We are delighted to announce that Lauren Whiteman, Apprenticeship & Skills Strategic Account Manager, has been shortlisted for Somerset’s 30 Under 30!

The initiative celebrates Somerset’s most promising young professionals, recognising the next generation of decision-makers and influencers who are already making a positive impact in their industries and communities.

Since joining Weston College as an Account Manager in June 2025, Lauren has rapidly established herself as an exceptional emerging leader, progressing to Strategic Account Manager in recognition of her outstanding performance and leadership potential. In just over a year, she has supported more than 350 apprentices, engaged with over 200 employers and proactively connected more than 50 small businesses with CITB apprenticeship grant funding they were previously unaware of.

These achievements demonstrate not only the scale of her impact, but her ability to identify opportunities, build partnerships and turn challenges into tangible outcomes for learners, employers and communities across Somerset. What sets Lauren apart is that she consistently goes beyond the expectations of her role to create opportunities that strengthen Somerset’s workforce and change individual lives.

A defining strength of Lauren’s leadership is her ability to connect education, industry and community. Through the major Epic Technology Campus development at Long Ashton, she worked closely with Tier 1 contractors and subcontractors, including main contractor Gilbert Ash, to support Section 106 commitments through apprenticeships, local employment, work experience and wider social value activity.

She also coordinated construction site visits for school pupils, giving young people first-hand exposure to the industry and helping employers engage with their future workforce. Lauren understands that successful employer engagement is not simply about filling vacancies; it is about building sustainable relationships that create long-term value for learners, businesses and the local community.

One of the clearest examples of Lauren’s leadership, innovation and ability to turn barriers into opportunities came when six full-time bricklaying learners were struggling to secure apprenticeships, despite actively applying for vacancies. Lauren recognised that the problem was not a lack of ability, but that traditional CV-based recruitment was failing to demonstrate the learners’ practical skills and potential.

Rather than accepting this as a barrier, Lauren took the initiative to develop a different approach. Working collaboratively with the faculty team, she created a practical Bricklaying Assessment Centre, giving employers the opportunity to see the learners build a live wall and assess their practical competence, attitude and potential first-hand.

The result was exceptional; all six learners secured paid bricklaying apprenticeships, with their apprenticeships starting in September. Lauren had identified a problem, challenged the conventional recruitment process, brought colleagues and employers together and created a solution that delivered a 100% success rate. This is what distinguishes Lauren as a future leader. She does not simply identify barriers; she takes ownership of finding solutions. The impact is also highly personal; six young people who had been struggling to access their chosen career have now secured skilled employment pathways. At the same time, employers gained access to talent they may otherwise have overlooked. It is a powerful example of Lauren creating a solution that benefits individuals, businesses and the wider Somerset workforce.

Lauren has similarly demonstrated initiative through a Construction T Level Speed Interview Day, creating an event with direct and structured connections between employers and learners. Every learner secured an industry placement, with several progressing directly towards apprenticeship opportunities. By bringing employers into the college environment and making recruitment more accessible, Lauren created value for both sides, learners gained opportunities and confidence, while employers gained access to emerging talent.

Lauren is also passionate about making the construction industry more inclusive. Recognising the need for greater female representation, she organised and led a Women in Construction Round Table, bringing together successful women from across the industry to share their experiences and advice. Crucially, she ensured current female construction learners had a voice, enabling them to share their own journeys and hear directly from role models. Her work challenges perceptions about who belongs in construction and encourages more young women to see the sector as a place where they can build successful careers. 

Her commitment to social impact is equally strong. Lauren coordinated a Groundworker Bootcamp for local NEET adults aged 19 and over, working with industry partners to provide participants with NPORS qualifications and CSCS cards that significantly improved their employability. Ten participants progressed into employment opportunities in March 2026. This initiative demonstrates Lauren’s understanding that workforce development can also be a route to greater social mobility, helping people who face barriers to employment access sustainable careers.

Lauren’s contribution to Somerset’s communities extends beyond her core responsibilities. She coordinated a Weston College volunteering day with Octavius and Alliance Homes as part of the “Leaving a Legacy” initiative, improving local allotments and community green spaces while strengthening relationships between employers, the college and community organisations. She has also supported schools through careers activity and construction site visits, helping young people understand the breadth of opportunities available within the sector.

Perhaps most importantly, Lauren makes a personal difference to the people she works with. One particularly powerful example involved a young person in care who felt uncertain and disengaged about their future. Working with Octavius, Lauren arranged construction site visits and opportunities to meet industry professionals. She helped the young person recognise that construction offers opportunities beyond traditional trades, including professional careers such as architecture. Through these experiences, the individual developed renewed motivation and began aspiring towards a career in architecture. This captures what makes Lauren different: she does not simply create opportunities; she helps people recognise their own potential.

