Creating brighter futures

Recently, our second year Level 3 Travel and Tourism learners took a trip to the Mendip Activity Centre to provide a more hands-on and immersive learning experience for the students. 

This trip coincided perfectly with one of their recent modules, Managing Accommodation, as it gave the learners insight into a local attraction that offers various on-site accommodation such as a campsite and lodges. 

Throughout the day, students were able to explore the facilities that the Mendip Activity Centre had to offer, but also learn how they make their accommodation inclusive to all guests and how they run the business as a whole. 

Mendip Activity Centre works with many schools and education groups, as well as the public, to provide outdoor education and activities, from skiing and snowboarding, to archery and orienteering. The business has so much to offer and has gradually developed and expanded over time to form the multi-activity centre with on-site accommodation that they are today. 

George Coombe, the head of business and growth at Mendip Activity Centre, talked to the learners about the business, explaining everything from their development as a business and marketing strategies, to their available activities and accommodation. He then took the students on a tour of the centre so they could see the facilities first-hand and answer any questions they had throughout the day. 

Hannah Carstensen, one of our Business and Tourism lecturers at Weston College, said, “George was able to give an insight into the accommodation sector of Travel and Tourism which closely links to what we have been covering within class. Learners were able to see how a local business manages multiple different accommodation services and how they meet the needs of their guests.” 

Learners then had a game of frisbee golf that the Mendip Activity Centre offers as an activity which they enjoyed thoroughly and was a great way to end the day. 

Overall, this trip provided our learners with real-life experience and gave them a comprehensive understanding of the industry's core principles, including customer service, destination knowledge, and the importance of sustainable tourism practices that the business developed overtime.   

Thank you to George Combes and the Mendip Activity Centre for having us and educating our learners on how they run a successful, local business. 

If you’re interested in applying to one of our Travel and Tourism courses in September, click here. 

Weston College’s annual CareersFest took place on November 19, 2024, at the Winter Gardens Pavilion in Weston-super-Mare. The event aimed to inspire and guide current learners by showcasing a wide range of career pathways, from apprenticeships to higher education and beyond, while helping them reflect on their skills and interests. 

This year’s CareersFest was attended by just under 1,000 Weston College learners, more than 28 employers, and 15 Further Education providers and a number of Weston College Support stands. The room was buzzing with energy as the exhibitors showcased their offerings, including prominent employers such as Thatchers Cider, the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy, Hinkley Point, and Bristol Airport. Universities, including University Centre Weston, UWE Bristol, Bath Spa University, and Cardiff Metropolitan University, were also present, providing guidance and highlighting exciting opportunities for attendees. Camp America also participated, offering insights into summer camp travel experiences in the United States. 

Anna Holton, Careers and Employability Manager at Weston College, commented on the success of the day: “We’re so thrilled at the outcome of our CareersFest 2024 event, where we were able to bring together Weston College learners to meet potential employers, universities, and other future options! Here at Weston College, our mantra is ‘careers, not courses,’ so ensuring our learners have opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations with these exhibitors is crucial. We've already had positive feedback from the exhibitors that attended and our learners about their experience yesterday. We can’t wait to see where our learners’ journeys take them!” 

The Careers and Employability Team are available to support learner with their next steps and you can get in touch via cet@weston.ac.uk or checking out our webpage here. 

If you are a school learner and would like to receive some advice on your future at Weston College, you can contact the School Liaison team here! 

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career. 

In order to provide greater opportunities for our learners, we are actively seeking to increase our number of Careers Excellence Hub Partnerships with fantastic employers. Our Engineering CEH are doing just that by taking our learners up to Babcock in order to promote and develop a partnership between Weston College Engineering and Babcock for T Level Industry Placements. 

Babcock is a globally leading engineering company which specialises in international defence, aerospace and security equipment and manufacturing. They ensure that the critical services of defence equipment are produced to be durable, affordable and available in order to create a safe and secure world. They also provide engineering support to naval, land, air, and nuclear operations, as well as frontline support, specialist training and asset management. 

To begin the day, our Engineering learners got a tour of Babcock and its facilities to better understand how the company work and familiarise themselves with the environment. During the tour, the learners were then lucky enough to witness a simulated torpedo firing which they thoroughly enjoyed. 

Not only this, the students also had the opportunity to engage in a series of tasks and activities throughout the day, the highlight being a virtual welding simulator. This was a computer-based tool that allowed the students to practice welding techniques in a virtual environment, without the need for actual equipment or materials. Three learners broke the record, achieving a score of 98/100 which highly impressed the Babcock staff and were awarded medals as recognition of their outstanding achievement. 

Since visiting Babcock, the company have confirmed that they are keen to work out a finalised plan for hosting T Level industry placements and are fully onboard with supporting our learners achieve world leading industry skills. This future partnership will open up many amazing opportunities for our learners and is largely accredited to their hard work and the positive impression they made on Babcock during their visit. 

We’d like to thank Babcock for having our learners and making a lasting impact on their passion for engineering. 

If you are interested in applying to one of our Engineering courses in September, click here.