Ciara-Leigh Filer-Hobbs has been named as Milton Keynes College Group’s overall Student of the Year at a moving and spectacular awards night at the Silverstone Circuit.  She was chosen from an inspirational group of award winners from every college department who were all honoured at the event.

The event included performances from the College’s Inclusive Learning Choir, other musical performances from students Ella Boateng and Evie Barnes and an aerial hoop performance by Myrren Harrison. Hosts for the evening, CEO and Group Principal Sally Alexander and Chair of Governors were also joined by a student co-host, Riley Barraclough.

Ciara is one of the first students to study for A Levels at the College and is taking Maths, Business and Computer Science, as well as being accepted onto the Scholars’ Programme.  She’s also working towards her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award which will entail a tough, four day expedition and, if successful, a trip to Buckingham Palace.  Ciara has opted to take the Extended Project Qualification; a voluntary piece of extra work for A Level students which will involve writing a 5000 word dissertation on her chosen subject, the effect of abuse in early life.

Ciara has had a very difficult start in life, including struggling at school, but her determination to succeed and positive attitude have allowed her to achieve great things academically, and she has even been accepted onto the Oxford Brookes University Mentoring Scheme.

Ciara says, “I’m so grateful and so shocked to be picked from such an amazing group of individual winners and I’m very proud.  I always had it rough in school and I was expelled at the end of year eight for behaving badly and had to attend an alternative provision leading up to GCSEs.  I was so scared that I would end up doing nothing with my life even though I’ve always loved education.  I was picturing myself in ten years just doing nothing.  I had a difficult home life but meeting my foster parents made all the difference.  With their support I started behaving again. Now I’m at College and I just love learning here.  Everyone is so supportive and I feel like I’m right back where I should be.”

Ciara has had a big impact on College life beyond her studies, grabbing every opportunity that comes her way with both hands.  She has spoken about her experience of A Levels at the College to a full governors’ meeting, and taken on the responsibility of Women’s Officer on the Student Council. 

Milton Keynes College CEO and Principal, Sally Alexander, says, “Ciara absolutely embodies the College ethos of delivering Fairer Futures for All, not just in what she’s achieving for herself but in her highly-developed social conscience and strong desire to support others.  She’s taking some tough courses but still finds the time and motivation to get involved at every opportunity.  We are immensely proud of her.  Students of the Year gives us the opportunity to celebrate excellence with all of our winners, their families and friends, employer partners and the wider community.  As always, thank you to everyone who made the evening so special.”

Ciara is aiming for university when she completes her A Levels, and, as if she didn’t already have enough to do, has applied for a summer internship with the National House Building Council (NHBC) to develop her employability skills.  Her focus is exemplified by the fact that she already knows very specifically what she wants to do for a career and at what company.  Her ambition is to become a Senior Enterprise and Technology Engineer for BP, and who would doubt that she’ll do exactly that?”

More than 60 students from Milton Keynes College have been helping out at a local primary school as part of its annual day of community support across the city. 

The College’s Care Professions students ran a range of sessions at Moorland Primary School for children from nursery to Year 5, with a range of fun activities including Easter crafts, Easter baking, gardening and woodworking. The school’s Year 6 pupils didn’t miss out – they spent the day at MK College’s workshop, making bird boxes to be distributed by Woughton Community Council across the area, as well as hearing from the Parks Trust about the importance of protecting our local wildlife.  

Angela Garner, Head teacher at Moorland Primary School said, “All the students are so engaged and getting on so well with the children, and of course the children aren’t phased at all by having these strangers come in to interact with them.  They’re having so much fun getting all this attention, and it means they can be talking one-to-one which is something they don’t normally get.  They’re meeting all these fabulous role models, and they’re cooking, painting, woodwork and so on, all in a day, and it’s only possible because the students are here.  Students and staff are all getting so much from it.” 

Holly Gidman, Deputy Head of School for Care Professions at Milton Keynes College added, “We’ve got a lot of students who want to work in schools and it’s wonderful for them to come here to see what it’s like in a primary school.  They’ve really enjoyed being out in the fresh air with the children, learning to communicate with them and with the staff.  It’s such a fun day.” 

Childcare student, Amileigha, said, “The children are so full of energy and are on the go non-stop.  They all learn in different ways, and it’s been a great experience just spending some time with them.” 

