News

Foundations laid for new building

History was made recently when John Harwood, Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), laid the foundation stone for South East Essex's College's new building in Southend High Street.

Artist's impression of the new building

Local dignitaries from Southend Council, Equion Plc, Laing O'Rourke, KSS and the University also attended the ceremony, which was held at the new site.

John Harwood said: 'It gives me great pleasure to be here in Southend to witness the beginning on a new learning era for the area. Our mission at the Learning and Skills Council is to increase participation in learning and to ensure that provision is of the highest quality. The new building will be central to the success of that mission in south Essex, and I'm sure it will become a beacon of learning for the town and a large county.'

Work started on the 26,000m² building in October 2002 and is due to be completed in August 2004. At a cost of £52 million, the new building is being jointly funded by the College, the University, the LSC, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Lloyds TSB.

Success at refugee report launch

Approximately 70 representatives from the legal and social services professions attended the launch of a report commissioned by the Children's Legal Centre (CLC) recently.

The report, which outlined the inconsistent provision of education and other statutory services for refugee and asylum-seeking children, as well as a model for improvement, was launched at the Nuffield Foundation's headquarters in London.

The report, entitled Mapping the provision of education and social services for refugee and asylum seeker children, was presented to the audience by Professor Carolyn Hamilton, Director of the CLC, and CLC educational lawyer, Yvonne Spencer. The report found that current services provided for these children are unsatisfactory and that many children slip anonymously out of the system. It also proposed a model to ensure children are provided with an appropriate level of services from the minute they step foot on British soil, and are not excluded from the education they are entitled to.

Picture caption: Professor Carolyn Hamilton presenting the report

Burrows 2003: Shoemakers to the world

This years' Annual Burrows Lecture celebrates a particular era of Essex history. The Bata shoe factory, established in East Tilbury in the 1930s is the subject of the lecture to be given by John Tusa, Director of the Barbican.

John Tusa's Lecture will focus on the history of the Bata Shoe Factory and its establishment in East Tilbury before the start of World War II. His lecture will explore the community surrounding the factory, set within the context of the era, and will be illustrated by photographs and film clips. The lecture this year will be held in Southend to celebrate the expansion of the University into the south of the county through its partnership with South East Essex College and the launch of the new University of Essex Southend Centre.

John Tusa, 'Shoemakers to the world: The Bata estate on the Essex marshes, 1939-1960', will be held at Southend Council Chamber, Victoria Avenue, Southend-On-Sea at 7.30pm. The lecture is open tot he public and admission is free. There will be a coach available to and from Southend. If you would like to reserve a place(s), please contact Sarah Pratt, extension 2807, e-mail slprat@essex.ac.uk

Also in the printed March edition of Wyvern:

• Essex children helping children
• Potential students get gingerbread men