Weston College joined forces with the Chefs’ Forum Academy to host an event promoting careers in the hospitality industry to over 200 pupils.

Some of the region’s top chefs demonstrated at the Hospitality Industry Taster Day, which took place at the Winter Gardens, 11.30am-1.30pm on Wednesday 20th March.

This free event – was open to year 8, 9, 10 and 11 pupils, and college students – showcasing the hospitality industry as a career option. Guests were treated to mocktails, canapés and beef burgers.

The day included 20-minute interactive masterclasses showcasing culinary expertise such as butchery, beef cookery, the secrets of herbs and spices, and intricate pastry techniques.

Sandra Bull, Divisional Lead for Hospitality and Catering at Weston College, said “We are pleased to have some of the region’s top chefs and butchers involved to show how rewarding and exciting a career in the industry can be. In a sector, which is in, decline it is great to showcase the options open to those leaving school in the next couple of years. This year we also hosted various local businesses – a great opportunity for buddy chefs to see local produce is best!”

The Chefs’ Academy Forum is a network of industry experts that supports the next generation of chefs. As well as showcasing their skills at the taster day, forum experts teach Weston College hospitality students, enriching learning through bespoke cookery masterclasses in the College kitchens.

Jack Cook, of award-winning Devizes butchers Walter Rose & Son, performed a beef butchery masterclass in advance of Great British Beef Week. All pupils who attended the event got a delicious Walter Rose Angus x Hereford Stokes Marsh Farm beef burger, with delicious garnishes produced by College catering students.

Le Manoir-trained chef Amy Nancollis, from Oak and Glass restaurant in Weston, joined chefs Andy Chan and Tom Everard Fairburn, of Thornbury Castle Hotel, for an éclair filling and decorating competition.

Topping the day off will be a spice masterclass from Sam Guarino, of Santa Maria. Sam talked budding young chefs through the tasty world of herbs and spices.

Chefs’ Forum Founder, Catherine Farinha, said: “It was a real honour to be asked to hold this event with Weston College again this year. If a handful of students who attend the event are inspired to study catering and hospitality because of the fantastic industry experts on show, then our work here is done.”

This event is run annually, register your interest via email sandra.bull@weston.ac.uk.

Weston College has been named as the Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Provider of the Year for the second year in a row.

The award ceremony, held at Ashton Gate Stadium, celebrated learners from across the region, as well as recognising the hard work of employers and training providers.

Weston College learner Josh King, an apprentice at GKN Aerospace, was also recognised on the evening – winning Outstanding Apprentice of the Year.

The College delivers a range of apprenticeships from Level 2 to degree-level and works with many high-profile employers in the Bristol and Bath area, including the Ministry of Defence and GKN Aerospace and Royal United Hospitals Bath.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, said: “We are delighted to retain our award, which highlights our commitment to developing skills across the region.

“Our staff are always there to provide a smooth process for employers, and learners, so this award is recognition of those efforts.

“I’m also delighted for Josh. Our learners show such a fantastic attitude to their studies and he is clearly doing a brilliant job at one of the biggest companies in the area – GKN.”

This is the latest in a string of recent awards for the College, which include a Beacon Award for dedication to mental health, the BKSB National Provider of Year award and also the AAC SEND Apprenticeship Champion award.

Weston College and one of its lecturers have been shortlisted for honours in a military veterans’ awards ceremony.

Dave Beresford, who is a Lecturer in Public Services at the College, is in the running for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the English Veterans Awards, while the College has been shortlisted in the Employer of the Year category.

The awards recognise the successful veterans who have made the, often difficult, transition from the military to civilian life in England. They reward those who have gone above and beyond and excelled in their relevant fields and act as role models for future service leavers.

It is also an opportunity to salute organisations which have shown commitment to attracting, employing and retaining ex-forces personnel and reservists.

The awards ceremony takes place at Mercure Holland House, Bristol in September 2019.

During his 14 years in the Royal Marines, Dave was awarded the Military Cross after rescuing two colleagues who were weighed down with heavy equipment and under fire from enemy forces. He also served in Northern Ireland and Sierra Leone.

Despite struggling with some common problems associated with transitioning into civilian life, Dave has gone on to forge a highly successful career in education.

After starting as a graduate primary school teacher, he has progressed to lecture in further and higher education at Weston College. As well as being an outstanding lecturer, Dave always goes above and beyond for students – helping them achieve success and realise their potential.

Weston College has a strong history of supporting local military units and the Armed Forces community. It sits upon the North Somerset Armed Forces steering group and has launched several ‘forces-friendly’ initiatives. These include the ‘Train to Build’ scheme, which facilitates the training of ex-forces personnel to build their own accommodation, and ‘Taking Teaching Further’, which encourages veterans and military personnel to consider a career in education.

