The official Weston College app will be launching the new college app on Thursday September 8th!

"MyWeston" is an integrated app and portal for Weston College learners which personalises communications and consolidates access to all college systems - Basically, everything students need, all in one place!

It runs on mobile devices as an app, but is also available on desktops devices within the college network.

There are loads of features for learners on the app including access to their timetables, instant college news, up-to-date events, online learning, support services plus much more. The app also integrates with several of the college's other systems which means that the app will be a one-stop shop for all the information about the college.

Ben Knocks, Assistant Principal for Students, said ‘We’re delighted to be rolling MyWeston out for learners from this September. We consulted extensively with learners last year and from this feedback, we have developed a product that we truly believe will enhance the learner experience. We’ve worked with Ready Education, who are a market leader in this area, to create the app and we would encourage all our students to download the app as soon as possible. The app is available in the App Store and Google Play now.’

The field of Designing, Surveying and Planning in the Construction industry is a broad one, but highly important to the development of societies. The stages that go into construction require huge amounts of time and dedication, but ultimately results in great success!

This field is a great path to go down, and an increase in the workforce in this profession would be highly beneficial to the field, but one that includes more equality and balance would be a massive step forward for the reputation of construction. Construction is often seen as a ‘male’ job, and we want to help show that anyone, regardless of gender, can have a successful career in construction.

So, we want to present 5 reasons why this could be the perfect career choice for you, and kickstart your path in Construction: Design, Surveying and Planning!

1. Important work! As previously mentioned, this line of work is highly important in supplying new homes and buildings for towns and cities as the demand increases, and pre-empting this demand with the planning aspect of the sector.

2. Keeping busy! This career choice will be demanding in terms of needing to be easily adaptable to picking up new skills, as it will likely be ever changing, and you’ll be expected to keep up with what’s expected of you. However, this will mean the job will not get boring, and you’ll always be kept busy!

3. Specialised qualifications to get you in the job! The courses, including apprenticeships, T Levels and transition programmes, are offered to both school leavers and adults by Weston College. These courses are specifically designed to prepare you for this career choice, with a great balance of academic college learning for the theory side, and workplace experience to provide you with practical knowledge.

4. Specialise in your strongest area! After selecting which course is best suited to you, and completing the course, you will be able to decide which aspect of the sector is best suited to your natural skillset, and which you could see being your future career. Opportunities in the industry could include civil engineering, technical surveyor, architect, building technician, building control officer, town planning assistant and geospatial technician, along with many more.

5. Financially beneficial! Some of the careers listed above have great starting salaries, with the opportunity to progress and gain more qualifications while you work, for example a degree with UCW. The more skilled you become in your chosen sector, the more you will be financially rewarded! Construction Site Managers can earn, on average, £47,500!

Over 2,500 employers who work with Weston College are looking to attract their future workforce and give our learners great opportunities to begin their careers. Work placements are often a great way to begin your career, so by studying courses with Weston College and undertaking work experience, we hope to make the process of securing a job smoother and easier!

Whether this is your first year at Weston College or you are a returning student, the information below will give you an overview of all the important information you need to start the new year.

Each year we start out with an induction that helps both new and returning learners get used to the College environment and start the academic year in a positive manner. For new students it’s important to have time to adjust, get to know people, understand how everything works, as well as find your way around. It is also a great way to ensure you are on the programme to achieve your career goals. Our induction helps you to do just that!
 

What will my induction programme include?

• Your induction programme is designed to prepare you for the programme you will study and life at College or with your employer if you are on an apprenticeship.
• You will be provided with a range of course related information including the different elements of your programme you will study, your timetable, a skills map, and an overview of your assessment requirements.
• It will include a range of activities that are course related, team building with your peers, ensuring you are clear on the behaviours and expectations while in College as well as health and safety, safeguarding and online safety.
• Your induction programme will develop your skills and confidence in using Microsoft Teams so that you can participate in the online and digital learning elements of your programme.
• After your first face-to-face day, induction activities will continue. This will include further face-to-face days, or you might be required to complete some online activities. The exact details of your full induction programme will be provided to you on your first induction day.
• Campus Freshers’ Fair – where you will find out about all the exciting things that come with being a Weston College learner.

What do I need to bring?

All learners will need to bring the following, though please see below any specific requirements for your programme:

• Pen and paper
• Lunch (or money to buy lunch), drinks bottle, drink and snacks
• Last school report (if you finished year 11 in 2022)

What you need to do before your first day 

The below are some key activities that you will need to have completed before your first day. For any help with the below, please contact your personal tutor via Teams.

1. Download the MyWeston app via the App Store or from Google Play.
2. Download the Microsoft Teams app via the App Store or from Google Play.
3. Log in to Office 365 with your college email and log-in and download your FREE Office 365 software.
4. If under 18 get your parents to complete the parent permission slip for trips and work experience and bring it with you on your first day.
5. If you are going to travel to college by bus, make sure you have purchased the necessary bus pass. All information can be found here.