MK College Group’s College in the Community Day has now been running for three years and aims to get learners and staff involved in community projects across the Milton Keynes area. This year, more than 1,100 staff and students took part in more than 50 projects, including: 

• Milton Keynes YMCA – catering and hospitality students hosted the charity’s monthly community lunch, while Hair, Beauty and Barbering learners provided free haircuts and manicures for residents. Students also raised more than £300 for YMCA through manicures at the College’s Graduate Salon and Business and Digital students holding a takeover at Volcano Falls 

• MK Act and MK Foodbank – staff and students donated over 350 items which were sorted and delivered by the College’s students and staff 

• Canal Society – a group of staff from the College supported with canal restoration activities 

• White Ribbon campaign – art learners worked with Community Action:MK to design artworks for display across Milton Keynes in support of the White Ribbon campaign to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. 

Chief Executive and Group Principal at MK College Group, Sally Alexander, said, “I look forward to our College in the Community Day every year, and this year didn’t disappoint. I visited lots of the projects and I’m very proud of how committed our colleagues and learners are to doing the best they can for charities and community groups. Some of the projects this year have continued or even expanded from last year, while others are brand new to us for 2025; it’s great to have such a diverse mix of projects.” 

“Our local communities are at the heart of our Fairer Futures strategy, so I’m very proud that the College helps those that make a huge difference to the people in our amazing city. Well done and thank you to everyone involved.”  

To find out more about the work the College Group does in our local communities, visit https://mkcollege.ac.uk/community/working-with-the-community/ 

Milton Keynes College Group celebrated its apprentices completing their courses, with a graduation event on Thursday 27^th February at the Ridgeway Centre in Milton Keynes.  

The event saw 40 apprentices covering a wide range of courses including Digital, Business, Finance and Construction collect their course certificates, supported by friends, family and their employers. The event was also attended by Milton Keynes Mayor Marie Bradburn and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, Judge Tony Hughes and included performances from Milton Keynes College students Luca Brown and Ella Boetang. 

Awards were also given to apprentices who had gone above and beyond during their time with their employers and the College. The awards were presented by Anna Clarke, Head of Employer Engagement and Partnerships, Sally Alexander, CEO and Group Principal and Sarah Thompson, Head of Apprenticeships, and were given to the following apprentices: 

• Business Award – Ellen Gibbons (Superior Homecare Services Limited) 

• Commis Chef Award – Finnan Keen (Silverstone Circuits) 

• Construction Award – Ben Hambridge (Heyford Park Developments Ltd, part of Dorchester Living) 

• Digital Award – Tamzin Bedford (Toru Interactive Ltd) 

• Engineering Award – Alex Digby (Stokvis Tapes UK Ltd) 

• Finance Award – Samuel Ward-Butler (Panton Accountancy Services Ltd) 

• Hair Professional Award – Vanessa Graziano (Aloha Hair) 

• Inspirational Award  – Kian Hall (Parrott Construction Ltd) 

• Rising Star Award – Mia Hammer (Oracle Red Bull Racing) 

• Contribution Award – Kai Murdoch (Taylor Wimpey South Midlands) 

Charlotte Parkinson, graduating Marketing Apprentice from Aztech IT, commented: “Since completing my apprenticeship through MK College, I’m now a Marketing Executive at Aztec IT. I found the apprenticeship amazing – coming out of university, it was great to go into the outside world straight away. My employer and Milton Keynes College have both been amazing and I’m very happy to be graduating.” 

College Group CEO, Sally Alexander, added: “Our Apprenticeship Graduation event is about recognising the talent in our wonderful graduates like Charlotte, celebrating them and giving them an opportunity to be extremely proud of themselves.  

“Milton Keynes College Group is driven by our Fairer Futures Strategy, which highlights our commitment to delivering aspirational educational programmes, which I know our graduates will all have experienced. We are delighted to have supported our apprentices to develop the skills which are needed within our communities and will support the growth of businesses across the city.  

“We’re very proud of everything our apprentices have achieved, and we wish them the best of luck as they move into the next stage of their very exciting careers”. 

You can find out more about apprenticeship at MK College here Apprenticeships – MK College 

To mark National Apprenticeship Week, MK College Group are showcasing the business benefits of taking on an apprentice.

Companies who want to hire more people but feel priced out of the market by the increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) should think about taking on an apprentice and moulding a new staff member for the long term.

Under 25s on apprenticeships earning less than £50,000 per year are exempt from NICs contributions, meaning employers can take on and train people to meet their skills needs.

