Every year, around 14,000 military personnel leave the forces.

Many will have worked ‘hands-on’, operating in challenging, high-pressured settings that demand teamwork, leadership and project management skills.

When you consider these qualities are also in great demand within the construction industry, it suggests a natural fit for many ex-servicemen and women, who often struggle to find suitable employment when they leave the forces.

The case is even more compelling when you consider that, by 2021, the construction sector will need to find 157,000 new recruits to keep pace with demand – according to The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

But while logic is undeniable, comparatively few military personnel make the transition to a construction career. One of the main reasons is that not enough is being done to ex-servicemen aware of the opportunities available.

The construction sector offers huge choice in terms of the roles and career paths available – particularly to those who already possess the fundamental qualities required.

This particularly applies to the Somerset and Bristol area, which will be home to a number of nationally significant developments over the next decade.

Currently, over 26,000 people are employed in the building and construction trades in the West of England – and this figure is set to rise by 14% by 2020.

The biggest growth will be in the plumbing and electrical installation sectors, which will see a big boost due to projects such as Hinkley Point C and the electrification of the main train lines between London and Bristol.

And Weston College is in a prime position to enable former military personnel to adapt the abilities they’ve honed in the forces, fill these skills gaps and start on the path to a rewarding and successful career in construction.

Firstly, our facilities are second to none.

In April we opened our state-of-the-art Construction Training Centre – a purpose-built facility that provides specialist training in plant operations, groundworks, scaffolding, forklifting and logistics.

We also boast the South West Skills Campus. This is a high-technology centre with classrooms, workshops and labs that offer industry-standard equipment to give you the hands-on experience you’ll need to progress into the industry.

And our construction-related courses provide the perfect opportunity for ex-servicemen to re-train, with clearly defined career paths and progression routes, whatever your level of knowledge and experience.

As well as those offered at the Construction Training Centre, programmes range from bricklaying and DIY to construction in the built environment, engineering and carpentry – at a variety of levels.

The College also offer the industry-standard health and training courses that everyone working on a construction site needs – including the H&S Awareness and CSCS Labourer Card.

We have outstanding links with construction businesses throughout the region and beyond, which gives you a head-start in the employment market once you’ve finished your training.

And we understand how daunting it can be to take your career in a different direction. That’s why our outstanding staff are always on hand to give you the support, advice and guidance you need to make an informed decision about course and career path that suits you.

One of our former students, Kevin, chose to retrain as a plasterer after leaving the army and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He says the support and guidance of staff helped turn his life around and allowed him to start his own plastering business, which also raises money for injured army personnel.

Kevin said: “I’d always struggled academically and suffered a number of problems after leaving the army, so it was a huge achievement for me to gain this qualification. Weston College has helped me move on and I can’t thank the staff enough.”

You can take a closer look at our courses and facilities on the construction section of our website, or the dedicated Construction Training Centre site. You can also apply for any of our construction courses straight away through these websites.

If you have any questions, call 01934 411 411 or drop us a message.

We always love to hear about the fantastic accomplishments our alumni achieve.

Art & Design learners were recently visited by ex-students who are now studying arts at prestigious universities.

All three of these ex students studied the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design and visited current students to inform them first hand about the benefits of staying on and completing this unique course. Scroll down to read what they had to say!

Peter Misson, 50, of Locking Road, was reluctant to come on the Changes course - aimed at those making the transition from Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance - because he suffers from dyslexia and hasn’t worked for a long time.

But after completing the course at the College’s Training Solutions in Locking Road, Peter has now gone on to a higher course and hopes either to enter employment or full-time education.

“I didn’t want to come on the course at all,” he said, “because I felt I wasn’t good around people and found it hard to engage. But after just two weeks I found my attitude had changed tremendously. I always thought I’d struggle in groups, but the others on the course, and the staff, were fantastic to be with.”

Peter, a former warehouse manager, said the Weston College staff had been ‘very understanding’, which had given him the confidence to think he could break out of the benefits cycle.

“They helped me to realise that I was capable of being around people and actually enjoy that,” he said. “I’ve now got my CV up together, plus a covering letter, and I’m thinking about a much brighter future.”

Changes is a four week course focusing on several areas including IT, Healthy Eating, Employability Skills and volunteering. The course culminates with an event the participants organise themselves.

