College Celebrates Successful Year

Weston College’s Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, looked back on a year of outstanding success at the launch of the College’s 2020-21 Annual Report at the College’s Business Breakfast, sponsored by Chartered Accountants, Albert Goodman.

This year saw a return to the Winter Gardens for the event, with over 200 people from across the business community in attendance.

There was a clear theme on skills throughout the event, with many local organisations recognising that they need to combat skills shortages, not just for their business, but for their industry’s as well.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE kicked the event off, sharing key achievements from the previous twelve months, as well as giving a glimpse into the future, by sharing plans that are on the horizon for Weston College Group.

Jo Walker, North Somerset Council’s CEO then provided the audience with an overview of the North Somerset approach to skills, which was followed by Thatchers Managing Director, Martin Thatcher, who gave the employers perspective on the benefits of apprentices.

Following Martin’s inspirational talk, where he spoke about the impact that apprenticeships has had on his business, he and his team were presented with a special Partnership Award by Dr Paul Phillips CBE, to celebrate the work that Thatchers do to inspire and support new talent into their business, the Principal commented that they were a “shining example of an apprenticeship employer who have put apprenticeships at the heart of their business and reaped the benefits.”

Dr Paul Phillips CBE summarised the last twelve months: “In what has been a difficult year due to the pandemic, Weston College has still managed to deliver our ethos of creating brighter futures.

“We have bucked national trends in apprenticeships, T Levels and traineeships, exceeding national targets. We have also seen a highly impressive 99% pass rate for our A Level learners and helped thousands of people into employment – something which is not easy in the current climate.

“This has been achieved by delivering quality teaching and powerful solutions to the ever-evolving skills needs plus working in close partnerships with employers.

“This year we also launched Career Excellence Hubs, which aligns our curriculum to the ethos of the White Paper Skills for jobs: lifelong learning for opportunity and growth. We are in constant communication with employers – our very own endorsers, who support us in developing our programmes to meet the needs of their industry.”

You can see the full Annual Report, here.