Earlier this month, our Digital students took part in the CSIDES Cyber Security event to give our students a deeper understanding of the different careers within the Digital industry and network with professionals to gain valuable advice and guidance following their course.

CSIDES is an initiative that embodies Cyber, Coastal, and Community. It is a community-led cyber security event held at The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare, designed to make cyber security more accessible to the public, businesses and students. It is the UK's first cyber security event built by and for a coastal community.

The event brings together cyber security professionals, industry experts, educators and local organisations for a day of expert talks, interactive workshops and networking opportunities. Topics include online safety, recognising scams and phishing attempts, protecting personal and business data, and understanding the different career opportunities available within the cyber security industry.

The main aim of CSIDES is to improve digital awareness and confidence within coastal communities, helping individuals and businesses protect themselves online while inspiring more people to explore careers in the growing cyber security sector. For students, it provides valuable opportunities to develop their knowledge, gain practical insights from industry professionals and discover potential career pathways.

Attending the CSIDES Cyber Security event provides Digital and Computing students with a valuable opportunity to explore the rapidly evolving world of cyber security and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing organisations in an increasingly digital society. By engaging with industry professionals and learning about current cyber threats, online safety, data protection and the importance of secure digital systems, students can develop their knowledge beyond the classroom and see how their studies apply to real-world scenarios.

The event also helps students discover the wide range of career opportunities available within the cyber security and wider digital industries, from ethical hacking and network security to digital forensics and cyber threat analysis. Hearing directly from professionals can inspire students to consider future career pathways, understand the skills and qualifications employers look for, and appreciate the importance of keeping up to date with emerging technologies. Experiences such as this help prepare students for progression into higher education or employment, while highlighting the vital role cyber security plays in protecting individuals, businesses and society.

Sean Shearing, Head of Digital Curriculum at Weston College, said, “Events like this provide our students with valuable, real-world knowledge from experts in the field, giving them first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities within the cyber security industry. It allows them to build on what they learn in the classroom, gain insight into the latest developments in cyber security, and explore the diverse career pathways available to them. Opportunities like these are invaluable in helping our students develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to progress into the digital and computing industries.”

This curriculum trip forms part of the Digital 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.

Progress to the next level in Digital! At University Centre Weston (UCW) our students give us impressive feedback, with our latest National Student Survey results putting us above average in all nine areas! Find out more about our exceptional teaching, wellbeing services and learning resources by visiting our website. Click here!

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.

Hello readers, my name is Tom Hart, and I am studying the Business and Administration T level at Weston College. I would love to tell you about my industry placement at Yugo and what it involves.

My placement at Yugo involves me working closely with the finance team, together we process payments and manage all the financial aspects of Yugo around Europe. My role specifically is to help my colleagues ensure that the finances are accurate, delivered, and received on time. I spend a lot of time using systems like Xelix, NetSuite and Excel. I use these systems to create lots of information regarding Yugo’s finances. I am also very familiar with doing the physical post, some days involved me opening over 200 pieces of physical mail. 

All of these processes might seem small scale, but they actually help Yugo keep their tenants organised and up to date with their payments, there are over 160,000 tenants that are apart of Yugo. The work that I do alone helps to cover thousands of these students and makes sure that their payments get through consistently allowing them to use Yugo’s services.

I have been learning many different skills that can really benefit my future career, things like accuracy, which is one of the most important things that I have learned, has been key in every piece of work I do for Yugo. Having access to all of the experience around me is a huge benefit not only because of the knowledge they hold but also because of what they can give, and it has allowed me to learn much further than I thought I would have.

After arriving at the office, my first job is creating and processing invoices, normally I cover the Spanish invoices, but I also help do the Ireland invoices. Once that is completed, I help to organise the spreadsheets that a colleague may need help with, this can allow them to work on a further task at the same time as teaching me what I am doing with all the information and what my work leads to. Occasionally, I will make a trip down to the bank to transfer some cheques, or head down to the post office to post some mail. Finally, I have also been introduced into processing money into the business, allowing me to receive payments and send money out as well. My days normally vary but this is the main jobs that I do.

I have received lots of support from both Yugo and Weston College. Yugo have offered me many resources and different types of support due to me working a large amount of my time at home. My colleagues also have been very friendly with teaching and showing me what to do and if I ever go wrong, the environment feels like a very level playing field where everyone is equal, no matter the title or role.

Weston College have also offered lots of support, offering to help me find another placement if Yugo couldn’t offer me what I was looking for, as well as helping me to adapt what I have learnt with Yugo.

