Official Opening of the New Education and Early Years Hub
Today members of local council, ESFA, ETF, schools and nurseries, all joined Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College and the Mayor of Weston-super-Mare, Councillor James Clayton, who together, officially opened the new Education and Early Years facilities at Weston College.
This new hub will meet the growing demand from employers both locally and regionally to train staff of the future, preparing them ready to join a growing industry.
The Education and Early Years facilities have been developed in conjunction with the Career Excellence Hub employers: Busy Buddies, Little Bears, DaisyChain, Mendip Green, YMCA and Storal Learning, who ensure not only that the course content includes insights of industry leaders, but also that the new facilities will be industry standard to give them real-life experience.
The grand opening included a tour of the brand new £600k Education and Early Years hub that includes:
- Community Room – to allow us to host stay and play and other community sessions.
- Child and Healthcare Room – a multi-functional space for food prep and mid-session naps.
- Primary School Room – an engaging environment full of multi-curricular activities.
- Creative and Exploratory Atelier – a non-traditional learning environment to host messy-play, science activities and more.
- Observation room – includes one-way mirrors so learners do not influence a child’s play.
Sandra Bull, Dean of the Faculty said: “The new hub is really impressive, I’m so pleased it’s come to fruition. It’s really important for us that all learners get real-life experience to ensure they are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to get ahead in the modern jobs market.”
These new facilities are matched with an exciting portfolio of study programmes. For school leavers there will be full-time college-based courses, apprenticeships plus the new flagship T Level – the gold-standard in qualifications where learners can follow a college-based programme and gain sector experience through an industry placement. Plus, a range of options for adults for those who would like to upskill or re-train as an early years practitioner or teaching assistant.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive, Weston College added: “It was a privilege to officially open the new facilities today. This is just one element of a College-wide initiative to ensure we are making aspirational careers a reality for all our learners regardless of their starting point in life.”
The build is co-funded by T Level Capital funding, awarded by the Department for Education.
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