Peter has now gone on to the College’s Aspire course, which teaches employability skills. “Weston College has changed my life,” he said. “I feel much more confident and I’ve really surprised myself.”

Laura Leadbetter, Peter’s Trainer Assessor on the Changes course, said his story was just one of a number of similar transformational stories resulting from the course.

“Some of the learners have been off work a long time, and have suffered from various illnesses which have kept them away from work. However, there has been a tremendous amount of positivity around Changes and because we treat people as individuals we find we get excellent results, as with Peter. He enjoyed the course so much he asked if he could do it again!

“We wish him all the best of luck for his future.”

Cornish pasties have provided students from Weston College with an insight into waste management.

Students on the Foundation Degree in Public and Environmental Health recently went on a field trip to Cornwall where they visited the Ginsters production site in Callington and discovered how waste generated from making 140,000,000 pasties and other pastry products each year is managed.

The students met with Mark Bartlett, the Environment Manager for Ginsters, and found out that while the site has huge potential to generate waste this is mitigated by a number of projects on site to minimise waste.

“What is most remarkable about this site is it is a Zero to Land Fill site,” said David Lown, Course Coordinator, Public and Environmental Health, at Weston College.

“There are many stories in the media about food waste so it is particularly beneficial for students to see such a good example of best practice in reducing waste and protecting the environment.”

Ginsters recycle 300 tonnes of cardboard and 100 tonnes of plastic each year, and the students were given a tour of the recycling plant and water treatment plant.

They were also shown the water treatment plant, and heard how each tonne of food product manufactured at Ginsters requires up to -four tonnes of water, making the water treatment plant an important cost effective facility.

The students heard that, despite the various methods on site to reduce food waste, Ginsters still generates 21,000 tonnes of food waste each year.

However, this is not wasted as it is used in an Anaerobic Digester where bacteria convert it into renewable electricity and fertilizer. The remaining 487 tonnes of waste that cannot be reused, recycled or bio-digested are sent to the Energy from Waste Plant in Avonmouth, Bristol, to generate yet more energy.

This was the fifth visit by Public and Environmental Health students at Weston College to the Ginsters site.

The field trip also included visits to the Eden Project to look at on-site health and safety, and to the National Trust property of Lanhydrock where they considered fire safety in a Victorian Country House.

They also looked at the environmental impacts from Wainwrights quarry near Frome, and undertook some field work monitoring water quality on Wembury beach in Devon.

A University Centre Weston (UCW) student will graduate this weekend despite having suffered from throat cancer for much of the academic year.

John Byrne kept up with his studies while receiving treatment for the disease and has now earned a BSc (Hons) degree in Counselling.

Along with more than 500 other UCW graduates, he will receive his degree at a ceremony at the Conference Centre in Weston on Saturday (24th September).  

The 51-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in November and immediately underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and complications made him so unwell that he was put on a life support machine for ten days.

Thankfully, John is now well on the road to recovery having been in remission since March.

He said: “I was doing my reading for the course and working on a laptop in hospital because I didn’t want the cancer to take my degree away from me.

“At times it seemed like an impossible task, but I received so much support from my family and friends and everyone at UCW that I was determined to keep going.

“I’m so pleased that I will be able to graduate as planned with everyone else on my course.”

John was unable to attend lectures due to stays in the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Weston General Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

So his lecturers on the degree, which is delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University, provided course materials and feedback to help him persevere.

UCW Counselling lecturer Barbara Feldtkeller said: “John has been such an inspiration to the tutor team at UCW and his peers on the course, I hope he has a really enjoyable and memorable day on Saturday.

“His diagnosis a few weeks into the beginning of the programme came as a shock to all of us, but he was determined to carry on, so we just kept supporting him.”

John, who grew up in London, earned further education qualifications from Weston College before enrolling on a two-year higher education Foundation Degree with UCW in 2013.

He now plans to study for a Master’s degree in Counselling after completing the one-year top-up to earn full Honours.

24% of UCW students graduating with full Honours have earned First Class degrees, and the overall pass rate is 94%.

Of the students on the BSc (Hons) Applied Computing course, which is delivered in partnership with UWE Bristol, 47% will graduate with First Class Honours.

In the past, apprenticeships have been shunned in favour of other academic routes such as A Levels and university…

Now they are being recognised as a competitive alternative to traditional classroom-based study. They offer students the chance to enter into an industry, achieve nationally-recognised qualifications, and at the same time earn a wage and gain relevant work experience.

