Our chef apprenticeship scheme is helping to inspire the next generation of chefs, but everyone has to start somewhere! Here are our favourite simple kitchen hacks to help you cook up a storm...

Use dental floss to cut cakes

This might sound crazy, but dental floss is ideal for getting perfectly straight cuts in cake. Make sure you use unflavoured floss, pull it taut (make sure you use a piece wider than your cake) and then use it to cut straight down the cake. Voila! 

Pre-make your favourite herb mix

If you have a go-to herb mix you like to use in your cooking a lot, save time by making ahead! Just combine your choice of herbs with oil in ice cube trays, then freeze. When you’re ready to use them, just pop out a cube and defrost it in the pan.

Know how to store your food

Some fruit and veg can make other produce in your fridge ripen – and then rot – much faster. Bananas, avocados, apricots, apples and other foods release gases that cause other foods to rot, so be sure to keep them away from other fresh fruit and veg.

Always make sure your oil is hot enough

A lot of dishes require heating up your oil before you can cook. A simple way of checking is, rather than looking for hidden signals, throw in a small cube of bread. If it fries up, the oil is ready and you can take it out without affecting the other flavours in your dish.

You don’t necessarily need a garlic crusher

Recipe asking for crushed garlic but you don’t have a crusher? Not a problem. If you crush the clove with the flat side of your knife, it’ll make it easier to dice up into smaller pieces. Crushing the clove can also help if you’re finding it difficult to peel.

Find out more!

If you're interested in cooking, why not enrol onto our chef apprenticeship scheme? You can find out more information by visiting our hospitality page.
 

For prospective university students and their parents, the costs and loans associated with university can be daunting and confusing. Many news articles obscure this further by presenting misleading information.

An article on FE News  recently analysed research from the bank ‘B’. The article refers to a series of statistics which creates the overall impression that students are in the dark with regard to student finance which is causing a series of issues.

1. Students will not earn enough to repay their debt
2. A quarter of students believe they will be bankrupt before they turn 30
3. 38% of students don’t know how much they will owe
4. 75% don’t know how much they will repay
5. 52% don’t know when they will make repayments
6. 80% don’t have a plan to manage their finances

The majority of these statistics and theories feed into the idea that all students going to university are going to be saddled with mountains of debt and that they will be faced with eye-watering and financially damaging repayments.

In reality the student finance system is far more supportive and the repayment mechanisms in place recover a proportion of the debt in a way which is financially sustainable for the graduate.

The idea that many students will not repay their debts might well be correct, but perhaps not to the extent that you would expect.

The Financial Times found that “About 70 percent of students who left university last year are expected never to finish repaying their loans, according to modelling carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Instead they will have to make repayments for 30 years before then having the unpaid loan written off".

The current system of student finance has a time limit on the repayments, this does not mean that 100% of the loan has to be repaid before the end of the term, but rather than any remaining debt on the account at that point is cleared in full.

At present, this term is set at 30 years from the April after the student graduates from university, therefore the misconception that students will be saddled with this debt for life is incorrect and it is unlikely that the majority of graduates will repay the loan in full.

The claim that a third of students believe that they will be bankrupt by the age of 30 stems from a deep seeded misunderstanding with how the student finance system works. To explore why this will, most likely, not be the case it is necessary to look at the amounts students will owe and how and when will graduates make their repayments.

In the present system the most a university can charge for tuition fees is £9,250 (a total of £27,750 over three years). In addition to this fee, students are able to apply for a means-tested maintenance loan, which if moving away from the parental home and not studying in London could add an extra £8,700 per year, or £26,100 over three years, to the total figure owed by students. The total amount which could be owed by a learner is £53,850 (based on 2018 figures with student moving away from home and not to London).

In addition to the total loan amount, there is interest from the day the first payment is made at a rate of the Retail Price Index (RPI) plus 3%. At present RPI is set at 3.1% and is a variable rate which is taken every March for the following year’s calculations. Therefore the amount that graduates owe is set to rise each month.

