Students sparkle on night of hair spray, lip gloss and eye shadow

With her silver streaked curls carefully crafted into a flamboyant crown, the Snow Queen had judges shivering with delight at a hair and beauty show at Waltham Forest College on Wednesday.

Student Argentina Pavlou stunned the audience by adorning her model in a variety of shades of white, silver and pale grey to represent the winter season.

Not only did Argentina, 33, design the hair style herself, she also applied the make up and even hand stitched the intricate patterns to the white silk dress worn by her model, Luba Rasintova.

The skills she used in straightening, teasing and spraying her model’s hair into shape won her first prize in the adult hairdressing section of the show in which the four seasons was one of the themes.

“I have been up until the early hours every night for the past month working to perfect my Snow Queen look,” she said. “I am delighted it paid off for me.”

Luba said: “I am amazed with what Argentina achieved. This is all my own hair, no extensions or anything.”

Argentina is studying for a NVQ Level 2 qualification hairdressing, at the College in Forest Road, Walthamstow.

She had already studied make-up as part of a qualification in beauty therapy she achieved before taking this course. Now she has ambitions to become a hair and make up artist for stage and film.

“I have been working in the beauty business but I wanted to learn hairdressing because I enjoy providing a total look. Being able to do hair gives me a different vision to create.”

She was one of eight prize winners on the night in which students brought a touch of Hollywood and Bollywood glamour to the catwalk with strikingly bold displays of their make up and hairdressing skills.

A movie theme for the Level 2 Beauty Therapy prize allowed students to run riot with lip gloss, mascara, eye shadow and glitter.

They made up their models to look like a succession of movie characters including Bond girl Pussy Galore, Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and several Bollywood princesses.

A Marilyn Monroe styled model even met Danny la Rue look-alikes on the night, as Drag Queens was another theme for level 2 hairdressing students.

Gods and Goddesses, Moulin Rouge, the 1980s, and Fairies completed the series of themes that allowed students to test their talents in designing a total look for their models.

Prizes were presented by the Mayor, Cllr Anna Mbachu, who was so impressed by the skills on show that she is planning to book hair and beauty treatments at the college’s four training salons which are open to the public.

She arrived wearing an outfit in an African print made for her by fashion design students at the college. “I attended the college’s fashion show last year and was so impressed by their ability I wanted the students to make something for me.

“Now I want them to do my hair and make up as well so I can be a walking advert for their talents. What I have seen tonight is wonderful.”

Head Hair Judge, Cheryl Tunca of the Phase II Hair Design Group commented:
“As usual the Annual Total Look Hair and Beauty Show hosted by Waltham Forest College was a huge success. Each year to see these fantastic looks being created by such young talent, still manages to amaze and inspire me.
The immagination, hard work and commitment of these students really showed in the creativity of the hair and make-up on display on the Cat Walk.”
Charmaigne Krokou, the College’s acting Head of School for Vocational Care which includes hairdressing and beauty therapy, said the judges included representatives from the industry.

“We had local salon owners among the twelve judges and this was an excellent opportunity for the students to showcase the skills they have acquired.”

Hairdressing and beauty therapy courses are continuing to expand at the College. Claire Shire, the College’s Director of Young People’s Learning, said: “We have growing numbers of part-time students who are trying to improve themselves in these tough economic times.

“We also offer a range of full and part time courses from Level 1 (Entry Level) to Level 3 (A-level equivalent) as well as offering apprenticeships to young learners.

“From September we will be offering the new diploma course to pupils aged 14 to 16. Local schools value this opportunity for their learners to follow this vocational route.”
She said the courses offer a variety of opportunities for students to progress into a wide range of careers. “Most of our students go into the industry but we do have some who go to university to study salon management,” she added.

WALTHAM FOREST COLLEGE STUDENTS IMPRESS TOP CATERING PROFESSIONALS

Hotelympia 2010 was a source of inspiration for students at Waltham Forest College. This prestigious catering event held on 28 February to 4 March, takes place once every two years, and is attended by some of the most famous celebrity chefs, Head Chef at Bohemia Bar & Restaurant, Michael Godfrey, Executive Head Chef at Bekynton, Eton College and Tim Payne, Head Chef at The Paradise By Way of Kensal Green, Proprietor and Executive Chef of the Café Spice Namasté, Cyrus Todiwala, and major international suppliers for the industry.