Where do I need to go?

All learners who study with us in September 2022 will automatically become part of their subject area’s Career Excellence Hub, receiving unrivalled career benefits unique to Weston College that give you the opportunity to become career ready, get ahead and stand out from the crowd!

Simply select your Career Excellence Hub from the dropdowns below and you will see all the first day information for the programmes within that specific Career Excellence Hub.

Starting out on a new career path is one of the most exciting things a young person can ever do. The learning of new skills, meeting new people in all sorts of different jobs, going to new places, and embracing what’s to come. At Thatchers we really appreciate what an important step taking on a new career is, and through our Early Careers Programme one of the most important things we can do is listen, encourage and offer the best training around.

We know that we have a huge responsibility to make sure you’re receiving the best advice, the best mentoring, and the best opportunities. And we’re helping you unlock your future.

We’re so lucky at Thatchers to be able to offer a range of apprenticeships and traineeships all based here at Myrtle Farm. Whatever your skill set, whatever your ambitions, come and talk to us. Give it a go - we’d love to hear from you.

Our apprentices have learned how to be cider makers, how to care for our orchards, and how to be part of our successful commercial team. Every day is different at Myrtle Farm, and if we ask our apprentices what they’ve got out of being part of the Thatchers family, we hear words such as confidence, self-esteem, skills, getting the best of both worlds, experience – and a career within a growing, successful company.

If hospitality is where you see your future, then we’ve got some great opportunities at our beautiful pub and restaurant, The Railway Inn, here in Sandford.

Through our brand new traineeships we’ve set up with Weston College, we’re now able to offer more opportunities at The Railway Inn – what could be a better way to learn and develop your skills within hospitality and catering.

Are you a creative and see yourself using your flair and technical skills as part of a dynamic kitchen team? Or do you have a love for meeting and greeting new people, offering the highest levels of customer service, and experiencing the buzz and excitement of working at events?

If you’re following a catering course at Weston College, we’d love to hear from you. Being a part of our traineeship could lead to a full-time position with Thatchers, or perhaps could lead to one of our award-winning apprenticeships.

We’ve currently got positions for a Trainee Commis Chef, working closely with our head chef James and his brilliant team. We looking for someone who can work in a fast paced and high pressured environment, and who has a flair and passion for delivering high standards of food. Or are you someone who would thrive in a public facing role that requires good initiative and attentiveness towards providing top quality service to every single customer. If so, then one of our front of house roles working with Leigh and her enthusiastic and passionate team may be for you.

We know these are more than just jobs. They could be your future. So we’ll be running skills workshops, masterclasses and a host of other training opportunities that will complement your college learning, and will form the basis of an exciting future within the hospitality industry.

Check out our website, or chat to Weston College Recruitment team. We look forward to being a part of your future!

- Emma Cox, Thatchers Cider 

CILEx students received their result this month for the June exams, once again, they exceeded the national averages. At level three 91% of exam results at Weston College were passes or above relative to 67% nationally for the same units. At level six 84% of exam results at Weston College were passes or above relative to 63% nationally for the same units!

On Thursday 18th August, Weston College celebrated the success of the first ever Digital T Level cohort, with a lunch hosted in the Greenhouse.

Earlier in the day, we found out that there was a 100% pass rate, including some highly impressive results, with Distinctions and Distinction *’s, with one learner receiving a scholarship for his university course on the back of such fantastic grades.

The event was attended by learners, staff and employers, who all played a key role in making the first cohort of Digital T Levels a success. There was also a very special guest, with Steve Frampton from the Association of Colleges also in attendance.

Weston College Group Principal and Chief Executive Sir Paul Phillips CBE opened the event, praising the learners for their hard work and dedication, as well as highlighting some of the amazing individual achievements.

Weston College Group Principal and Chief Executive Sir Paul Phillips CBE said: "I’m incredibly proud that our talented learners and my dedicated staff have surpassed national standards and worked so hard for the fantastic results they truly deserve.

“However, here at Weston College you’re not just taught how to pass an exam. Our focus looks not only on the present, but the future too with a key focus on kickstarting incredible careers. Our study programmes raise aspirations, and we work alongside industry to prepare students for their next step – whether that’s a Degree, Higher Apprenticeship or the world of work.

“A massive congratulations and thank-you to the cohort of 2022. I wish each learner every success in their onward journey.”

T Level learner, Alisha, was one of the learners that completed a Digital T Level, said: “I was thrilled with my result! It was the first real exam that I have ever done, so I was quite nervous. I am so proud of what I managed to achieve. I have been awarded a Distinction* (the top grade). The course has honestly been excellent, and I am so glad that I decided to go down the T Level route. It has helped me to develop a range of skills, from soft to hard skills – as well as developing my technical skills which I can already tell are going to benefit me in the future.

