News
Nex-T Level Maltese Experience for Cadbury Childcare Learners
A life-changing adventure for Cadbury Sixth Form College students! Twenty of our T Level Education & Early Years and BTEC Travel & Tourism students recently embarked on an unforgettable journey to the stunning island of Malta for a work experience programme like no other!
Learners swapped the classroom for real-world settings, gaining hands-on experience in schools, nurseries, hotels, and travel agencies across the island for two weeks. They not only put their knowledge into practice but also developed invaluable skills to boost their future employability—all while soaking up Malta’s rich culture and breathtaking scenery.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience was made possible thanks to our partnership with TravelEdventures, which focuses on combining education and travel to unlock students’ potential.
Becky Westwood, Travel & Tourism Lecturer and Curriculum Lead, said: “It’s such a fantastic opportunity for our students to not only expand their learning outside the classroom but also experience a new culture and create memories with their friends that will last a lifetime. They all fitted into their work placements really well and did the college proud.”
College Tech Demonstrator in Spotlight at Meta’s first VR Educators Summit
An Emerging Technologies Demonstrator at The Sandwell Colleges was a featured speaker at Meta’s inaugural VR Educators Community Summit hosted at its London headquarters.
Ben Haddock, part of the Fab Lab team, delivered an inspiring lightning talk on their ground-breaking research into smart glasses and education to an audience of top academics and industry figures including former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg, now Meta’s President for Global Affairs.
The event brought together educators and professionals in the field of extended reality (XR) to discuss the current landscape and future prospects of virtual reality (VR) in education and highlight how innovation is shaping the future of learning.
Ben delivered a compelling presentation on how futuristic smart glasses are being used at the College for innovative learner assessments across a wide number of departments, including Professional Studies, Teacher Education, Construction and Automotive.
In 2021, the College’s Fab Lab received a £50,000 grant from the West Midlands Combined Authority to carry out a research project to investigate the use of smart glasses for assessment in further education. The project was led and managed by Debbie Grace from the College’s Teacher Education team.
Last year their work was published in a leading global research journal: “Human Data Interaction, Disadvantage and Skills in the Community” co-authored by a number of prominent university professors, researchers and doctors from around the world.
Sandwell College was the first institution to trial and demonstrate Bodyswaps’ Job Interview Simulator in VR, now utilised by over 250 universities and colleges globally.
Ben says: “Never doubt that a small group of committed people cannot change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
We’re Celebrating T Level Week!
It’s T Level Week, and we’re ready to celebrate all things T Levels at the Sandwell Colleges!
This week, we’ve got a jam-packed schedule of activities for our T Level students at Cadbury Sixth Form College and Sandwell College. Here’s what you can expect:
– Inspiring experiences and successes of our T Level students and alumni
– Exciting T Level events, including breakfasts and Q&As
– Showcases of our incredible T Level teachers who make a real difference every day
We’re looking forward to spotlighting the achievements of our students and staff. Stay tuned to see all the amazing things we get up to!
Older News & Event Articles
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
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
Our tireless Careers Team have worked round the clock to process record numbers of university applications ahead of the cut off time.
Numbers of Cadbury Sixth Form College students applying for higher education places has now brought the total for all Sandwell College group sites to more than 1,300.
Careers Coordinator and Adviser, Andrew Farthing, said: “Ahead of the 6pm UCAS deadline on 31st January, the Careers Team worked tirelessly to advise students and tutors, check all student applications and send completed applications with references to UCAS.
“This huge task will help our students to secure offers for places at university. We are on track for record numbers of applications this year.”
Last year 1,035 students across the group were placed at university destinations. Russell Group Universities attracting our students included Oxford, Birmingham, Nottingham, Warwick, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton and York.
The top 5 most popular choices emerged as Birmingham City University, University of Wolverhampton, Aston University, Coventry University, plus De Montfort and Birmingham Newman University in joint fifth place for popularity.
Course sectors which attracted the most students were Criminology and Law, Business/Finance/Accounting/Economics, Nursing and Midwifery, Computing, Psychology and Engineering.
To be part of our next year of success at Cadbury, apply now!