The College’s hospitality and catering students worked alongside the House of Commons Culinary Team, at the Dudson Restaurant, as part of a competition hosted by Hotelympia, called the La Parade des Chefs, which provided a fine dining experience for those who attended the event. During this five-day exhibition these students were given the opportunity to demonstrate their hospitality skills, and impress some of the top names in the industry, by staffing the Dudson restaurant filled with a hundred diners, from Lexington Catering Ltd.

Waltham Forest College were very proud to be one of only two colleges in the country to help host these restaurant events, along with Westminster Kingsway.

Peter Stone, Catering and Operations Manager commented, “The College’s hospitality and catering students this year gained three Gold and one Silver medal, which is a fantastic achievement. The School of Service Industries gained fantastic feedback on our students’ service this year. There were many great comments by organisers and diners such as: “These students are a real credit to you,” “The best students we have had at Hotelympia.”, “They are so friendly and helpful.”

The students had a great experience and one which they will remember for many years to come. This will be something they will proudly include on their CVs. Learners will now all be issued with a certificate, which will be presented at the annual awards for Service Industries evening in May/ June 2010.

MaryJo Hoyne Head of School for Service Industries, said, 'WFC was delighted to support one of the hospitality industries largest exhibition events, the catering and hospitality students delivered an excellent service for the event.'

Sebnemmarasali, hospitality and catering Student Level 1 said, “It was a really good opportunity to practice my customer service skills in a top class restaurant setting.”

28/02/10

The Olympic dream gets closer for Waltham Forest College students

Lee Mathurin


A student at Waltham Forest College who has high hopes of taking part in the Olympic Games got a close up view of the arena where he aims to be competing in two years time.

Lee Mathurin was among a group of 26 students from the college who were taken on a tour of the Olympic site in Stratford to witness the progress being made in building the Games venues.

Lee, 20, is studying business at the college, but at evenings and weekends he is training hard to pursue his dream as an athlete.

He is a promising discus thrower, with his national ranking reaching as high as second in the country at junior level.

Lee took up the sport while a student at Woodbridge High School in Woodford Green. “In a games lesson I picked up a discus one day and the PE teacher was impressed with how far I threw it,” he said.

“He told me I should take it up competitively and encouraged me to join the Woodford Green with Essex Ladies athletics club.

“I have represented England at junior level and have been ranked in the top ten in the country every year since I started competing.

“I have also appeared on a prediction list of athletes who will compete at the Olympics in 2012, so I do believe I have a chance. To appear in an Olympic Games on my home turf would be the biggest achievement of my life.”

This will be his first year competing at senior level and he hopes to improve on his personal best throw of 48 metres in competition, though he said he has thrown 52 metres in training.

“The qualifying distance for 2012 is likely to be around 65 metres, but I believe I can achieve that if I train hard,” he added.

If he does achieve his goal he will have Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, to thank. Lee, from Navestock Crescent, Woodford Green, explained: “He was a coach at the club and he helped me out a lot.

“My mum had just been made redundant and he helped me out with funding so I was able to buy shoes and other equipment. Without his support I don’t reckon I would have got as far as I have.”

Meanwhile he is working hard to pass his Advanced National Diploma (equivalent to three A-levels) in business to enable him to achieve his other dream of going to university to study to be an architect.

Lee joined a group of mostly travel and tourism students and teachers who were taken on a guided tour of the Olympic site which is expected to attract up to 800,000 visitors each day of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

They were shown the progress being made on the construction of the main arenas and the Olympic village which will house 15,000 athletes from 205 nations.


Students going on the Olympic site tour

Dulux Decorator Centre's Search For ‘Apprentice Of The Year’

The search is on once again to find Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice of the Year 2010, and the national competition, will be making a stop at Waltham Forest College, on 25th March 2010.

The Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice of the Year competition is in its third year and the 2010 competition is expected to be bigger and better, especially as it has become a recognised and permanent feature in the painting & decorating industry’s calendar. The competition aims to reward the skills and creativity of talented apprentices and is calling for painting & decorating companies and colleges across East London to put forward their top students.

The Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice of the Year 2010 competition is open to apprentices aged between 17 and 24 years of age on a recognised painting and decorating course and studying an NVQ or SVQ level two or three, alongside working in the industry.

Kerrilee Jay store manager of the East London Dulux Decorator Centre on Thornham Grove, commented: “We are really looking forward to the 2010 Apprentice of the Year competition to start. Last year was a huge success and we really want to have a record number of entries this year. The competition is a great opportunity for apprentices to showcase their skills and raise their profile within the industry, and what’s more the prize will also help to establish the winners’ career, so I would recommend colleges and painting & decorating companies put forward their top apprentices.”

The competition aims to provide painting and decorating students with a challenging, but fun and practical competition. Each student will be tasked with a series of practical applications, comprising various elements of painting and decorating, covering wallpapering, stencilling, waterborne glosses, and special effects.
The winner of the East London heat will go on to compete against eight other regional winners in the national final, which will take place at Leeds College on the 17th June 2010, where the overall winner will be crowned ‘Dulux Decorator Centres’ Apprentice of the Year 2010’ at an awards presentation.

The winner will receive £1,000 cash and a variety of other prizes, including a Red Letter Day, Nectar points and Dulux training and a host of prizes for their college for all painting and decorating students to use. There will also be runners up prizes of £500 and £250, plus £100 worth of Dulux Decorator Centres vouchers each, for those finishing in overall second and third place. Individual regional heat winners will win £100 each, a certificate and a Dulux Decorator Centre goody bag packed with fantastic products donated by Dulux Decorator Centre’s suppliers.

The deadline for entries into the regional heats is Friday 26th February and all applicants should contact their lecturer and register through their painting and decorating college.

For further information visit http://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/ or for regular updates join the Facebook group - Dulux Decorator Centres or follow on Twitter at DuluxDecCentre.

Hideously diverse Britain: the college where histories collide

Taken from The Guardian, Friday 29 January 2010.
By Hugh Muir.



1940 RAF Cadets on the steps



2010 WFC Students on the steps


It was 1940 and the 200 students of South West Essex Technical College posed ramrod straight on the sharply inclined steps; ties stiff, uniforms crisp. They were RAF ­cadets learning science and ­engineering at the place that was dubbed the People's University. Unsurprisingly, those pictured were all white.

The place is called Waltham Forest College nowadays and the grand steps remain imposing. The porticos, by sculptor Eric Gill, have been lovingly preserved.

But last week, when the east London college recreated that recently discovered archive photograph, everything else was different. The formation was identical to that created with military precision all those years ago, but lining the steps were 200 students from ­another generation, another century. White Britons, black Britons, teenagers of Asian and African and Mediterranean and Eastern European descent. A student body with links to every continent on the planet. Speakers of 76 different ­languages. Each standing out in the cold to make a statement. "I told them it was their job to represent their era, just as the cadets in 1940 were symbolic of that time," said lecturer Gaverne Bennett. "They bought into it."

At the front stood a young Muslim woman, her dark blue coat tightly ­buttoned, her headscarf electric green. In the third row of four there were black girls shivering in their blue ­beauticians' uniforms. In the next, boys from Asia and the Middle East, easily visible in white catering garb with conical hats to match.

The English as a second language students (ESOL) were the hardest to ­organise into place, but once the camera shutter had clicked, they were as ­exuberant as the others. "One day my family will see it and know that I was part of something," Glori Mutshipayi, 19, from Congo, told me; flanked by his associates, two Poles and a Pakistani.

It's not Nirvana. It's a 21st-century ­college where cultures meet, histories collide. But it works. They live, they learn. Stella Fleming, head of ESOL, recalls worrying about a class containing Bosnians and Croatians, but says she quickly realised it wasn't going to be a problem. "Being away from that situation, their view was that 'we've all lost'. They just wanted to learn the ­language more than anything else."

Students at Waltham Forest College help support World Aids Day

01/12/09

On Tuesday 1 December 2009, the School of Vocational Care at Walthamstow Forest College hosted their first fund-raising event in support of World Aids Day. World Aids Day has helped raise awareness and support the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS today.

Students studying Childcare, Hospitality & Catering and Hair & Beauty hosted this event in the student common room. Their enthusiasm for this cause was demonstrated by the highly organised display of products available for purchase on their stalls.

