News and events

Weston College has announced that David Crew, the Head of Business Growth & Employer Partnerships, will be joining the Somerset Chamber of Commerce as Managing Director starting in September. David has been a vital part of Weston College Group since 2016, playing a crucial role in driving the College’s growth and strengthening its industry connections. His efforts have significantly contributed to the College’s recent ‘Strong’ rating in regional skills by Ofsted.

The Somerset Chamber of Commerce, a key employer representative body in the region established in 1995 and accredited by the British Chambers of Commerce, will welcome David as Managing Director. The Chamber represents members who employ a 15,000-strong workforce, reinforcing its importance in the regional business landscape. Weston College, as a Business Partner for the Somerset Chamber, will continue to collaborate closely with David and regional skills partners through initiatives like the Local Skills Improvement Plans.

Reflecting on his tenure at Weston College Group, David Crew said,

“Weston College is an incredible organisation, and since joining in 2016, I’ve been fortunate to witness colleagues deliver its mission of ‘creating brighter futures’ every day. It’s a truly inspiring College that changes lives. I’ve enjoyed seeing the culture of integrating employers into the curriculum through its Careers Excellence Hubs and the College being at the forefront of skills training with T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, and Apprenticeships. Over 1,000 businesses now work closely with the College to access its training and inspire its learners. I’d like to thank all my colleagues and the committed employers who support the College. I look forward to continuing to champion the further education and skills sector, which I believe is the beating heart of our regional skills ecosystem.”

Jacqui Ford, Interim Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, expressed her gratitude for David’s contributions, stating,

“David joins the Somerset Chamber with our best wishes and thanks for his contribution to the College and its work with employers through his leadership of the Business Growth team. As we look forward to a new academic year, the College is in an incredibly strong position, and the solid links with employer partners are a key factor in our success. We look forward to continuing to work with David in his new role at the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, a key regional partner of the College.”

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.

My name is Gary, and I recently completed the adult Level 2 Diploma in Electrical Installations.

May I start by saying; having been one of the eldest students on the course I found the thought of undertaking this course a little daunting. It has been a very long time since I was expected to study and undertake exams, assessments etc. From the first classroom session it was clear that the teaching staff were very good in their professional fields, their teaching techniques were second to none, they took time to explain lessons and more importantly actively encouraged questions, regardless of if it seemed daft or not. They would take time to deliver the question in a simpler form and patiently explain the outcome, making the whole process pleasurable (believe it or not).

The teaching staff would encourage a positive attitude when it came to undertaking essential exams to progress the course to the next stage. Those who were a little unfortunate to miss out on a pass would be offered additional help and reassured that the exam would be passed. They were very sympathetic and supportive if someone did not make the grade at that particular time, and the course candidates were actively encouraged to work together and help each other, which was very refreshing to see.

Again, Lee’s, Andy’s, and Mark’s knowledge in practical sessions greatly helped to get to the result, a pass on the course. No matter how many times things needed to be explained or demonstrated they would be patient and approach various ways to explain and demonstrate the task being undertaken. Their knowledge of electrical principles was outstanding and made the course even more enjoyable.

In my opinion they are an asset to Weston College, and with tutors of this calibre I can only see Weston College going very far in the education world. The commitment these staff have to get their students through the course is again outstanding, despite the long hours put in to deliver the course while teaching daytime students.

My name is Richard Perks, and I am a professional chef living in Canada with my family!

I started my career at Weston College, completing the NVQ1-2 Professional Catering course from 2001-2003, which helped me lay the foundation of cooking basics. I had an interest in catering from a young age as my father and grandmother are both very good cooks, and I enjoyed cooking with them as a child. I made the decision to study at Weston College as I wanted to develop this passion into a career, and I knew Weston would give me the best opportunity to turn my dream into a reality. Furthermore, I knew Weston would have the best catering department in the local area, including top-of-the-range facilities and incredible teachers.

Through the course at Weston College, I was lucky enough to travel to Italy for work experience. My time in Italy went so well that I was asked to stay and continue the work I was doing for Massimo Spigaroli, who was known as the ‘Italian Salami King’. Through my work for Massimo, I attended an Italian university and studied traditional Italian cuisine. Just before graduating from this university, I was sent to a Michelin starred restaurant for work experience. After graduation I went on to work for Corrado Azensa (the pastry chef featured in season 4, episode 2 of ‘Chef’s Table Pastry’ on Netflix).

After living in Sicily and working for Corrado for a year and a half, I moved to Hong Kong for 6 months to work at an Italian restaurant. I enjoyed Hong Kong; it was certainly different than living in Sicily. After a short stint in Hong Kong, I moved back to Italy for a few more years under Massimo in Parma.

I then returned to the UK and lived and worked in London for a Michelin restaurant as well as working under Head Chef Malcolm Campbell for a short period. Malcolm Campbell is now a top chef in Canada and a good family friend of ours.

I then moved to Australia, and I was Senior Sous Chef in one of a top 10 restaurant in Western Australia. I then met my wife and moved to Canada after 7 years in Perth. Since I've been in Canada, I have worked at Pinestone Golf Club as a job during the pandemic. From there I moved out to Nova Scotia to work at Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, which are both in the top 10 public golf courses in the whole of North America.

From there, I have taken an Executive Chef role in a very good private school, just outside of Toronto. We serve a Marche-Style service to 1000 people a day. From homemade lasagne and pizza all the way to sushi bars. The change of pace is due to being a father to two very young children and looking for the right work-life balance. Since being at the school I have reached the Canadian Chefs Cup final two years running; I came 5th in my first year and last year I placed 3rd. I will be running again this year, hoping to place 1st.

My favourite part of working as a chef is the opportunity it provides to travel the world and experience so many different cultures and foods. If I had decided to enter into a different industry, I would not have had the incredible experiences I’ve had!

I have had so many highlights in my career and I could never pick just one, but a favourite from recent years has been competing in the Canada Chefs Cup. In my personal life though, raising my two children and being the best father I can be, is the most important part.

In recent times, a memorable success has been winning the International World Catering Championships, where I won Gold for Canada.

I originally came third in the Aramark's Canadian Chef's cup in April 2023, which I was very pleased with. Later in the year Adrian Salalac (the winner) contacted me to be his sous chef for team Canada. I was honoured to and we spent the last 4/5 months practicing and preparing for the finals.

We were up against 9 other teams, the champs of South America, Chile, UK, Czech Republic, China, South Korea, Germany, Belgium and Spain.

The final went over 2 days. The first day you had to prepare your written menu and collect all your ingredients you would need from the mystery store and common pantry. Then cold prep your menu within 2 hours. The following day we had 3 hours to prepare 3 courses for 4 people, the starter had to be vegan. <>The mystery store had local proteins and produce from Canada. Things like elk shoulder, whole duck, whole pickerel (a fish), scallops, cod, wild boar belly, honeycomb, rhubarb, birch syrup, local mushrooms, lentils and local pulses.

The teams were all very strong and approached the challenge differently. It was so much fun networking with chefs from around the world.

Here is a recap video of the final!

My start at Weston College really set the precedent for the rest of my career; being able to travel abroad for work experience in my first two years of studying inspired me to continue travelling the world and resulted in my extremely successful career so far. I can’t wait to see where it takes me next!

Find out about our Catering & Hospitality courses, here!