News and events

Great Western Railway (GWR) has announced industrial strike action that will affect GWR and CrossCountry rail services on Thursday 7 December - Potentially impacting trains to Weston-super-Mare on this day.

On Thursday 7 December, a reduced, revised timetable will operate across several train operators, including GWR. Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all and trains that are running will only be operating for a limited period during the day.

On the days after strikes, services could also be affected by a limited number of short-notice cancellations and alterations.

Online journey planners are being updated and details are published below.

Click here to read the full update and details from GWR.

Level 3 Business BTEC students were treated to an exciting and educational experience as two professionals, Adi Day and Beth Patch from Purplex Marketing, stepped onto the campus to deliver a lively workshop. They brought creativity and industry insights to eager learners, creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm and curiosity. 

Purplex came in to give an insight into what B2B (business-to-business) marketing entails and added to the industry relevance of information being learned. The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, offering valuable perspectives on the ever-evolving landscape of marketing. 

The workshop was able to give learners a deeper understanding of business-to-business marketing, as well as giving them an insight into potential progression routes into the world of marketing. Purplex were also able to share costs of marketing with learners, making the workshop current and industry specific. The links between concepts covered in their course and the real world is imperative to help learners prepare for assessments. 

Learners were able to see real life progression into industry as Beth Patch was previously a learner on the Level 3 Business course, and now she is Senior Social Media Executive at Purplex! Rebekah Bond from Purplex who helped plan the workshop was a previous learner with Weston College as well.  

The workshop was an excellent way for learners to apply real world experience to their ‘Developing a Marketing Campaign’ module. Part of the controlled assessment for the unit involves learners developing a campaign for a given business case study. The workshop comprised of a case study based on one of Purplex’s customers, getting learners used to working with specific business cases. 

Business lecturer Dan Pratlett celebrated the workshop’s success saying: “Purplex coming in and speaking to our learners added some real depth to the information they receive on the course. The learners have a much better understanding of the marketing environment and are more motivated to succeed in this area. The insight that Purplex gave into business-to-business marketing will really help learners when it comes to their controlled assessment and their future learning.” 

This workshop forms part of the Business Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College's Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners' careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys. 

A big thank you to Adi and Beth for coming in and delivering an effective workshop. A big thank you to Rebekah from Purplex as well for helping to organise the workshop. 

To find out more about Level 3 Business BTEC, click here.

Weston College students in the A Level Media class were treated to an enlightening guest lecture by Sheikh Shahnawaz (Nawaz), Managing Director and Co-founder of Ozel Creative. Nawaz, a seasoned professional in the creative industry, brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the eager students. While discussing Ozel Creative, he discussed the challenges and triumphs of creating a brand with a vast client base for marketing and social media.  

In addition to Nawaz managing Ozel Creative, he is also a freelance film director and producer. He has recently directed, written and produced a feature film “Bluff” which is available to stream on Amazon Prime. He has also directed and produced several other exciting projects.  

Nawaz sought to inspire the learners he was speaking to saying: “Don't underestimate your resources available as a student. Go out there and experiment with different forms of media on your devices. I always knew that I wanted to make stuff, so I started out by using handi-cams from college to film random videos.  

“You might want to approach different organisations and ask to make free content for them. You might want to apply for media work experiences based on your interests. You might want to go with your friends to film a passion project on your phone! That's how I started, with that little curiosity!”  

A Level Media lecturer Ethan Shi was delighted by the guest lecture saying: “It was really fantastic to see Nowaz giving key insights to the creative industries to my Y1 learners, sharing what it takes to succeed by working your way up from A-Level Media.  

“It's really important to explore every opportunity! The industry talk will motivate the learners to discover their passion and really want to pursue their key interest!" 

This guest speaker forms part of the Sixth Form Careers Excellence Hub. The College has fourteen sector-specific Career Excellence Hubs, which evidence our dedication to supporting both employers and learners in achieving their future goals. By creating a seamless connection between industry and education, we enable learners to acquire not only the essential skills and knowledge but also the professional networks necessary to excel in their chosen fields. 

The outsider knowledge and perspective will help the A Level Media class better understand their Advertising & Marketing module where they were analysing and evaluating a variety of print and audio-visual products by acknowledging how it's made, its purpose, industry context, and audience delivery. 

A huge thanks to Nawaz for inspiring our learners! 

To find out more about A Level Media click here, to find out more about all of our A Levels click here.