Anna Clarke, Group Director for Employer Engagement and Partnerships at Milton Keynes College says, “Since the budget we’ve seen a bit of nervousness from some employers when it comes to taking people on because of the increased NICs costs, which is quite understandable when times are tight.  It’s been particularly noticeable in areas like finance and business administration.  What a lot of them don’t realise is that Under 25s are now exempt from NICs, and working with us they can help to shape a young person’s career while embedding them in their own business culture.  Apprentices can bring creativity, energy and new ideas to a business which can make them ideal additions to any team.”

10^th to 16^th of February is National Apprenticeship Week, and this year’s theme is “Skills for Life,” and Anna believes the business-facing apprenticeships offered by the College provide just that.

“The key thing is,” Anna says, “that we can shape the apprenticeship to teach precisely the skills that an employer needs.  For example, if project management is needed, we’ll work through real-life situations that come directly from the employer so the apprentice learns not just about the method, but also the practical reality of how the business works.”

Amelia Peppard is doing an apprenticeship in Business Administration at Huntsmill Farm, the idyllic wedding venue at Shalstone near Milton Keynes.  She says, “I’ve always known I wanted to work in the events industry.  However, being young, I lacked experience and had limited business knowledge. Through this apprenticeship, I have gained valuable skills for the workplace, acquired essential business knowledge, and become familiar with various platforms. This apprenticeship has also supported my personal growth, making me much more confident in my current team and in my communication with different suppliers and couples.”

Emily Fensome is Wedding and Events Manager at Huntsmill Farm, and says, “Hiring Amelia as our first apprentice has been such a rewarding and positive experience.  Not only have we been able to nurture an employee with little experience into a core team member but also take pride in watching Amelia thrive in skills, ability, and confidence.  In an industry where little employment is given to those who don’t have experience, it was great to be able to offer a young individual the opportunity to gain that experience alongside continuing studies.  We would highly recommend the apprenticeship programme to any business that would like to grow with the next generation becoming team players.”

To find out more about taking on an apprentice at your business, please contact employerteam@mkcollege.ac.uk

Q: What has your career path looked like so far?

A: My career has always been in Further Education—this year marks my 20th year of being involved with GCSE Results Day! I started my career in prison education teaching English and maths for a short while before becoming a PE teacher for 10 years. From there I held senior leadership posts at Accrington and Blackpool Colleges. I’ve gained a lot of experience working with Ofqual and training providers, all of which have prepared me well for this role.

Q: How have the first three months been?

A: The last three months have been all about getting familiar with the College and hitting the ground running. I’ve been focused on understanding what the College does well and supporting our push toward excellence. I’m also assessing and analysing what we want to do as a college to make the student experience as strong as it can be.

Q: What has stood out to you the most about MK College?

A: What’s really stood out to me is how deeply the College lives its values every day. We have a highly skilled team that does amazing work with and for students, and there’s a strong sense of community here. It’s exciting to be part of our next steps.

Q: What are the main responsibilities of your role?

A: My main responsibility is to ensure we have a fantastic curriculum that’s ready for the future and that we’re effectively serving our community. I’m leading on national priorities for the College, like qualification reform and adapting to changes from the new government. I’m also engaging with key stakeholders in MK—such as our three MPs and other key figures in the city and region. For me, it’s about making sure we’re talking to our community and students and really understanding what they want and need.

Q: What are your current priorities and plans?

A: Our next steps after our ‘Good’ Ofsted inspection are to continue being the number one provider in the region and to give students the best possible outcomes and experiences. We’ve established a strong T Level programme and have just launched our new A Level programme, so we’ve got every box ticked. We also have a strong apprenticeship department and are starting to look at how we can grow our Higher Education provision.

The opportunities in MK are incredibly exciting, especially for someone like me who’s new to the city. Our partnership with Red Bull Racing is just one example of the unique opportunities available here.

Q: What is your favourite thing so far about working at MK College?

I think there’s a real tenacity about the College. People here are driven for all the right reasons. We had a CPD day recently that was all about growth and development, and I’m here to ensure that, from a curriculum and quality perspective, we’re the best we can be. I also want to see our staff grow and be part of the journey.

I’m really enjoying working with the people here, and I’m keen that when we do our strategy work for the future, it’s collaborative with our workforce. Because people here really care. Further Education can be a challenging environment, and while the policies and procedures can sometimes be frustrating, our goal is to make a real difference in people’s lives. That’s what motivates me—working with like-minded people who are eager to grow and help others grow too.