Graduating students do have the potential to owe over £50,000 in student loan debt when they graduate, this is undeniably a huge amount of money and if it were a regular loan would likely see the monthly repayments of up to £400 over a 25 year period.

This is where a comparison with a standard loan ends as student debt needs to be considered as something entirely different, this is what is often difficult for students and their parents/carers to understand. The mechanisms for repaying the student debt does not differ based on the amount borrowed, the terms of repayment are the same for all graduates.

Graduates will start to repay their loan as of the April after they graduate from university, or when they leave their course. Repayments will only begin once the graduate is earning above the threshold which is currently set at £25,000. Therefore any graduate who does not earn above this threshold will not make any repayments on their student debt.

Once a graduate is earning above the threshold they will make repayments on any amount over this threshold, which will be taken directly from their pay at a rate of 9% (for example if the graduate earns £26,000 they will repay 9% of £1,000 which would amount to repaying £90 in that tax year).

This mechanism for repayment is there to ensure that graduates are able to make affordable repayments on their student loan and graduates will not have to manage this debt as it is taken through their pay packets.

Therefore in comparison with a standard debt, which might see an annual repayment of £4,800 per year on a £50,000 loan, the student loan repayments are far more sustainable at 9% of earnings over £25,000 and the remaining debt at the end of the 30 year term is written off entirely.

In reality, the notion that almost a quarter of students believe that they will be declared bankrupt by the time they are 30 is likely a misconception based on misunderstanding the student finance system and the schedule of repayments.

Better representation and information in the media would act to provide a widespread education on student finance to alleviate students who feel anxious about repaying the money they are borrowing for higher education.

Many of the misconceptions about student finance are rooted in a lack of understanding of how student finance works and more positive actions by the media need to be taken to create some widespread change in the way that people regard student debt. It may be that extensive PR needs to take place or a ‘rebranding’ of what it is called to get away from the negative connotations with the word ‘debt’.

Students, and their parents/carers, need to be made aware of the positive aspects of the student finance system and they need to be completely aware of how much they will owe, how and when they will make the repayments and how long the term of the debt is. If this information is successfully communicated in the media then it may act to alleviate the anxiety felt by students so that they can understand that yes they have student debt, but that it will most likely not bankrupt them as their weekly/monthly repayments are always proportionate to their earnings and not to the amount they owe.

Hamish Gilpin, UCAS Lead, Weston College

Weston College has joined forces with Lloyds Banking Group to introduce real-world tech skills to a range of secondary school subjects.

The ReDiscover Project aims to help pupils aged 11-14 see the real-world potential of subjects they may be disengaged with.

The nationwide initiative, created by Lloyds Bank, goes beyond the ICT basics, and teaches skills such as vlogging, graphic design, music streaming and online money management.

Educational experts have developed lesson plans and supporting materials, which align with six traditional subjects – Business Studies, Maths, English, Media Studies, Graphics and Music.

On Wednesday 28th November 2018, Weston College will be host an interactive ReDiscover Project event, at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare. At this event, Key Stage 3 learners will try out a range of subjects that have been given a specific digital focus.

Students will then get to put their learning and insight into practice, by building a specific business plan that will judged by industry experts.

Lloyds ‘Digital Champions’ and local business experts will also be on hand to offer guidance, advice and to share industry knowledge.

Ben Cocks, Assistant Director at Weston College, said: “This is an exciting project and we are delighted to be working on it with Lloyds Banking Group.

“Digital skills are becoming increasingly important to employers. The ReDiscover Project will present a great opportunity to encourage young people to engage with tech and see how they can use their digital talents to build a career.”

Stephen Noakes, Lloyds Banking Group Ambassador for the South West, said: “Having access to the right skills is crucial for any business or organisation, which is why supporting the minds of tomorrow is so important, both locally and across the country.

“Our colleagues regularly host financial literacy and employability events for schools and colleges across the South West to support young people in their transition between education and the world of work. We believe that celebrating homegrown talent is the best way to tackle the skills gap and help both businesses and individuals prosper.”

Weston College celebrated the successes and accomplishments of its students at a glamorous awards ceremony at the Winter Gardens Pavilion.