Dr Paul Phillips, CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “This is a magnificent achievement for Dave – and deserved recognition.

“After a distinguished career in the armed forces, he showed huge determination and aptitude to transition into a wonderful lecturer and inspirational role model for his learners.

“It’s also a great honour for the College to be recognised for the support it provides for the armed forces and military veterans. As well as being a Silver award holder with the Armed Forces Covenant, we employ veterans and reservists across a whole range of areas including vocational and engineering departments, sports and public services faculties plus throughout the College’s prison education contracts.”

Two graduates from the BA (Hons) Graphic Design, run in partnership with Bath Spa University, have taken up graduate designer roles with Dyson.

Amelia Hurrell and Laura Hughes both graduated with First Class Honours in 2013 and had been working as freelance designers as well as taking up intern positions - Amelia at Sky Creative, having won the New Designers Sky Award 2013, and Laura at Proctor and Stevenson, a prestigious web design company.

Thanks to the strong reputation of the College’s degree provision in Graphic Design, Victoria Norcross, Programme Co-ordinator for FdA and BA (Hons) Graphic Design, was contacted by Ben Tappenden, Creative Head of Graphics and Packaging at Dyson and asked to recommend some graduates for the role of Junior Designer. Amelia and Laura were both successful at interview.

Ben said: “The candidates from Weston College were strong in interview and had encouraging portfolios. Laura and Amelia are competent and exciting graduate designers with a good sense of fun, enthusiasm, confidence, professionalism and ambition in abundance.”

Victoria said: "The achievements of these students are testament to the excellent work-based opportunities they had whilst studying at Weston College. It's great to see them being so highly regarded and working in high-profile companies so soon after graduating."

Amelia said: “The BA (Hons) in Graphic Design degree at Weston College was the perfect springboard for me. It provided the necessary skills and experience - through work placements and communication with local design agencies - to be successful at interview and secure a graduate job with Dyson. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Dyson so far, having been involved in a wide range of projects that have allowed me to exercise the skills I learnt at the College, and I can’t wait to see what challenges await me in the future.”

Laura said: “Studying at Weston College equipped me with skills and real world experience to give me the best possible start to my career. If I hadn’t been to Weston I doubt I could have gained my position at Dyson. Since starting in my role I have been involved in a wide range of really interesting projects and been through a great graduate induction programme. It’s amazing to work for such a big company that is so well respected and always at the cutting edge of design." 

Weston College student Libby Bunker, 16, has qualified to compete in a national gymnastic acrobatics and tumbling competition in May. 

Libby, who studies Business at Weston College and is a member of its Academy of Sport, attended the South West preliminary completion for national finals earlier this month where she achieved first place in tumbling. 

The finals, organised by the British Schools Gymnastics Association, are happening in Stoke-on-Trent on 30th April-1st May where Libby will be representing the College in tumbling.

Libby said: “This is a great opportunity to represent the College in a sport that I am passionate about and have been doing for so long.

“I feel like all my hard work is starting to pay off.”

Paul Taylor, Sports Development and Performance Manager at the College, said: “It is great to see hard work and commitment paying off.  It is very challenging combining an elite athletic and academic programme.

“We are really proud of Libby’s achievements.”

The Weston College Academy of Sport provides students with outstanding coaching, training and support. 

The programme is aimed to develop the skills that the students already have within a professional and structured environment.  

Farhath Siddiqui, who studies Film and Media Arts Production at UCW, was recently invited to accept an award on behalf of internationally renowned street artist Banksy, but she didn't celebrate with a glass of bubbly...

That's because Farhath is Muslim, and Muslims don't drink - so how did she celebrate? Read on to find out more...

When I tell people that I’m a Muslim, one of the top things people respond with is the question: “Do you drink?”

When I tell them that my faith doesn’t allow it, my answer is often met with disbelief and further remarks such as: “What, not even a little bit?”

The answer is no – I have never consumed alcohol before and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I'm sure a lot of you reading this who love to party feel that I may lead a boring life, and while that might be true in some respects it isn’t because of the lack of alcohol! Just because I don't drink doesn't mean I don't join in with party. I love to party.

Sober doesn't mean boring.  I have been sober on all of my nights out, and I still have managed to have the best time by the end of them! The hype of intoxication shouldn't be something you feel peer pressured to do.

Not drinking on your nights out is always an option. It doesn't mean you can't still have a good time, you won’t wake up with a hangover, and you’ll remember the whole evening…

You might find that you still make a bigger fool of yourself than any other drunk person. If that's the case, take a long hard look at yourself and make sure you do whatever you did again.

Weston College and the Federation of Small Businesses Limited (FSB) have joined forces to generate more apprenticeships opportunities across the West of England.

