Creating brighter futures

Weston College is proud to announce the successful completion of the "Leading from the Middle" CPD programme for a number of its middle managers and leaders. Designed for both curriculum and business support managers, this high-impact development programme was commissioned by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and delivered by FE Associates (FEA).

The programme, which launched on January 25, 2023, culminated in a conference on May 3, where participants presented on the outcome of their action learning projects. Throughout the programme, participants were offered a good mix of building knowledge and understanding of the sector, including funding, strategy, and policy, as well as equipping managers with greater soft management and leadership skills.

One of the key highlights of the programme was the allocation of an external mentor to each participant, allowing them to focus on particular areas of development during the course of the programme. The delivery team for the programme was made up of a range of experts, including trainers from in and out of the FE and Skills sector. The team's background includes ex-Principals, a Deputy Principal, an Ofsted Inspector, and trainers working with some of the biggest employers internationally and nationally, including the Metropolitan Police

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) were an integral part of the programme, and the programme was underpinned by an ethos of inclusivity and personalisation, with core elements that participants were required to engage with and complete. Based on their initial assessment, participants got the opportunity to engage with modules and units that were relevant to their own personal development.

Sir Paul Phillips, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College commented:  "We are delighted to have successfully completed the Leading from the Middle CPD programme for our middle managers and leaders. This programme has been instrumental in building knowledge and understanding of the sector, equipping our managers with greater soft management and leadership skills, and ensuring that equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded into all aspects of our work. The Leading from the Middle CPD programme has been a great success for Weston College, and we look forward to continued success and growth in the future.”

My name is Dan, and I am the Recruitment Manager at Butcombe Brewery, part of the Liberation Group. We are a business made up of premium food-led pubs and breweries that create award-winning beers. We are extremely proud of our South West roots, and have now expanded across the South of the UK, and the Channel Islands!

Having grown our business in Somerset, a relationship with Weston College seemed a natural step when we first began our partnership. We were keen to help support the community in our homeland whilst also gaining access to the next wave of Hospitality superstars!

We have had a superb, collaborative relationship with Weston College over the last few years. Alongside being a Career Excellence Hub employer, we also attend careers fairs, provide masterclass learning sessions with the students and have become involved with T Level structure and content too.

The impact of the partnership with Weston College has been fantastic; we have successfully placed 6 young chefs into our businesses across the South West. Also, the courses delivered by the college have helped some of our Central teams learn new skills to bring to the business!

Well done and thank you to the team at Weston College - I look forward to what the future of our partnership holds!

This week, Weston College have hosted two events focusing on sustainability; a Community Beach Clean on Monday 24th April and a Sustainability Conference on Thursday 26th April.

Both events’ main aim was to educate those in attendance on the importance of sustainability, through interactivity, guest talks and informative resources.

The Beach Clean was open to staff and students, but also to members of the community to work towards a cleaner environment. This event was very kindly funded by Burnham & Weston Energy, meaning all necessary equipment could be provided to help make this event as accessible as possible! The clean was a huge team effort of volunteers from the college and community, to help with the restoration and preservation of our coastlines, and acting as a fun and engaging way to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Alongside the actual beach clean element of this event, there were also several stands set up in the Tropicana where students and the public could learn more. North Somerset Council’s Waste and Recycling team, as well as their Energy team had stands at the Tropicana, on hand and ready to inform and engage in meaningful conversations with the community.

Following the theme throughout the week, the Weston College Sustainability Conference took place at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, with learners from the college and UCW, as well as employers in attendance. Burnham & Weston Energy’s Lynda Wookey provided the keynote speech, focused on Community Energy to contribute towards the development of the college’s sustainability strategy for the future.

Employers who work closely with the college also dotted stalls throughout the ballroom, including North Somerset Council, Uncle Paul’s Chilli Charity and Garden Organic. The stalls, similar to the beach clean, were able to bring interactive games and resources to engage the attendees in learning about environmental issues. Our Travel and Tourism learners had their own stall on the Future of Sustainable Transport in Weston, which acted as fantastic experience in interacting with new people and presenting their own ideas.

Following this, the attendees were treated to an insightful Q&A session with panellists including Lynda Wookey (Burnham & Weston Energy) Kate Eastment (Garden Organic), Joe Tristram (Centre for Sustainable Energy), Alexandra Watson (Michelmores) and Amelia Cruz (Younity), before a student discussion to conclude the event.

Jo Philpott, Vice Principal – Curriculum Delivery & Technical Innovation, commented on the success of the week: “Here at Weston College, we are very committed to our Sustainability and Social Action Framework. This framework, in turn, will help us in building a green, lean and socially responsible culture to create a sustainable and community focused College of the Future.

“Through implementing initiatives such as the Beach Clean and the Conference this week, we are able to engage a huge number of our learners, staff, and the wider community of North Somerset, and play a part in an agile and responsive approach to our community. I am thrilled with the outcome of both events, and look forward to the impact they each have for the future.”