student with a thriving stage and screen career, shared her expertise with the next generation of creatives who explored arts careers, mastered camera techniques, and even pitched their own TV and theatre shows.
This crucial hands-on experience has equipped our students with the skills and confidence they need as they take their next steps into the creative industries, with many students now getting the chance to attend a week-long workshop at Birmingham’s new film studios.
Cadbury Sixth Form College students took part in a powerful workshop with West Midlands Police – gaining real-world insights into the impact of crime and the importance of making positive choices.
For Cadbury – part of The Sandwell Colleges – safety, like always, remains a top priority. Today’s theme, ‘Taking Back Our Streets’, highlights the vital role colleges play in ensuring students feel safe, supported, and empowered every day.
Meanwhile, our Student Support Officers led the inspiring ‘Hear Our Voices’ brick mural, a lasting symbol of unity, strength, and student voice, reinforcing our commitment to creating safe and supportive spaces.
Joined by Councillor Carmel Corrigan, we are proud to be working with our community partners to build a safer, stronger future for our students.
So why choose STEM as a career path?
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is one of the fastest-growing areas with an-ever increasing demand for graduates.
The UK is currently short of STEM graduates, so if you have a STEM background, you’ll be in a great position to start a successful career which is personally and financially rewarding.
With STEM qualifications you’ll increase your employment prospects and make a difference to society. You’ll be valued by employers and governments as you’ll be helping to drive economic prosperity in diverse industries such as information technology, robotics, cybersecurity, biotechnology and engineering.
Due to our greater use of technology and the complex challenges of today’s world including climate change, healthcare, and energy sustainability, STEM careers are some of the most exciting that you can imagine. As a college student, it’s entirely possible that by the time you come to graduate from university, there will be new jobs that don’t even exist at the moment.
STEM related job sectors cover artificial intelligence, software development and data analysis, and example STEM careers could include:
Science
Chemist/Astrophysicist/Environmental Scientist
Technology
Software Developer/Network Administrator/Systems Analyst/IT Manager
Engineering
Civil Engineer/Mechanical Engineer/Electrical Engineer/Aerospace Engineer
Mathematics
Mathematician/Actuary/Data Scientist
STEM Success
Shannon is one of Cadbury’s committed and driven alumni with a keen interest in the environment and passion for physical geography. After studying BSc Geography at Sheffield Hallam University Shannon graduated in 2019 with a First Class Honours Degree, and she is now a Hydraulic Modeller at RES Environmental Ltd.
Winning prizes for graduating top of her class and for her outstanding contribution, Shannon continued her study with an MSc (Res) in Polar and Alpine Change at the University of Sheffield where she was awarded a Distinction. Shannon is comfortable using a range of different GIS software including ArcPro, Mapinfo and QGIS.
On her recent return to Cadbury as a guest speaker, Shannon reflected: “Being the first in my family to go to university, I know how important it is for students to have role models from similar backgrounds and it meant a lot that I can be that for students at Cadbury.”
Which STEM subjects can I study with you?
Cadbury Sixth Form College offers you any of these subjects that fall within the STEM categories:
Applied Science │ Physics A Level │ Chemistry A Level │ Biology A Level │ Mathematics A Level │ IT Data Analytics │ Engineering │ Further Maths A Level │ 3D Design A Level │ Computer Science A Level │ Electronics A Level │ Economics A Level │ Applied Human Biology │ Psychology A Level │ Applied Psychology │ Environmental Science A Level │ Core Maths │ Laboratory Sciences T Level
Next STEM Steps
Research all our entry requirements or ask our knowledgeable STEM careers team at one of our next open days.