The annual ‘Celebration of Success’ recognises the students who have gone above and beyond in their studies, and have achieved results greater than their own expectations. Over 40 awards were presented during the ceremony.

Many of the students celebrated at the event previously had challenging experiences of education or personal struggles that they had to overcome to facilitate their success.

College staff nominated students who had gone beyond what was expected. A panel of the College’s governing body and leadership team, including its Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, then judged the nominations.

The award winners and their families were treated to a three-course meal, entertainment from University Centre Weston’s FDA and BA Musical Theatre and Professional and Commercial Dance students, followed by a presentation ceremony which saw winners take home certificates and prizes.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive said: “These awards seek to highlight the fantastic achievements of College students and learners from our link schools.

“Many of our students have inspiring stories and personal accomplishments, our Celebration of Success recognises the students who have gone the extra mile and far surpassed their expectations, and the expectations of their significant others.”

Following these awards there is then a winner of winners’ award, which this year went to the Adult Learner of the Year - Zoe Chamberlain.

Dr Phillips said: “Zoe is proof that it’s never too late to learn new skills and we are delighted that she has taken this journey with our support.

“Zoe was 30 year old single mum, with no GCSEs, and no work experience or knowledge of the care industry when she joined the College’s Alliance Care Academy. Her confidence grew massively during the course and she passed all the elements with flying colours and secured a job with Alliance Care. She now visits the Care Academy to tell new learners about her journey and is a big inspiration to others.”

The Weston College Celebration of Success 2019 was sponsored by Midas Group, Derek Quinn - Executive Director, presented the certificates and prizes on the night. Midas Group worked with the College to renovate and enhance the Winter Gardens Pavilion and also developed the new Construction Training Centre and Health and Active Living Skills Centre for Spring 2019. Other sponsors for the evening included, Skylight Properties (drinks reception sponsor); Pace (publication sponsor); Hayes Parsons, Honeyfield Property Services, Sedgemoor Publicity, T.O.C.S.LTD, The Royal Hotel and Zest Media.

Please find below some of our winners from this year’s Celebration of Success:

School Link Students of the Year: James Goodyear-Evans, Nathan Northey, James Young and Jayden Pilgrim

Charlotte Cooke - Foundation Learning Student of the Year

Jack Mayhew - Weston Bay Student of the Year

Charlotte Saunders - Access to Higher Education Student of the Year

Leah Richards - Animal and Equine Studies Student of the Year

William Smith - Business and Tourism Student of the Year

Gabriel Bell - Hospitality Student of the Year

Gemma Logan - Hairdressing and Beauty Student of the Year

Nicole Powers - Law Student of the Year

Luke Grice - Media and Music Student of the Year

Laura Sparrow - Performing Arts Student of the Year

Chloe Collier - Production Arts Student of the Year

Beth Norton - Early Years and Education Student of the Year

Caitlin Gardner - Health and Social Care Student of the Year

Georgia Ferdinando - Sport and Public Services Student of the Year

Cameron Bailey - Advance Engineering Student of the Year

Thomas Griffin - IT and Computing Student of the Year

Aryan Foroughi - Civil Engineering Student of the Year

Ryan Pullen - Construction Student of the Year

Oliver Bessant - Electrical and Plumbing Student of the Year

Alessandro Tessitore - Motor Vehicle Student of the Year

Zoe Chamberlain - Pre-employment Student of the Year

Michael Brooks - Work Experience Student of the Year

Zoe Chamberlain - Gold Award: Adult Learner of the Year

Sandra Bull - Tony Suner Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution (staff award)

Gopal Gomathinayagam - Significant Achievement in Teaching and Learning (staff award)

Over the last year, Weston College students have been given the opportunity to work with some great businesses on live project briefs.

These ‘real-life’ assignments have included creating videos and working on websites.

Students have worked particularly closely with Visit Somerset, who produce a website promoting Somerset as a tourism destination. Here, John Turner, CEO of Visit Somerset, explains more about the students’ work and the partnership with the College.

The working relationship that Visit Somerset has with Weston College is possibly one of the most progressive and dynamic that we currently have within the county.

