Earlier this year, Weston College launched their Aerospace Training Programme with Jingjiang Specialized Training School in China.

The exciting initiative involves the development and implementation, of aerospace manufacturing training, onsite at Jingjiang School. Jingjiang School are looking to provide the highly skilled workforce required to operate in their aerospace manufacturing industry and specifically for a joint venture (JV) in Jingjiang involving AVIC International and the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. Ltd.

Last week saw the start of online training, with Weston College’s Engineering faculty supporting the team at Jingjiang School, with the development of a range of specific skills and capabilities in manufacturing and the assembling of metallic and composite aircraft structures, e.g., aircraft fuselage, wings, and empennage.

The training sessions will take place weekly over Microsoft Teams, involving practical workshop demonstrations and theoretical sessions, delivered by different members of the Weston College Engineering faculty sharing their knowledge and skillset. Jingjiang School are currently building a brand-new workshop to support the delivery of the new Weston College Aerospace Training Programme.

Jingjiang School are a large specialized vocational school that caters primarily to students of a similar age range to UK Further Education colleges. Jingjiang School, like Weston College, has an outstanding reputation through delivery of excellent outcomes for learners with employment rates, pass rates and student satisfaction rates in the high nineties year-on-year. The school boasts a national level engineering training centre with 85 practical laboratories and workshops specialising in electrical and electronics, hydraulics and pneumatics, numerical control machining, computer networking technologies, and automobile maintenance.

Aerospace manufacturing will be a new strand of activity for the school, drawing on the expertise and established educational systems currently delivered at Weston College.

Weston College Group Principal and Chief Executive Sir Paul Phillips said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Jingjiang School, and to support them with the development of their staff to train the next generation of engineers in the Jiangsu Province.

“This is an exciting moment for us at Weston College, to officially start the training programme. Over the coming months we will be working very closely with Jingjiang School, sharing best practice, and most importantly, creating brighter futures across the world!”

In September, our Year 1 students visited Wimbleball Lake Exmoor, to take part in a range of activities including high ropes and canoeing.  

These types of adventurous activities are a pivotal part to all our courses, as they promote the development of confidence, teamwork and vocational skills e.g. working at heights. 

Students experienced a busy, but exhilarating day followed by a barbecue. This trip was a great opportunity for students to meet other students and staff across the whole provision. 

This past week we had over 30 different students engage with the Esports Academy with trials that we ran in 3 different games to determine which students would be involved with the British Esports Student Championships (BESC). Every student showed excellent professionalism and “good manners” to each other whilst competing for places with each student commenting on how much they enjoyed themselves and wanting to do it again!

On Tuesday we did our first set of try outs on Overwatch and had 12 students join in for 3 hours! Every single person played their very best and impressed with excellent displays of skill and high levels of communication. It was so difficult to make a final decision on the final team of 5 starters and 2 substitute players. In the end we decided to shortlist some candidates that we wanted to have another look at and give the other 4 players, who were unable to show up for the day, a fair chance to show off their skills. Roll on Thursday 29th for round 2!!

On Wednesday we had Valorant and an incredible 17 students showed up to try out! We split the students up into 3 teams as they all had two rounds against each other. Over the course of the 3 hours+ try out, the students gave us the opportunity to assess their skills, communication and teamwork. All of the students were impressive, and the games were highly entertaining, with our final game where we mixed the teams up for a second time being an extremely close match!

We had the difficult task again of choosing 5 starters and 3 substitutes and on Friday we announced our decisions after some considered assessments and consultation with each other. It wasn’t easy letting 9 students know that they hadn’t made it, but we anticipate that they will be back after the Winter split ends. The Valorant team has already spent 2 evenings training with each other and getting to know each other better, their passion and determination to improve and perform well in the BESC is inspiring to see.

Thursday was Rocket League day! We had another 7 students show up and try out for the team. The games were very exciting to watch with each player showing why they should be on the team. We spent a little over an hour and a half putting the students through their paces and eventually we managed to have a decision on the 5 students who would be representing us for the Winter split.

We are excited to see our Valorant and Rocket League teams in action this Wednesday within the BESC first round of the Swiss stage and we’re looking forward to the second round of trials for Overwatch on Thursday to determine the team that will be competing for us in our pursuit to get to Nationals in the spring, and hopefully the in person (LAN) Grand Finals at the British Esports Performance Center in June!

My name is Beth, and I completed the ILM Leadership and Management Diploma course through the partnership of Weston College and the University of the West of England (UWE).

I had been looking at courses to support progression, and decided a leadership/management course could help me achieve that, and gain the knowledge and confidence to begin applying for a management role. I researched many different courses and colleges, but finding an Instagram advert for Weston College was ultimately what led me to choose them.

Working with Weston College and UWE was ideal due to both being known for their wonderful teaching and facilities, plus studying at UWE was very convenient due to the close proximity to where I live. This partnership is so great, as it provides more accessibility to the course, as it is held across both sites, maximising the facilities and teaching that are available.

My favourite part of how the course is run was the mix of face-to-face and online. I really enjoyed the face-to-face lessons as it gave me the opportunity to meet other people, and for us to share and discuss elements of the topics being taught. On the other hand, some being held online made it easier to fit into work and life schedules.

My advice to someone considering the course is to do it! It's perfect if you’re aiming to build confidence and develop skills surrounding management, it will provide you with the tools, techniques and skills. You will need to carefully manage your time as there are lots of assignments, but the support you’ll receive from tutors is unmatched!

Completing this course allowed me to secure a senior role within my team, and given me the skills and knowledge to confidently run the project team. The course enabled me to approach tasks with more structure and organisation. I was also able to apply this logic to my assignments and personal life too, which has helped me out loads. My goal now is to step into a management role.