Weston College have given me more than enough resources through teaching whether it involves using real world systems like excel or understanding different sectors of business. Fortunately, my finance units in college have aligned with some of the work I do at Yugo, allowing me to learn Yugo’s processes quicker than I thought I would have, also allowing me to work independently more often.

Some of the skills I have learnt include accuracy, communication, and understanding real life processes. These have allowed me to improve my formality, quality of work, and how well I work in a team. These skills will be beneficial to me in the future due to me wanting to pursue a career in finance and business. I have always found it difficult when someone asks me what I want to do when I am older, but this course and the placement have really helped me decide what I want to pursue when I’m older.

A standout moment for me was when a colleague gave me a piece of work to do that, he had been stuck on for a while, he explained to me that it was a long task that was taking him weeks to finish, so he asked me to have a go to get some more progress in, he said he expected that it would take me a few weeks to complete. So, when I completed the piece of work by the end of the day, the look of shock and appreciation on his face made me realise the good feeling of doing some hard work, and because of that it will be a standout moment for me for a long time.

Can you introduce yourself and your company?

My name is Craig Smith, and I'm both a lecturer at UCW and director of Titan Roc, a video game development company. We've recently released our first major commercial video game, Forsaken Realms: Vahrin's Call.

How has Titan Roc supported T Level students?

Vahrin's Call was a mammoth undertaking for our company, taking 12 years in total to complete. Due to the sheer size of the game, it created lots of excellent opportunities for students to get involved and gain hands-on, real-world industry experience, whilst genuinely contributing to the release of a commercial video game.

What type of work do students get involved with during their placements?

The students have primarily been involved in QA testing for Vahrin's Call.

This involves playing through the game with a critical eye, identifying bugs, spotting gameplay issues, and providing feedback on the overall player experience.

It's not just about playing video games. It's about understanding how games work, recognising when something isn't right, and communicating those findings clearly so the development team can investigate and make improvements.

It's a great introduction to the development process and shows students just how much work goes into making a game. In many cases, their feedback and critique have genuinely helped shape the final product.

What skills do learners develop by undergoing a placement at Titan Roc?

I think one of the biggest skills students develop is attention to detail. When you're testing a game, you need to notice things that other people might miss. They also develop communication, teamwork, and analytical thinking skills.

It's extremely fun playing through a video game for the first or second time, maybe even more, depending on the type of game. However, when it starts to feel like a job, after the third or fourth playthrough, that's when their analytical skills really come into play. They have to look beyond simply enjoying the experience and start thinking critically about how everything works.

We'd like to think they also gain confidence working in a professional environment and develop a better understanding of the expectations and responsibilities that come with working in the games industry.

How does working with T Level learners benefit Titan Roc?

We're a small company, so having T Level students involved has been incredibly beneficial for us. Having additional people testing our game and looking at it from different perspectives is extremely valuable.

When you've been working on a game for such a long time, you become so familiar with it that you inevitably start overlooking certain things. Bringing in students gives us fresh eyes and different ways of approaching the game, often highlighting things we might never have considered ourselves.

We're also not just getting support with our project; we're giving young people an opportunity to gain experience and potentially discover a career path they're passionate about.

We're always on the lookout for our next colleague, after all!

Are there any standout moments or success stories from your placements?

There was a moment just before Christmas last year when the team had been working tirelessly towards a major production milestone. The T Level students had successfully completed their own targets, which were directly linked to the team achieving that milestone.

We had a meeting to sign everything off, and I tasked the students with breaking down everything they'd experienced and outlining, completely honestly, everything they would change about the game if money and time were no object.

I wanted them to forget about the usual constraints of development and just tell us what they really thought, without holding anything back.

That was, without a doubt, some of the most valuable feedback we've ever received, and we've run tons of playtests over the years.

It really demonstrated just how much value students can bring when you give them the opportunity to contribute and take their opinions seriously.

What advice would you give to employers considering offering industry placements?

Honestly, just give it a go.

I think some businesses might worry about the time involved or whether students will have the skills needed to contribute, but you might be surprised by just how much value they can bring, especially if you give them meaningful work.

You don't need to overcomplicate things. Give them real responsibilities, support them where needed, and make them feel like part of the team. You might be surprised by what they can achieve.

I think T Level industry placements are a fantastic opportunity for both students and employers.

The games industry can be quite difficult to break into, especially when you're just starting out, so giving young people the chance to experience real development work is incredibly important.

There's often a big difference between learning about an industry and actually working in it, and placements like these help bridge that gap.

The earlier students gain that experience and understanding; the sooner they can develop the skills and confidence needed to reach the level the industry expects of them.