This year Weston College hospitality students will get the opportunity to learn from renowned chef, Mikey Bain.

Mikey enjoys a growing reputation in the industry, having learnt under some of the UK’s best chefs such as Ramon Farthing and Martin Burge who have successfully run Michelin Star restaurants. Having served a great tutelage under these chefs, it wasn’t long before Mikey was running his own kitchen. He had great success here too, having achieved 2 AA rosettes whilst running the kitchen at Beechfield House Hotel. Mikey is now Senior Sous chef at Calcot Manor.

Sandra Bull, Divisional Lead for Hair, Beauty, Hospitality and Catering at Weston College said: “We are delighted to welcome Mikey to the team through the chef’s forum. He has had a great career so far and has a lot of experience to share with our students."

Mikey added: “I am thrilled to be presented with this opportunity, and cannot wait to get started. Learning from industry professionals has really helped me grow into the chef I am today, and I would love to share my expertise to help future chefs.”

For more information on our hospitality offering, click here.

Step 1: Purchasing your bus pass

1. Go to the college website www.weston.ac.uk
2. Click on ‘Payments’ (at the top of the banner)
3. Click on ‘Bus Passes’
4. Scroll to the bottom, click on ‘Read More’
5. Select desired bus pass
6. Click ‘Add to Basket’
7. Click ‘Shopping Basket’
8. Click ‘Proceed to Checkout’
9. Log into existing account / Crete new user account
10. Enter ‘Student ID’
11. Click ‘Continue’
12. Select payment method
13. Enter payment and billing details
14. Continue through until payment complete

Step 2: Access your Student Email

1. Google search 'Office 365'
2. Select https://www.office.com/
3. Sign in with Weston College email and password (sent out with enrolment information)

You will receive an email confirming your bus pass purchase code to this email address.  Please note: it can take up to 24hrs offer enrolment for the email to come through.

Step 3: First Bus m-Tickets app

1. Download the First Bus m-Tickets app from the app store
2. Search for ‘Weston-super-Mare’ under region
3. Select ‘Buy Ticket’
4. Select ‘Student Travel’
5. Select the bus pass you have purchased a voucher code for. Please ignore the cost listed as this is the rate charged to the College, not the subsidised rate that the learner pays
6. Add the bus pass to your basket
7. Select pay now, where you will be asked to create an account
8. Enter voucher code purchased from the College

How to use your mTicket:

Your mTickets will appear as 'purchased' under 'My Ticket Wallet' in your App.

When you want to use it, choose the ticket you want (they are listed from oldest at the top to newest at the bottom) and select 'Activate now' – just to double check, you'll be asked to confirm that you want to activate this ticket.

When a ticket is 'Activated', the App will generate a moving image ticket on your phone's screen; this will stay active for the amount of time the ticket is valid for.

You need to show this to the driver when you get on the bus so they can check the ticket.

Weston College has become the first college to sign up to the national Ban the Box campaign.

Candidates with a criminal record can now apply for jobs at the College with the knowledge that they will be assessed on their ability to do the job before any convictions are fairly considered.

However, the same rules surrounding who can legally do certain jobs will still apply, and DBS checks will still take place before any member of staff is appointed. Anyone teaching learners or working alongside College staff will have been through the same rigorous legal checks as usual.

Applicants will however, be asked to declare any such record at the point of job offering, and will undergo DBS/legal checks as all with all other applicants. Only once they are successful in passing those will they be able to accept a position.

The campaign is spearheaded by Business in the Community, and currently more than 90 UK-wide employers are signed up, with the College being the latest. Other organisations include Boots, Barclays, Bristol City Council and Virgin Trains.

The initiative will mean that the College no longer asks about criminal convictions on job application forms, instead committing to considering an applicant’s skills, experience and ability first and foremost.

Having a job can reduce a person’s chance of reoffending by up to 50%, and by signing up to Ban the Box Weston College is creating a fair chance for ex-offenders to compete for jobs and helping to keep the community safer.  

Grace Mehanna, Business in the Community’s campaign director for employment and skills, said: “Two thirds of employers admit to discriminating against people with criminal records, but the employers we work with recognise the skills and loyalty this diverse group of people can bring to their roles. Removing the barrier of a tick box can make all the difference to someone deciding to apply to your company.”

The Ofsted “Outstanding” organisation has confirmed that “Weston College is committed to recruiting an inclusive workforce, reducing barriers to employment and offering opportunities to applicants with the talent, motivation and potential to succeed. The College is already proud to be changing lives by the delivery of high quality Offender Learning and we are delighted to have signed up to this new policy. We know from experience how important it is for people with a criminal record to know that they have a fair chance of gaining legitimate employment to support them and their families and contribute positively to society. As an employer, we pride ourselves on equal opportunities for everyone and this is another step we have taken to show people that it is their skills and ability to do the job that matters.”

For more information about the work the College undertakes with ex-offenders visit www.offenderlearning.co.uk or to find out about current job vacancies across the Weston College Group, visit www.weston.ac.uk/jobs

If you'd like to know more about the 'Ban the Box' initiative visit http://www.bitc.org.uk/banthebox