News and events

The West of England Institute of Technology (WEIoT) has announced plans to expand its course offering to learners and employers across the region, through the opening of the Bristol Training Institute in central Bristol from September.

The WEIoT, a Weston College-led collaboration of regional education providers and employers, has a commitment to driving an increase in higher level technical skills in the region through high-quality training provision, working closely with industry to meet the evolving skills needs of employers.

With Bristol being one of the largest hubs for digital and professional services industries outside of London, the new centre, named as the Bristol Training Institute, will offer courses tailored to the specific needs of employers in the city region. The Bristol Training Institute will be based in the heart of the city at 12, Colston Avenue, the former office of the Bristol Law Society.

Courses available from September will include a brand new Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQ) in Computing (Software Engineering), Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship BSc (Hons), Computing Access to HE programme for those wishing to study at university, but currently do not have the qualifications to do so, and innovative Digital Skills Bootcamps for Coding (Python), Data (Azure) skills. In addition, recognising the need to upskill managers to drive digital change in organisations as they evolve, the centre will offer ILM Team Leading qualifications.

Accessibility is a focus of the WEIoT, which brings education providers together to deliver the skills required by employers. The development of the Bristol Training Institute, offering training based in central Bristol, will enable both learners and employers from across the city to access the unique industry-specific training, which will complement existing training provision in the city.

This new central Bristol location will witness a refurbishment to develop a state-of-the-art digital training hub across two floors, with three training rooms including a boardroom, and two conference training rooms all including smartboard facilities and laptop stations. The Institute will have a secure data connection, utilising high-quality digital technology resources to enable access to learning.

Sir Paul Phillips, Principal and CEO of the Weston College Group, who are also the lead College for the West of England Institute of Technology commented:

“The Bristol Training Institute marks another exciting development for the West of England Institute of Technology which is supporting a drive to increase the number of people engaged in higher level technical skills training, supporting learners in the region to secure and progress in high-quality jobs. Bristol has a strong demand for digital skills training, and we have worked with employers, key stakeholders and communities in the region to truly understand how the IoT can offer a training solution that complements existing provision in the city.

“The courses offered are based on what the economy and local communities need and our mission is that our students on completion of their programmes will have the best possible career prospects, whilst employers can benefit from a new talent pool, plus use the Institute as a way to develop and upskill their existing workforce.

“The Bristol Training Institute will be a destination to study in the heart of the city, and we wanted to ensure our logo emulated this, so we took a brand mark of the River Avon, alongside key Bristol landmarks and gave it a contemporary and professional look.”

To find out more about what’s on offer please visit: www.bristol-training.co.uk

Business is one of the most popular degrees in UK universities, as well as one of the most popular choices for 16-18s. Though there will be many contributing reasons as to why, a major factor is learners wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the continuously changing business environment, and how it reacts to what goes on in the world. Completing the qualification will give an opportunity to the learner to become a part of it and progress through the business world.

So, here’s 5 reasons why a business qualification could be the best decision you make for your career!

1. Business is made up of a huge number of different sectors. By completing a qualification before launching into the workplace, you’ll get the opportunity to discover which aspect of Business you have the most passion for, and which is best suited to your natural skillset in order to succeed.

2. Once you’ve decided which sector of Business is best suited to you, you’ll discover there’s Business related jobs in almost every job sector imaginable, for example sport, fashion, education, hospitality and entertainment, so you will have the chance to choose which wider sector you wish to work in. You could even take these opportunities abroad if working overseas is of interest to you.

3. While learning and working, you’ll create and develop a huge number of new skills. These will be highly transferrable to new adventures in your work life, for example a great combination of essay writing skills, but also mathematics skills for the finance and accounting aspect of Business. Some skills you develop will also prove useful in your personal life too. High quality communication skills, for example, will be as beneficial in your personal life as much as in the workplace.

4. Business offers the ability to progress in the workplace, with performance reviews and promotion opportunities. Having the ability to progress will help with your career satisfaction, the chance to take on new challenges, and an increase in your engagement day to day. Therefore, having a qualification before entering the workplace will heighten the chances of progression, by providing you with knowledge to secure promotions.

5. You can make Business qualifications adaptable to you! With the ability to start studying Business at any age over 16, it’s not too late sign up to one of our many Business courses; Apprenticeships, T Levels, A Levels, BTEC, and degree/degree apprenticeship

If you’re interested in a qualification in Business to lead you to a career, click:

- Here for more information about studying Business at Weston

- Here for A Level/BTEC

- Here for T Level

- Here for Apprenticeships

- Here for Degrees in Business at UCW

Last year we launched two free Digital Skills Bootcamps, as part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Plan for Jobs.

The 12-week Bootcamp gave learners the opportunity to learn the skills needed by employers, to become a Coder or a Cloud Analyst – as well as connecting learners with local employers who were recruiting for these specific skills.

Due to popular demand, our FREE Digital Skills Bootcamps are back this year! Click here to find out more information about what we're offering, with courses including Intro to Coding and Working with Data!

We caught up with Louise, who completed the Skills Bootcamp last year to become a Cloud Analyst.

What were you doing before applying for the Digital Skills Bootcamp?

My previous role was managing accounts payable team, but after being made redundant I wanted to learn new skills and try something a little bit different.

What have you learnt on the course?

I learnt the fundamentals of cloud technology but also it covered data structures and how different data is ingested and stored. We were supported by a great teacher as well, who made it easy for us to learn and put our theory into practice.

How will this benefit you in your career?

This new knowledge has given me a good grounding to support the azure cloud-based software, especially as databases underpin all software. When a bug is raised, I can also look to automate testing and new processes or scripts when required.

What was the highlight of the course?

The Bootcamp was great, it taught me lots of new skills which will benefit me as mentioned previously, but my personal highlight was passing first time.

What has happened after completing the course?

I have started a new job with Zahara software - cloud based purchasing software. I’m second line support but they are training me up to do dev ops (MS Azure).

How did the Bootcamp set you up for a change in job?

The course helped me understand cloud technology foundations and gave me the spark to further my knowledge.

What would you say to someone considering studying on this Bootcamp?

My advice to anyone doing the course, is to make the time to study and be focused. Do as many mock exams as possible and practise in the labs. Take full advantage of the teacher and ask as many questions as possible.

Don't forget to check out and sign up for our Free Digital Skills Bootcamps here!