Both organisations are working closely to ensure that we are not only empowering businesses through combined social mobility and digital strategy, but – just as importantly – empowering and giving opportunity to the next generation. Students are gaining vital vocational skills, which will help them attain the confidence and employability skills they need for their future careers.

Weston College students are helping support three key facets of Visit Somerset strategy:

• Helping with disability awareness through our social inclusivity strategy, which involves ‘signing’ for film developments, supporting our conferences and updating members on the latest disability awareness opportunities and courses.

• Digital students have been creating new websites for our SME members, whilst also providing ongoing maintenance. This will allow the £500 million accommodation industry in Somerset to finally get the vital support it needs to compete against online travel agents. With the support of Weston College students, we are already making considerable improvements to help empower and train SMEs so they can create sustainable futures for themselves. And, at the same time, we’re giving students the opportunity to experience key client relationships and build their all-important interpersonal skills.

• Students have also enjoyed helping shape the new Visit Somerset official county website, creating video content to help market the important meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industry and our accommodation sector. They’ve also created image-led, content-rich videography to help market the county’s overall beauty.

At 18 months old, this relationship is still only in its infancy. However, we have already achieved so much together. Both organisations and their teams and, most importantly, the students, should be deeply proud of their efforts and their incredible abilities. One thing I always remind students of is that the only barriers to your success are those that appear in your mind.

If you would like to offer a live project brief to our students, you can pledge here.

Weston Bay learners have been renovating the 1st North Worle Scout Hut over the last three weeks, painting, decorating and clearing the gardens.

To fund this they have been fundraising through a summer fete and a bag packing session at Asda. The learners then went and bought all the paints and gardening tools needed.

Weston Bay learners will be hosting the grand opening this Thursday (27th June) from 4-5.30pm at the North Worle Scout Hut. There will be some food, drink and speeches from the learners. Please come along and show your support.

T Levels are a brand new, 2 year qualification which is being launched in September 2020 and at Weston College we are offering the Digital T Level.

So if you’re leaving school in May, here are 4 reasons why we think you should consider a T Level:

Get a head start on your career

T Levels give you the opportunity to gain work experience (a minimum of 45 days) with a local employer, so you can work on real life projects and gain new skills. When you’ve completed your studies, you will stand out from the crowd having industry experience.

Gain a recognised qualification

Just like A Levels and apprenticeships, T Levels will give you the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification.

Once you have completed your qualification you can then choose to study further at university, with a higher level apprenticeship or go straight into employment.

Gain a qualification created with employers

Unlike the traditional A Level route, T Levels have been designed with businesses across industries, to prepare you for working life.

Some of the businesses that have worked on T Levels include Fujitsu, Bank of England and the British Army.

Learn your way

T Levels will take place in the workplace and classroom, which will allow you to learn your way.

You can find out more about our T Level offering by clicking here.

Local Holiday Park Pontin’s Brean Sands has made a significant commitment to training their staff through their work with Training Solutions.

The park, based in Burnham-on-Sea, approached Training Solutions as they wanted to offer further training and qualifications to all their staff.

So far the park has had nine achievements in the NVQ Level 2 Food & Drink Service qualification and an impressive 22 achievements on the Level 2 EDI Certificate in Team Leading. They have also had achievements in Customer Service, NVQ Level 2 and 3, and the NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery.

Brian Howe, Training Manager at Pontin’s, said: “We have a great working relationship with Training Solutions; they are extremely professional and always help us achieve our goals.” He added: “Training Solutions has had a significant impact on our business; our teams have had a fantastic time working with them, our business has flourished and we now have a more positive and professional team.”

This NVQ level 2 Food and Drink Service is best suited to people who provide a table service of food and drink, and bar staff, who prefer to do a qualification directly related to their job. The qualification covers topics such as customer service, teamwork, health and safety, food service, and preparing drinks.

