It's not always "the most wonderful time of the year". In a time full of festive joy, Christmas can be a difficult time for those dealing with mental health problems. In order to help and support those in need, we've compiled a useful list of articles and health services that can help over the Christmas holidays.

The College’s library service beat off tough UK competition to scoop a Best National Practice Award for its unique level of technical support.

The Council for Learning Services in College (ColRiC) judges chose Weston College’s LibraryPlus-based and cost-free ‘TechGenius’ service for its service interaction.

Technology and Library Team Leader Jon Hofgartner said: “This is brilliant news. TechGenius was set up by Learning Technologist Louise Hutson with Foundation Degree Computing students gaining work experience by helping others with computer, tablet, laptop, PC and phone glitches.

“Around eight TechGeniuses rotate campuses offering general technical advice – from help setting up new phones to support with any computing device.”

Foundation Degree Computing student and TechGenius support Ryan Prescott, 20, of Ashcombe Road, Weston, said: “Weston College provided us with a great opportunity to work on a real help desk. We hope winning this award will bring more recognition to the TechGenius program and look forward to helping more people.”

Chair of CoLRiC, Margaret Phillips, said: “CoLRiC launched these awards as we are convinced there are many unsung heroes in Libraries making a truly magnificent difference to learners. We have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of the entries and the commitment given by staff to the service and their institutions.”

In the last three years the College’s Library Service has invested over £1 million and now has 22 staff.

Service Head of Executive Lead Quality and Learning, Claire Bushell, explained: “ Three years ago the college started from scratch to create state-of-the-art learning facilities on all campuses which are vibrant, office-free spaces where students study, discuss, think and create in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

“We have nearly 200 computers, laptops, tablets, cameras and Kindles and technologically-confident accessible staff who support students. There are also quiet spaces and times.

“It’s wonderful our students are integral to winning this national award. The feedback we get from library users is incredibly positive and it’s now a very valued resource.”

On April 28^th Jisc is set to hold a Learning Technology Forum at LibraryPlus on Knightstone’s campus.

It will be an opportunity for education professionals across the region to tap into the latest teaching and learning technology resources.

The College is also organising its first ever Technology Enhanced Learning Conference at Knightstone’s campus on July 9^th which is open to anyone in Secondary, Further and Higher Education.

Claire added: “The conference is an exciting first for us with a range of sessions from developing technology enhanced learning with social media and of course TechGenius.”

Weston College student Fahma Mohamed was invited to 10 Downing Street last week (Thursday 14th) to meet David Cameron as part of his community engagement forum.

Fahma, 19, who is currently enrolled on an Access to Higher Education course at the College, was questioned by the Prime Minister on Muslim women’s issues in British society.

The Prime Minister was keen to find out what it means to be a Muslim female in Britain today and learn about the issues of empowerment, segregation and isolation that Muslim women face.

In a Sunday Times article after the meeting, David Cameron called Fahma a brilliant Muslim women’s role model.

“I heard great examples of so many women who are flourishing in our country,” he wrote, while raising the issue that some Muslim women are forced into gender segregation, discrimination and social isolation from mainstream British life.

Mr Cameron said it was time to be "more assertive about our liberal values, more clear about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers."

In a Facebook post following the meeting, Fahma commented that she enjoyed meeting the Prime Minister and was glad that he was listening to the voices of British Muslim women.

Fahma is a junior trustee of Integrate Bristol, a charity that was set up to help with the integration of young people who have arrived in Britain from other cultures. She is the eldest of nine children and moved to Britain when she was seven when her parents fled war-torn Somalia.

In 2014, she rose to international fame after creating a petition seeking to put education at the heart of tackling female genital mutilation, which became one of the fastest-growing ever seen on change.org and was signed by nearly 250,000 people.

The petition drew the attention of the then UK Education Secretary Michael Gove, who praised Fahma’s “inspirational” campaign and ensured that the Department for Education wrote to all schools about female genital mutilation and provided materials for teachers to tackle the subject.

She also met the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and who promised to use the influence of the United Nations to ensure that the campaign, backed by the Guardian newspaper, received global attention.

