LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
There is always so much going on across our various campuses and courses.
Stay up to date on our latest news here or check us out across social media.
Weston College is set to build brand new student facilities for their Accounting and Business Management and Leadership learners, thanks to grant from the Government’s T Level Capital Fund.
The first cohort of the Business Management and Leadership T Level learners, and also the Accounting T Level learners, will be starting in September, and will have access to these exciting new facilities.
Weston College will be creating an industry standard boardroom, which is going to be equipped with some of the latest technology. The real-life business environment will prepare students for life in the boardroom – something which can be daunting at first. Classrooms are also going to be refurbished, which will improve the learning environment for students.
Learners will use the boardroom to hold classes, revision sessions, and use it for presentations among other things.
The learning spaces are also getting an upgrade, which will provide first class study opportunities for learners studying a T Level. Weston College is investing in study pods, which allow students to work together on group projects, or utilise technology to work on individual study.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, said: “It is a really exciting time to be a T Level student. Not only is it the new Gold standard of training, featuring an industry placement with local employers wanting to give young people an opportunity, but our Accounting and Business Management and Leadership T Level learners will learn in state-of-the-art facilities.
“The potential facilities look fantastic – in fact, I am already thinking of using the boardroom myself! We are so pleased to be able to create an environment which allows our learners to gain a greater understanding of the behaviours, facilities and knowledge needed for the business world.”
Find out more about the Accounting and Business Management and Leadership T Level, at the T Level Information Evening – register your interest, here.
Weston College have joined the national campaign to support the The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) - a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.
The Principal and Chief Executive Dr Paul Phillips CBE, was joined by staff and students to plant their first tree at the College’s South West Skills Campus on Locking Road, Weston-super-Mare. This is just one of many of the College’s green initiatives that ties in with its wider sustainability and social action framework. Also in attendance were Emily Burnell (Woods Project Coordinator at the Woodland Trust), Pete Lane (Horticulture Lecturer) and ex-students now working within Butcombe Farm’s philanthropic venture Uncle Paul’s Chilli Charity, working in partnership with the College, with its innovatively designed alternative outdoor classroom model - providing real world learning at the heart of the farms’ chilli cuisine production.
Dr Phillips commented: “The Queen’s Green Canopy is a really interesting project and it’s one that everyone can get involved in. I would encourage all schools, businesses, community groups and members of the public out there now to really get behind this as we move towards the jubilee – its also a great chance to connect with each other and inspire young people as the future custodians of the UK’s green spaces, forests and woodlands.
As a College, our wider sustainability work is leading the region whether this is working with businesses to create green apprenticeships, or supporting people to retain for green careers, we are supporting many organisations achieve the change required to collectively work towards ‘Net Zero’ - and this very much includes innovative social action projects such as this one to build stronger, greener communities”.
Visit www.queensgreencanopy.org to see who’s already planted in your area and how to pin your tree to the interactive Jubilee map, as well as to find out more information to engage with wider sustainability in support of Her Majesty the Queen. The best tree planting season is till the end of March, and restarts in October for the end of the year.
Bridgend based insulation experts, ROCKWOOL visited South West Skills Campus yesterday (15th February), to showcase the ROCKWOOL experience to our construction students.
The interactive van allowed the learners to see and feel how ROCKWOOL stone wool insulation products perform, through a hands-on demonstration.
Learners developed their knowledge further in areas such as improving thermal, acoustic, and fire performance through expert training and guidance.
As part of our Construction Career Excellence Hub, Weston College learners experience a curriculum which gives a greater focus on preparing them for industry, and this experience was a part of that.
The event was arranged by Business Partnership Manager, Lynsey McKinstry, who said: “At Weston College we believe it is vital to connect industry with education, because it benefits everyone, from employers to learners.
“Bringing ROCKWOOL in today has not only inspired the learners, but has also taught them new techniques, which is vital in their skills development.”
Subject Area Manager for Construction, Richard Hanney, added: “It was great to welcome ROCKWOOL today. The learners really enjoyed this valuable experience, which has given them a greater insight into insulation.”
Find out more about our Construction courses, by clicking here.
Students from the Level 2 Professional Chef T Level Transition Programme had the amazing opportunity of hosting a guest lecture from Chefs in The Army!
During the lecture students were shown what it is like to be a Chef within The Army and how they can get involved. After being split into teams, learners were then poised with the challenge of making a 3-course meal for 2 people out of ration packs! They were given 10 minutes to menu plan and a further 1 hour 30 minutes to prepare and cook.
