UCOL BLOG

UCOL will host the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme oral presentation finals at the Atrium tomorrow night.

Six teams representing four Secondary Schools will vie for the judges’ attention in a competition based on the Dragons’ Den format.

Judges Michael Cummings, Justin Leck and Lyn McCurdy each have $500 cash to award to the teams with the business concepts that impress them the most.

Teams from Freyberg High School, PNBHS, PNGHS and Waiopehu College have been working on product development, business plans and presentations since February. They each have three minutes to pitch their idea to the judges at tomorrow night’s event.

During its 30^th year history, 50,000 Secondary Students have taken part in the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme nationally.

Today’s event is organized by the Manawatu Chamber of Commerce and is sponsored by ANZ. It starts at 5.30pm in the UCOL Atrium, Princess Street.

UCOL Beauty Therapy Lecturer Kylie Love faces up to her competition at the New Zealand Beauty Awards in Auckland this weekend.

Kylie has been selected as a finalist in the Beauty Therapist of the Year category.

Kylie was shortlisted for the award after submitting an application outlining her experience and qualifications. She believes she is the only finalist who is both teaching at tertiary level while also working in the industry.

“The beauty industry develops new products and techniques at such a rapid rate. It is important for me, and therefore my students, to keep up with current practices,” says Kylie.

Read More: “Kylie faces up for final in national beauty awards”…

UCOL’s Certificate of Performing Arts students have turned to religion to realise their dramatic aspirations.

The students will open a four night season of Steven Berkoff’s play Messiah, from Wednesday 29 June.

The play is the troupe’s final performance as an ensemble and is the culmination of their six months of study together.

Messiah dares to look at the Crucifixion as a supreme political and personal act – perfect dramatic material for UCOL’s aspiring actors and their tutor and director, Jaime Dorner.

Read More: “Messiah tests aspiring actors”…

Feilding building firm H.R. Jones are the proud employers of New Zealand’s Joinery Apprentice of the Year.

20 year old Jonny Brown is training at H.R. Jones and on block courses at UCOL as he completes his joinery apprenticeship.

He has been awarded the Ernie Jelink Challenge Cup as Apprentice of the Year by the Joinery Industry Training Organisation (JITO). The award is made each year to one joinery apprentice based on recommendations from polytechnics and industry training organisations throughout New Zealand. Read More: “UCOL Joinery trainee is Apprentice of the Year”…

UCOL Deputy Chief Executive Strategy Clare Crawley presented Ryan with his prize at the Innovate Manawatu awards ceremony on Tuesday night.

Ryan made it into the top 10 in the entrepreneurial competition that attracted more than 250 entries.

“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “I never thought I would get in the top 50, let alone the top 10.”

As reported in the Manawatu Standard, Ryan’s idea for his entry, the milking cups cleaning system, came to him after hearing his uncle complain about how he hated the task. The system, a pair of gloves fitted to a hose, controlling the flow of water through them by wrist movement, would save farmers time and make the job easier, Ryan said.

Read More: “Young inventor wins UCOL innovation award”…

UCOL Fashion and Beauty students will strut their stuff on the catwalk tomorrow night.

The Times Gone By Parade and Show is the culmination of 18 weeks intensive study for the twelve Certificate in Fashion and Beauty (Level 1) students. It is their chance to showcase what they have learnt and created.

Fashion Lecturer and Show organizer Sheran Merritt says, “The students have worked hard to be ready in time for tomorrow night’s show. I am very impressed with their commitment.”

The students will exhibit their newly acquired skills in batik, tie-dying and fabric art in The Warehouse Colourful Tee category.

They will also showcase garments they constructed with materials from Arthur Toye Fabrics Ltd. 

The show’s programme features a parade of costumes representing different eras of fashion, courtesy of sponsor, the Manawatu Theatre Society.

Seven graduates from last year’s UCOL Fashion, Health and Beauty programme will take part in the parade, showcasing outfits from The Warehouse’s fashion labels. Sheran says the graduate students were mad keen to be involved in the show. “I didn’t have to ask twice,” she says.

The Times Gone By Parade and Show

Where: UCOL Learning Hub (Princess Street end)

When: Thursday 23 June at 7.30pm

Entry: $5