LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
There is always so much going on across our various campuses and courses.
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As well as faculty awards, each year we host two big and exciting cross-College awards ceremonies for our students.
These events are the Celebration of Success, for our full time students, and the Business Awards, for our apprentices.
Both of these awards ceremonies feature a three-course dinner cooked by the professional catering team at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, plus a guest speaker and lots of prizes.
The coveted Student of the Year category includes a cash prize which is often hundreds of pounds.
The College partners with Butcombe Farm’s philanthropic venture Uncle Paul’s Chilli Charity, to pioneer an ‘alternative classroom’ model in natural surroundings to re-engage vulnerable and at risk learners who have struggled in a formal education setting. Learners with SEND are supported through its nationally recognised specialist support model, delivered by highly qualified specialist practitioners in a natural environment.
The empowerment ethos successfully builds confidence and employability skills. The entrepreneurial and immersive learning programmes are built around the real world learning opportunities of developing and sustaining, a not for profit organic chilli farm, to nurture undiscovered entrepreneurial talent.
Find out more:
Since achieving fantastic results on her Level 3 course, Beauty Therapy alumni Amelia Lee (18) is continuing to showcase her talent and tenacity as she was recently selected for the finals of the WorldSkills national competition.
WorldSkills UK is an independent charity that works with employers, education and governments, supporting young people across the world via competitions-based training, testing their ability to achieve world-class standards in the biennial ‘skills olympics’.
Over 3,000 people registered to take part in the UK-wide competitions back in March and Amelia is one of 400 who made it into the finals, which is split into 64 disciplines.
Amelia commented: “I first heard of WorldSkills on my Interview evening for my first year studying Beauty Therapy. I was told the passion and dedication it took to be a part of it, I knew there and then this was something I was going to aspire to achieve.
The ex-Worle school student had to go through multiple qualifiers in order to make it to the finals. For the regional round, contestants first had to submit a picture of an immaculate French manicure and red-carpet makeup look they had put together. This was followed by a five minute presentation video explaining what makes a good massage treatment, showing progression in execution since the entry pictures. Finally, a five minute video presenting all spectrums of massage techniques and pressures.
Amelia commented: “Once the regional round had been judged, the total entry numbers went from 60 to 8. I am lucky enough to be one of the 8!
“I feel so proud to be taking part in such a large nationwide competition, there was no other feeling better than when I received my email to say I had qualified for nationals. For me, it shows courage and determination, the sky is the limit now”
The finalists will compete for gold, silver and bronze from 9-19 November, with the winners crowned at a ceremony hosted by TV presenter Steph McGovern from her Packed Lunch studio on Friday 26 November.
This exciting announcement is just one of the fantastic career enhancing opportunities available at the college, through the newly launched Career Excellence Hubs.
At the College each subject area forms its own specific Career Excellence Hub, endorsed by relevant sector employers which help to create a study programme with lots of career boosting benefits, WorldSkills competing opportunities is one of these.
Amelia added: “Enabling a student to become ‘Job Ready’ is massively important to build students confidence and prepare them for their next adventure that awaits them.”
“Throughout doing WorldSkills, so far, I have learnt to take on constructive criticism, to be determined and to dig deep within for what you really want. Anything is possible if you believe!”
Having finished her course at Weston college, Amelia now has a job in the industry, working at Elements Boutique Spa in Bridgwater.
She continues: “The support I have received from the College has been incredible. I was lucky enough to have the most brilliant tutor who truly believed in me and is still constantly encouraging me to strive for excellence. Without Jenna (my tutor), I would have never been able to get this far. I am now proud to be working in the industry and Jenna has made me the best therapist I can be, for that I am eternally grateful.
“For anyone that is thinking of studying Beauty at Weston College, I think you need skills like patience, determination and the passion for the subject.”
The college is now offering technical qualifications in Beauty Therapy as well as vocational diplomas. Grades of five GCSE at grade 9-3, including English and maths at grade 4 or above, are needed for Level 3 and a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 9-2, with at least two at grade 4 or a qualifying Level 1 qualification, is required to study at Level 2.
