Career opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) have grown significantly in recent years. We recently had the opportunity to talk with Weston College governor, Mr Chris Carter, who recently attended ‘The Big Bang’ interactive STEM fair at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare. As part of Love Our Colleges week we asked Mr Carter how the College is inspiring future generations and how it has responded to industry demands within STEM sectors.

What did you think of The Big Bang fair? Do you think it inspired young people to consider STEM careers?

I thought The Big Bang was an excellent example of showing students of various ages and skills just how wide and interesting the field of STEM education actually is. The name STEM stands for science, engineering, technology and mathematics, all of which were represented under one roof in an enthusiastic and obviously, judging by the reactions I saw, intensely interesting way. The variety of opportunities Weston College offered for the students to get ‘hands on’ was impressive and the Winter Gardens lent itself admirably to the event. I would be very surprised if this event did not inspire a significant number of potential careers.

Why do you think a career in STEM would be exciting to pursue?

The question should be why would it NOT be exciting?! The fields covered by STEM are representative of so many of the developing and necessary aspects of modern life. They can provide opportunities to build careers in vital and interesting areas ranging from engineering to life sciences via astronomy, soil science, aeronautics and marine engineering communications. These and countless other directions are examples where the core subjects can be expanded and developed as varied career paths open up.

The College also offers workshops for primary school classes. Why do you think this is important?

I have always believed that the earlier you start in education, the better chance young pupils have at gaining a balanced but gentle introduction to a wide variety of life skills as part of their development. If an interest is born at an early stage then there is so much more opportunity, either to nurture it further as the child’s education progresses, or just to include it in that child’s general educational skill set.

What makes Weston College stand out when it comes to providing STEM education?

Firstly, I would say the superb facilities offered across the various College campus sites and the dedicated and expert tuition from the highly skilled and motivated College staff. What also makes the College stand out is the much-prized ‘student experience’, which I think is second to none alongside the care and dedication to the learners which is the core of Weston College’s offer. Overall, it is simply a combination of all of these which apply not only to the teaching of STEM subjects but across the whole range of courses. We, as Governors, are extremely proud of the superb success rates for which Weston College is renowned but equally of the personal achievements of our learners on their journey.

Why do you think STEM has become such a large focus in the South West?

You only have to look at the type of employment opportunities in the South West to see why STEM has such a large part to play. The core STEM subjects touch on all of our lives, and on a daily basis. We use telephones, we drive cars and we eat the produce from our farms. All of these aspects are equipped with the products of technology which are powered by the energy produced by the ‘appliance of science’.

What are the long-term benefits to investing in STEM?

We are faced with global warming and an ever-increasing population. It does not take a genius to see that we need to sustain the development of all aspects of STEM education to meet the challenges of the future. Investment in further education is one of the best investments any Government can make. That’s why we all need to get behind the Association of Colleges campaign. ‘Love our Colleges’ sees FE providers working collaboratively to raise awareness and strive for a better future. Without the appropriate funding, the development and investment required to adapt to the needs of each industry cannot happen. This is essential in today’s world of work and just one of the reasons why the government need to invest in the next generation.

Have you wondered what it’s like to be a computing student? Meet Jake, an applied computing student.

Jake joined Weston College when he enrolled on the IT Practitioners Diploma, Level 3 course. This course improves your knowledge and practical skills in a range of IT areas including, IT systems, social media in business, data modelling, information management and website development. You find out how computer systems work and learn to utilise different applications. The assignments are based on workplace situations, so you get a real insight to the careers available in IT and what it is like to work in the industry.

Jake then progressed to the Applied Computing FDSc at University Centre Weston (UCW). This popular foundation degree emphasises the practical application of computing principles and development of IT skills.

The course also provides the core knowledge in software design, systems analysis and web technologies required to either progress to further study or gain employment in an it role. It covers:

• Computing applications
• Software design and development
• System analysis and databases
• Web technologies and platforms
• Computing project management
• Digital devices implementation and usability
• Object-orientated software design and development
• Service support tools and techniques
• Work experience.