“I completed my placement at a company called Next Theme where I focussed on web development. I experienced creating a website for a company and used languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP. I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to put the theory I’d learnt in the classroom into practice, by experiencing a real working environment.”

We also caught up with two T Level learners, Brandon and Alex, to get their thoughts on T Levels, and what they’re going on to do next, you can watch the video here.

To find out more about T Levels, please click here.

Four Health and Social Care Alumni, Finn, Jade, Nonna and Emily, had a long overdue reunion with their teacher, Sarah-Jane, a week ago. We were able to catch up with them to find out what they had been up to in their time since leaving the college, including their time so far at university, and their plans for the future.

The four had all progressed onto university courses in the Health and Social Care field, with Jade, Finn and Nonna opting for Adult Nursing, and Emily completing Paramedic Sciences.

Each student excitedly spoke about how their level 3 course at college prepared them for the tricky transition up to university, Finn sharing, “It was quite hard for a little bit because we were using Zoom – we used zoom and teams sometimes at college so it helped to prepare us, but trying to meet new people was difficult. Sarah-Jane used to teach us in the way that uni lecturers do though, where they put the slides on the screen and just talk. That definitely helped us get used to that style of teaching!”

Jade commented, “I actually found the transition really easy! The first module was basically what I had learnt at college, which made me more confident as I knew what I was doing. My first assignment was similar to ones we’d done previously at college, so I felt fully prepared!”

The students also shared their favourite part of studying at Weston College; Finn told us, “Undoubtedly the social side. I’m not from Weston so I didn’t know anyone when I first started, but you meet so many people so quickly. It really helps build your social skills which is so important when going into Nursing.”

Nonna and Jade added, “The lessons in the Sim Room (the simulation industry-standard hospital ward on campus) were incredibly helpful in preparing us for the nitty gritty of personal care, as well as the work placements we were lucky enough to complete. Both of these helped all of us out so much in getting a head start on our courses at uni!”

Our four learners all hope to go into nursing after gaining their degree! Finn hopes to specialise in burns and trauma, and plans on staying in the nursing career for “the next forty odd years”! Jade is looking into working in sexual health, though recently did a placement on an endoscopy unit which she also found really interesting. Nonna plans to travel with her nursing degree, and hopes it can take her to Australia. Emily would love to become a paramedic, and in the future specialise in critical care.

Congratulations to all our amazing alumni for how far they’ve come since leaving college, and good luck for their incredibly promising futures!

If you're interested in courses in Health and Social Care, click here!

What makes a good teacher? Endless qualifications and certificates? An encyclopaedic knowledge of a given subject? Here at Weston College, we have always stood by the belief that lived experience is far superior to any badge or certification. First person knowledge and in-depth understanding of real industry practice is what makes a good teacher! 

Engineering, as an industry, is so diverse and can be suited to so many people; it’s a huge combination of different sectors, including chemical, composite, civil and electrical engineering. When studying, you will have the opportunity to find out which aspect is your favourite, which is best suited to you, and which you’d most like to specialise in as you progress to higher levels.

As the industry is highly technical and is highly difficult to succeed in without substantial prior training, it can be financially beneficial to make up for it! The starting salary is higher than an average graduate, at around £26,000. As well as having the training and knowledge, you will also develop a huge number of transferable skills to have with you in the workplace, as well as in your personal life, including communication, leadership, and critical reasoning.

Another huge benefit of working in Engineering is its ever-changing nature, so where technology develops and evolves, it will be part of your job to pre-empt, adapt and learn about these new changes. This will result in a job that you’ll never get bored of!

By studying with us to gain your qualifications in Engineering, you’ll be able to find out about the Careers Excellence Hub, which will include many career-boosting benefits, as well as working alongside and hearing from huge names in the engineering industry, for example Airbus and GKN.

Plus, when studying with Weston College, the level you enter in won’t matter as we provide education for all levels, and in different formats. For example, if you would benefit and learn best from nearly all hands-on work, plus a wage, an apprenticeship would be ideal. However, if you felt some days looking at theory while in the classroom would be better suited, a T Level could be the course for you. We want to help you find the best suited course for you!

There is also predicted to be a shortage of engineers by around 2026, meaning there is no better time to begin studying towards qualifying, as the shortage may be lessened by an influx of learners beginning to train now! Furthermore, as engineering is currently perceived much more as a male dominated career path, our goal is for that stereotype to be overwritten, and create more equality in the industry, eventually eradicating the idea that it’s male dominated.

If you're interested in pursuing a career in engineering, click on the links to find out about the opportunities offered at Weston College to 16-19s, and to adults!