We are really delighted to have three accounts from KHS pupils who are attending the bespoke school/Fife College partnership programmes in 4th year. As previous years they spend one day a week at college for the full academic programme to gain first hand skills and qualifications in their chosen industry. On offer this year we have Hair & Beauty, Construction and Automotive.

Automotive:
Last Wednesday 2nd Sept I started a course at college in understanding the basics of automotive (engineering). To get there I had chosen to go to the Trade Hub in Leven to start mechanics so that I could get hands on experience to see if it was truly my dream. There was two courses, both ten weeks each and I did both courses. I found that mechanics was really fun and interesting to learn. Now skipping past that, I was at college last week. There are 11 other young people, all boys I am the only girl. The first day really was about introductions and PPE and learn all about which workshops and garages we would be working in just to help us familiarise. We met our lecturer who seems pretty chill, he also learnt our names too and who we were and what we were about. We then went on to the second stage of getting measured up for our PPE. We were given overalls, safety googles, and work boots.

Safety gear is deeply important for things like mechanics, construction, baking and other work places and occupations where you could be doing dangerous work. After getting my overalls we then went back to class and got given a test with a whole ton of questions in all different categories like math, English, length, division in all different context. After that I went to the library for a look around and have our photos taken for our files and college ID.

Next week I hope that we get into the garage and work on the cars, it is a bot different to the go-carts that we worked on at the trade hub.

Hair & Beauty:
We need to be at the college for 09:45, when we go in to the college and get started in our beauty class. Although we have done lots of admin, getting our student portals sorted, having our photos taken, and a guided tour as it such a big building and hadn’t had a chance to do any practical work which I am really looking forward to. In the afternoon we go the hairdressing salon until 3:00, we have managed to get sone practical completed.

At college we are expected to act more grown up because it’s like an adult environment and this is where you can go when you leave school and are older. I chose to go to college in 4th year so that I can have more understanding of what it is like and the expectations of what you are supposed to do. The building is so much bigger, but the classrooms are set up like real salons, so it is closer to the working world. When we had Helen, who is a qualified hairdresser she let us used the heated appliances to work on each other or on block heads.

I am really looking forward to the year and hope that I will be able to get a qualification which will allow me to get a place full time to achieve my dreams of working in the beauty industry.

Construction:
I want to find out what college is all about and what it has on offer. I have chosen to do construction that I can get experience and hopefully use it for my future.

On our first day last week, we had to travel with Jayne in the X27 to the new Dunfermline City Campus, the building was huge and had lots of workshops all brand new for all the different trades. Every workshop is so different. We got to meet our lecturer Innes, who got us PPE – overalls and boots. Jayne had said that we might not get to do practical work, but she was wrong. We went straight into the workshop to learn how to build a brick wall, Innes demonstrated a little bit and then we had to do it ourselves. We had to collect full and half bricks, spirit levels, trowel, motor, chalk, and other tools. We had to start by measuring out a line with chalk and then follow a diagram using full and half bricks. Making sure that we placed the bricks and gently using the end of the trowel to make sure that each brick was plum and level.

I am looking forward to spending every week at the college to keep building up my skills and confidence.