"Drawing Time" – from Darfur to Hull
By Wyke College | Community, Course News, News
Wyke student Ethar Dirar and her family are celebrating the success of their art exhibition "Drawing Time" which was held at the WISE Building to coincide with the city's Freedom Festival. Last year, Ethar successfully completed a Foundation year at Wyke and has now progressed onto A Level Chemistry, Biology and Fine Art.
The exhibition tells the story of the Dirar family's journey from war to peace. From Darfur in Western Sudan, to Libya, four years in a refugee camp in Egypt, and finally to resettlement in Hull. The family will recount their journey through their artwork and words, drawn and painted onto a reconstructed refugee tent as an installation.
In 2015 Ethar and her family, were given the chance to resettle in Hull through the UK government's UN gateway resettlement programme. The family had fled from war-torn Darfur to safety, across borders in the back of trucks, in cars and on boats. During their flight, the family of six spent four years living in a tent in the Salloum Refugee Camp in Egypt.
To help cope with the cramp living conditions of the tent, Ethar's mother organised art workshops and drawing competitions. She acquired basic materials, pens and crayons, from the aid agencies at the camp. Soon the walls of their tent became their visual gallery of coping with their situation and a life in limbo. The tent walls became the backdrop for their storyboard of memories, thoughts, hopes and dreams.
"Drawing Time" at the WISE Building, next to the Wilberforce Museum in the Hull old town, runs until September 9th. Admission is free.
Wyke Welcomes Paul Britton
By Wyke College | Community, News, On Campus
After yet another year of exceptional success, Wyke welcomes Paul Britton as the College's new Principal. Paul replaces Jay Trivedy, who after guiding the College through a period of growth and academic achievement, retired from Wyke this August.
Paul was previously Vice-Principal at Nelson and Colne College in Lancashire, responsible for their outstanding advanced curriculum. As an Oxbridge graduate, Paul is passionate about education and the pathways it can open.
"I am extremely excited to be relocating to Yorkshire to help lead Wyke Sixth Form College to continue to offer exceptional sixth form education for the young people of Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
The College already offers a true 'sixth form' experience with high quality specialist teaching, a university style campus and a culture that fosters independence and encourages students to be themselves, which we will endeavour to continue with going forward. This is highly successful at supporting students to great destinations with very high numbers progressing to Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities, including an unprecedented 8 students securing their Oxbridge offer this year.
I hope to help even more students make exceptional progress while studying at Wyke Sixth Form College, along with developing the wider personal qualities that ensures they truly stand out. Jay and the team have done a fantastic job; our next target will be to confirm our place as the highest performing provider of sixth form education in the country. I very much look forward to meeting you all in the autumn."
GMB Thanks
By Wyke College | Community, Course News, News, On Campus
A level results day 2018 at Wyke was a national event. From 6.00am ITV's "Good Morning Britain" broadcast live from the college campus as students nervously opened their results. In appreciation of the all the students and the their supporting family and friends, Wyke have received thanks from the GMB production team.
"Hello to all the students and staff at Wyke College, Hull.
I wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who bravely opened their results this morning live on Good Morning Britain.
It was a pleasure to work with you all, and this morning's coverage has already been shared online by some of the national papers.
I'm sure that everyone who read their results aloud on our programme will go on to do the most amazing things and I wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
On behalf of everyone at Good Morning Britain – Thank you again, and best of luck!"
Joe Patrick
Researcher | Good Morning Britain
If you missed the broadcast, here's the YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAFDEprU2jg
Back to the 1850s
By Wyke College | College Trips, Community, Course News, Drama & Theatre, Film Studies, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Media, News, Performing Arts, Photography
BTEC Creative Digital Media students will be stepping back over 150 years as they visit the set of an internationally acclaimed television period drama.
