LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
There is always so much going on across our various campuses and courses.
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This week marked the official opening of Weston College’s Health and Active Living Skills Centre. The multi-million flagship facility is based at the College’s Loxton Campus and is set to inspire and educate new generations of students to enter the health and active sectors.
The grand opening was marked by an event held at the Centre, where key industry and community figures were invited to hear how the facility had been devised through a partnership approach. The audience heard from Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive, Weston College, Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor, Pat Lam, Director of Rugby, Bristol Bears and Robert Woolley, Chief Executive, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.
The guests were then treated to a tour of the facility from students including skills demonstrations in the simulation room and science laboratories.
The aim of the bespoke facility is to provide learners with knowledge of the healthcare and sport sectors as well as vital industry skills. The centre brings together the College’s health and social care, sports therapy and active living courses into one facility, which will benefit students, businesses and the wider community.
It features a state-of-the-art training hospital ward, science laboratories, a full size 3G pitch, a full size rugby pitch, a multi-gym and a sports hall. Dr Paul Phillips, CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This outstanding new training centre is the latest step in our drive to provide students with the very best learning facilities and resources.
“We have worked with key business partners to ensure that the Health and Active Living Skills Centre will tackle the current skills shortage in the sector and address the longer-term issues that affect our health service and the health of the local population.”
The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority contributed £5.4 million towards the project.
Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor, said: “With so many leading sports teams and top notch medical facilities in the West of England to inspire people, I’m pleased that Weston College’s new centre will be able to give those people the skills they need to start and progress their careers right here in the West of England.”
Prof Steve West, Chair of the West of England LEP, said: “We need to train more people for future careers in our hospitals and community services - this new skills centre will improve the quality of care and improve people’s lives. With more highly qualified professionals, and with people trained in a wider range of disciplines, people will be better cared for.”
Marcus Banks from Clevedon is seen receiving an award from Professor Iwan Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Bangor University. Marcus previously studied the Animal Management BTEC Extended Diploma at College and is now studying Zoology with Herpetology at Bangor University. He was awarded an Excellence Scholarship, and received a cheque of £3500.
SCHOLARSHIP winners at Bangor University received their prizes at the annual Entrance Scholarship Presentation evening recently.
A total of 124 awards totalling almost £290,000 were awarded to new first year students. The majority were receiving Scholarship awards after excelling in the University’s own Entrance Scholarship exams, or for their high academic achievement in their A Level exams or equivalent.
“Our scholarship awards mean that we’re able to recognise and reward those who either excel in our entrance scholarship examinations, or achieve the highest academic attainment upon entry” said Amanda Smith, Marketing Manager, Bangor University.
“We're really keen to attract the best calibre students to Bangor University and to support those students as far as possible,” she added.
Bangor University - ranked Top 10 in the UK for student satisfaction - has over £3.4M in bursaries and scholarships available for new and returning students in September 2020.
"The College Animal Management team are very proud of Marcus for achieving this award and we are sure that Marcus will have a bright future in the zoology profession. We are also grateful to Bangor University for recognising the hard work and dedication that went into achieving such an excellent grade profile and we are sure that this news will inspire our current students to continue aiming for high grades" said Maxine Park, Access to Higher Education and Animal Management Subject Area Manager.
Find out more:
- Animal management course at Weston College
- The next open event at Weston College
- Scholarship opportunities at Bangor University
Weston College has been shortlisted for three major apprenticeship awards at the national AAC Apprenticeship Awards.
The FE Week and AELP AAC Apprenticeship Awards celebrate excellence in apprenticeship delivery in the UK.
Weston College has been shortlisted in three categories:
- Digital Apprenticeship Provider of the Year
- Promoting Apprenticeships Campaign of the Year
- Overall Apprenticeships Provider of the Year
This accolade demonstrates the College’s dedication to working with employers and industry; it currently works with over 2,500 business and delivers over 50 different apprenticeships.
This announcement is the latest in a string of highly impressive accolades received in 2019, with the most recent seeing the College named Lloyds Bank’s National Employer of the Year.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, said: “This is fantastic recognition of the hard work we put into our apprenticeship delivery.
