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.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Weston College has won the FE leader of the year at the annual TES FE Awards 2019.
In his 18 years at the helm of Weston College, Dr Paul Phillips has directed a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes. The judges commended Phillips for the proven impact of his leadership which has been sustained over time.
Turnover at the College has increased from £9 million when he joined in 2001 to more than £63 million in 2016-17 – making it one of the 10 biggest colleges in England.
He has personally championed social mobility for all, including raising standards across prison education in the South West.
Weston College will launch their new adult course guide at the Festival of Learning on Saturday (15th June). The course guide is packed full of courses to help you add to your CV, change career or gain the qualifications you need to apply for university.
The courses are flexible (class-based, distance or online), allowing you to study around other commitments and get ahead of the competition. If you’re looking for advice, College staff will be on hand to tell you what’s on offer, help you enrol, offer career advice and help with your CV.
You could even learn an exciting new hobby. The 2019/20 adult course guide includes courses on 3D printing, blacksmithing, milling and turning, VR and game creation, computer coding, tackling garden projects, carpentry, car maintenance, 3D drawing, cake decorating and forestry skills … the opportunities are endless!
Pick up your copy at the Festival of Learning on Saturday 15th June at the Winter and Italian Gardens between 11am and 3pm. Find out more about the Festival of Leaning.
Can’t make it to the Festival of Learning?
On Saturday 15th June our website will be updated with all the latest part-time courses. Here, you can find the course that is right for you by searching for keywords or browsing the new categories:
- Change career
- Advance career
- Employers
- Get a degree
- Get into work
- Health & wellbeing
- Online Learning
- New hobby.
Amongst everything that’s on offer, we’ve chosen our five favourite things that will be at the ‘We Are Weston’ Freshers’ Fayre 2019. So, in no particular order, here they are…
It's not always "the most wonderful time of the year". In a time full of festive joy, Christmas can be a difficult time for those dealing with mental health problems. In order to help and support those in need, we've compiled a useful list of articles and health services that can help over the Christmas holidays.
The College’s library service beat off tough UK competition to scoop a Best National Practice Award for its unique level of technical support.
The Council for Learning Services in College (ColRiC) judges chose Weston College’s LibraryPlus-based and cost-free ‘TechGenius’ service for its service interaction.
Technology and Library Team Leader Jon Hofgartner said: “This is brilliant news. TechGenius was set up by Learning Technologist Louise Hutson with Foundation Degree Computing students gaining work experience by helping others with computer, tablet, laptop, PC and phone glitches.
“Around eight TechGeniuses rotate campuses offering general technical advice – from help setting up new phones to support with any computing device.”
Foundation Degree Computing student and TechGenius support Ryan Prescott, 20, of Ashcombe Road, Weston, said: “Weston College provided us with a great opportunity to work on a real help desk. We hope winning this award will bring more recognition to the TechGenius program and look forward to helping more people.”
Chair of CoLRiC, Margaret Phillips, said: “CoLRiC launched these awards as we are convinced there are many unsung heroes in Libraries making a truly magnificent difference to learners. We have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of the entries and the commitment given by staff to the service and their institutions.”
In the last three years the College’s Library Service has invested over £1 million and now has 22 staff.
Service Head of Executive Lead Quality and Learning, Claire Bushell, explained: “ Three years ago the college started from scratch to create state-of-the-art learning facilities on all campuses which are vibrant, office-free spaces where students study, discuss, think and create in a relaxed and welcoming environment.
“We have nearly 200 computers, laptops, tablets, cameras and Kindles and technologically-confident accessible staff who support students. There are also quiet spaces and times.
“It’s wonderful our students are integral to winning this national award. The feedback we get from library users is incredibly positive and it’s now a very valued resource.”
On April 28th Jisc is set to hold a Learning Technology Forum at LibraryPlus on Knightstone’s campus.
It will be an opportunity for education professionals across the region to tap into the latest teaching and learning technology resources.
The College is also organising its first ever Technology Enhanced Learning Conference at Knightstone’s campus on July 9th which is open to anyone in Secondary, Further and Higher Education.
Claire added: “The conference is an exciting first for us with a range of sessions from developing technology enhanced learning with social media and of course TechGenius.”
Weston College student Fahma Mohamed was invited to 10 Downing Street last week (Thursday 14th) to meet David Cameron as part of his community engagement forum.
Fahma, 19, who is currently enrolled on an Access to Higher Education course at the College, was questioned by the Prime Minister on Muslim women’s issues in British society.
The Prime Minister was keen to find out what it means to be a Muslim female in Britain today and learn about the issues of empowerment, segregation and isolation that Muslim women face.
In a Sunday Times article after the meeting, David Cameron called Fahma a brilliant Muslim women’s role model.