Over three days the cast and crew of Mammoth Screen have been shooting scenes for series 3 of "Victoria" on High Street in the Old Town of Hull. Against a backdrop on cobbled lanes and fine Victorian architecture, the High Street has been dressed to disguise any indication of modern life. Street lighting has been covered with stacks of wooden barrels, period posters have been placed over modern billboards and the yellow double lines have been painted over in a dull grey paint. These simple changes have made one of Hull's most famous streets the ideal film set.
Rebecca Ives, Head of Media and Film at Wyke, is using the occasion to inform her students about the employment opportunities in the wider media industry. She said, "On Friday I will be talking two groups of BTEC Media students to observe the media industry in action. It's great for students to experience the scale and professionalism of such a well-respected television drama. Not only will they see the use of camera, sound and lighting, they will also see the supporting assistant directors, the set dressers and continuity assistants."
Mammoth Screen selected Hull over many other rival locations. The scenes shot on the High Street will form 15 minutes of action on screen when the new series is aired later this year.
Saul First for Gold
By Wyke College | Awards, Community, Course News, Geography, Mathematics, News
Ten months after completing his A levels, former Wyke student Saul Phillipson collected his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award from a special event held at Buckingham Palace. Saul, who achieved straight A grades in Geography, Maths and Further Maths, is the first Wyke student on the DofE enrichment to receive the organisations top award. "Pretty damn awesome" was the way Saul described the day and the whole DofE experience.
Wyke has been delivering the DofE since September 2015. Doing a DofE programme significantly impacts young people's futures, enabling them to develop vital skills for life and work, such as confidence, commitment, resilience and team work. Widely acknowledged as the world's leading achievement award for young people, the College hold a licence to deliver DofE programmes to anyone between the ages of 14-24 years old.
Peter Westgarth, Chief Executive of the DofE Charity said: "Through the DofE, Wyke is inspiring the success of its young people; equipping them with the attributes and skills to get a job and build strong relationships whilst opening up their worlds and introducing them to a broad range of interests. We are truly grateful to all of our Licensed Organisations for the work that they do, they are an integral part of the DofE family."
Currently, there are over 300,000 young people doing a DofE programme across the UK through a variety of centres including both state and independent schools, special schools, businesses, prisons, young offender institutions, housing associations and youth groups.
Visit www.DofE.org for more information about the DofE, and to find out how you can support the Charity in its Diamond Anniversary year, go to www.DofEDiamondChallenge.org.
City of Culture Legacy
By Wyke College | Community, Course News, Drama & Theatre, Media, Music, News, Performing Arts
Wyke are celebrating the donation of professional sound equipment from local health and safety supplier Arco. The equipment was originally part of the Hull City of Culture 2017 Beats Bus project supported by Arco, a mobile community studio facility.
As Wyke offers a number of music, media and performance related courses, the donated equipment has been very well received. Teacher of Music, Ben Newton said "The generous donation of equipment from Arco is a great benefit to all students throughout the college and will open up additional performance and production possibilities. It is gratefully received."
The new equipment will help add to the production quality of Wyke student performances like the monthly "Wyke Sesh" and the cross-college theatre productions. There is also talk about facilitating a College radio station.
Last year staff and students from Wyke regularly worked on a number of City of Culture projects, including the "One Word" video that involved staff from Arco reflecting on their experience of 2017. The music department also composed a "Song for Hull", a composition that involved early years children from across the city.
Stepping Stone to a Career in IT
By Wyke College | Accounting, Applied Science, Business, Community, Course News, IT & Computing, News
Jobs within the IT & Computing sector are highly paid and professionally rewarding. The BTEC IT & Computing courses at Wyke have an established track record in supporting students into their first job within the industry.
The list of blue-chip, national, local and international companies that now employ a former Wyke IT student is impressive.
From Microsoft to BAE Systems, from locally based firms such as Smith & Nephew to Sonoco-Trident, Wyke provides an ideal learning environment for students looking at a career in the technology sector.
