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Weston College is an award-winning college of further and higher education in Weston-super-Mare. It provides education and vocational training to nearly 30,000 learners across the country.
We put the learner first and are entrepreneurial in our approach and innovative in our thinking. As a college, we are ambitious and aspirational and are responsive to the needs of students, staff, businesses, and the community.
We are Weston College. We are Creating Brighter Futures.
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Hey! I'm Maria, and I have recently completed my Fashion, Business & Retail UAL Extended Diploma at Weston College - and I'm here to tell you all about my experience!
When I was younger, I would always play dress up with my princess dresses and heels. This love for dress up grew up with me and when I got older I would use my mum’s wardrobe to dress up with proper clothes and accessories. I was inspired to start doing fashion in art GCSE and taught myself the basic skills. After GCSE I wanted to continue with fashion, and this was the perfect course for me.
Originally, I was going to do A levels, but I wanted to do a fashion specific course and during my search on Google I came across this course at Weston College.
The first project I did was my work experience. We had a live project working with the Lauriston Hotel and our task was to design a new uniform for their employees. This was my first experience with working with a client and I really enjoyed it. We went to the hotel to interview the manager about what they wanted in a uniform and took pictures of the hotel as primary research. The designing for this project was challenging because it couldn’t be too extravagant as it had to be functional. I had lots of fun adding small but creative elements to my designs to make them unique!
Pattern cutting is by far the most interesting thing I’ve learnt to do! Learning how to turn my ideas into garments and how to put design elements (like pleats) into a pattern is so much fun. I really enjoy the process of creating the pattern and toiling it to see if it’s correct because there’s lots of problem solving. I had to toil my corset so many times to get the perfect fit and look, and it took lots of little tweaks to the pattern to achieve this. Nothing feels better than when you finally make the pattern perfect!
The facilities and equipment at Weston College are AMAZING!!!!! There are so many facilities that accommodate for different materials and processes. In the 3D workshop you can use metal to make a cage for your garments, in ceramics you can use clay and porcelain to make beads or jewellery and in the print room you can print your own design onto fabric. You’re not restricted to using just fabric, you can use anything to create your garments. For the accessories project I made a porcelain shoulder piece that attached to a sleeve as my final outcome!
The process of pattern cutting, toiling and creating the final garment is quite long and this completely surprised me in my final project. I intended to make more than one garment but finished with just the one. This was a huge learning curve for me as it showed me how long I needed to leave for this process. It was also the start of my journey with becoming comfortable with making mistakes. I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I didn’t respond well to mistakes at the beginning of the year; however this course has taught me how to respond better and what to do with these mistakes.
I displayed my final project work at the Summer Show, and I was given a space that I could decorate with my work. It was really exciting to have your own space filled with your work for others to look at!
After college I hope to go to university to study fashion design. If you want to go into fashion after college I would 100% recommend taking this course! As well as fashion skills, you also gain personal skills like problem solving and mental resilience which are important.
Below are the outcomes of my final major project! Thank you for reading!
There has been great success this year for our Engineering T Level Learners who have all completed their Industry Placements! Our employers are essential to the development of our learners, and we are extremely grateful for their help in driving the future workforce within the engineering world.
The industry placements have led to some learners being offered apprenticeships and employment opportunities, massively helping learners with the transition into working life following their studies.
Here is what Rotamec’s Paul Korb - Health and Safety, Compliance and Sustainability Manager had to say about taking on Industry Placement learners:
“The placement not only benefits the student during their experience with us, but it further allows the business to assess and find the ideal candidate who wishes to pursue a career in our industry. It allows us to ‘try before we buy’ and we will offer an apprenticeship at the completion of their course.
Not only does this benefit the business, but it also allows the student to sample our business and decide if this is a career path they wish to pursue.
Every student that attends our business, could be the future engineer for our industry. They could also be the next supervisor, foreman, or manager. If the student has the attitude for the job, we will assist the student to develop their skills and development. The students assist with the day to day running of the business and has really had a positive impact.”
A big thank you to all of the following employers for providing our engineering learners with placements and giving them the invaluable experience of working in industry:
AIM
Plant Ex Machinery
RJ MotorSPorts
If you would like to enquire about hosting a work placement student within your workplace, please contact emma.nicholls@weston.ac.uk.
Last week saw Weston College and UCW's Creative Arts Summer Show - a vibrant event that showcased the creativity and talent of our learners! This event proved to be a fantastic outing, featuring live music, artwork, fashion, film, and delicious locally sourced food and drinks – demonstrating the artistic spirit and youthful energy of our Creative Arts learners.
The opening night featured a silent disco, live music performances, and food vendors, setting a vibrant tone for the days to follow!
Thursday continued the festivities with the same excitement as the opening night, enhanced by a radio masterclass, a music video showcase, and a Candar radio interview.
Friday, the longest day of the event, featured a media documentary showcase, another radio masterclass, a media short film showcase, community classes in ceramics and print, an LGBTQ+ prom, a pride silent disco and live music, along with the ever-popular food vendors.
Finally, Saturday wrapped up the event with professional industry talks at the Bristol Old Vic by Faye Elvin, who provided invaluable insights into preparing for drama school auditions and navigating the industry as a new graduate.
We received lots of positive feedback from learners, including Finn who expressed that he found the experience fun and was particularly pleased to see Shungite perform.
Dan said he revelled in the nice weather and festival vibes and enjoyed seeing Degree perform at the pavilion!
Festival goer Josh said that he and his family had a wonderful time at the event on Saturday, and he is looking forward to returning next year!
The summer show offered a unique opportunity to immerse in the dynamic arts scene of Weston College and UCW and support the next generation of creative professionals. Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the incredible talents of our learners!