Ryan Edgell, aged 27, recently complete the NVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink Service. Ryan said: “Training with Training Solutions has been a very beneficial experience. The staff helped me throughout the qualification with a dedicated and supportive assessor as well as informative workshops which were flexible and tailored to my needs. Achieving my NVQ has enabled me to put my knowledge and skills into practice and has given me greater confidence in providing a quality service.”

Brian explained the key benefits of working with Training Solutions and said: “They are flexible to our needs and they offer support and advice which is both professional and personal to us and our teams. Our team members have all gained knowledge, experience and achieved great results – and some of them have even been promoted!”

He also encouraged other employers to contact Weston College and said: “I would recommend Training Solutions as they are achieve to high standards and work with you not against you - on time every time. They are team players who are professional, approachable and friendly.”

This NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery qualification is best suited to anybody who is a chef that prepares a wide range of dishes using numerous cooking methods from basic fresh ingredients. The course includes topics such as preparing fish, meat and poultry, maintaining food safety, effective teamwork and ordering stock.

Glen Simpson, aged 22, recently completed this course. The Catering Manager said: “My NVQ has really benefited the running of the kitchen and I am planning to offer the qualification to the rest of the team. As a manager, having an enthusiastic team who want to do well, are driven to achieve something for themselves, makes my job a lot easier.”

Alex Moore, Senior Work-Based Co-ordinator at Training Solutions, said: “Over the past two years we have developed a strong working relationship with Pontin’s and we’re delighted to see so many of their staff achieving. We’ve built a good level of communication and trust, and I am always keen to help them identify any training opportunities.”

Pontin’s are intending to work with Training Solutions next year and considering retail training, housekeeping, customer care and team leader courses again, combined with skills for life in numeracy and literacy.

Training Solutions offer a wide range of flexible, business-related training, development and consultancy services including NVQ qualifications, Professional Development Workshops and Coaching and Mentoring programs. The majority of these can be delivered in the workplace, reducing the disruption to the business while engaging in staff training.

Pontin’s employ over 180 people. They are part of the Pontin’s holiday company founded in 1946 which currently runs five holiday parks across the UK.

For further information please call Training Solutions on 01934 411594. 

Talented Weston College student Ben Debreceni left Hungary for the UK aged 15 three years ago. Now he is a finalist in South West Student Chef of the Year competition. 

Ben, 18, of Clevedon, already beat scores of competitors who fought for a semi-finalist place in front of judges including top chef Michael Caines MBE, and  will battle it out at Exeter College on October 27^th.

Ben’s culinary expertise in the semi-finals saw him create two delicious set dishes for examiners in just 90 minutes.

The first was butter poached whiting with razor clams, beurre blanc, garlic-infused spring onions, radishes and baby beetroot and the second was pan-roasted pork fillet with potato tubes, texture of cauliflower, heritage carrots and red wine jus.

For the final he will have to create two new dishes with cod and lamb neck fillets as the main ingredients.

Ben said: “The experience of competing was amazing, and I never thought about getting into the final. Credit has to go to all my College lecturers for their teaching, support and faith in me.”   

Senior Weston College Chef Lecturer and mentor to Ben, Jos Wellman said: “Ben is an outstanding student with a genuine passion for food. He produces consistently wonderful food that tempts the eye and the palate.

“His level of professionalism shines through and he is a credit to himself and   to the College, especially as he only started learning English three years ago.”          

While Ben is training at Weston College, he has also been accepted into the Casamia Academy in Bristol. The Michelin Star chefs there have teamed up with the College to launch a specialist hands-on teaching facility.

Lecturer Jos, who has cooked for Royalty, Presidents and celebrities including her Majesty the Queen, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Frank Sinatra, Bond actors and Bon Jovi as well as US Presidents Carter, Reagan, Clinton and George Bush’s Senior and Junior, added: “If Ben carries on like this the world is his oyster. Cooking is an amazing career if you love creating wonderful food.”

The College is now taking bookings for its on-site refurbished Grove Restaurant offering  three-course lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and dinners Tuesday and Wednesday from as little as £8.

The second-floor accessible restaurant can also be booked out privately for groups of 20-plus.

To book please call 01934 411 422 or email groverestaurant@weston.ac.uk