The learners produced innovative and amazing meals such as broccoli and onion soup, mince beef and onion pie with mash potato, cookie bread and butter pudding and homemade garlic gnocchi!
Teams were then judged by the Seargent's and were scored on Best Starter, Best Main Meal, Best Dessert, and an Overall Winner.
Team 3 won Best Starter with their broccoli mac and cheese with garlic bread, Team 2 won Best Main Course with the homemade pasta and meatballs and Team 1 won Best Dessert with their cookie bread and butter pudding. But the overall winner of the challenge for their performance, communication skills, teamwork and presentation were Team 2!
Learner Crystal, comments “It was really fun, but at the same time hard because you only had 1 hour and 30 mins for a three-course meal! I found it very challenging, but I really enjoyed the whole event!”
Hospitality and Catering lecturer Debbie says, “I am so proud of the group here today they did extremely well and were amazing. They did the me and the college proud today even the Army Sergeants said we should be proud of all the students today."
As a part of the Hospitality and Catering Career Excellence Hub, learners are given the opportunity to gain employability skills from employers and gain real life skills that they can take on into their careers. Within the new T Level course, students can learn about the catering and hospitality industry, food, and safety hygiene in the kitchen, menu planning and costing and preparing all different foods. Alongside the course students will gain a full understanding of the industry by completing a Level 2 food and beverage service during their Individual Development (ID) time.
Sandra Bull, Divisional Lead of Hospitality and Catering, says “Ensuring our learners have an opportunity to seek out a variety of career pathways is important as they developed both skills and confidence in their programme of study. This session was a challenge which demonstrated how they would need to adapt quickly for a career in the Army but resilience in a working environment. The group have discovered you can eat well even out of ration pack ingredients!”
We LOVE hearing about the amazing journeys to success from our past students.
We recently caught up with Level 3 Health and Social Care alumni Josh Bell, who has had an incredible journey so far.
Since being at Weston College, Josh previously worked in Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) & Sleep Service at Bristol Royal Hospital For Children. Now studying for his degree, Josh is now working for University Hospitals Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) as a Nursing Assistant and Healthcare Assistant in Portsmouth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
As well as gaining this fantastic wealth of knowledge and experience from these roles, Josh also received an NHS Parliamentary Award and was named “The NHS Rising Star”, South West Regional Champion!
Ahead of their clinical placements, Josh recently visited the Health and Active Living Skills Centre to teach current Level 2 & 3 learners about Sepsis as a volunteer for UK charity: Sepsis Trust.
Josh commented: “Sepsis (also known as blood poisoning) is the immune system’s overreaction to an infection or injury. Having an understanding of Sepsis and its symptoms is paramount when spotting the first signs which can lead to early detection, intervention and treatment. Asking the question ‘Just Ask Could It Be Sepsis?’ does save lives and getting that message out there in the community is essential.”
The class covered the signs and symptoms and treatment of Sepsis, practiced clinical skills, including taking Manual Blood Pressures and completed a NEWS2 (National Early Warning Score 2).
Guest lectures such as this are one of the career-boosting benefits that stem from the college’s newly formed Health and Social Care Career Excellence Hub. These innovative subject specific hubs allow for students at Weston College to have access to exclusive opportunities. Endorsed by industry, such as UHBW, this enables for better integration with the sector to make sure class content is relative and opens doors for learners so they leave college with more than just a qualification.
Josh continued: “I was delighted at the welcome I had back into the college, and I was very impressed with a particular I class I taught! Sarah-Jane, who was my previous Health & Social Care Lecturer, was great and I am so pleased that the students are still learning Health and Social Care as it’s one of the best careers to be part of!
I thought the new facilities were fantastic. It's great to see that current students have an area to study and practice clinical skills which can highly relate to a clinical environment within a hospital or an acute setting, which is paramount for essential clinical learning!”
Josh is currently studying a Paramedic Science BSc (Hons) Degree Course at the University of Portsmouth.
“I am loving my Paramedic Science BSc (Hons) Degree Course at the University, I have always been inspired to work in the NHS, but especially to become a Paramedic. The best part of the course so far is our clinical placements where we are based in an Ambulance Station and working with Paramedics out on the road to get experience and learning on the job!”
Moving forward, Josh is hoping to go on to do a Critical Care Masters degree in the future, aiming to one day work for the Air Ambulance or specialising in Critical / Acute Care.