Overall, the support I received, particularly from my tutor, was second to none. I couldn’t have stepped into the senior role I’m in now without the confidence that completing this course gave me!

Beth, Senior Operations Administrator, Atomos

The course that Beth studied is part of the National Skills Fund, which provides learners aged 19+ an opportunity to access their first full Level 3 qualification (equivalent to an A Level) for free. This fund provides access to qualifications that will help support people back into work.

If you are interested in studying with Weston College and UWE, view the courses available, here!

The Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Provider of the Year, Weston College has announced that they are planning to enrol 300 apprentices across the South West in just 50 days.

The College who are well known for their ambitious apprenticeship campaigns, support over 2,000 employers each year and are driving the apprenticeship agenda in the region.

It has been well reported that the UK is experiencing the ‘Great Resignation’, with many employers looking into ways to engage their staff through staff development. Apprenticeships can offer a way of upskilling existing staff, as well as bringing in new recruits and creating an energetic and skilled future workforce.

The campaign itself is starting on 26th September 2022 and will run until 25th November 2022. Throughout the campaign the College will be sharing apprenticeship success stories, as well as updating the progress of the campaign on social media, highlighting which employers are taking on apprentices and/or upskilling their existing staff.

Sir Paul Phillips, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “We are passionate about creating brighter futures, and are really excited to be launching this campaign, continuing to buck the apprenticeship trend.

“We all know how difficult it can be to recruit, but with apprenticeships you can bring in a brand-new generation of employees to your organisation, or you can upskill your existing staff through bespoke initiatives.

“With the rising cost of living, we are seeing that individuals want to broaden their horizons to increase their earning capacity. Apprenticeships provide people the opportunity to earn while they learn and can be a fantastic way of keeping existing staff that want to progress.

“At Weston College we offer over 50 different apprenticeship standards, ranging from Level 2 to degree-level, and we would be delighted to work with anyone that needs support.”

Find out more about the campaign, and get involved, by clicking here: www.weston.ac.uk/300in50

With so many courses available, it can sometimes be difficult to choose what to do! A good place to start might be looking at types of qualifications and working out which is going to be right for you. Ahead of attending our careers showcase 'What Next?' on Wednesday 28th September, it might be worth learning the difference between the types of programmes we offer before talking to employers at this event.

Click below to learn more about each qualification, or scroll down to watch back our livestream videos, explaining the differences between each one. 

• T Levels
• A Levels
• Apprenticeships
• Vocational Courses (Extended Diplomas and BTECs)

Click here to learn more about 'What Next?' and register to attend.

On October 4th, Weston College will be hosting the Accelerate North Somerset Conference to celebrate the impact of the Accelerate initiative, which launched earlier this year. Through this initiative, 1013 people were reached from February to September, with over 200 having previously been classed as unemployed.

Accelerate aimed to establish a culture of business innovation and dedicated training, via bespoke skills sessions to enable businesses in North Somerset access the support needed to grow. As 33 of the attendees came from sole owned businesses, these sessions supported these owners particularly in how to expand. Furthermore, the hights proportion of attendees were between the ages of 16-24, so were seeking free guidance.

As well as celebrating the achievements of the initiative, the event will also offer an opportunity for local employers to connect, make new contacts, share ideas and look to the future of our region.

Accelerate has had a positive impact, supporting over 365 small businesses in North Somerset, through 83 sessions, which were based around:

• Being competitive
• Being digital
• Being green
• Being inclusive

The positive feedback from the Accelerate workshops has been overwhelming, with small businesses explaining the impact attending Accelerate sessions had on both themselves and their business.

Zara Shepherd, a small business owner, explained her journey with the Accelerate sessions: “I didn’t bother singing up to Accelerate as I was close to giving up on my dream of running a business, but I was persuaded to go, and the session really made me consider why we started our businesses in the first place, and what benefit it is to us. This was a real turning point for me; it reminded me how much I loved what I did and that I wasn’t ready to give up yet!”

Bethan Walker, from Simply Green Zero Waste, spoke equally high of the sessions, saying, “The sessions provided huge amounts of knowledge! It also allowed me to meet other small business owners, which was lovely, and really reassuring.”

Both Bethan and Zara spoke about how they were facing their own challenges regarding being a business owner, from financial issues to the mental toll it can have on your wellbeing. Zara voiced her difficulties, “at the start of the year I was completely burnt out, but I was taught skills to improve my mental wellbeing and rediscover my love for what I do.”

Bethan commented on the financial challenges, saying that the business would have never been able to afford the level of support Accelerate provided, as Simply Green were experiencing a “really tough time”, but the accessibility of both in person and online sessions, alongside the whole scheme being fully funded, seemed “too good to be true!”

Zara concluded by saying “I wish I'd attended more courses as they were excellent – I am feeling much more confident and excited for the future.”

If you are interested in attending the Accelerate North Somerset Conference, click here.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund. ‘Accelerate, Supporting Business in North Somerset’ project partners include North Somerset Council, The Food and Drink Forum, North Somerset Enterprise Agency and Weston College.

All college learners can now purchase their own Weston College ‘We Are Weston’ hoody!  

Since launching these back in 2018, we have seen many our learners wear these across the local area, both in and out of college. Working with local company Conceptwear, this year we are launching an increased range that now includes seven colours to choose from. 

Purchase your We Are Weston hoody now, by clicking here:

Weston College ‘We Are Weston’ Hoody 22/23 

If you have any questions about your college programme, or what you need to do before you start your programme with us, please speak to the college staff on your Microsoft Teams subject page or feel free to call our admissions team on 01934 411481 or via the Live Chat on the college website.