Weston College works with over 1,400 employers in the Bristol area to deliver 70 different apprenticeships, so we’re very familiar with the reasons why people choose to become an apprentice over other methods of studying.

Here are some of the top reasons our current apprentices give for choosing apprenticeships…

It can work out cheaper for the same qualifications

Many people are choosing apprenticeships because they offer great value for money compared to classroom-based study. With the new higher-level apprenticeships, you can even study a for a degree at the same time as gaining relevant work experience and earning a wage. Most of the time, an apprenticeship is paid for by the Government or the employer, however if this isn’t the case there are generous incentives such as the Advanced Learner Loan you can take advantage of.

You get more choice with the things you learn

Apprenticeships give people a lot of choice when it comes to choosing the skills they are taught, and apprenticeship training providers like Weston College will match prospective apprentices with relevant employers to ensure that they will enter in an industry they’re interested in and are appropriate for them. Our apprentices are offered career advice and support from our experienced commercial recruitment team to maximise our apprentices’ chances of success.

Apprenticeships lead to jobs most of the time

A major benefit of an apprenticeship over classroom-based study is the fact you’ll go straight into employment and gain highly-relevant work experience. Entering straight into the industry allows you to establish yourself within a business and gain the sector-specific skills employers are looking for. As a result of this, 90% of our apprentices are offered permanent positions at the end of their course.

It can still lead to uni and career progression

Once you’ve finished your apprenticeship and gained employment, you’ll have the option of progressing onto further study, an apprenticeship at a higher level, or specialising in an area of your industry. A lot of our apprenticeship subjects are taught at a variety of levels, so you may be able to study with us right up to degree-level.

All the benefits of being a student and having a job

So, apprenticeships enable people to achieve nationally-recognised qualifications, earn a wage, and gain skills – but there are many other benefits too… As well as benefitting from being an employee of your company, you’ll be able to enjoy access to the facilities your apprentice training provider offers. Weston College’s apprentices benefit from students’ union membership, NUS cards, a subsidised bus pass, access to our award-winning facilities and sports academies, and support and guidance from our dedicated teams.

Could you join the Weston College team as a teacher in training?

Weston College is looking for graduates to join its teaching team in a number of subject areas...

All of these roles are salaried at £23k-£25k per year, and include a generous holiday allowance, a defined benefits scheme, and plenty of training opportunities.

Digital, Computing & IT

We are looking for a motivated individual to join our highly successful Computing & IT team at Weston College and become involved with the teaching, learning, and assessment across our range of exciting Digital, Computing & IT pathways including Applied Computing, Cyber Security, Data Analysis and Digital & Technology Solutions with provision ranging from Level 1-3 computing, new Higher Apprenticeship Standards and Degree provision.

Click here to find out more.

Engineering

We are looking for a motivated individual to join our highly successful Engineering Team at Weston College and become involved with the teaching, learning, and assessment across our range of exciting Engineering pathways including Manufacturing, Aerospace, Nuclear & Electronics with provision ranging from Level 2 PEO -Degree level.

Click here to find out more.

Civil Engineering

We are looking for a motivated individual to join our highly successful Civil Engineering Team at Weston College and become involved with the teaching, learning, and assessment across a range of Construction, Civil Engineering and the Built Environment courses from Level 2 to HNC / HND.

Click here to find out more.

As a Weston College student, you'll get to experience an engaging and vibrant learning environment filled with unique activities and opportunities that won't get anywhere else...

This year’s Creative Arts Festival took place from 23rd May until the 21st June and provided our students with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents. There was a range of shows throughout the festival, with work produced by students studying courses throughout our Creative Arts Department.

The Summer Showcase took place at Loxton Campus, running for 8 days and was met with great reviews. There was a wide range of work on show, which was produced by students studying media production, graphics, photography, contemporary arts, graphic design, as well as art and design.

Our music students took over the Electric Banana for three nights, with students from Year 1, Year 2 and UCW taking to the stage and treating the audience to DJ sets, acoustic sessions and other musical performances.

The Performing Arts Showcase ‘The Greatest Show’ was a fantastic spectacle which took place in front of a packed out crowd in the Playhouse, and was met with standing ovations. If you are interested in studying any Creative Arts courses you can find information by clicking here.