On Saturday 11th June 2022, he will be taking part in the Great North Swim to raise funds for The UK’s Sepsis Trust. The Great North Swim is the largest open water swimming event in the UK. Held in the stunning surroundings of Lake Windermere, England's largest lake at 10.5 miles long (17km), stretching from Ambleside in the North to Newby Bridge in the South. Click here to learn more.
We'd like to say a huge thank-you to Josh for returning to the College to pass on his knowledge - An incredibly bright future ahead for this young professional!
Click to find out more on:
The government campaign urging employers to ‘’join the skills revolution’ has launched, aiming to help businesses gear up for economic recovery by skilling up their workforce. The campaign highlights the range of support and funding available for businesses wanting to boost their workforce capabilities, including apprenticeships, traineeships and T Levels.
The campaign highlights the range of training and employment schemes available to businesses to help them gear up for economic recovery. Apprenticeships, traineeships and T Levels can help businesses grow by skilling up their employees, driving better results and helping to retain their workforce. Training and employment schemes can help fill skills gaps by developing the [green/digital/STEM] skills that a business needs to succeed.
To mark the launch of the campaign, new research has been released which shows a huge appetite for developing new work skills amongst the working public with:
86% of employees in architecture, engineering and building industries stating they want to upskill this yea
80% of employees in manufacturing and utilities stating they want to upskill this year
86% of employees in IT and telecoms stating they want to upskill this year
81% of employees in healthcare stating they want to upskill this year
However, one in three felt held back by a lack of time (35%) and a lack of confidence (32%), while 29% said they did not know where to start.
The ‘Join the Skills Revolution’ campaign will help employers take advantage of the desire in the working public to upskill by providing easy access to skills opportunities to help drive better performance. Many training and employment schemes can be for any age, a new employee or a current employee looking to retrain.
Last week Weston College celebrated National Apprenticeship Week in style, with lots of activity taking place across the whole week.
We caught up with current apprentices, such as Georgia, who shared about her experiences via a blog (click here to read it): “My apprenticeship has provided me with so many opportunities, and it has really helped me to develop a number of key skills, which will benefit me in my career.”
We also delved deeper into two exciting apprenticeships that we offer; the Operational Fire Fighter Apprenticeship with Avon Fire and Rescue (click here to read the full article) and the Maritime Leadership and Development Apprenticeship (click here to read the full article).
Steve Baker, Car Trade Manager at The Bristol Port Company completed the Maritime Leadership and Development Apprenticeship, and said: “This opportunity has really elevated my career. I started the course in 2020 and it was one of the best decisions I have made.
“I am now utilising the skills I gained through the programme on a daily basis to lead a team of 63 people to successfully deliver targets.”
We also saw apprentices takeover our socials, with Maisy from Visit Somerset giving us great insight to what life is like as an apprentice.
There was much to celebrate too, with Level 3 Motor Vehicle apprentice Luke Merchant winning an award from the Institute of Motors Industry (IMI) (click here to read the full article). Luke said: "Working for Mercedes has been great so far. I am really enjoying getting to know all their systems and processes.
“Winning the silver medal at WorldSkills and my time at Weston College has helped me massively. I'm now more confident in myself and always trying my best to develop and grow my skills."
The week was rounded off with an extremely popular Apprenticeship Open Evening. With 23 employers in attendance, the event was busy from start to finish, with over 150 people discovering their future career path.
Head of Apprenticeships and Traineeships, Tracie Leahy, said: “National Apprenticeship Week has been another success!
“We love giving our learners a platform to share their experiences, and we are so proud of all of the apprentices who continue to not only impress us, but also their employers on a daily basis.
“One of the major highlights of the week was the Apprenticeship Open Evening. It was great to meet so many people that are considering an apprenticeship, and also to give them the chance to meet employers in the local area that are recruiting their future talent.
“We have had more than 100 people apply for an apprenticeship during National Apprenticeship Week, which is absolutely brilliant, as we seek to build the future.”
Find out more about apprenticeships, here.
On Friday 11th February, Weston College hosted a Business Breakfast for organisations looking to recruit HGV drivers.
The event, which was held at South West Skills Campus, was attended by employers from 11 different organisations looking to recruit HGV drivers, and found out about the popular HGV Skills Bootcamps, taking place at Weston College.
The HGV Skills Bootcamps offer participants free, flexible courses that last up to 16 weeks, with those that successfully complete the course being guaranteed a job interview.
Louise Greene, Business Growth and Employer Partnership Manager, said: “It was great to meet so many employers today, and to offer them a solution to their shortage of skills drivers.