Following the FSB ‘Make or Break, getting apprenticeships reform right for small businesses’ report in August 2016, it was discovered that two in three small-medium enterprises retain their apprentice once they have finished their studies, which represents the benefits of hiring apprentices. Weston College actively seeks to better these statistics, with over 90% of its apprentices being offered permanent positions once they have completed their course.

The objective of this partnership is to highlight opportunities for small-medium enterprise employers across the West of England to engage with apprenticeships to recruit and develop talent, supporting their business growth.

John Mayer, the FSB Weston-super-Mare branch Vice Chairman said: “The FSB are committed to supporting our members locally and nationally to understand the opportunities presented by apprenticeships to attract, retain and develop a skilled workforce. There are significant benefits to employing an apprentice, giving the employer a valuable resource they can invest in to help successfully manage their businesses. We are therefore delighted to be working in partnership with Weston College to directly address some of the myths and lack of understanding around apprenticeships and generate additional employment opportunities across the region.”

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “At Weston College we pride ourselves in putting students first, and we are committed to giving our learners the best opportunities possible. We are excited by the prospect of working with FSB, as we aim to expand our network of local businesses and employers, to deliver more apprenticeships in the region.”

The partnership will include Weston College and the FSB hosting a joint Apprenticeship Expo event on 31st October at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare. The event will focus on enlightening businesses to the opportunities that apprenticeships can present to their organisation. Organisations will receive advice on recruitment and funding, as well as the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from companies that offer apprenticeships.

Employers can register their interest for the event here

To discuss the advantages apprenticeships can bring to your organisation, contact us on 01934 411 411 or email apprenticeships@weston.ac.uk

We have been using Weston College for our apprenticeship program for the last three years now. Weston College has been extremely helpful with this process and we have always been impressed by the candidates that they have given us.

The process worked very well as a representative from Weston College came and met with us to learn about our business and the office environment that we run. They then sent us CVs for candidates they felt would be suitable in our required role and we handpicked candidates from these for interview.  We started off by offering a traineeship program to the successful candidate which lasted four weeks, this allowed us to analyse their suitability for an apprenticeship and to see if they would fit in with the culture of the business.

It is very difficult to judge a candidate from an initial interview as some candidates may not be confident in a formal interview yet could be very confident and capable in a team environment. This initial four-week program also allows the candidate to decide if our work place is the correct choice for them rather than just going for an interview, accepting the job and then finding that they don’t feel comfortable in that work place.

We were very sceptical when we first took on an apprentice due to their age and maturity, however, I am pleased to say that they have exceeded our expectations at every level.

It is important to us that the candidates are smart, conscientious, hard-working and willing to learn. We strongly believe that you get out what you put in, which is why we expect the apprentices to show commitment to us and in return we will show commitment to them. We believe in continual training and upskilling our staff, even after the apprenticeship has finished, allowing the candidate to be successful in their chosen career.

We have found the apprenticeship program extremely beneficial to our business as it has allowed us to mould them into the role we required within the business. 

Two of our apprentices have passed their qualifications on time and the third is due to finish this month. We have been so impressed with our apprentices that we have offered them full time employment and they are now very valuable members of our team.

One of our apprentices has gone on to become a fully qualified Mortgage Adviser and the other is now a full qualified Will Writer.

We would highly recommend the apprenticeship program and Weston College.

Nick Barnes,

Director

EveryStep Financial

Weston College held a successful fundraising week in March, raising £3600 for local charity Weston Hospicecare.

Over the week students and staff from across the College took part in various activities, with the aim of raising money for the local charity.

The main event of the week was dress up day, in which staff and students all over the College got in the spirit, dressing up as superheroes, unicorns, octopuses and air hostesses for the day.

There were also a number of awards given out for those who contributed to the week’s success. The College’s Inclusive Practice Faculty won the overall award for fundraising, after students came up with inventive ways of raising money, including writing the first sentences of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in coins.

Weston Hospicecare was thrilled with the money donated to them.

Rachel Mansfield, community fundraiser at Weston Hospicecare, said: “We are once again enormously grateful to the students of Weston College for the fabulous support offered during their RAG week celebrations.

“We’ve loved following the students’ exploits, and we’re thrilled by the incredible amount of money raised for Weston Hospicecare – it really will play a big part in enabling us to support people with life-limiting illnesses and their families across Weston-Super-Mare and beyond.

“We’d also like to say a special thank you to the students from Weston College’s Inclusive Practice Faculty, who won an award for an outstanding contribution to the charity week for a video they created on behalf of Weston Hospicecare – we enjoyed welcoming the students to the hospice when they were filming, and were really impressed by the super piece of work they put together.”