Green-fingered children at a Birmingham primary school are celebrating after winning a national environmental award. Castle Bromwich Junior School has turned an outdoor area into a thriving learning garden complete with mini orchard, blackberry bush, flowers, bulbs and even a bug hotel. The garden has helped pupils at the school learn about nature where the children design posters and give presentations to class mates and learn about biodiversity.

Beauty Tutors at Walsall College went back to the classroom this week and received a series of professional lessons in applying make-up from industry experts. Media make-up artist, Jennifer Lenard, who has worked on numerous TV and film productions including Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Strictly Come Dancing and The Office in her 25-year career, gave staff an insight into a range of techniques used in the media industry to produce different characters and special effects.

The City of Wolverhampton Council is helping unemployed people get back into work through a ‘Fast Track into Cleaning’ programme. The council’s Economic Inclusion Service has teamed up with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Wolverhampton College, Wolverhampton Council Cleaning & Catering Department, YOO Recruit, Wolverhampton University and the Princes Trust to deliver the scheme.

The Beer Academy has launched the Beer Steward qualification, an entry-level online course which enables bar staff to gain a sound understanding of the basics of beer, from brewing to serving customers.

For more than five months 24 students from St Francis de Sales on Church Road, and St Paul's and All Hallows' school on Park Lane, have been participating in a regeneration-led programme designed to motivate high-achieving students to pursue a university education.

Do you aspire to become the next Mark Zuckerberg or Karen Brady, or are you sitting on a genius business idea and want to get started? A new 10-week Connect programme launched by Walsall College aims to support budding entrepreneurs in the borough to gain the skills and confidence they need to set up and run their own successful business.