“At Weston College we are committed to producing as many opportunities for our learners as possible. We are playing an important role in creating the workforce of tomorrow, working closely with employers and learners, to ensure our offer is meeting everyone’s needs.
“To be recognised for the specialist area of digital apprenticeships demonstrates our strength in this sector, as we also embark on the Digital T Level and the Institute of Technology in 2020.
“To be a finalist in the Promoting Apprenticeships Campaign of the Year recognises our innovative approach to marketing apprenticeships to schools and the wider community.
“And to be shortlisted nationally for overall apprenticeship provision, truly showcases the exceptional work of Weston College staff, and further cements why we are creating brighter futures.”
Managing director of FE Week publisher Lsect Shane Mann said: “Nominations were up by 20 per cent this year, which is great and shows there is a real appreciation across the sector for celebrating individuals and organisations.”
He said the judging panel, which included representatives such as CocaCola’s Sharon Blyfield and chair of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network Jason Holt, found it “incredibly tough” to decide the finalists.
The winners will be announced on the 3rd March 2020, in Birmingham.
Weston College catering learners have had the opportunity to pick the brains of one of the world’s top chefs.
Marco Pierre White visited the College’s Grove Restaurant and Kitchen this week for a question and answer session with learners.
Marco was interviewed by Matthew, a Commis Chef Apprentice, and Josh, currently studying the Professional Cookery Award. Among a series of searching questions, they asked what it was like be a world-renowned chef, about his industry experience and for some top tips.
Matthew also asked Marco to name the strangest combination of food he has tasted.
“I’m a classicalist – I don’t like strange combos,” answered Marco. “I like salt and vinegar, cheese and onion – who wants salmon with liquorish?!
“In my opinion the more you do to food the more you take away from the food. I believe that, as chefs progress, dishes become simpler because they start to have confidence in themselves. So, have confidence in yourself.”
Marco shared an inspirational story about leaving Allerton High School in Leeds without any qualifications. After deciding to train as a chef, he began working in the kitchen at the Hotel St George in Harrogate, before moving to the Box Tree in Ilkley.
Arriving in London as an 19-year-old with “£7.36, a box of books and a bag of clothes”, Marco began his classical training as a commis chef under Albert Roux and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche – one of the UK’s top restaurants.
Aged just 24, he and a business partner opened their own restaurant – Harveys – and, nine years later, he became the first British chef and, at the time, the youngest chef be awarded three Michelin stars.
During these years, Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and a host of now well-known chefs all benefitted from his tutelage. These include Bryn Williams, Matt Tebbutt, Robert Reid, Thierry Busset, Jason Atherton and James Stocks.
Josh asked if Marco had any advice for those coming to the end of their course.
Marco said: “Trust people around you, work as a team and stay focussed. Take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you.
“You may have to make personal sacrifices to achieve your dream so don’t look back and have regrets. The more you work the quicker you learn; the more you invest, the more you will take back.
“Knowledge is key, so find a chef who can teach and inspire you.”
Matthew, who hopes to open his own restaurant one day, appreciated the opportunity to attend the inspirational event.
He said: “It was great to speak with Marco. It was interesting to hear his thoughts about the creation of dishes and his honesty about how tough the job can be. “It’s great that the college have the contacts to give us this opportunity and the guest chef masterclasses we benefit from as part of our course.”
If you’re interested in a front-of-house or chef course:
An adult learner at Weston College has been recognised for the exemplary standard of his work on a HR management course.
Phil Davies, HR advisor, has now completed the Level 5 Intermediate Certificate in HR Management and won the CIPD Student of the Year Award 2019 (West of England Branch) at the CIPD People Management Awards. The awards celebrate and reward the outstanding achievements and contributions made by HR and Learning and Development professionals.
The 2019 winners were announced at a ceremony at the UWE Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Diane Steer, a Lecturer in HR at Weston College, said: “Phil was nominated for the award because his work was consistently of an exemplary standard. He is an outstanding learner who always contributed to class discussions and debates and was able to relate theory to his own practice. He is a credit to the HR profession.”