As part of the work experience module, Jake has been working with the Shrubbery Hotel in Ilminster to produce a website and help improve their digital presence. His brief included:

• An interactive website
• The ability to view the rooms
• The ability to place a booking
• An events page
• A section looking at the local area.

Jake said: “It was a great real-life experience. I had to meet with the client to discuss their requirements and then make suggestions as to the best way to achieve their objectives.”

The project took approximately six weeks to complete.

Jake added: “Weston College and UCW have given me the knowledge and skill set to take up a strong career on computing.”

Jake’s next step is the BSc top-up year at UCW. He then plans to find a graduate job in website or software development.

Jake offered this advice for future students of Weston College or UCW:
“Space out your assignments and start them early. There is a great atmosphere amongst the lecturers and students and if you have a question about an assignment it’s always easy to get hold of a lecturer.”

shrubberyhotel.com

Universities and colleges have set themselves challenging new targets to make further and faster progress on fair access to Higher Education. The new targets, agreed with the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), form part of the 183 access agreements approved today, and will help meet a Government ambition to double the rate of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering Higher Education.

Professor Les Ebdon, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, said:

“The access agreements I have approved today show that universities and colleges are setting stretching and ambitious targets to attract students from disadvantaged areas and then support them through their studies. Our work with universities and colleges has really borne fruit over the last decade. There are now greater rates of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Higher Education than ever before – but we know that talent is still being lost. Too many people who have the talent to excel are not given full opportunity to demonstrate their ability. Eroding the stubborn link between your background as a child and your life chances as an adult is a long-term project. But I am confident that this set of agreements can – and will – make a real and lasting difference for many years to come.

“I am enormously heartened to see the significant level of ambition in this set of access agreements. By making progress towards their own fair access challenges, universities and colleges will contribute to the Government’s national fair access goals. The Prime Minister and Minister for Universities have set a goal to double the rates of students from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2020, and these agreements send a clear message that universities are ready to do the hard work to make this target a reality.

“The work and ambition universities and colleges have committed to today will transform lives. The outreach work universities have planned will open the door to higher education for people who might otherwise have thought it was not for them. The people that universities work with now will go on to be the doctors, business leaders and engineers of the future.”

Each university and college with an access agreement sets their own targets depending on their own individual circumstances. These targets are then subject to OFFA’s approval. Among the targets universities and colleges have set for their 2016-17 access agreements are:

- All institutions have set a target on the make-up of their student body

- Around three quarters of institutions set a target to improve the rates of students continuing with their studies, while around 15 per cent set a specific target to help ensure that their students were well prepared for life after graduation.

- Many targets also focus on particular groups of disadvantaged students. For example:

- Over a fifth of institutions set targets designed to help care leavers access higher education and succeed in their studies

- Approximately forty per cent of institutions set targets around specific ethnic groups. This includes a range of targets to reduce attainment gaps between different groups of students

- Around a third of institutions set targets relating to disabled students.

In total, universities and colleges predict that they will invest £750.8 million in steady state through their 2016-17 access agreements. This consists of:

- £149.3 million on access activities. This includes long-term sustained outreach work, which identifies learners at an early stage, and helps to raise aspirations and attainment
- £148.0 million on work to support students through their studies – for example through tailored induction programmes for particular groups of students
- £54.6 million on progression activities, to ensure that students are well prepared for life after graduation
- £399.0 million on financial support, including bursaries, fee waivers and hardship funds.

Professor Ebdon continued:

“Our discussions and negotiations with universities and colleges have led to improved targets at 94 institutions. These new targets are evidence-led, strategic and deliverable, and I look forward to working with universities and colleges to make further, faster progress.”

For more information on the College's HE provision, click here.

