Sustainability is a key driver within both GKN Aerospace and the entire aerospace sector and we are looking at ways in which we can make major changes to everything that we do, in order meet our commitments to the environment and therefore operate more sustainably.

Several months ago I was contacted by Weston College and asked if I would support the Engineering and Construction Sustainability Learner and Employer Conference that they were planning, as part of their event schedule for Great Big Green Week.

I was intrigued by this initiative and with the importance of the subject matter, so duly committed my support accordingly on behalf of GKN Aerospace.

I arrived to a packed-out Winter Gardens, and it was great to see so many learners of different stages in their development in attendance, all listening and working keenly to have a positive impact. The event was well structured with keynote speakers, a panel Q&A with likeminded organisations, followed by what was the main event - the Bridge Build Challenge.

Having participated, I have to say what a brilliant event, having the next generation of Engineering and Construction engineers in one place, for the day, was extremely powerful, and the conversations that ensued were a privilege to be part of.

I would recommend any employers who are asked to attend this event next year, or a similar event at the college to do so.

Although on the face of it and with time pressures which we are all under a day out of the business might appear a considerable commitment. Productivity can be directly related to Impact, so viewing it in this light this event was hugely impactful on every level, therefore a massively productive use of my time.

Should the event take place next year and I am invited, then I will be back!

Paul Ashbee, GKN

Weston College is proud to be supporting Love our Colleges, part of Colleges Week which is running from today (Monday 17th October) to Friday 21st October.

Love Our Colleges gives us a chance to celebrate and shout about all the brilliant things that happen at Weston College, day in and day out to build our community, boost businesses, and support learners to create their brighter future. It also illustrates the need for investment in the Further Education sector.

Weston College is one of the fastest-growing Further and Higher Education colleges in the UK, offering more than 800 full and part-time academic, work-related and leisure courses. We support over 30,000 learners annually, and work with over 2,000 employers to help them build their future workforce.

We’re currently the only Ofsted ‘outstanding’ college in the region, and were named ‘College of the Year’ and ‘Overall Training Provider of the Year’ at the 2015 Times Educational Supplement Further Education Awards.

We have lots of content planned throughout the week, from employer blogs to learner success stories. Keep your eyes peeled across our channels, to see why we love our college!

Weston College is delighted to receive a special tree from The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) “Tree of Trees” which stood tall as a message of hope, regeneration and optimism to the nation and the world as part of the Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations.

Weston College joins over 300 organisations from across the UK who were recently announced by the QGC as recipients of these special trees in The Queen’s name, which are gifted in a pot embossed with Her Majesty’s cypher.

In honour and loving memory of Her Majesty, the College held a ceremonial planting for the gifted tree at their South West Skills Campus, on Wednesday 12th October where it was presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Mrs Annie Maw.

The tree becomes part of the living legacy in honour of Her Majesty, joining over a million trees already planted across the UK as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.

Led by its Principal and Chief Executive Sir Paul Phillips CBE, the College has been a large supporter of the QGC encouraging its students, staff and employer partners to plant trees across the region and continuing to promote the importance of sustainability. The College also worked with the Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Annie Maw to support the third leg of a 70-mile trek, the ‘Jubilee Jaunt’ from Clevedon to Exmoor, which was split into seven, ten-mile sections to celebrate the region as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, in partnership with Duke of Edinburgh leaders and students.

Sir Phillips commented: “We are thrilled to be chosen for our contribution to the North Somerset community, this tree, in The Queen’s name, will serve as inspiration for tree planting within our communities and encourage care for the trees which already exist as part of our nation’s stunning landscape. It is an absolute privilege to support the Queen’s Green Canopy, helping to create a legacy to honour Her Majesty’s extraordinary service to her country and to her people.”

You may have seen news that a proposal was tabled to stop a small number of local bus services from October 2022 – the X2 Yatton to Bristol, the X5 Weston-super-Mare to Bristol serving Clevedon and Portishead and the 126 from Weston-super-Mare to Wells, serving Locking, Banwell, Sandford and Winscombe.

We are pleased to announce that First Bus and North Somerset Council have now agreed to re-introduce the last part of the X5 service so that it now travels all the way into Weston town centre, with the final stop being Marine Parade. The changes were going to see the service terminate at Worle Sainsbury’s from October (see below post on 18th August). At the same time, they have agreed to add in additional stops in Portishead to provide more accessible pick up points for our learners travelling from that town. Please see below a copy of the timetable of the X5 which begins on 10/10/2022.

Other updates include:

Unfortunately, the 126 service that runs to/from Weston-super-Mare is no longer running. We have over the last couple of months posted various updates on this and just want to reiterate that learners travelling from Cheddar and on the 126 route still have travel options available to them.

Students can easily purchase a Bakers Dolphin travel pass for £90 that allows them great value for money travel to college on our bespoke service with Bakers. The Cheddar route supplies Axbridge, Banwell, Locking and all college campuses. Simply visit here to find out timetable information and how to purchase the Bakers Dolphin travel pass.