The College’s Level 5 Intermediate Certificate in Human Resource Management is a one-year course that’s studied one evening a week. It covers a range of units including developing professional practice; business issues and the context of HR; using information in HR; employment law; resourcing and talent planning; reward management.
Phil said: “I’m proud to have achieved a formal qualification that recognises and validates my years of practical HR experience. Many thanks to my employer for supporting and encouraging me and to my lecturers at Weston College who skilfully guided me in my studies."
Helen George, the College’s Dean of Professional Studies, said: “This is the second time a College Level 5 CIPD learner has won a CIPD Student of the Year Award. This is a real credit to both the excellent learners and staff here at Weston College. We are very proud of Phil and this his achievements.”
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Update 20 November 2019
University Centre Weston (UCW) and Weston College graduate Henry Green has been named as the Association of Colleges (AoC) Higher Education Student of the Year runner-up. He was presented with a certificate to commemorate his success at the International Conference Centre, Birmingham, on Tuesday (19 November) evening.
A Weston College and University Centre Weston (UCW) graduate is in the running to win the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Higher Education Student of the Year Award.
Henry Green has made the final three for the prize, and will find out if he wins when the winner is announced during the annual AoC conference in mid-November.
Henry, from Burnham-on-Sea, completed the Level 2 Extended Certificate and Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Travel and Tourism at Weston College before progressing to a Foundation Degree in Tourism Management and Top-up Degree in Business Management with Sustainability at UCW.
The 22-year-old graduated this summer with an upper second class (2:1) honours degree having impressed his lecturers throughout his time at Weston College and UCW.
As well as being a dedicated and popular student, Henry was nominated for the award in recognition of his achievements whilst having a diagnosis of autism.
He took every opportunity to make the most out of his studies, including attending trips to the United States and Belgium and working as a student ambassador at open days and other events.
He also discussed how to support students on the autism spectrum during staff development sessions, and even took the time to speak to students on UCW’s Inclusive Practice Degree about how they too could develop their professional practice.
Henry also undertook a number of work placements as part of his studies, including at Weston’s Helicopter Museum, and has written articles about autism for a number of publications.
He said: “Weston College provided me with a positive and encouraging environment, this helped me to achieve all of the things that I did. The most important thing about my time at Weston College is that it gave me self-belief, I mostly struggled to mix with my peers and lacked confidence in my own abilities.
“I have been very lucky to be surrounded by the right people who have helped me along the way, and I hope achieving my degree encourages other people with disabilities that they can too.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey, so being considered for an award at the end of it is a welcome surprise.” Dr Paul Phillips CBE, the Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, added: “Henry is a humble young man who does not appreciate how inspiring he is to those around him.
“He won a UCW Faculty Student of the Year award last year and we will all be keeping our fingers crossed that he wins this AoC prize as well.
“He is a wonderful example of someone who has met the challenges of life head on and would be a very worthy winner.”
Henry’s shortlisting is the latest in a number of successes for Weston College at the AoC Awards, with the organisation having recently won prizes for its dedication to improving learner mental health and wellbeing and to recognise its commitment to supporting students with learning difficulties and disabilities.
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Our Health and Social Care students can now practise clinical procedures under lifelike conditions thanks to the arrival of four new residents at the new Health and Active Living Skills Centre.
The state-of-the-art medical mannequins – known as ‘Nursing Anne’ and produced by Laerdal – are the latest addition to the new centre’s impressive simulation hospital ward.
It is the first nursing simulator to cover every aspect of modern nursing education, from basic assessments and critical thinking to advanced interventions. These interactive dummies will allow students to train for the multitude they could encounter in an actual hospital ward.
As well as looking lifelike, the dummies can be programmed to say specific phrases and react to learners’ actions in order to improve team performance within a risk-free environment. Learners can also take temperatures, and blood pressure and heart readings from the dummies, and observe vital signs using the monitors.
All of these can be operated remotely for realistic emergency simulations for assessment situations.
Darren, from Laerdal, who provided training for staff to use the simulators, added: “The aim here is to improve healthcare education and build a safe place to practically practise and troubleshoot, which is imperative before applying skills to a real person.