We’d like to wish Amelia the very best of luck with the national WorldSkills finals!
Click here to read more about our other WorldSkills contestants
WorldSkills UK has announced over 400 students and apprentices who will be battling it out across 64 disciplines to be crowned national skills champions.
We are extremely proud to share that this includes four students from the Weston College Group: Three Weston College learners and one degree learner from University Centre Weston (UCW).
| Student name | Category | Subject studied |
|---|---|---|
| Luke Merchant | Automative Technology | Motor Vehicle |
| Amelia Lee | Beauty Therapy Practitioner | Beauty Therapy |
| Oran Kendrew | Web Design | Computing |
| Jack Kimmins | Web Design | Computing (UCW) |
Following 2020 and a year without competitions, over 3,000 people registered to take part in the UK-wide competitions back in March.
The finalists will compete for gold, silver and bronze from 9-19 November, with the winners crowned at a ceremony hosted by TV presenter Steph McGovern from her Packed Lunch studio on Friday 26 November.
This year sees the finals taking place in locations across the UK for the first time. From the Industrial Robotics final in Ballymena, to Heavy Vehicle Engineering in Cardiff, Cyber Security in Lanarkshire and Web Design at Weston College, the 25 venues cover all four corners of the UK.
Ben Blackledge, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, WorldSkills UK said: “I want to offer my congratulations to all those that took part in our programme this year, especially the finalists. After a year without competitions due to the pandemic it was really encouraging to see so many people back involved this year.
“Our competitions and competition-based development programmes equip apprentices and students with the lifelong, world-class skills that will help increase UK productivity and competitiveness.”
This exciting announcement is just one of the fantastic career enhancing opportunities available at the college, through our newly launched Career Excellence Hubs.
At the College each subject area forms it’s own specific Career Excellence Hub, endorsed by relevant sector employers which help to create a study programme with lots of career boosting benefits. Thanks to the College’s amazing industry connections, both locally, nationally and internationally, our school leaver programmes are developed by focussing on increasing future employability, and developing the skills learners need to have a successful career in the sector and making them stand out from the crowd when they get to job applications and interviews.
Dr Paul Philips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group added: “A huge congratulations to our students Luke, Amelia, Oran and Jack. The Weston College Group really values the skills and experience that the WorldSkills UK competition-based development programmes offers our students.
"We are very much about ‘careers not courses’ at Weston College and this is what has been the catalyst for our sector specific Careers Excellence Hubs. WorldSkills UK aligns with this perfectly as it is designed by industry experts and enhances the practical skills and knowledge taught on training courses by assessing an individual’s employability attributes against set criteria in a competitive timed environment.
“I am excited to see our competing learner’s journeys as they build on their employability skills and develop in confidence.”
The WorldSkills UK competition-based development programmes are designed by industry experts and enhance the practical skills and knowledge taught on training courses by assessing an individual’s employability attributes against set criteria in a competitive timed environment.
The programme has a real impact on those taking part, with 90% of previous entrants saying their career progression improved after competing and 86% stating their personal and employability skills had improved.
Click here to see the full details of the finals and the names of all finalists.
Despite the devastated effects from the pandemic on the industry, local hospitality employers in Weston have been inspiring students who have embarked on hospitality careers training during the pandemic.
The learner experience has been slightly different, with lockdowns restricting work placements, and students learning online, our hospitality employer network have thought outside the box to ensure the passion is alive for working in the kitchen. Employers have delivered online masterclasses and also worked with small groups in kitchens, to demonstrate their skills, and knowledge, but also show the expectations of working in hospitality.
Employers have included the Ginger Pig kitchen and Puxton Park, who now endorse the Weston College Hospitality curriculum as a pipeline of exciting new talent. Both were vital in getting the excitement for hospitality in the classroom during a challenging time.
James and Dave at the Ginger Pig kitchen hosted two evenings of socially-distanced demonstration, which really sparked the interest of our learners, who developed new skills on the back of the demonstration. There was also an engaging Q&A, where they told the story of their unique career journey, their passion for creativity and the need for them to seek and nurture new talent for the future of their business.
