News and events

My name is Dave Newman, and I am the owner and Chef Patron at The Ginger Pig Kitchen, here in Weston-super-Mare. The Ginger Pig Kitchen is a local restaurant, focusing on fresh food, served in a relaxed atmosphere with great service.

I hugely enjoy working with the college; watching the students develop and grow under our guidance is amazing – being able to reflect on their abilities when they first began, compared to the skills they have now, is so fulfilling as an employer. As well as skills development, their confidence grows massively too, allowing them to interact better with each other and the customers. The skills and the confidence growing in unison while working results in working towards a successful career in hospitality!

I work with the college in many ways, including delivering masterclasses, which take place throughout the year to showcase my skills to learners and teach them how to progress. I also detail what we do in my restaurant, the process of keeping the customers happy and why we do it in the way that we do.

The impact of the involvement with the learners on the organisation has been huge. They play an important part of the team, and massively contribute to the smooth running of the restaurant.

I truly believe giving learners a good chance at progression, showing them how to be a role model, and developing their workplace skills, will help them on the way to their next opportunity in hospitality.

We caught up with Megan Thomas, who is the Education and Outreach Lead at Hinkley Point C, to find out about the work they do with us.

The Hinkley Point C project is the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in over twenty years. It is currently in the construction phase, but once live it will provide power to 6 million home across the UK.

My role is to inspire, engage and educate young people across the South West to consider a career at the project. We have a huge range of opportunities and career pathways on the project, and I'm always looking at how I can get new talent involved!

We have worked closely with Weston College for many years; especially as they sit within the 90-minute radius of the Hinkley Point C site. Weston College have brilliant facilities with a huge offer and a team of dedicated and reliable staff.

We are part of the Careers Excellence Hubs, which I think are a brilliant initiative to bring business into the curriculum, and show students the reality of the industry they are studying.

I believe it is vital for students to have engagement from business throughout their studies whilst at College, and this is what we have been able to provide Weston College students with.

We have worked closely with the curriculum areas that link directly into the project, and have given these students a full careers workshop on the opportunities available once they complete their studies. I always bring members of Team HPC with me when I present to students, so we can really bring the project to life, and the students can ask the raw and real questions they want to!

For me, we are always looking to bring new people onto the project so getting in front of the young people who are about to begin their career journeys is brilliant.

Megan Thomas, Education and Outreach Lead, Hinkley Point C Project

A big thank you to Megan and Hinkley Point C, for all they do in supporting Weston College learners.

Find out more about our courses for school leavers, by clicking here.

In February 2022, Weston College developed and launched Accelerate; a 7 month intensive skills and training programme for businesses and individuals to access in for free in North Somerset. As the project draws a full close one year later, it has been revealed that not only did the Community Renewal Fund reached it target objectives, but Weston College succeeded with the allocated part of the programme.

Together with North Somerset Council, The Food and Drink Forum and The Hive - Business Support Centre, Weston College received a share of funding from a £2.8m government initiative, which was part of the UK Community Renewal Fund.

Working together, the partners developed Accelerate – a unique umbrella of fully rounded support opportunities for not only working individuals and business wanting to upskill or start a business but also to for individuals looking for help to get back into work and access key support. Accelerate was one of four projects that delivered skills, community, business, and employment opportunities.  

In total, Weston College alone reached 322 unique businesses from February to September 2022, culminating in a reach of over 1100 individuals in total. A large portion of those businesses reached were North Somerset SMEs, of whom hire under 250 employees and quite often struggle to access funded training courses.

Of the 1100+ individuals that were reached in just over 7 months, 200 participants engaged in life skills support following the Brighter Futures jobs fair which welcome local businesses looking for talent and supporting job seekers.

Skills Sessions included CV support, resilience in employment, and appropriate employment related behaviour training. The event helped all attendees with application support and job opportunities. Accelerate also developed a packed monthly calendar of free and accessible workshops for businesses and individuals to access that covered key skills requirements. Successful workshops included Managing Teams and Mentoring, Navigating Difficult Conversations in the Workplace, Marketing and Branding, Sustainability support, Canva Essentials, Disability Confident Employment, Leadership Skills, Microsoft, Excel, Diversity and Inclusion and British Sign Language (amongst much more).

The project also enabled the development of a business community hub at Spacebar, a dedicated workshop style space located in the Sovereign Centre. Spacebar is still used weekly for all partners, for free, to offer business advice, promote volunteering opportunities in the region and access further training and outreach to those seeking employment support or specialist advice for refugees in the region.

Even though Accelerate, as a funded project, has now closed, the community of business support remains strong. All North Somerset business, of all industries and sizes are welcome to join the Accelerate LinkedIn group and take advantage of continuing support. Weston College continues to be a reliable resource for business support across recruitment, apprenticeships and more and is working hard with businesses to support learners into industry and enable business to access training, secure talent and thrive.