News and events
We aim to keep you up-to-date with the very latest Weston College news and events. Take a look below at what's going on at the College!
Got news you want to share with us? Email marketing@weston.ac.uk
Latest events at Weston College
Latest news and developments at Weston College
On Friday 11th February, Weston College hosted a Business Breakfast for organisations looking to recruit HGV drivers.
The event, which was held at South West Skills Campus, was attended by employers from 11 different organisations looking to recruit HGV drivers, and found out about the popular HGV Skills Bootcamps, taking place at Weston College.
The HGV Skills Bootcamps offer participants free, flexible courses that last up to 16 weeks, with those that successfully complete the course being guaranteed a job interview.
Louise Greene, Business Growth and Employer Partnership Manager, said: “It was great to meet so many employers today, and to offer them a solution to their shortage of skills drivers.
“The driver shortage issues has been felt amongst businesses across the south west, and the new HGV Skills Bootcamps present a fantastic way of training new people to enter the industry, but also to upskill existing drivers.
“At Weston College we are providing a wide range of training, including Cat C, Cat CE and ADR (Hazfreight).
“If your organisation needs support with accessing a pool of freshly trained drivers, feel free to get in touch with our team: employers@weston.ac.uk”
You can find out more about the HGV Skills Bootcamp, by clicking here.
“Why is everything we do hypothetical?”….And what if it wasn’t?
One answer to this question is to provide learners with the opportunity to interact with real-world issues, allowing them to engage with key industry trends and use a range of skills to develop practical solutions. In today’s ever-changing world, it is vital that we not only support learners in their academic success but go beyond traditional study to help them build their holistic skills.
In Engineering, tutors and content creators in the Digital Learning Development Team have been adopting the approach to a traditionally taught program to help them develop wider life skills such as resilience, stress and conflict management, and teamwork.
In a departure from the traditional blended learning model, learners will be encouraged to interact with one another and the online content to formulate solutions to real-world problems related to the Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN. These goals permeate every facet of modern life, including in and around College.
A greater focus on digital distanced learning helps to reduce unnecessary travel, reducing the College's carbon footprint whist still having huge benefits to the learners. Weston College is committed to creating brighter and greener futures.
Groups of learners will undertake a three-week project, working together to develop solutions to their chosen problem. Each week is structured to guide learners through three phases of project work:
Investigate
This initial week is dedicated to research. Together, learners will select one option from a range of current issues, exploring and constructing their own knowledge using the digital resources provided as a starting point. Throughout the project, learners will record their collaborations through a shared Wakelet. They will also carry out self-exploration, developing an understanding of their own strengths and areas for development as part of a team.
Invent
In the second week of their project, learners develop potential solutions to their chosen issue, analysing their idea and the data behind it and relating their designs to real-world contexts. In each week, learners are provided with opportunities to record their progress and use bespoke learning content to help build key skills.
Implement
In the third and final week, learners bring their solutions to life by presenting their ideas to a wider audience. They will be given a range of options for presenting their research and development, including creating Flipgrid videos and posters to be displayed on digital signage around the College, helping to extend beyond the classroom to influence the wider College community.
Over the course of the project, tutors will act as facilitators and coaches, helping to guide learners as they develop their independence and move from the hypothetical to embarking on real-world experiences.
If you would like to know more, get in touch with Louise Pratten, Digital Learning Development Team, to discuss how to use project based blended approaches in your curriculum design.
Are you experienced in Customer Service and want to develop your existing skills within an outstanding and developing department? Are you passionate about helping customers by sign posting, giving advice and guidance, and helping them achieve their ambitions? We want to hear from you!
The College Information Services team is committed to delivering an outstanding service and customer experience, tailored to meet the needs of the individual, through supportive, inclusive working practices and a genuine desire to assist customers to achieve their goals and aspirations.
We are looking for:
- friendly and empathetic individuals interested in either a full-time or part-time roles
- candidates who are committed to providing the best customer service possible through a variety of mediums such as Livechat, emails and face-to-face conversations
- someone who can deal with all aspects of admissions and advice and guidance for our prospective and current students.
We can offer you the opportunity to:
- join our team to help Create Brighter Futures for potential applicants
- work along-side friendly and empathetic staff who pride themselves in the ‘family’ feel
- be fully supported with full training provided.
We are currently recruiting for a number of roles including Customer Service Assistants, FE Admissions Officers and Admissions Coordinators - start your Brighter Future and APPLY TODAY (click 'current vacancies' and then search 'information services' in the keywords).