What sets Lauren apart is the combination of strategic thinking, commercial awareness, creativity and genuine compassion she brings to her work. She has already demonstrated the ability to influence employers, develop partnerships, solve complex problems, deliver measurable outcomes and create social value. Her rapid progression to Strategic Account Manager is testament to her performance, but her strongest evidence of leadership is the impact she is already having on others.

Lauren represents exactly the kind of future leader Somerset needs; someone who understands business and industry while remaining deeply committed to people and place. Whether helping an employer access funding, creating apprenticeships, opening doors for women in construction, supporting vulnerable young people or helping adults into employment, she consistently turns initiative into action and action into measurable impact.

Lauren is not simply a promising professional. She is already helping shape Somerset’s future workforce, communities and opportunities. With her proven ability to lead, innovate and bring people together, she has enormous potential to become one of Somerset’s next generation of influential leaders.

Last month, 20 Travel and Tourism learners had the opportunity to take part in a one-day British Airways Cabin Crew Safety and Emergency Procedures (SEP) training course. This was a fantastic opportunity for learners to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world cabin crew training and gain valuable experience from industry professionals.

During the experience, learners gained insight into the rigorous training undertaken by cabin crew, developing their understanding of aviation safety, emergency procedures, and the responsibilities involved in ensuring passenger wellbeing.

The day provided hands-on learning experiences and allowed learners to develop key employability skills, including communication, teamwork, professionalism, and problem-solving. On successful completion of the training, learners were awarded a SEP certificate, providing them with a recognised achievement and a valuable addition to their CVs. The experience helped learners make direct links between their studies and careers in aviation, while increasing their confidence and awareness of opportunities within the airline industry.

Experiencing industry-standard training gives learners a deeper appreciation of the knowledge, professionalism and level of responsibility required in an airline environment, helping them to connect the theory they learn in the classroom with real-world industry practices. Gaining exposure to British Airways and its training standards is also a great networking opportunity for our students and helps them understand employer expectations, prepare for future recruitment processes and identify the skills they need to succeed in an aviation career.

Hannah Forrest, Curriculum Co-ordinator in Travel and Tourism, said: " Our annual trip to British Airways is always a highlight of the course, giving students a valuable insight into what a career in cabin crew entails and the responsibilities that come with the role. As an international airline supporting global tourism, British Airways provides an excellent example of the scale and diversity of the aviation industry, operating both short-haul and long-haul flights across an extensive global network, with a wide range of potential career opportunities. Experiences like this allow students to explore future career pathways, make informed decisions about their next steps, build connections with industry professionals and gain first-hand insight into working in aviation."

A huge thank you to British Airways for taking the time to deliver this training to our students and supporting the future of the Travel and Tourism industry

This curriculum trip forms part of the Travel and Tourism 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.

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.

Year 1 T Level Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction students recently went on a site visit to two local construction and civil engineering projects in Weston-super-Mare, in order to get valuable experience of live, complex sites.

Half of the class were given a comprehensive tour of the new GP Surgery that is being built next to Weston Rugby Club, behind the Train station, by RED Construction.

The £15m project consists of a multi storey steel framed structure with a concrete stair and lift core, that will house consulting rooms, offices and a pharmacy. The project is progressing very well and is due to complete by July 2027. The students were given a tour of the whole project which included elements such as groundworks, concrete slabs, window installation, intumescent paint spraying and roofing works.

The tour was led by Jake, Senior Site Manager and Emma, Site Manager and former University Centre Weston Construction Professions learner. Students were told about many features of the build, including permeable parking bays, electric charging points and also the need for a survey before any works were carried out, for un-exploded ordance left over from the Second World War.

The groups then swapped over and went to the Octavius site of the Winterstoke Road replacement railway bridge in Weston. This tour was led by David, one of the Site Engineers on the £26M civil engineering project. David explained to the students in the site office, before going out on site, the 35m deep, 1.2m diameter, reinforced concrete piles that had already been installed on site, as part of the foundations for the bridge abutments. These were then seen on site in real life. David explained the various Health and Safety factors that Octavious that are undertaking, especially whilst working next to a live railway line with trains travelling at 100mph.

The students were also escorted around the site by Tobias, a former T-Level student, who has now been awarded an apprenticeship with Octavius and is undertaking his Level 3 BTEC qualification in Civil Engineering at Weston College.

David also went on to explain to the students about the problems that the project team had during the heatwaves in the summer, causing working restrictions imposed on them by Network Rail and how this has caused a delay in the overall completion of the project.

Construction Professions lecturer, Daniel Comerford, would like to thank all of the members of both RED Construction and Octavius, for their continued support with the students from Weston College, in helping them get a greater appreciation of the complexities of these two live projects, which will help them in their studies over the next two years at Weston College.