On Thursday, Weston College was announced as finalist in the Promoting Apprenticeship Campaign of the Year category, at the 2021 AAC Apprenticeship Awards.

The AAC Apprenticeship Awards is supported by FE Week and AELP, and celebrates apprenticeships across the UK.

Weston College was commended for its partnership with the FA and AoC Sport, to create and promote the FA Women’s Football Apprenticeship Programme, which has the aim of increasing female participation in football.

With apprenticeship vacancies going live in August, it proved popular, with 146 applications, for just 10 vacancies. The apprenticeship itself has had some fantastic backing, with football clubs across the UK endorsing the programme, to encourage more females to get involved with football.

The ever-popular awards received over 350 nominations for the 21 categories this year, with the judges praising the innovation and tenacity of apprenticeship providers.

The award ceremony is taking place at a gala dinner in Birmingham, on the 8th July.

If you're interested in becoming an apprentice, you can discover our current vacancies, here. 

Weston College has been shortlisted for an Education award, at the Bristol Life Awards.

The Bristol Life Awards is one of the highlights of the city calendar, with an array of awards, celebrating success from across industries.

Making the shortlist for the fourth year in a row, Weston College has been commended for being at the heart of the community, and having a positive impact across the region during the pandemic.

We deliver training across Bristol, supporting individuals and employers through apprenticeships, traineeships, bespoke training and pre-employment/adult courses.  

The event itself is taking place on the 16th September 2021, in Bristol, where we will find out if we have been successful.

The most outstanding individuals and institutions that the further education sector has to offer have been recognised in the shortlist for the 2021 Tes FE Awards.

It's been revealed that Weston College has been shortlisted for the FE College of the Year award and Outstanding use of Technology in Delivering Remote Teaching and Learning.

This recognition comes after Weston College has shown a record-breaking financial performance for 19/20. This is testament to the transformational leadership of its Principal Dr Paul Phillips CBE who delivered an outstanding remote model of teaching and learning #MyVirtualCollege, with the College having its most successful year in terms of learner recruitment and achievements with high employer satisfaction rates (despite the pandemic). This is in addition to being chosen as both a regional Institute of Technology lead and national Digital T Level lead, alongside becoming a UK SEND Centre of Excellence and receiving national recognition for its trailblazing work on student mental health and organisational wellbeing.

Tes head of FE Julia Belgutay said: “Further education providers have excelled in what has been a truly challenging year, and the amazing individuals, teams and institutions on our Tes FE Awards shortlist showcase that. Our judges were highly impressed with the calibre of entries and I want to congratulate everyone who has made the shortlist – it is a brilliant achievement"

After a very successful online awards ceremony last year, Tes are once again holding this year’s awards ceremony virtually. Winners will be announced on Friday 28 May 2021.

We wanted to inform you of all of the changes we have made regarding our transport network as we prepare for the March 8th and the return of learners to our college campuses...

First Bus Services

We will now introduce an ‘Academic Year’ mTicket that will operate from March 8th through to the end of the academic year on July 9th 2021.

This pass will again be heavily subsidised by the College and will be sold to learners at the below price points:
 

The 17 week apprenticeship mTicket remains unchanged due to it becoming valid at the point of sale.

All college learners who receive mTickets via the College bursary scheme will receive the 7-day mTicket voucher code via email.

These are now live via the College shop

Bakers Dolphin

The five core service routes (Blagdon, Bridgwater, Clevedon, Nailsea, Portishead) will resume at the times found at Bus routes and timetables from Monday 8th March.

Like the First Bus services we have agreed with Bakers Dolphin that we will remove the purchase of term passes and simply offer an academic year pass for the remainder of the 20/21 academic year. The pass will be valid from Monday 8th March to Friday 9th July 2021. These will be sold at £95.00 and are now available for purchase on the College shop.

As the Bakers services require you to show a physical Bakers Dolphin Bus Card for the week 8-12th March you will only need to show your college ID card, which will then give you sufficient time to collect your Bakers Dolphin Bus Card from one of our campus receptions. From Monday 15th March, you will have to show the driver a Bakers Dolphin Bus Card to use the service.

Weston College has won the prestigious Association of Colleges’ Beacon Inclusive Learning Leadership Award 2020-21. The College has been recognised for its achievements in creating outstanding results for students with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

The Association of Colleges’ Beacon Awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges each year. This award supported by The National Centre for Diversity seeks to recognise examples of colleges who champion and practice inclusive leadership.

Weston College won the award for its transformational approach, which has led to generating fantastic progression results for students with SEND, and also for creating an ethos which celebrates inclusive practice which has driven the College’s mission, strategic plan and ambitions for all its students, regardless of their starting point in life.

Since 2001, the College has completely transformed its ethos, to create a culture change from being an ‘FE provider with pockets of inclusion’ to a ‘fully inclusive organisation delivering FE’.

The organisational wide change to empower students from all backgrounds to achieve, has been driven by its Principal, Dr Paul Phillips who has created a visible and highly celebrated culture of inclusion with an ‘person centred’ approach to progression.