Russell Joseph – Head of School for Vocational Care said, “The event has worked well for both students and staff who have helped put together today. The students raised a fantastic £277!”

Each department showed a high-level of creativity in designing, preparing and selling Christmas gifts which included Clarins beauty products, handmade satin Christmas socks, hand-crafted candles and donations of clothes all in the colour red, the official World Aids Day colour. Other stalls included nail art and hair styling.

Ruma Aktar, Entry Level Student, Certificate for Preparation for Working with Children, organised one of the stalls, selling small chocolate gift sets. Ruma said, “I feel great about the event because it is for charity and a good cause. It is exciting to be taking part and I have found the whole experience really interesting. I am grateful to be given the chance to take part.”

Members of staff from the Terence Higgins Trust (THT) were present at the event to help support the students throughout the day. Seminars were hosted to build awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and the reality of AIDS today. This was a great opportunity for the students at Waltham Forest College to access information about sexually transmitted diseases, which they may not otherwise be aware of.

Michelle Harewood, a representative from the Terence Higgins Trust, said, ‘As someone who works closely with people living with HIV, it is refreshing to see so many young people coming together to help a worthy cause”.

Waltham Forest College student Ayrton Shaka Sukul reaches regional final of Future Chef competition

02/12/09

A schoolboy is making his mark as a budding chef after reaching the regional finals of a competition.

Fourteen-year-old Ayrton Shaka Sukul served up pan fried pollock and tarte tatin in the local finals of the Future Chef 2010 competition, and his dishes came out top in the taste test.

He now goes onto the regional finals of the cooking contest in which thousands of pupils from more than 700 schools throughout the UK are taking part.

The teenager attends Frederick Bremer School in Siddeley Road, Walthamstow, and spends a day and a half a week at Waltham Forest College in Forest Road, Walthamstow, where he is studying for a diploma in hospitality.

He said: “I am a big fan of Gino D’Acampo and I love watching him cooking on television. He is my inspiration and I want to go all the way in this competition so I can follow in his footsteps.

“I would like to own my own restaurant. I love cooking and always cook at home with my family.”

Mary Jo Hoyne, head of school for hospitality, travel and tourism at Waltham Forest College, said: “His success in this competition will allow him to explore many other aspects of the hospitality industry.”

The local finals were the second stage of the four stage competition organised by the national youth charity Springboard.

The four finalists had to prepare a hot main course and hot or cold dessert for two people, with a budget of £6.

Ayrton is one of nine pupils from four secondary schools studying for a higher level diploma in hospitality, which is the equivalent of seven GCSEs.

Pupils from Tom Hood, Kelmscott, and Rushcroft schools in Waltham Forest, as well as Frederick Bremer School, are studying for the diploma at the college.

In addition to cooking, the course covers business, kitchen design, and front of house operations.

Axed pool could re-open

The borough's axed premiere training pool may re-open in January, it has been confirmed.

The pool, at Waltham Forest College, in Forest Road, Walthamstow, was closed in September as operator Greenwich Leisure Ltd was not prepared to fund it any longer and the college is unable to divert cash needed for teaching.

But another company, Active Leisure Management (ALM), is now in talks with the college and the Friends of the Pool (FOTP) about re-opening the facility in January.

ALM believes it can keep costs down by opening the pool for six to eight hours and charging groups including FOTP and Walthamstow Tritons to use it.

John Allan, ALM director, says it would be too costly to open it to the general public, but swimmers could join the groups to use the pool.

He said: “ I had a look at it and it is a quality building, the pool is fit for use, everything is ready to go. It is such shame it is not being used. We are trying our best to come up with a plan, we don't need to make a lot of money from it because we don't have shareholders.”

FOTP, which has been paying £300 a month for the maintenance of the chemicals in the pool, says the facility is unique in Waltham Forest in offering unrestricted lane swimming.

Nick Wadham-Smith, FOTP member, said, “The college has been supportive and we are delighted that the hard work of a community group and a college may have a fantastic result for the community.”

Peter Glasgow, Waltham Forest College vice-principal, said he was “pretty confident” the pool will re-open soon. He said, “We see it as a community resource. We were not happy about it closing and if we can bring other people in to work with them to get the pool used that is great.”

