Creating brighter futures

What makes a good teacher? Endless qualifications and certificates? An encyclopaedic knowledge of a given subject? Here at Weston College, we have always stood by the belief that lived experience is far superior to any badge or certification. First person knowledge and in-depth understanding of real industry practice is what makes a good teacher! 

Engineering, as an industry, is so diverse and can be suited to so many people; it’s a huge combination of different sectors, including chemical, composite, civil and electrical engineering. When studying, you will have the opportunity to find out which aspect is your favourite, which is best suited to you, and which you’d most like to specialise in as you progress to higher levels.

As the industry is highly technical and is highly difficult to succeed in without substantial prior training, it can be financially beneficial to make up for it! The starting salary is higher than an average graduate, at around £26,000. As well as having the training and knowledge, you will also develop a huge number of transferable skills to have with you in the workplace, as well as in your personal life, including communication, leadership, and critical reasoning.

Another huge benefit of working in Engineering is its ever-changing nature, so where technology develops and evolves, it will be part of your job to pre-empt, adapt and learn about these new changes. This will result in a job that you’ll never get bored of!

By studying with us to gain your qualifications in Engineering, you’ll be able to find out about the Careers Excellence Hub, which will include many career-boosting benefits, as well as working alongside and hearing from huge names in the engineering industry, for example Airbus and GKN.

Plus, when studying with Weston College, the level you enter in won’t matter as we provide education for all levels, and in different formats. For example, if you would benefit and learn best from nearly all hands-on work, plus a wage, an apprenticeship would be ideal. However, if you felt some days looking at theory while in the classroom would be better suited, a T Level could be the course for you. We want to help you find the best suited course for you!

There is also predicted to be a shortage of engineers by around 2026, meaning there is no better time to begin studying towards qualifying, as the shortage may be lessened by an influx of learners beginning to train now! Furthermore, as engineering is currently perceived much more as a male dominated career path, our goal is for that stereotype to be overwritten, and create more equality in the industry, eventually eradicating the idea that it’s male dominated.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in engineering, click on the links to find out about the opportunities offered at Weston College to 16-19s, and to adults!

I have been working with closely with Weston College on several exciting projects, all with the aim of supporting young people to kickstart their careers.

After having a successful career and now running my own business (Neil’s Data Consultancy), I really wanted to give something back to help students think about what they might like to do, along with giving some practical tips along the way.

Weston-super-Mare is in my blood and as a former student of Weston Sixth Form, I could not think of a better educational partner to help provide that advice and support.

Over the last year I have been involved in exciting initiatives with Weston College, which has really benefited myself as an employer, but more importantly, young people looking for an opportunity.

I started off by getting involved in Kickstart, offering two placements to local people that were looking for an opportunity. I offered them the chance to become Assistant Accountants, and they were involved in everything; client management, bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll submissions, accounts preparation work and management reporting production.

It had a huge impact on the business, as not only did they complete their work to a high standard, but it also released me to work on other areas of the business, such as marketing, networking and providing valuable business advisory services to clients.

I was so impressed that I offered one of the people on placement a permanent job, and they continue to thrive within the organisation.

It has been fantastic to give someone with no prior experience an opportunity and support them through training and sharing knowledge that I have developed over the years in industry. To now see them in full time employment and furthering their development with a funded chartered accountancy course, has been highly rewarding personally, as well as hugely beneficial to the business.

We did not want our work with Weston College to end there, so we decided to get involved with their new Career Excellence Hubs and provide learners with opportunities to develop key skills required by industry and give them a taste of the real world of work.

It’s important for industry and education to cross over to ensure that the young people in Weston have the skills they need for the future. Things have moved on a lot since I was a student and so it's important to understand the different paths a student can now take from education into employment.

On top of this, there are some hugely talented students out there and through something like an apprenticeship programme with Weston College, we can help nurture and train individuals to be incredibly valuable assets to our businesses.

If like me, you run a business and want to access a new pool of talent, then I highly recommend contacting the team at Weston College, you won’t be disappointed.

Neil Criddle, Neil’s Data Consultancy

If you would like to become a Future Talent Business Partner like Neil, you can find out how, by clicking here.