KAB Seating, the industry leader specialising in the manufacture and supply of work seats for various types of vehicles, is the latest company to benefit from the Business Improvement Techniques qualification delivered by the Business Centre.

To find out how KAB Seating benefited and what their Operations Manager Ian Lloyd said about the course – click here.

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) provides Apprenticeship grants with a value of £1,500 to companies recruiting 16 to 24 year olds apprentices. To check if your business is eligible and to apply, please contact Business Centre at 01604 734323. Read more...

We are proud to be delivering the following Dale Carnegie courses:

• Consultative Selling
• The Dale Carnegie Advantage.

To book, please contact Lauren Hopkins on 01604734231 or email lauren.hopkins@northamptoncollege.ac.uk

If your business has fewer than 250 employees and a turnover of less than £40m, you may be eligible for a £2000 Leadership and Management Grant as part of the Growth Accelerator – a new partnership between private enterprise and government. Find out more here.

CIPD Level 3 (part-time) is one of the most popular Human Resources and Training course. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Level 3 Certificate in HR Practice will take place one evening per week throughout the next academic year, allowing you to develop your professional skills while working.

To register your interest and for further information, please call 0845 300 4401

Already working in Finance but lacking full qualifications? Our part-time AAT courses cover a wide range of internationally recognised qualifications; from Basic Accounting and Costing to Business Taxation and Financial Performance evaluation units.

• AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
• AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting

For more information, please contact the Accounting team                 on 01604 734055 or email: crystal.hawes@northamptoncollege.ac.uk

Looking to move into a managerial role? Already making tactical decisions in your organisation but need to improve your performance? The Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership course may be for you. To find out more, please contact Paul Donaldson (Curriculum Manager for Professional Programmes) on 01604 734064 or email: paul.donaldson@northamptoncollege.ac.uk

For those who wish to undertake a professional qualification in Law and to qualify as a Legal Executive, we’re running two courses:

-CILEX Level 3 Diploma in Law and Practice

-CILEX Level 6 Professional Higher Diploma in Law.

For more details, please contact Gary Markham on 01604 734128 or email: gary.markham@northamptoncollege.ac.uk

If you have recruitment needs or are interested in mentoring unemployed individuals back into work, then please contact Craig Mckenna at 07435 969694 or email craig.mckenna@northamptoncollege.ac.uk

It’s the high profile culinary event of the year and we’re proud to be the host . Nine of the UK’s most talented and celebrated chefs will engage in a gastronomic competition on 29 November that is both unique and innovative within the hospitality industry awards calendar. Enjoy the nine course fine dining meal and be one of the judges for the Visionary Dining Chef of the Year award. For information, click here. 
To book your tickets visit http://tinyurl.com/93x93ch

The bestselling author Mike Meyers, whose recent book sold over a million copies, visited Northampton College last week to talk to the IT students about career and education pathways.

The American instructor and bestselling author of seven editions of CompTIA Exam Guide was on a busy book tour in the UK but he found the time to talk to our BTEC Level 3 in IT students. His visit was part of a wider Northampton College strategy in which visiting practitioners offer advice and a real-world outlook to students. Read more...

The Northampton Saints rugby team recently took part in an exclusive cookery course laid by Northampton College. Eleven players took part  and as you can see from the video we created, they enjoyed the experience.  Click here to judge their cookery skills.

Ben Basketfield works as an apprentice at Headway Northampton, a charity service offering day care to people affected by brain injury. “I didn't do very well at school”, admits the 22 year old, “and I was surprised to discover that learning towards NVQ is not as difficult as I thought it was. My teacher assessor, Howard Downs, was great. He has allowed me to work at my own pace and it feels like he wants me to learn and further my skills. Howard made it easy to understand the qualification; he even gave me the confidence to pass my driving theory test which I failed three times before!”

Howard Downs is the Employee Development Executive for Cleaning and Support Services at Northampton College Business Centre.

“I would highly recommend any company to use work based learning as a tool to increase standards and confidence in their employees. All learning takes place at a pace agreed that suits the company and the student."

"It's important to remember that   without cleaning staff, businesses couldn’t operate. I have worked in partnership with a wide range of companies, including schools, hotels, care homes, prisons, support centres, warehouses and contract cleaning companies.” To find out more, click here.

The Love Apprenticeships event, organised by the Business Centre and supported by Connect FM, took place on the 8th November at Northampton College. Employers such as Knights of Old, Adagio Retail and Castle Coachworks, together with Connexions and Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, met prospective and existing students interested in Apprenticeships as a career route.

Students received advice and guidance on the Apprenticeship programmes available, CV writing and interview techniques. They also looked at job vacancies and were offered a chance to register and apply for the Apprenticeship scheme. On-site employers delivered detailed information on jobs within specific industries.

“We felt it was important to organise a forum for local employers to put them in touch with the workforce of tomorrow”, said Head of Enterprise Simon Stewart. The event was part of a series of initiatives oto promote Apprenticeships undertaken by the Business Centre.
Sally Cartwright who attended the event with her son commented, “It was a very useful and informative evening and my son Lewis went away inspired and a lot more enthusiastic about Apprenticeships and his options”.

On Friday 26th October, 120 students from Northampton College were given the opportunity to develop new business ideas with the support and advice of volunteers from a range of locally-based employers such as Barclaycard, Intel, Cavendish Hepburn and Bidwells Property Consultants. Helen Wilderspin from Human Systems Europe Ltd attended the event: “What an honour it was to be one of the 'business experts' at today's event. It was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding days I've had in a long time and the students were s inspiring!.” If you and your business would like to take part in the next Splash event (in partnership with Working Knowledge), please contact Business Centre at 01604 734323  Read more...