“I heard great examples of so many women who are flourishing in our country,” he wrote, while raising the issue that some Muslim women are forced into gender segregation, discrimination and social isolation from mainstream British life.
Mr Cameron said it was time to be "more assertive about our liberal values, more clear about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers."
In a Facebook post following the meeting, Fahma commented that she enjoyed meeting the Prime Minister and was glad that he was listening to the voices of British Muslim women.
Fahma is a junior trustee of Integrate Bristol, a charity that was set up to help with the integration of young people who have arrived in Britain from other cultures. She is the eldest of nine children and moved to Britain when she was seven when her parents fled war-torn Somalia.
In 2014, she rose to international fame after creating a petition seeking to put education at the heart of tackling female genital mutilation, which became one of the fastest-growing ever seen on change.org and was signed by nearly 250,000 people.
The petition drew the attention of the then UK Education Secretary Michael Gove, who praised Fahma’s “inspirational” campaign and ensured that the Department for Education wrote to all schools about female genital mutilation and provided materials for teachers to tackle the subject.
She also met the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and who promised to use the influence of the United Nations to ensure that the campaign, backed by the Guardian newspaper, received global attention.
Weston College is widely known as an outstanding provider of education, but it also has been successfully changing the face of Weston-super-Mare for decades by transforming underused and unloved buildings into award-winning facilities.
Take a look at the below images to see how the College has changed over the years, and find out about the many successful building projects it has completed…
Knightstone Campus
Opened in 1970, the College’s Knightstone Campus was the first College building to be constructed. Built in a typically brutalist style, the College has invested significantly over the years to modernise the building, creating a new entrance atrium in 1998.
Before
After
Loxton Campus
The College’s second campus, which includes its Sixth Form Centre, was built on the site of the former Broadoak Sixth Form College. The site was renovated and reopened in 2008.
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After
South West Skills Campus
The South West Skills Campus started life as Bushacre Business park. The College moved into the former Clarks shoe factory initially, and as provision grew the site expanded into the roadside industrial units and Renault garage. This renovation earned the College a nomination for two building excellence awards.
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After
Weston College Conference Centre
Built in 1892, the Hans Price-designed Conference Centre was refurbished from a derelict state in 2012, winning the Somerset Trust ‘Building of the Year’ award and earning a nomination for an English Heritage Angel Award in the process.
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After
Law and Professional Services Academy
Weston College bought the former Arosfa Hotel in January 2016 and spent millions of pounds on much-needed renovation work to the row of Victorian terraced houses. The building opened for teaching and student accommodation in September the same year.
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After
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Winter Gardens Pavilion
The College reopened the Winter Gardens Pavilion to the public in September 2018. The public now benefits from updated facilities, a new modern British restaurant and a new cafe.
Click here for more before and after pictures of the Winter Gardens Pavilion.
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The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Joint Committee has agreed £8.7 million in funding for two Weston College projects.
UPDATE TO ARTICLE – Both brand new facilities have since opened. Click here to visit our facilities page.
The College will now be able to create two new centres which will focus on teaching skills in key priority sectors for the West of England.
£3.3 million will be put towards creating an Construction Training Centre, and a further £5.4 million will go towards creating a Health and Active Living Skills Centre. These new centres will address a number of skills shortages in the local area, as well as creating jobs and benefitting businesses. The Health and Active Living Skills Centre will be community-focused and seek to improve health and wellbeing across Weston and North Somerset.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This announcement confirms our intention to now enhance construction skills, health, wellbeing and fitness across North Somerset.
“Our facilities, including the Winter Gardens and university centre development will provide state of the art learning and resources across a range of qualification levels and sectors, meaning that local people will benefit from unprecedented access to learning opportunities including degrees.
“These new centres will give us the complete resources to meet the growing demand for these skills across the region, particularly in terms of Hinkley Point C.”
This announcement comes at the end of a successful month for Weston College, which saw its higher education provision, University Centre Weston, graded Gold under the Teaching Excellence Framework – putting it above many Russell Group universities and among the top 20% of university-level education providers in the country and on par with Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor, said: “Through the Local Growth Fund the Joint Committee can approve projects that will deliver much needed infrastructure. North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the wider region will benefit from these projects approved today to improve skills in engineering, construction and health.”
Professor Steve West, Interim Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Approval for these projects show that we can work together to make the West an attractive option for business and industry. These are important steps in ensuring that we have the right skills in the right sectors coming through for the long term.”
So your secondary education is coming to an end and you're faced with many choices...
Different people learn in different ways, and some may choose to stay on at a local sixth form. For the majority of local school leavers, Weston College is a popular option due to the diverse range of courses and wanting to experience a fresh environment with a lively and exciting atmosphere as well.
If you're considering College but are unsure about how it compares to school, read on!
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.