Weston College's Access Agreement for 2016/17 has been approved by OFFA and outlines the measures the college will take to widen access to HE. Click here to download a PDF for more information.

Weston College and the University of the West of England have announced that they are to create an Institute of Professional Education.

The move comes after the College strengthened its ties with UWE Bristol last November, when it was announced that the College had earned university centre status with the institution.

The idea behind creating the Institute is to provide learners and employers with a single organisation from which they can address all of their current and future educational and skills needs. The organisation will also provide learners with clear routes of progression between Further and Higher Education.

Dr Paul Phillips OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “I sit on numerous boards in terms of looking at the development of education in the region, and there’s one common theme that emerges: meeting the skills needs of businesses and employers.

“I don’t believe there’s an institution in existence that can meet all of an employer’s requirements on its own because when it comes to meeting skills needs, you have to take a bit of Further Education, a bit of Higher Education and all the constituent parts of the two and combining them into an overarching learning concept dedicated to directly responding to the skills needs and working as a partnership to address them.”

Dr Phillips went on to say that the partnership has the potential to be extended to include other institutions in the near future.

Professor Steve West, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of England, said: “The future is about us developing and equipping young people with the right skills, knowledge and attributes to be able to enter the workplace and make a positive contribution to society.

“I’m delighted that we have now developed a relationship with Weston College that builds pathways to allow us to ensure that we build the skills and qualifications at all levels that will lead directly to jobs.

“The technical and professional education taught at Weston College will lead into degree level education delivered by UWE Bristol. Together we’ll be able to provide fantastic opportunities for young people to get the jobs that they need, and that we desperately need them to get.”

The partnership in the medium term will focus heavily on apprenticeship development within the region with clear progression routes from intermediate through to degree apprenticeships being established in most key technical and professional disciplines. 

Students taking English GCSEs at Weston College have smashed national benchmarks with exceptionally high pass rates.

Of the 23 students who took their GCSE English exam before Christmas, 20 achieved a grade C or above, putting the pass rate at 87% – miles ahead of the 27% national benchmark.

The students were a combination of new learners to the College and returning learners, who have previously failed to obtain the C grade required to progress to further education.

These results are a huge cause for celebration, and go to show how Weston College supports its learners to achieve.

Kelly O’Connor, Subject Area Manager for GCSE English, said: “These results just go to show how hard work really can pay off.

“I’m immensely proud of my students and am confident that they have paved their way to successful futures.”

Weston College offers several options to support learners who have previously not taken GCSE English, or haven’t achieved a C grade.

Weston College’s Hair and Beauty students have had a busy weekend at a charity event in Weston-super-Mare and an opera production in Bath.

On Saturday, 30 learners from the College’s Hair and Beauty Centre gave up their afternoon and evening to do all hair and makeup at the Weston Hospicecare Strictly Fun Dancing event. They spent a long afternoon at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, doing hair and makeup for 24 contestants at an event that raised £18,000 for the charity. 

Meanwhile, a team of 16 FdA Hair, Beauty and Prosthetics Production students were collaborating with Bath Spa learners. They completed hair and makeup for an opera production of Cosi fan Tutti at the Michael Tippett Centre in Bath. 

The project collaborating with Bath Spa Production learners has been a week long, evening commitment for the College’s FdA learners, who all spent their evenings working on the project. 

Sandra Bull, Area Manager of Hair, Beauty, Hospitality and Catering at Weston College, said: “It has been a really busy weekend for our learners and staff, six of whom also gave up their Saturday to support our learners. 

“We’re incredibly proud of the commitment and dedication all of our learners show, whether they are the Hair and Beauty Centre team or our FdA learners. Not only have these events really helped them develop their skills, but they’ve also been given an opportunity to get involved with the community and help a fantastic local charity.”  
 

Staff at Weston College who were awarded Silver in the 2018 Pearson Teaching Awards were invited to the House of Commons for Tea to celebrate their achievements.

