Students searching for their next move after finishing secondary schooling need to know more about vocational and non-university options according to a leading city businesswoman.

Fiona Burrell, founder and principal of the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, said courses offering practical training can very often lead to rewarding careers, setting young people on the path to independence as they enter paid work more quickly.

“Results day looms large for students and it marks the entry to the next stage of study. While university is a rewarding route for many, it is not the only way to forge a successful career, and even students who have worked hard to win a place at university sometimes find after a year or so that it isn't what they want to do.

“Many students have come to us as an alternative to university and in as little as three or six months we have prepared them for a career in the food industry and they are set up for life. We have seen our graduates go on to a wide range of careers once they have completed a course with us. Many young graduates quickly find work with prestigious restaurants and catering companies or use the skills they've acquired to work as private chefs both in the UK and overseas. Others may go on to become the food stylists or writers of the future.”

Sandwell Council is investing £2.5 million to expand The Priory Primary in Friar Park.

A new block will be added to the school creating 210 extra spaces, doubling the school's current capacity to cater for 420 pupils.

The extension to the primary school, rated Good by Ofsted, has been built by modular construction company Portakabin and includes six new classrooms, a specialist classroom, a dance studio and a staff room.

The modules were craned in to the school grounds during July. Portakabin will now finish the building on-site at the school in Dorsett Road, Wednesbury. The new building will be ready for the new term in September.

Tom Watson, MP for West Bromwich East came to The Priory Primary to see the site before the new building was craned in. He said: “Parents in Wednesbury are crying out for more good school places for their children, and this exciting development will create just that. This is an important investment by Sandwell Council and local kids will feel the benefits of these new facilities for years to come.”

Councillor Simon Hackett, cabinet member for children's services also visited the site of the new building. He said: “We need more school places to meet high demand. We want as many parents as possible to be able to get their child into their first choice of school.

“Over the past six years, we have created more than 4,400 new primary places. We have an excellent record of providing these in good or outstanding schools.

Phillip Butcher, Head Teacher at the Priory Primary School, is thrilled about the new building. He said: "The new building will be a great addition to The Priory Primary. I'm looking forward to seeing it finished and ready for the new term in September.

Andrew Simpkin, Head of Project Delivery at Portakabin comments: “Being able to provide this additional learning space for a growing school is an honour for our team. The new school building will be modern and give plenty of natural light to aid pupils’ learning.”

On Wednesday, July 19, 2017, a five-member delegation from the Chinese Association of Higher Education (CAHE) visited the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). Dr. Martin Lau, Dean and Professor of Law, Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL), Dr. Omair Haroon, Assistant Professor, Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB) and Dr. Fahad Mehmood, Assistant Professor, SDSB welcomed the delegation.

Ms. Minhal Sheikh, Assistant Manager Marketing from LUMS, briefed the delegation about the university’s five schools and the programmes offered. The presentation was followed by a general discussion on promoting awareness of the Chinese higher education system and future academic collaborations that could be explored on an institutional level among Chinese and French universities.

This visit took place in conjunction with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, who invited the delegation to participate in the first Pakistan-China Forum on Higher Education titled “Challenges of Equitable Access and Quality in Higher Education”.

The Chinese delegation was highly enthusiastic regarding the promotion of student and faculty exchange programmes between both countries. The leader of the Chinese delegation, Ms. Xiaomei Wang, highlighted the need for greater cooperation between the academia of the two countries.

The distinguished delegation from the CAHE included: Ms. Xiaomei Wang, Deputy Secretary General of China Association of Higher Education; Prof. Guangli Zhou, Deputy Dean School of Education, Renming University; Ms. Xiaoxian Fan, Director Editing Department, China Association of Higher Education; Prof. Xiaochang Ding, President Jiangsu Provincial Association of Higher Education and Ms. Mengjie Han, Graduate School of Education, Dalian University of Technology.

A one-day free eye camp was organized for the employees and students of the International Islamic University at medical Centre, male campus here on Tuesday. A large number of IIUI students and Faculty members attended the camp which was held in collaboration with IIUI medical centre and Al-Shifa Eye Trust.

The camp included qualified doctors and efficient staff of 10 members of Al-Shifa Trust, while patient’s eye screening, evaluation of eye, diagnosis for various eye ailments and necessary on the spot treatment were done during the camp. The camp was inaugurated by the Acting President IIUI, Dr. Muhammad Bashir Khan and Vice President IIUI, Dr. Muhammad Munir who both had their eye screening on the occasion. They both hailed the efforts of Senior Medical Officer IIUI Dr. Khalil ur Rehman and his team for the successful arrangement of the eye camp.

Dr. Bashir Khan said on the occasion that such activities be continued with more frequency. He urged that awareness sessions for eye health be arranged as youth were using gadgets in excess and it was resulting in ailments of eyes due to screen exposure. In the camp, after checkup, medicine, and free glasses were also provided who were in need. On the occasion, turnout was remarkable as around thousand patients people were facilitated in a single day.

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