This was closely followed by the team from Puxton Park who hosted a Farm to Fork information event, highlighting the journeys of our food and options to other careers within hospitality not only linked directly to the kitchen but that of butchery, team leading for events and supervisor roles within the catering sector. There really is lots of options which you can check out here and we love to give careers advice linked to this exciting industry.
When you are in the hospitality industry, you make a difference in people’s lives, as the business is all about creating memorable experiences for customers. Whether you are driving a golf cart, cleaning rooms, cooking a tasty meal, carrying suitcases for new arrivals to a hotel, or involved in management, you are in a position to make somebody’s day. A smile, a helping hand, that little detail. It is all about making people happy. It is a global industry and our learners can discover new countries, new culture and new people. Even if our learners don’t plan to work outside of the UK, they are most likely in touch with travellers from all over the world and through guest interactions, they will learn about different cultures every day.
We also recognise that working in hospitality is not a 9 to 5 job and that is a good thing. If you are the sort of person who likes getting up at the same time in the morning, having the same breakfast, and then delivering their daily routine, then hospitality probably isn’t for you! It involves a great deal of variety, not only in terms of the hours they work, but also the work they do during those hours.
Individuals who make the decision to pursue a career in hospitality often do so for a variety of reasons. Common denominators among those who are successful in the hospitality industry have the ability to be empathetic, creative and passionate about what they are doing. Those who are most successful in the industry are those who have a genuine desire to provide outstanding service and see their guests satisfied.
Sandra Bull, Dean Of Study: Service Sectors, Early Years , Education and Counselling
Weston College has pledged their support for the national Good for me, Good for FE campaign.
The campaign, which is being run by Further Education (FE) colleges, aims to generate £1 million of social value via a sustainable programme of community action including volunteering, fundraising and charitable partnerships.
It builds on the success of last year’s FE Foodbank Friday, which saw colleges around the country come together during the pandemic to raise over £47,000 and collect more than 20,000 items for local foodbanks.
In December 2020 alone, Weston-super-Mare’s Foodbank provided 981 people with food parcels, and with demand for support remaining high, this activity will support the local area.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, added: “As a college we want to be there for our community, and help raise awareness of the situation, and offer support.
“We will be looking at developing a sustainable programme of community action including volunteering, fundraising and charitable partnerships.
“Over the last 12 months we have worked hard to support our community and signing up for this campaign offers further support on top of our efforts so far, which have included things like: keeping premises open with a teaching and support team onsite during lock down for key workers’ children, providing venues for vaccinations and test centres, providing facilities to the NHS for training key staff, making personal protective equipment for the NHS and delivering vital emergency supplies.”
The College are asking for community groups to reach out to them if there are opportunities for the College and student body to get behind volunteering, fundraising and charitable partnerships opportunities – please email joanne.philpott@weston.ac.uk
With the UK poised for high career growth as it emerges from the pandemic and employers looking to recruit the best talent to succeed in a post Brexit economy, Weston College has launched Career Excellence Hubs which will be introduced from September 2021.
Every subject area in Weston College, including health and social care, has signed up to the Career Excellence Charter, which further cements Weston College’s ethos of providing careers and not courses, with students having access to employers, which brings opportunities to maximise their potential and showcase their talent.
As a Future Talent Business Partner, Sirona care & health is pledging its support to develop young people and help them become industry ready, and will have the opportunity to:
- Co-design training provision
- Create an inspirational learning experience
- Provide the skills training required for their business and wider industry
- Deliver a talented workforce for the industry will thrive
Janet Rowse, Chief Executive of Sirona care & health said:
“This is a really exciting and valuable initiative set up by Weston College and we feel privileged to be a Future Talent Business Partner. We offer a full range of rewarding careers in health and social care and this partnership will enable young people to access hands on experience and see first-hand the many and varied opportunities there are. It is also helping to build a bright and prosperous future for the next generation.”