“The driver shortage issues has been felt amongst businesses across the south west, and the new HGV Skills Bootcamps present a fantastic way of training new people to enter the industry, but also to upskill existing drivers.
“At Weston College we are providing a wide range of training, including Cat C, Cat CE and ADR (Hazfreight).
“If your organisation needs support with accessing a pool of freshly trained drivers, feel free to get in touch with our team: employers@weston.ac.uk”
You can find out more about the HGV Skills Bootcamp, by clicking here.
“Why is everything we do hypothetical?”….And what if it wasn’t?
One answer to this question is to provide learners with the opportunity to interact with real-world issues, allowing them to engage with key industry trends and use a range of skills to develop practical solutions. In today’s ever-changing world, it is vital that we not only support learners in their academic success but go beyond traditional study to help them build their holistic skills.
In Engineering, tutors and content creators in the Digital Learning Development Team have been adopting the approach to a traditionally taught program to help them develop wider life skills such as resilience, stress and conflict management, and teamwork.
In a departure from the traditional blended learning model, learners will be encouraged to interact with one another and the online content to formulate solutions to real-world problems related to the Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN. These goals permeate every facet of modern life, including in and around College.
A greater focus on digital distanced learning helps to reduce unnecessary travel, reducing the College's carbon footprint whist still having huge benefits to the learners. Weston College is committed to creating brighter and greener futures.
Groups of learners will undertake a three-week project, working together to develop solutions to their chosen problem. Each week is structured to guide learners through three phases of project work:
Investigate
This initial week is dedicated to research. Together, learners will select one option from a range of current issues, exploring and constructing their own knowledge using the digital resources provided as a starting point. Throughout the project, learners will record their collaborations through a shared Wakelet. They will also carry out self-exploration, developing an understanding of their own strengths and areas for development as part of a team.
Invent
In the second week of their project, learners develop potential solutions to their chosen issue, analysing their idea and the data behind it and relating their designs to real-world contexts. In each week, learners are provided with opportunities to record their progress and use bespoke learning content to help build key skills.
Implement
In the third and final week, learners bring their solutions to life by presenting their ideas to a wider audience. They will be given a range of options for presenting their research and development, including creating Flipgrid videos and posters to be displayed on digital signage around the College, helping to extend beyond the classroom to influence the wider College community.
Over the course of the project, tutors will act as facilitators and coaches, helping to guide learners as they develop their independence and move from the hypothetical to embarking on real-world experiences.
If you would like to know more, get in touch with Louise Pratten, Digital Learning Development Team, to discuss how to use project based blended approaches in your curriculum design.
Marketing and Communications
The marketing department is responsible for promoting Weston College to the public, by promoting the Colleges courses, achievements and events.
Our aims are to attract learners to study within the Weston College Group, build and grow the College’s brand and highlight its reputation, and promote the College Group’s success, student progression and outstanding support for our learners.
The marketing department manages the College’s websites and official social media accounts, runs advertising campaigns, creates press releases, and manages many of the College Group’s events, such as Graduation, the Celebration of Success and the Business Awards.
We produce a wide range of publications including our full-time, Higher Education and part-time prospectuses, course leaflets and posters, and other documents such as the College’s annual report, magazines and newsletters, course brochures and the student handbook.
Weston College is committed to providing accurate and timely information for local, regional and national media, and the general public.
The marketing team is available between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays. You can get in touch with us by emailing marketing@weston.ac.uk.
All of our press releases are uploaded to the news section of our websites. News from the academies we sponsor, including the North Somerset Enterprise and Technology College, can be found on the news section of the Inspirational Futures Trust’s website. News pertaining to our Higher Education Provision can be found on www.ucw.ac.uk.
The marketing department produces most imagery and film in house, and keeps an extensive archive of the photographs it takes. If you would like a copy of an image featuring you or a member of your family, please contact us at photography@weston.ac.uk.
Our photos of graduation and many other events can be found on the College’s Facebook page. High quality images can be found on the College’s Flickr account.
Weston College is able to accommodate many requests to provide locations for film and photography. The College has a range of attractive, modern and adaptable facilities which can be viewed on our youtube channel.
We also are able to provide heritage facilities such as the Victorian Hans Price designed Conference Centre and, from September 2017, the 1927 Winter Gardens Pavilion.
For booking details, contact marketing@weston.ac.uk.
For enquiries about sponsoring key events such as Celebration of Success, Business Breakfast, Business Awards and Graduation, please contact the marketing team by email at marketing@weston.ac.uk.