The whole college approach to ‘inclusive practice’ has ensured that SEND students achieve comparable outcomes to those who do not – this has also led to the College being recognised as one of three UK National SEND Centres of Excellence.

Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, commented:

“I am absolutely delighted that Weston College has been recognised with this fantastic award, it’s testament to the hard work of my amazing team, including the Inclusive Practice team led by Sam Mayhew.

“We’ve been quite a journey, if we rewind to 1981, the College had just eight learners with additional needs. Today, we are proud to have 1,316 SEND students, 511 of those with high needs undertaking a wide range of FE/HE courses, apprenticeships, and supported internships with 33% into employment, which compares to just. 6% nationally.

"The aspirational place that inclusive practice holds within the College’s strategic plan, was even more evident in lockdown, with the Inclusive Practice team, having co-designed the College’s EdTech strategy – seeing its aspiration for ‘digital inclusion’ realised with 91% SEND pandemic attendance as a result of the hugely successful #MyVirtualCollege roll out.”

Mark White, Interim Chair of AoC’s Charitable Trust said:

“The AoC Beacon Awards showcase exactly why colleges are so important to every community and why people value them. This award recognises examples of colleges who champion and practice inclusive leadership. The work of the winning college shows how colleges are adapting to diverse and changing markets and nurturing ideas and talent.”

Weston College has been named as the Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Provider of the Year for the third year in a row.

The awards were virtual this year, and were hosted by BBC personality, Ali Vowles. There were winners from across the region, as the hard work of apprentices, employers and training providers were recognised.

Weston College learners picked up prestigious awards too, with Harvey Castree (Outstanding Apprentice of the Year (Engineering, Manufacturing, Energy & Electrical) and Danny Gould-Dyer (Outstanding Apprentice of the Year (Health, Wellbeing, Care & Education) winning their categories.

The highlight of the evening was the Bristol & Bath Apprentice of the Year award which went to Harvey, for his fantastic work with his employer, GKN Aerospace.

This is further success for the Weston College Apprenticeship Team, with Leadership and Management apprentice, Dan Green, recently winning the Gloucestershire Apprentice of the Year.

The College delivers a range of apprenticeships from Level 2 to degree-level and works with many high-profile employers in the Bristol and Bath area, including the Ministry of Defence and GKN Aerospace and Royal United Hospitals Bath.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, said: “I am delighted that we have managed to win this award for the third year in a row, it really does showcase the amazing work that goes on in this College on a daily basis.

“Our team are once again bucking the national trend, creating new opportunities for our learners. Our apprentices are also having huge impacts on their businesses, and it is fantastic to see.

“I’m also delighted for our learners, as we had six apprentices make the finals, with both Harvey and Danny coming out victorious. Our learners show such a fantastic attitude to their studies and I am thrilled to see them performing so well in such a difficult period.”

Weston College is delighted to be invited to join the World Skills UK Innovation Network.

WorldSkills UK is an independent charity and a partnership between employers, education and governments. Their mission is to raise standards in apprenticeships and technical education so more young people get the best start in work and life. Traditionally this is done by offering learners additional training, through national and international competitions, alongside their studies, which also help to improve confidence and future potential.

Being part of this Network is a huge honour for the College and recognises its commitment to ensuring learners advance their vocational and technical skills to the highest level. As part of the Innovation Network the College will have access to:

• Tools and insights to enable it to see how its performance through competition activity compares with other colleges.
• Resources and exchange of good practice to support greater use of competition practice, across its curriculum.
• Insights into good practice from TVET activities in other WorldSkills nations to support the introduction of new techniques in curriculum practice.
• Exchanges and sessions with organisations/colleges, both nationally and internationally and Input from WorldSkills UK employers who are training to top of their game to support practices that raise standards and help meet employer needs.

Weston College has a long and successful track record in creating UK medal winners over the years at both local, national and international levels. For example, in 2019 (when the competitions last took place):

Zoe Clark, aged 17 (at the time of competing), previously from Gordano School, competed in Beauty Therapy where she was a national finalist.

Thomas Griffin, aged 19 (at the time of competing) previously from Broadoak Academy, competed in Web Design he’s was a national finalist and got through to the UK Squad selection process.

Joel Keen, aged 19 (at the time of competing), previously home schooled, competed in CNC Milling, he’s was a national finalist and got through to the UK Squad selection process.

Chloe Williams, aged 19 (at the time of competing), previously from King Alfred's school, competed in Beauty Therapy and successfully secured a place in the UK Squad, to compete in China later this year.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive, Weston College, commented: “We are delighted to be part of this Network and despite the pandemic, we are determined that students feel inspired to grow their skills to build excellence for themselves and the UK.

“We have so many talented students at the College and our goal is to ensure that their talent is nurtured and progressed so that they get the recognition they deserve.

“Our lockdown strategy is very much to continue to showcase excellence and champion the WorldSkills ethos in order to build back better. Being part of this Network will ensure we can access the very best resources for our students to sustain their levels of ambition and aspiration.”