Andrew Webster, Education Sector Manager – Further Education & Skills at The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “The team at Weston College don’t just work on one off projects about careers and the world of work, they work strategically, embedding information and examples about careers into so much of what they do. All of this means their young people are as well prepared as possible to take on the future.”
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, added: “At Weston College, our mission statement is ‘creating brighter futures’ and we passionately believe in helping all our students reach their ultimate goal, focussing on their future employability and developing the skills they will need to have a successful career. “We are therefore thrilled to announce that we are introducing our Career Excellence Hubs across our provision from September. Our learners will be receiving unrivalled career benefits unique to Weston College that give them the opportunity to become career ready, get ahead and stand out from the crowd! “I’m also delighted to be working with Sirona care & health, who will play a real key role in our new Career Excellence Hubs, and we are very excited to get them underway and support our learners.”
Find out more about Career Excellence Hubs, here.
When I meet with employers, I am often asked how easy is it to recruit an apprentice? And I think a lot of people are surprised by how simple the process is.
For many organisations, finances are more restrictive than they have been in the past, yet there is still a need to recruit talented individuals, who can fill skills gaps and support businesses through this difficult period that we find ourselves in.
We are all used to searching for recruits via the traditional methods, but with a smaller pool of people to recruit from following Brexit and also people retraining due to redundancy through Covid, we need to start thinking creatively in order to find our future managers, leaders, and CEOs!
One way which can really benefit employers is hiring an apprentice. Not only will you bring fresh ideas to the business and talented individuals who can be trained in a way to suit your company, but apprenticeships also allow you to access funding – with the Government offering £4,000 per apprentice, hired before the end of September.
At Weston College we like to make the process as simple as possible, and our award-winning apprenticeship team are on hand to support you in not only recruiting an apprentice, but hiring someone that is going to help your business thrive.
We offer a free service to employers of all sizes, so whether you’re an SME wanting to hire an exciting new recruit, or a national organisation wanting to upskill your existing staff, we can provide free support to your business.
Once we know your requirements, we can bespoke and tailor our offer to suit your need, so you know that the apprentice entering your business will be on a training plan that is relevant to the tasks you require of them.
When you’ve decided on which apprenticeship you’d like to offer, we will advertise the role for you and work with you to draw up a shortlist of candidates that we believe will be a great fit for you.
We can also provide advice and guidance for recruiting in this new virtual world, so if you want a full practical assessment centre, or help with short listing CVs, our team are on hand.
If this is of interest to you, give me or the team a call, and we’re more than willing to help: 01934 411 594. You can also email us: apprenticeships@weston.ac.uk.
Tracie Leahy, Head of Apprenticeship Sales and Recruitment
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI) have announced that 16 and 17 year olds are now eligible to receive a first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) in partnership with Weston College are pleased to confirm that an on-site vaccination option will be available for all eligible Weston College pupils.
A COVID-19 vaccination clinic will take place on Thursday 2nd September between 9:30 – 16:30 and Friday 3rd September between 9:30 – 15:30 at the Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare, 2 Royal Parade, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1AJ.
This clinic will be on a walk-in basis and you can attend at any time throughout the session. You do not need to book an appointment slot.
The clinic(s) at Weston College will be open to all eligible 16 and 17 year olds in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area, so do invite any of your friends / family along to get their COVID-19 vaccination too.
You should allocate approximately 30 minutes for the vaccination appointment, which includes the 15-minute required waiting time after your Pfizer vaccination.
If you are unable to attend the vaccination clinic on the above date, you will be able to access a COVID-19 vaccination at a walk-in clinic, please visit www.grabajab.net to find a clinic that offers the vaccine to your age group. This website is continually updated by the BNSSG vaccination programme team and will have the most up to date information on all available options.
As you are 16 or 17 years old, you can consent to this vaccination independently. Like adults, young people (aged 16 or 17) are presumed to have sufficient capacity to decide on their own medical treatment, unless there is significant evidence to suggest otherwise. More information on consent can be found here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/consent-to-treatment/children/.
The latest news and information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in BNSSG including a list of frequently asked questions can be found here:
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.