We will continue to negotiate with First Bus and North Somerset Council about the 126 being reinstated to/from WsM and will provide updates via our socials and MyWeston app.

A reminder that all information on our bus services can be found here TRAVELLING TO COLLEGE | Weston College and both bus passes are now available for purchase:

1. First Bus mTicket should be purchased via the online college shop

2. Bakers Dolphin services via their passenger app or website

Unfortunately, there will no longer be a X2 and 126 service from October 9th 2022. Even though this will impact some learners, we do have our own bespoke Bakers Dolphin services that can provide direct routes to our campuses. Our Bakers Dolphin services run from:

• Bridgwater
• Blagdon (covering Sandford, Banwell in terms of the 126)
• Cheddar
• Clevedon (in case the new X5 does not meet needs)
• Nailsea (that has been adjusted to cover the X2 route inc. Claverham and Yatton)
• Portishead (in case the new X5 does not meet needs)

All information on our bus services can be found here and both bus passes are now available for purchase:

• First Bus mTicket should be purchased via the online college shop
• Bakers Dolphin services via their passenger app or website

We are committed to ensure that learners and staff are able to access our campuses in a convenient and sustainable manner and will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly. If you have any concerns please contact us at enquiries@weston.ac.uk or 01934 411 411.

Here at Weston College, we want to ensure that our students are completely ready to progress onto higher levels – both in terms of having the knowledge and skills, but also having the confidence and self-belief that they can succeed when progressing. Therefore, the Progression programmes we offer are the ideal way to give a little extra support, in a variety of modules.

As well as providing extra support, the Progression programme is also designed to allow learners to have a preview of the course before dedicating themselves to the full T Level course. Maria said: “after doing my GCSEs, I had 2 options: either I wanted to go into a job involving computers or become a beautician. I know they are completely different industries, but I couldn’t decide which one to choose”. After applying for both and having interviews, Maria decided to start on the Digital T Level progression journey.

Since starting the full T Level course, Maria has had the opportunity to work with a local company as part of the industry placement on the T Level course. With this involving learning new skills such as PHP programming and website design. Within the course, Maria was able to learn areas such as “programming, web development, cyber security and emerging technology and also take part in an employer set project. In my programming lessons I’m learning python library’s NumPy, Pandas, Tkinter.”

Megan, another learner who has transitioned onto the Digital T Level from the Computing Transition Programme, said that she was “incredibly excited to be progressing to study a T Level course." She continued, "I have thoroughly enjoyed the last year of my T level program course, and the opportunities and skills which I have developed in the programme. The course has really reinforced my passion for working in data analysis. Before this course I was not sure what sector I wanted to work in. I'm looking forward to my next steps where I will be studying a T Level in Digital, Production, Design and Development where I can improve my knowledge within computing subjects.”

We are so proud that Weston College has been one of the first providers in the country to offer both the T Level and Transition programmes, and that they’ve both already seen such success in the learner’s journey towards their respective industries, particularly the computing industry in Maria and Megan’s case.

If you are interested in learning more about T Levels, click here!

Wellbeing Week is taking place from the 10-14th October. As part of this week, and giving voice to mental health, on the 12th, we will be welcoming Hope Virgo. Hope is a mental health campaigner, speaker and author, and she will be discussing the impact and severity of both mental health issues, and eating disorders, with the learners at Weston College.

In 2016, Hope realised the stigma faced by those affected is huge, and she wanted to do more to help. Through the sharing of her own story, as well as trying to showcase to society that eating disorders can be present in all body types, she began writing and speaking in schools. Hope has been doing this for around 5 years now!

Hope’s aim for the talk with the learners is to raise awareness for those who are struggling, and to educate everyone. Furthermore, she hopes to teach the learners how to hold a conversation on the topic of mental health, and come to the understanding that people are able to make a full recovery.

Hope’s advice for a student who is struggling is to seek support, surround yourself with the right people, speak up, and have confidence that things can change! As for the whole college, Hope reminds us to continue talking about eating disorders, and to make the college a safe place for anyone struggling.

On October 17th, Hope is launching an eating disorder manifesto and a school nurse toolkit to assist in empowering people to have the tricky conversations and to push for commitment from the government to further tackle the issue at hand.

Hope tells the college: “For too long people have been left suffering in silence and people have spent too long shying away from conversations around eating disorders as they are afraid of triggering people and causing upset. I want to help empower students to speak up and to offer support to each other.”

We look forward to hearing her talk and empower our learners!

If you want to get involved with, and support this initiative, you can:

• Sign the #DumpTheScales petition.
• Take a photo and use the #ChangeTheStory hashtag when sharing.
• Avoid diet chat as it could be triggering for others.
• Check in with each other.

Follow Hope Virgo here:

• Instagram: @hopevirgo_
• Twitter: @hopevirgo

Keep an eye on our social media platforms to see what else we will be doing for Wellbeing Week!