Weston College has announced the launch of a new Higher Level Apprenticeship in Civil Engineering.

The new programme is a Level 4 apprenticeship which incorporates an NQV Diploma in Construction Site Supervision and an HNC in Construction in the Built Environment.

The apprenticeship will be delivered in the workplace, with apprentices attending the College’s brand new Future Technology Centre one day per week to complete practical and written assignments.

The Future Technology Centre was built in response to employer needs to fill identified skills shortages within the construction and engineering industry, and to meet the skills demand that the Hinkley Point C project will bring.

The new programme is being launched with Wessex Water, who have confirmed an intake of four apprentices due to start in January 2017.

Becca Thurston, Apprenticeship Coordinator from Wessex Water, said: “Uniting employers with education is key to ensuring the economic success of not only our business, but also our region.

“It is well known that there are significant skills gaps across many industries and the responsibility to solve that lies in a partnership approach.

“Wessex Water has identified that a crucial method of addressing our skills requirement is to find and support high quality training providers, such as Weston College, to design, develop and deliver courses, programmes and apprenticeships to fulfil our business needs.

“We’re excited to see what our joint future holds, how we can work together to ensure our local and wider communities understand the possibilities and opportunities within our industry, and how we can support each other to ensure Weston College continues to provide outstanding training which is relevant, business led and, most of all, effective.”

Liz Redwood, Executive Director of Apprenticeships and Business Development at Weston College, said: “Wessex Water is a key partner of the College.

“We are already supporting them in recruiting and training laboratory technician apprentices and we are delighted to be expanding our relationship.

“Weston College recognises the importance of engineering and construction skills in the South West and we will continue to invest heavily to develop our offer to businesses.”

If your business is looking to upskill or reskill your current workforce and would like to find out more about this programme, please contact the Apprenticeship Team on 01934 411 594 or email apprenticeships@weston.ac.uk. 

While getting involved in volunteering can help you develop a large number of transferrable skills which are vital to being successful with job applications, getting involved with volunteering can do much more for you that just provide something for you to add to your CV...

A series of studies has proven that volunteering has a positive effect on your mental health too, one study even finding that volunteering is the best activity for improving your mental health.

This is because volunteering helps you feel more socially connected as it usually involves working as part of a team towards a common cause. This in turn makes you feel happy and wards off loneliness and depression.

If you are feeling stressed or you feel generally undervalued, getting involved with your local community can be beneficial to help improve your mental health.

Weston College has received the Association of Colleges’ Beacon Award for Widening Participation in Learning, sponsored by Gateway Qualifications, at a ceremony in HMYOI Portland. 

Guests were welcomed by Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group and Steve Hodson, Governor, HMYOI Portland.
The Beacon Award for Widening Participation in Education is open to all colleges of further education and sixth form colleges which have made specific provision to attract those from under-represented groups to engage and succeed in learning. 

Carol Stott, Chair of the Association of Colleges Board, who spoke at the ceremony, praised the College for their work in offender and detainee learning provision: “This award was given in recognition of effective and imaginative approaches to attract and motivate learners with impressive results in successful acquisition of skills, knowledge and qualifications. 

“The College working in partnership with nine prisons and one immigration removal centre in the South West has shown innovative strategies to open up opportunities for learners, helping them to overcome barriers and enable progression to sustained further learning or employment.” 

“It is also an even larger achievement, as this is the first time an offender learning provision has won a Beacon Award since its inception in 1994.” 

Guests at the ceremony had the opportunity to tour the educational facilities and enjoyed a creative arts performance by learners, including their own poetry and self-composed songs. 

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, commended his staff and said: “This award shows that Weston College is leading the field when it comes to providing effective opportunities for some of the most disenfranchised learners in the country. Our Beacon Awards success confirms the innovative and student-centred practice that permeates the whole of the Weston College Group.

“When it comes to offender and detainee learning, we provide the same award-winning level of teaching and support that we offer students across the College. Our approach is to put our learners first and to enable them to realise their full potential.

“This College-wide ethos is why learners in all aspects of Weston College’s provision can expect the same outstanding teaching standards, and the same dedication to providing an engaging and inclusive learning environment.”