Lecturer Charmaine Hale-Lynch, who teaches Travel and Tourism at the College, along with Mandy Lee, Student Welfare & Pastoral Support Services Manager, and Ben Cocks, Assistant Director, all attended the event in the House of Commons.

Charmaine and the Welfare and Pastoral Services Team were selected from thousands of nominations nationwide back in June, and were two of just 65 winners in the 2018 Pearson Teaching Awards.

They were invited to an exclusive, one in a lifetime opportunity to have tea at the House of Commons ahead of a glittering ceremony broadcast live on the BBC later this year, where just 12 winners (one from each category) will be selected to win the prestigious Gold Plato.

The Pearson teaching awards are run annually, and schools and FE colleges are invited to nominate members of staff and teams within their organisation who they think are worthy of recognition for the fantastic work they do daily. There is then an in-depth selection process, involving judging visits to the schools, to identify ground-breaking teachers and teams.

Ben Cocks, Assistant Director at Weston College, said: “Seeing both Charmaine and the Welfare and Pastoral Support Services win a Silver Teaching Award, and being part of that, has been an amazing experience and given me a real sense of pride and delight.

“I have seen first-hand how hard the staff within the department work. What they do is truly inspirational and for them as individuals and as a team, winning the award has given them the recognition they not only deserve, but also the confidence and reassurance that what they do to support our learners and the wider community is valued, having a real impact and changing lives.

“It is our learners who inspire the staff and make it worthwhile and this award is to them as much as it is to the staff.”

As you may already know, Weston College has just been shortlisted for six national awards.

These are among the most prestigious honours available in the further education (FE) sector. So, to be in the running for six, is a huge achievement.

The Principal, Individual staff, College initiatives, and the College, as a whole, are all finalists in various categories.

But what are the awards all about? Why is it such an achievement? Who’s been shortlisted, and for what?

Let us explain.

What are the awards?

We’ve been shortlisted in four categories of the 2019 Tes FE Awards. (Tes was formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement, by the way).

In Tes’s words, the awards “recognise the most outstanding individuals and institutions that the FE sector has to offer, and those shortlisted are the cream of the crop.”

Put simply, they are the ‘Oscars’ of the FE world.

We’re also finalists in two Association of Colleges’ (AoC) Beacon Awards.

Now in its 24th year, the Beacon Awards showcase best practice and innovation in colleges. As Carole Stott MBE, Chair of the AoC Charitable Trust, explains: “The Beacon Awards were created to highlight the great work that goes on in colleges every day.”

The awards cover achievements in the academic year 2017-18.

Are these separate awards?

Yes and no.

The Tes and Beacon awards are judged independently but they have teamed up to release the shortlists and will hold a joint ceremony to announce the winners.

This ‘gala awards evening’ will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on Friday, 22nd March, 2019. It promises to be a spectacular event with more than 800 guests expected to attend, including government ministers and many of the great and good from the education sector.

Why is it such a major achievement for the College?

Firstly, these are all national awards, so every college, member of staff and special initiative was eligible for at least one category.

Then, to be finalists in so many categories is exceptional. For instance, there are only 11 Tes categories and we’re shortlisted in four. Likewise, we’re shortlisted in two of the eight Beacon Award categories.

There are eight finalists for each Tes Award, and either three or four in the AoC Award categories.

Who’s been shortlisted, and for which awards?

These are our finalists in the Tes Awards:

Dr Paul Phillips CBE – FE Leader of the Year

Our Principal, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, is a finalist in this category, which recognises exceptional leadership in FE in the UK.

Dr Phillips has led from the front as the College has enjoyed another hugely successful year. Among the highlights were the College winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. This is one of the College’s most impressive achievements since it embarked on its 16-year transformation under the leadership of Dr Phillips in 2001.

Claire Knapp – FE Teacher of the Year

Claire is a lecturer in motor vehicles at the College.