“These sophisticated simulators are more than just plastic. Compared to the older dummies, these provide a more realistic interaction for students which gives them a better representation of a real-life situation.”
Click here for more information on the Nursing Anne Simulators
Click here for more information on the Health and Active Living Skills Centre
Click here for more information on Health and Social Care courses
Blog by Simon Werkshagen – Head of Commercial Construction Training and Logistics Centre
Weston College’s Construction Training Centre (CTC) has been open for almost three months now and (touch wood!) everything has so far gone to plan.
Footfall from day one has been tremendous, with hundreds of industry workers making use of the new facilities for various practical and class-based training. (By the way, if you haven’t yet heard about the CTC, take a look at my previous two blogs here and here.)
Our scaffolding training, which is run in partnership with Simian, has proved hugely popular. We’ve also just been awarded Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) accreditation for delivery of Level 1, 2 and Advanced Scaffolder courses. This means we can deliver an ever-expanding range of courses required for workers to gain these industry-standard cards and qualifications.
In terms of plant training, the centre’s also been accredited as an awarding body for widely recognised NPORS qualifications, and we’ll shortly be inspected by CPCS, which will – hopefully – lead to us being given accreditation to run those courses too. Following these approvals, plant operations training will be available from August – you can book your place now.
Aside from enabling us to provide industry-recognised courses, these accreditations also act as seals of approval for our new facility and help enhance its reputation among the wider construction industry.
On a similar theme, we’ve also been hosting weekly ‘business breakfasts’, which are essentially informal meetings with groups of employers and prospective learners. As well as allowing us show off the new centre, these events help us forge new partnerships with organisations and businesses operating in the construction industry and promote courses among employers.
With plant courses due to start, this area of training has been top of the agenda recently and, last month, myself and colleagues from our Weston-based partner, Plantforce, attended the PlantWorx trade show in Peterborough.
Aside from the dreadful weather it was an outstanding event, which enabled us to build contacts, and forge some, potentially, very exciting relationships.
As someone who has long been fascinated by the use of technology in plant operations, I was also thrilled to get the opportunity to try out an excavator training simulator.
And, as I used this impressive piece of equipment to perform various tasks around the virtual construction site, I realised that there’s a gap in the market for a new training course.
At present, you can take a basic excavator course and earn your beginners ‘ticket’ – or licence – the following week. However, this will not guarantee you to work on a ‘tier 1’ contract (directly for a client), which requires significantly more expertise in operating the equipment.
By providing simulated training after the basic course, we can bridge the gap that currently exists, by teaching people how to use the various pieces of technology that are required for higher level contracts.
To cut a long story short, our ‘Site-ready Operator’ course has now been finalised and due to be delivered in the centre’s new simulator suite.
If you’d like to find out more about the Construction Training Centre, visit www.contruction-training-centre.co.uk or please drop me an email (simon.werkshagen@weston.ac.uk) or give me a call on 01934 421266.
The Enterprise4U final took place on Wednesday 27th March at Weston College. The event is an excellent example of how schools, Weston College and local businesses work together to raise the aspirations of young people.
Over the last few months, teams of young people have been developing ideas for a new business with the support of school staff, business and enterprise consultants Jane Dickson and Bernie Richardson and staff from Weston College. During the final, learners shared their business plans, hosted a trade stand, displayed their prototypes and presented their ideas to a panel of judges. Learners excelled in their presentations and displayed confidence in answering the judge’s questions. Selecting the winners was a difficult decision for the judges and after much deliberation the following prizes were awarded by the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Weston-super-Mare, Councillor Martin Williams & Mrs Brenda Charles.
Best Business Plan - Worle Community School
Best Trade Stand - Churchill Academy
Best Presentation - Hans Price Academy
Overall winner and winner of the Tony Smith Enterprise Award - Priory Community School
All winners received an E4U Trophy and vouchers. The overall winners will also get to visit the University Centre Weston for a tour of the facilities and to present their business ideas to a Business Lecturer.
Well done to all the learners that took part in the process of E4U. Learners demonstrated commitment, maturity and an in depth passion for the event. The Weston E4U Schools’ Business Challenge showcases the entrepreneurial and business skills of young people in Weston.
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.