Former Wyke IT & Computing students are now employed at: –
Advanced, APD Communications, Attest, BAE Systems, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, BemroseBooth Paragon, Blinkbox, Bluesmith Information Systems, Breaking Blue, Centroid, ClearSky Contractor Accounting, Cleethorpes Academy, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, ECM Systems, Harris Lacey & Swain, Hull Daily Mail, IT@Spectrum, KCOM, Lakeview Computers, Legend Club Management Systems, Legendary Entertainment, Local Transport Projects, Longhill Primary School, Microsoft, Mobius Media, Omega PLC, Polarisoft, Portakabin, rrader, Safelincs, Sainsbury's, Select Group, SGS, SGSCO, Smailes Goldie, Smith & Nephew, Sonoco-Trident, Spencer Group, Strawberry, Talk-Talk, Tevalis, The One Point, Verve Personnel, Wren Kitchens, X-Lab.
Applications are still open for students looking at a September 2018 start. Visit our website for course details and to apply online. www.wyke.ac.uk
Business Tour
By Wyke College | Accounting, Business, College Trips, Community, Course News, Economics, News
BTEC Business students teamed up with a highly successful local business to investigate the use of physical, technological and digital technologies.
The Atom Brewery, based at Malmo Food Innovation & Technology Park on Sutton Fields, was the revenue for Wyke students as they developed their coursework submission for Unit 2 "Business Resources". The main activity involved a guided tour of the brewery conducted by co-founder Allan Rice. Aside from gaining an insight to the brewing process, the students were able to discuss the digital marketing strategy adopted by Atom.
Through the use of Twitter, the brewery has amassed nearly 6,000 followers that have help spread the brand across the globe. This combined with an interest in building a face to face relationship with their clients through public tours of their premises, plus a commitment to using the brewing process as a vehicle for education, have laid firm public relation foundations for the business.
Elizabeth Blakely, teacher of Business at Wyke, said, "The visit was a fantastic success. Atom were incredibly helpful, holding two tours to accommodate all of our students. Next year we hope to revisit with even more students."
The links between Wyke and Atom go even further. Sarah Thackray, co-founder of Atom, also teaches Physics at the College. Next month the "Corn Exchange" in the city centre will open as Atom's first bar. Besides offering their beers to a new audience, the company are also keen to use the pub as an educational revenue.
Saturday Library Opening Times
In preparation for exams, the College Library will be opening on the following Saturdays from 10am to 4pm as a quiet space for students to revise.
9th June
Students are welcome to use the facilities for the duration of the day or for a shorter period of time if preferred.
During the May Half Term, the library will not be open on a Saturday but will open on Tuesday 29th May, Wednesday 30th May and Thursday 31st May from 10am to 4pm.
Kofi gets Social
By Wyke College | Community, Course News, Drama & Theatre, English, Film Studies, Media, Music, Performing Arts
Kofi Smiles, the BBC "Face of 2017 Hull UK City of Culture" has contacted Wyke Media and Film department to discuss an exciting new online platform. 'The Social', a website for 18-35 year olds, is made up of content for them and produced by them.
Kofi has an interesting way of describing this new hybrid concept. "Think of it as if BBC Three and YouTube had a baby and then raise it in Hull and the East Riding."
The project has already been successfully launched in Scotland with those contributing to the site using it as a gateway to producing work for BBC Three, BBC iPlayer and Netflix. To get a better understanding of the possibilities visit https://www.facebook.com/bbcthesocial
Kofi is now gathering together enthusiastic partners who would be interested in participating in this project, hence he contacted Wyke. "We are literally just getting started so right now we're looking to see who's out there, who's creating, who's interested in taking part, who's got great ideas and who want to be part of this in the next few months.
This can be anyone, 18-35, film makers, music makers, script writers, comedians, videographers, bloggers, vloggers, gamers, sport enthusiasts, any individual who wants to do something or has something so say."
The initiative is still in early stages of development and Wyke will be inviting Kofi to speak to students on campus in the coming months.