Find out what its like to be part of the College Informations Services Team, meet Claire and Mike ...
Claire Dark
My job at the college is to manage the College Information Services (CIS), which basically means I look after all my staff, making sure that they are happy and motivated in their jobs and feel that they can develop and progress at a pace that suits them. I also look after the operational side of CIS such as our admissions, telephony and reception services...
I can positively say that no two of my days at the College are the same! A typical day starts between 8 and 8:30. I will usually have a list of tasks that have to be done on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis so I’ll follow my task list or delegate tasks to my coordinators which could be to produce information for the faculties, analysing any trends and evaluating survey responses which I will use Microsoft Excel for, I will also carry out regular 1:1’s and appraisals with my staff. Our offices are based at the reception areas, so we get to see customers all throughout the day. On occasion I will need to deal with a complaint or an unhappy customer, however most of the time it is such a rewarding job helping people with their aspirations and sending them away with a smile on their face! A lot of what my job includes is reacting to situations that present themselves, from sending out a mass text to all our students to dealing with a fire evacuation!
Within my career at Weston College, I have developed both professionally and personally and I can’t believe how much my time at the College has changed! I started at the College, within CIS, as an evening enrolments officer, I worked alone to serve the customers at reception and help them with admissions. I then moved on to work in our Management Information Services department inputting data for a while, and then returned to CIS as a full-time enrolments officer. Since then, I have progressed within the team to an Admissions Officer then Admissions Coordinator and now, CIS Manager responsible for a team of 25 people. Weston College has supported me through my development and encouraged me to gain qualifications including my Level 3 Team Leading and ILM. This has really helped me to become the best manager I can be for my staff and ensures I am helping the College achieve its overall goals and objectives. .
There have been many proud moments from my time at the college, from winning staff awards to achieving my qualifications and gaining my promotions, however the proudest moment was returning from a long period of sickness following an emergency operation and being told by my staff how they missed my leadership and direction and that they were so glad to have me back. This confirmed to me that I was supporting my staff in the way that they wanted and needed and that I was doing a good job!
I have been here for 7 years now and can honestly say that I have not once had the feeling of dreading work. You are supported and recognised and there are so many opportunities for progression should you want it. There is a definite family feel within the department and the college and everyone will work together to achieve the same goals. Add all of that to working for an organisation that is forward thinking, expanding, and an Investors in People organisation. If you’re thinking of working for the College, do it!
Mike Frost
My job at Weston College is part of College Information Services (CIS) and I work within the Admissions department. In Admissions we work primarily with adult learners and provide them with Information, Advice and Guidance which could include funding information and how to enrol on courses...
Another role we have is to conduct course interviews to ensure they are enrolled onto the correct course and guide them into their desired career. Admissions will also manage the FT applications and support school leavers through their college application journey. This journey can be quite daunting for applicants and their parents when they’re applying to study at college, so it is a really rewarding to be able to settle any nerves and be able to reassure them through the application process.
A typical day for Admissions would involve completing enrolments, calling back customers who have left us a message outside of our opening hours, and interviewing the future students who have applied to study with us. They say that ‘Variety is the spice of life’ and that is how I would describe Admissions; no two days are the same. We will also speak to customers by using different methods of communication such as by phone, email, and our new live chat service on the Weston College website.
Since starting at Weston College 10 years ago, I have been supported to develop both professionally and personally. I have completed NVQ’s in Advice and Guidance (IAG) Level 3 and Customer Service Level 3. I have also completed courses such as British Sign Language for Frontline Staff and Mental Health First Aid to help make our service in admissions more inclusive to everyone. Through achieving these qualifications and skills it has allowed me to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. These courses and qualifications have proven to be invaluable, and to see the impact these courses I have worked through have had on our learners and customers makes it all worthwhile..
My proudest moment whilst working at the college was meeting a customer whose aspiration was to become a teacher, but she did not have the qualifications that were required. We spoke about the types of courses she would need to study to achieve this goal and how she could realistically afford to enrol onto each course. A few years later she came back to see me, and she had just started working for Weston College as a tutor and was incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I had given her at the beginning. Helping someone to achieve their dream job is extremely rewarding and my favourite part of the job.
For anyone thinking about working for the college you won’t just be joining a department, you will be joining the Weston College family. The staff are always happy to help each other, whether it is solving problems or offering new services to our students and customers. The college invest into all their staff whether it is through courses or career progression within the organisation. I am so enormously proud to work for such a successful college.