This award rewards the individual whose passion, knowledge and skill have inspired students to success and who have made a major contribution to educational life. It is open to anyone working as a teacher, tutor or lecturer in the FE sector. All finalists have had an excellent impact on learners’ progress, attainment and growth, and brought positive change beyond learners.

Weston College – FE College of the Year

It’s a major honour to even be shortlisted for this award, which “rewards colleges whose imagination and passion have led to stellar provision in all areas”.

This has been another exceptional year for the College. As well as success in the apprenticeships (90% offered permanent positions after completion) and pre-employment (60% of Job Centre Plus referrals transitioning into employment within 6 months), we won two Beacon Awards last year and won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – one of only two FE colleges in the country awarded this prestigious honour.

Sensory Learning Base – Specialist Provider of the Year

‘The Sensory Learning Base’ is a purpose-built, safe, self-contained, specialist facility at Weston College’s Knightstone Campus for learners with Profound and Complex Learning Disabilities (PCLD).

This award recognises specialist providers whose imagination and passion have led to stellar provision and support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those with specific learning requirements. Award finalists have been shown to provide high-quality curriculum with excellent student outcomes, reflected in strong recruitment and success rates.

Here are our finalists for the AoC Awards:

College-wide mental health initiative – Mental Health and Wellbeing Award

This College initiative was developed to enhance the mental health, wellbeing and welfare of its learners, staff and community. It involves the College’s Welfare and Pastoral, Inclusive Practice/Mental Health, Sport and Public Services and HR teams.

The award celebrates the important work colleges are doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of their learners and staff.

College initiative to meet address skills shortages in the engineering sector – Engagement with Employers Award

This recognises the College’s transformational approach to delivering responsive provision that meets the skills priorities for the engineering and advanced engineering sector. It’s a joint initiative involving the College’s Business Growth, Employer Engagement, Higher Education and Faculty of Engineering teams.

Wish us good luck for March 2019 when the winner for each category will be announced!

The innovative training course launched last year but already boasts numerous success stories. Students have completed apprenticeships at high profile restaurants across Bristol and the South West, as well as being nominated for prestigious awards.

One of those success stories is Elliott, who aims to become a Michelin-starred chef and believes the apprenticeship has set him on the path to achieving it.

He said: “I decided to join Weston College as food and cooking has always been my passion.

“My godmother is a really good cook and she has been an inspiration to me. When I was younger we used to cook together, so I knew I wanted to be a chef from a very young age.”

“When I saw the apprenticeship advertised with weekly masterclasses taught by local Michelin-starred chefs, it really grabbed my attention,” Elliott said.

“The masterclasses, which teach a diverse range of techniques, have exceeded my expectations. A great example is one we had from a local fishmonger - an area I lacked experience in.

“We were shown how to gut and fillet a salmon and several mackerel. It didn’t stop there as the masterclasses go into real depth. We were also shown how to trim and pin bone, as well being taught about different types of cuts and cooking techniques.”

Thanks to Weston College, Elliott has gained an apprenticeship at Puro restaurant in Clevedon.

“The whole process of getting an apprenticeship was very easy,” he said. “I have received great support from Weston College. My college assessors actually come to me as well which saves me travelling to Weston. I really enjoy my apprenticeship and the team give me expert training.

“My long-term ambition is to gain Rosettes (a cooking accreditation award) and also to become a Michelin starred chef in the future. College has also helped me to get the ball rolling on this. Through the programme I have been taught key skills in a range of areas which include butchery, fish mongering and desserts which I have been able to perfect during my apprenticeship.”

Elliott points out that the apprenticeship doesn’t only teach students to cook – it also helps them in many other aspects of their career.

He said: “I have received a large amount of support from the College. Not only are my college tutors at every practical session, but they offer great support on the theory too which has really developed my knowledge, they have also supported me with my functional skills (English, maths and ICT). This would have been a real struggle for me without their help.”

You can see our current vacancies, by clicking here.