This latest award follows national recognition of the College’s offender and detainee learning provision through successful inspections from Ofsted and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Prisons. In 2015, offender learning lecturer Jerry Nightingale became the first prison lecturer to be named Further Education Lecturer of the Year at the Pearson Teaching Awards for ‘Britain’s classroom heroes’.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visited Weston-super-Mare today (13th April) to open Weston College’s South West Skills Campus.

The South West Skills Campus, based at the former Bushacre Business Park on Locking Road, was purchased by the College in 2010 and has undergone a multimillion pound renovation to transform it into a facility for computing, engineering, technology, motor vehicles, and construction.

During the visit, The Princess Royal met key members of College leadership team including Dr Paul Phillips CBE, the College’s Principal and Chief Executive, as well as local dignitaries including the Mayor of Weston and the Chief Executive of North Somerset Council.

Her Royal Highness then went on a tour of the facilities, watched College students working in the engineering workshops, and met apprentices from GKN Aerospace and Rolls Royce, two large companies that have moved their engineering training to Weston College since it opened its engineering centre in 2015.

In the College’s computer numerical control workshop, The Princess Royal turned on an engraving machine that created a commemorative brass plaque, which was presented to Her Royal Highness at the end of the visit.

Following this, The Princess Royal was then invited to try a virtual reality device, before unveiling a plaque to open the campus, signing the visitors’ book and being presented with a Bristol Blue Glass Jug.

Before leaving, Her Royal Highness was given a posy by Herons’ Moor Academy pupil, 11 year old Libby Swinney.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “I am very proud to see where Weston College is today, and how the College has been an influence in the regeneration of Weston-super-Mare through the creation of inspiring facilities and the provision of excellent teaching and learning.

“I am honoured to celebrate the opening of the South West Skills Campus with The Princess Royal, who opened our Loxton campus a few years ago. It was interesting to hear her thoughts on the growth of the College since her last visit, and her thoughts on the importance of increasing the opportunities for women in the fields of science and engineering – something the College itself has been passionately working towards for a number of years.”

A Weston College Sixth Form student has finished runner-up in a national Young Enterprise award. Having already won the Regional Journey Award, and being one of just 3 people selected to go forward nationally.

Ilja Voroncovs was shortlisted in the ‘Journey’ category following his work on the Young Enterprise Company Programme.

The ceremony was held at London’s County Hall on July 6.

Ilja, who studies A Levels in Psychology and Sociology, and an Extended Certificate in Applied Science, won through to the national final after winning district and regional stages.

Ilja was accompanied to London by, his tutor, Elinor John, Lecturer in Photography and Employability Co-ordinator for the Sixth Form.

“We’re incredibly proud of Ilja and his achievements” said Elinor. “He’s grown tremendously and is deserving of the recognition.

“I nominated Ilja due to his increased confidence over the programme. Ilja was extremely shy at the beginning of the course, but flourished as a result of the opportunity with the Young Enterprise.

“The most rewarding aspect was that not only did his team, business advisors and I see the growth in Ilja, but he recognised it in himself.”

The Young Enterprise Company Programme is billed as “the ultimate teenage enterprise challenge”. Over the course of a year groups of students create and run real profit-generating businesses under the guidance of an expert business volunteer.

Journey Award nominators had to show how the programme helped the student develop the confidence to talk to strangers, deliver an empowering speech, overcome an obstacle or discover a new ability.

Ilja was among just a handful of students to reach the national final, out of the 16,500 who took part in this year’s Company Programme.

After finishing runner-up, Ilja said "I already felt like a winner".

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Weston College has won the FE leader of the year at the annual TES FE Awards 2019. 

In his 18 years at the helm of Weston College, Dr Paul Phillips has directed a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes. The judges commended Phillips for the proven impact of his leadership which has been sustained over time. 

Turnover at the College has increased from £9 million when he joined in 2001 to more than £63 million in 2016-17 – making it one of the 10 biggest colleges in England.

He has personally championed social mobility for all, including raising standards across prison education in the South West.