The college intended to close the pool two years ago but a council-brokered, part-subsidised deal with Greenwich Leisure Ltd, which expired in June, gave it a reprieve.

An expected redevelopment of the college, which would have seen the pool demolished, did not happen for financial reasons.

Council leader Chris Robbins has ruled out any further subsidy from the taxpayer.

Waltham Forest College supports Colleges' Week

09/11/09

Waltham Forest College offers free pamper sessions to Support Colleges Week

Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy students from Waltham Forest College provided free pamper sessions during Colleges Week. Approximately 30 employees at the Haven House Children's Hospice had the opportunity to enjoy facials, manicures and pedicures over the course of the week.

Staff and volunteers at the Hospice, located in East London, care for children and young people between the ages of 0 to 19 who have life-limiting conditions and who are unlikely to reach adulthood.

Alex Le-Vey, Assistant to the Chief Excutive at the Hospice, said: 'The College is doing a really good thing, I don’t know of anything like this taking place since I've worked here. It's good that our staff and volunteers are being given a chance to relax when you think of all the good work they do day in day out.'

Roohi Mirza, Salon Operations Manager at the College said: 'We often provide this kind of service to the local community and our students really find it rewarding.'

Jane Waller, a student on the Fast Track Beauty Therapy Programme said, 'I am really pleased that our group was chosen to offer these treatments because we will be able to do something worthwhile as well as gain experience at the same time.'


Waltham Forest College Hosts Diploma Exhibition

Waltham Forest College hosted an exhibition to showcase the New Diplomas, on Monday 9 November from 2.00 pm - 5.30pm. The event was organised in conjunction with the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

The Borough’s Year 9 pupils and their parents had the opportunity to obtain information about the teaching and learning involved in these innovative new programmes. They were able to speak to teaching staff and watch practical demonstrations.

Young Nate joins students to celebrate Black History Month

Left to Right: Marya Sheik, Fatima Abas, Maryam Hajinoor, Fadumo Ali, Danielle and Franklin Dos Santos

Energy, vibrant costumes, dance, and song were in abundance when the Students' Union at Waltham Forest College staged a culture and music show in celebration of Black History Month.

A fashion parade of students wearing the national costumes of Somalia, Nigeria, Ghana, Congo and Brazil set the tone for the performances.

Fatima Abas, a health and social care student, wore Somalian costume and also sang a duet with Joselyn Meade, who is studying on the same course.

A highlight of the show was an energetic display of Brazilian dance by Franklin and Danielle Dos Santos, a brother and sister act who perform together professionally. They danced the samba and the capoeira.

Franklin, a former catering student at the college, explained that both dances have their roots in Africa and were brought to Brazil by the slave trade.

There were no Mixed Messages when emerging urban music star Young Nate topped the bill. The teenager from North London has a new single called Be the One which is due to be released next month.

Students danced and screamed as he performed some of the songs that have had listeners to Kiss FM and MTV Base compare him to R&B superstar Usher, including I Wonder and Mixed Messages.

The show, held in the Student Common Room at the college’s main campus in Forest Road, Walthamstow, is one of a series of events held throughout October to celebrate Black History Month.

Young Nate turned up with chart artist and producer Sound Bwoy, now his manager, and they performed some songs together.

He said he likes to support events in colleges that are putting out positive messages to young people, like anti-gun and knife crime campaigns and Black History Month promotions.

“It is very important for me to be here showing love to the people that have shown love to us,” he added.

“It means a lot to me as a young black person to do something positive with the talents that I have and to show that discipline and hard work can take you to where you want to be in life.”

Sound Bwoy, who went to school in Walthamstow, explained that his protégé had got up from his sick bed to perform at the event. He told the students: “Even if you are sick, go to college. It is important.”

Sisters Marvi and Naylor Moshwe and their cousin Nzambi Mossanka, who are all studying health and social care at the College, performed a traditional Congolese dance called Techno Malewi.

Deji Odenunmi, studying business, wrote lyrics called Dear Mum about a difficult time in his life which he performed as a mixture of rap and song with his friend Kenan Nderede, who is studying sport.

Kenan said: “I was born in Uganda and Deji is from Nigeria. There are a lot of mixed backgrounds at this College and it is important we understand each other’s cultures.”