Find out more:

• WorldSkills - Our successes
• Join us – Courses for 16-19 years olds

A skill-focused Esports BTEC qualification is now offered for the first time to students from institutions across the UK and around the world… and it’s here at Weston College from September 2021!

According to Newzoo, the esports industry is projected to generate revenues of $1 billion in 2020 with the total esports audience set to rise to 495m.

Now, the British Esports Association has partnered with global learning company Pearson to create the world's first qualification of its kind to give students a head start on their esports career.

Andy Payne, British Esports Association chair, said: "Esports is a growing, exciting industry that many young people are looking at with interest and it's important they have the opportunity to unlock their potential and be the leaders of tomorrow. The industry is still finding its feet, but with big names like Pearson coming on board to bring learning and curriculum design expertise, this bodes well for the future workforce.

"These qualifications are a unique development that can elevate esports education in the UK and around the world.

"We have taken our time to ensure the qualifications are as comprehensive and high quality as possible, in order to provide students with a valuable qualification that will give them the knowledge and skills they need to pursue a career in esports, video games, tech or other related sectors."

The new Level 3 esports qualification consists of 20 units, including enterprise and entrepreneurship, strategy and analysis, events management, live-streamed broadcasting, video production, shoutcasting, coaching, health and wellbeing, the law and legislation, computer networking and more. The qualifications will enable some learners to enter careers in the esports industry and for others it will offer an opportunity to upskill and progress their careers in event management and business.

The current global pandemic has propelled esports into the mainstream, with Premier League stars participating in competitive FIFA tournaments and F1 drivers regularly streaming iRacing on Twitch.

Streamers and pro players have become some of the highest earners in the entertainment industry and have amassed huge following amongst the Gen Z audience, resulting in the birth of esports degrees being offered at universities in the UK.

Mark 'Garvey' Candella, Director of Student and Education Programs at Twitch, added: "The BTEC in esports really addresses the core competencies needed for students to become empowered and confident young professionals in the gaming and esports industries. To meet students where they are and teach highly transferable and valuable emerging, new and digital media skills in an engaging way is the future."

Weston College is excited to be able to offer both the Level 2 and Level 3 in esports from September 2021 for school leavers eager to start their training for their future career. Find out more about the programmes on offer and how to apply here.

A Weston College Commis Chef Apprentice, Daniel, has been crowned apprentice of the year - beating competition from across the South West.

Daniel joined us on the Level 2 Commis Chef apprenticeship which covers preparing dishes using fresh and raw ingredients cooking meat, fish and poultry dishes, and other culinary skills such as making soups and sauces, either in specialist, ethnic or fine dining restaurants. The programme includes four days with an employer and one day at the College.

We asked Daniel about his experience of the apprenticeship “I would definitely recommend it, it’s a good experience and it’s great to earn money whilst learning your trade. It also shows you can put your knowledge into practical use having done it already. Giulio Ellis, owner of Guilio's Italian Kitchen, was very supportive, he helped source brilliant ingredients to work and experiment with, which I couldn't have accessed myself. I love being in the workplace, it’s been like having a second family and the masterclasses on my course are brilliant.”

Gemma Zaire, owner of Guilio's Italian Kitchen, recalled when Daniel began working at Giulio's, she said: "Daniel came to work with us a year ago when we first opened Giulio’s and we saw something special in him. We asked him if he would like the opportunity to be an apprentice to learn to be a chef, he jumped at the chance. At first, Daniel needed a lot of guidance and help but within a matter of months he has become one of our most valued members of staff."

“Daniel has taken to the catering industry like a duck to water. When speaking with his employer they have nothing but great things to say about his positive attitude, his attention to detail and his ability to work well under pressure. At Guilio's Italian Kitchen, the busier it gets during service, the more they rely on Daniel's cool head.As his assessor, I always find we end up talking about recipes, and different styles of food, what cookbooks we're reading and different chefs or restaurants we're interested in. Daniel is about to turn 18, but he speaks like someone who has been working in the industry for many years who is always keen to try something new and challenge himself, said Grant Spenser, Assessor, Weston College.

Daniel was put forward for the award and was crowned Outstanding Apprentice of the Year in Hospitality, Travel and Customer Service in the contest hosted by both Bristol and Bath Live on 2nd December 2020.

Sandra Bull, Dean of Faculty, Weston College said: “We are very proud of Daniel and pleased that his achievements have been recognised nationally.

“If someone is thinking about a career where they can be creative, have fun, but work hard, then catering is definitely a sector where that can happen.

“There are lots of young people out there just like Daniel, all they need is an opportunity, someone to give them a chance and support them to be their best. The relationship that the College has with an employer like Guilio's Italian Kitchen is a good example of the success that a young person can have when they are given the right support. The pandemic has hit the hospitality and catering industry, but our apprentices are still learning and the employers are temporarily adapting their business models to succeed. It’s an exciting time and we look forward to a time when we can once again sit in and enjoy dinning out.”

Join us on a hospitality and catering course:

• Courses for 16-19 years olds
• Adult courses
• Find an open event