BBC Radio Shropshire brought its mid-morning show to Telford College’s Wellington campus for a live broadcast as part of National Apprenticeships Week.
Presenter Clare Ashford and her team based themselves in the college for the four-hour show, which included interviews with members of the college team, students, employers and apprentices.
Principal and chief executive Lawrence Wood kicked things off by giving an overview of the college, including its expansion plans in Telford town centre’s Station Quarter.
Three students – Favour Ochonma, Callum McCarthy and Kian Sandsome – then spoke about their experiences in the A level, T-Level and Creative & Media curriculum areas.
Next up were two members of the college’s apprenticeships team, Chris Field and Tom Ruston, who explained about the 24 different apprenticeship pathways on offer from the college, and the work they do with employers.
There were also interviews with two of the employers the college works closely with, ABC Day Nursery and Purple Frog Systems, to talk about some of the important roles played by apprentices in filling skills gaps. Purple Frog boss Hollie Whittles brought two of her apprentices along with her, Annabel Hemingbrough and Charlie-Mae Grimston.
The show also included an appearance from a former contestant of the BBC show The Apprentice, Gregory Ebbs, who said he was impressed by the ‘fantastic’ facilities at the college on his first ever visit.
Clare said: “I can’t believe how big it is – it’s a massive place. It is incredible, amazing. There’s so much going on here, and everyone has been so friendly.”
