Creating brighter futures

Weston College recently hosted a ‘Careers in Law’ event, as part of the Career Excellence Hub, for students at Loxton Campus. The College’s legal courses continue to see growth with a large number of A Level Law students at its Sixth Form and Paralegal Apprenticeships providing routes into legal careers. 

The College has exciting plans to offer a brand new Legal Services T Level course for school leavers from September 2024, the first Legal T Level in the region.

The legal and professional services sector, employs over 65,000 people in the region according to research by the West of England Combined Authority. Recognising the breadth of careers in the sector for learners and the College’s ‘careers not courses’ ethos, the event provided an opportunity to collaborate with employers to showcase careers to learners. Employers including Burges Salmon, Simmons and Simmons, CMS, Foot Anstey, Womble Bond Dickinson, RPC, Irwin Mitchell and VWV attended, meeting students during the event.

Dave Crew, Head of Business Growth & Employer Partnerships at Weston College said “Thank you to our employer partners for supporting our ‘careers not courses’ ethos. Our region has a large legal sector which is evolving at pace through its use of technology and various pathways for learners to join the sector. This creates exciting career opportunities on our doorstep for learners. It was fantastic to see our students engaging with potential future employers and discovering the breadth of careers available. We’re look forward to collaborating with employers as we create our new Legal Services T Level launching in September 2024.”

Employers commented on the enthusiastic engagement from College students.

Lauren Gardener, Early Talent Executive at RPC said “We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with students from Weston College, it was great to meet so many engaged individuals with a genuine passion about working in a law firm. We hope that after sharing our Legal and Claims Handling apprenticeship opportunities, we have inspired the students to continue their pursuit in a career within law."

Keith Mitchelhill, Early Talent Recruitment Advisor at Womble Bond Dickinson said “It was a pleasure to speak with the students of Weston College, they all came incredibly well prepared and we had some very insightful conversations regarding how to best display their experience and the different routes into law.”

Harry Keaveney, Legal Apprentice at Burges Salmon said “The enthusiasm and curiosity displayed by the students was remarkable. This reflects the excellent work that the college is doing to prepare them for their future careers. It’s clear that Weston College is dedicated to creating valuable opportunities for students and we look forward to working with them in the future."

If you would like to find out more about Weston College's A Level courses, please click here. 

Employers looking to upskill staff through the College’s legal courses or access future talent can contact employers@weston.ac.uk

In September we hosted our second Great Big Green Week and built on from the success of the first one in 2022. This year we developed a range of events and activities for all members of our Weston College Community, not only to raise awareness and promote our Sustainability and Social Action Agenda, but also to ensure we are ALL contributing to aiding the environmental challenges that lie ahead. Key activities included our Engineering and Automotive Sustainability Learner Conference, with learners completing a ‘real-world’ challenge with judges from our key employers. Our annual Beach Clean in partnership with Weston Pier and other activities such as ‘Green Your Campus’, as we seek to achieve Net Zero.

Here's a short film celebrating all we did in that week:

Weston College’s Sports students organised and executed a multi-sport event organised as part of a comprehensive project contributing to their qualification. The students displayed exceptional organisational skills and leadership capabilities during a practice run, where they hosted a multi-skills event for local Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools.

The Level 2 students took on the challenge of coordinating this practice event as a practice before the main event, demonstrating their commitment to practical learning and community engagement. The multi-skills event aimed to provide an inclusive and enjoyable experience for students from local SEN schools while allowing Weston College learners to apply their theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting.

In preparation for the event, the students undertook various responsibilities, including contacting staff, ensuring they were abiding by health and safety measures, carefully planning the activities, and successfully running the event on the designated day. The feedback received from the participating schools and the Education Learning Alliance Network (ELAN) was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the students' exceptional confidence and organisational expertise.

Dan Lomax, Curriculum Coordinator of Sport and Health at Weston College, expressed admiration for the students' dedication and success, stating, "We are immensely proud of our Level 2 students who not only embraced the challenge of organising and running a multi-skills event but also received positive feedback for their confidence and impeccable organisational skills. This project not only contributes to their academic progress but also provides a sense of responsibility and community engagement."

Encouraged by the success of the practice event, the Level 2 students are now gearing up for the main event, collaborating with local SEN schools and partnering with Voluntary Action North Somerset (VANS) to ensure a larger and even more impactful experience. This collaboration reflects Weston College's commitment to fostering partnerships with the community and creating opportunities for students to apply their skills beyond the classroom.

The main event, planned in conjunction with VANS, is expected to further showcase the students' ability to organise inclusive and engaging activities for the local SEN community.

This event forms part of the Sports and Fitness Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College's Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners' careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys. 

For further information about Weston College courses, please click here.