Weston-super-Mare AFC, in partnership with Weston College, is inviting talented young footballers aged 15 to 19 to an exclusive Academy Trial Day.

The event, designed to inspire and develop the next generation of players, will take place on 3rd January, and offers a unique blend of professional coaching and educational opportunities.

The Academy Trial Day provides a platform for participants to showcase their skills while exploring pathways that combine football and academics through Weston College’s tailored programmes.

Event Highlights: 

• Professional Coaching: Participants will train with Weston-super-Mare AFC’s experienced Academy staff and gain valuable insights into the professional football environment. 
• Pathway Opportunities: Learn about Weston College’s innovative educational programmes designed to help students balance athletic and academic pursuits. 
• Player Development: Compete alongside current U16 players and challenge yourself against talented peers in a high-level training session.

Simon Panes, Academy Director at Weston-super-Mare AFC, said: “We at the academy strive to offer the perfect footballing pathway built around full-time education. The club and the academy are now attracting players from a larger geographical area due to its success and high profile. All our staff aim to improve every facet of the academy and the standard of player within. We look forward to welcoming you to our January trials to showcase your talent.”

Jack Gadd, Student Engagement Manager at Weston College, added: “We’re delighted to be offering this exciting opportunity, alongside Weston-super-Mare AFC.

“We’re passionate about providing learners with pathways that support them in achieving sporting success, and this established partnership is the perfect example of this. Through opportunities such as these, our learners can achieve both their sporting and academic goals.”

Spaces are limited, so early registration is encouraged. 

This is an exceptional chance for young players to take their football journey to the next level while planning their future with Weston College’s support.

For further details and to reserve your place, please click here.

Our Hospitality and Catering students have been at it again, preparing delicious meals with the help of professional chef masterclasses and learning new skills that they wouldn’t normally learn until later in their career. 

The executive head chef from Coast & Country Catering, Chris Chatfield, came in to deliver a masterclass to our hospitality students over two days. On the first day, he gave them a chocolate masterclass which included making a pre-dessert of Pina Colada, followed by an out-of-the-ordinary ‘apple’ crumble, and on the second day, the learners created an outstanding dinner menu using a range of techniques and foods to be presented as the Grove’s dinner menu to the public. 

The pre-dessert Pina Colada consisted of a chocolate and coconut shell with a pineapple salsa and a coconut foam. The ‘apple’ crumble was also no ordinary apple crumble, but was rather a white chocolate mousse, set in a green coloured chocolate to look like an apple, with an apple and blackberry centre and set on a bed of crumble. These dishes taught the learners how to uniquely present their dishes to look even more high-quality and professional due to the time and effort gone into them. 

On the second day, the learners readied for the Tuesday night dinner service at the Grove, and, with the help of Chris, the students created some exceptional final dishes including starters like Crab Mille Feuille and Haricot Blanc Velouté, and mains including Mizo Glazed Venison Loin, Hen of the Woods, and Stone Bass. 

During this takeover, the students developed their skills and learnt new techniques, not only in cooking but also with presentation and serving. The technical skills included high-end plating skills, cooking and picking crabs, breaking down venison saddles to produce sous vide loin, salt baking vegetables, smoking vegetables, curing, pickling and making a classic au jus. 

Chris also offered an insight into Michelin level cooking, as well as outlining the expectations and behaviours that are expected within the industry at that level so the learners could develop an understanding of a real-world professional kitchen. 

Overall, the masterclass was a success, allowing students to flex their culinary skills and learn new ways of cooking and presenting in order to create quality dishes in all aspects. The learners learnt so much from Chris and produced a fantastic final menu that they should be proud of. 

We’d like to say a big thank you to Chris for helping our learners better their abilities and improve their confidence in the kitchen so they can become our future professionals in the culinary industry. 

If you’re interested in applying to one of Hospitality and Catering courses in September, click here. 

Recently, we welcomed Boris Zamba from the band Voodoo Ramble to the Michael Eavis Suite at Loxton Campus, performing live alongside The Blue Horizon, one of our very own alumni bands. Together, these two groups merged elements of the UK blues scene with Croatian influences, offering our Year 2 cohort of Level 3 TV, Film, and Creative Production students the chance to develop their skills in a real-world setting through live performance and hands-on music production. 

The TV, Film, and Creative Production students were immersed in numerous performance-making opportunities, while also showcasing their expertise by capturing footage of the event. Our Creative and Commercial Photography students documented every moment, working collaboratively to curate a fully produced live album and video, demonstrating their technical skills and artistic talent. 

The Blue Horizon anchored the rhythm section, supported by two of our Music students on backing vocals. This performance was a remarkable success, featuring dynamic collaboration led by music legend Boris Zamba on guitar and lead vocals. Despite facing some unexpected technical challenges, the students demonstrated resilience and professionalism, earning praise from the audience and guest performers alike. 

Jade Hicks, our Head of Performance and Production, reflected on the experience: “This project has been an exceptional opportunity for students to learn the end-to-end process of creating a commercial release.” She emphasised that students gained invaluable industry skills, including “technical setup, live sound engineering, visual capture, and post-production.” 

The event showcased phenomenal performances by the music students, The Blue Horizon, and Boris Zamba. Through this practical industry experience, students not only enhanced their confidence in performing but also opened doors for future networking opportunities in their musical journeys. 

This partnership forms part of the Creative Arts Careers Excellence Hub. The College has fourteen sector-specific Career Excellence Hubs, which evidence our dedication to supporting both employers and learners in achieving their future goals. By creating a seamless connection between industry and education, we enable learners to acquire not only the essential skills and knowledge but also the professional networks necessary to excel in their chosen fields.    

To see more about our Creative Arts courses, 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.