Weston College has joined forces with Lloyds Banking Group to introduce real-world tech skills to a range of secondary school subjects.

The ReDiscover Project aims to help pupils aged 11-14 see the real-world potential of subjects they may be disengaged with.

The nationwide initiative, created by Lloyds Bank, goes beyond the ICT basics, and teaches skills such as vlogging, graphic design, music streaming and online money management.

Educational experts have developed lesson plans and supporting materials, which align with six traditional subjects – Business Studies, Maths, English, Media Studies, Graphics and Music.

On Wednesday 28th November 2018, Weston College will be host an interactive ReDiscover Project event, at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare. At this event, Key Stage 3 learners will try out a range of subjects that have been given a specific digital focus.

Students will then get to put their learning and insight into practice, by building a specific business plan that will judged by industry experts.

Lloyds ‘Digital Champions’ and local business experts will also be on hand to offer guidance, advice and to share industry knowledge.

Ben Cocks, Assistant Director at Weston College, said: “This is an exciting project and we are delighted to be working on it with Lloyds Banking Group.

“Digital skills are becoming increasingly important to employers. The ReDiscover Project will present a great opportunity to encourage young people to engage with tech and see how they can use their digital talents to build a career.”

Stephen Noakes, Lloyds Banking Group Ambassador for the South West, said: “Having access to the right skills is crucial for any business or organisation, which is why supporting the minds of tomorrow is so important, both locally and across the country.

“Our colleagues regularly host financial literacy and employability events for schools and colleges across the South West to support young people in their transition between education and the world of work. We believe that celebrating homegrown talent is the best way to tackle the skills gap and help both businesses and individuals prosper.”

Creative Arts students from Weston College had the exciting opportunity to visit Bristol’s Marble Factory to watch the ‘Art Battle’ live painting competition.

The ‘Art Battle’ featured 12 artists, who had 20 minutes to create art on a blank canvas. The competition challenged the artists’ ability to work quickly and showcased their creative talent in front of an eager audience of art fans.

The winner is decided by an audience vote. All of the artwork produced on the night goes to a silent auction to support the artists involved.

Nicola Stent, Creative Arts lecturer at Weston College, who accompanied the learners, said: “This was a great opportunity for our learners. The group were engaged throughout the evening and they got involved with voting and purchasing artwork from the event.”

Weston College Art and Design students Cam Gelder and Heidi Lear will be taking part in the next ‘Art Battle’ in Bristol in November.

Nicola added: “We’re very excited to accompany Heidi and Cam and we wish them the best of luck!”

The event is taking place on Tuesday 13th November at the Marble Factory from 7pm. Spectator tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

Weston College has held a series of MasterChef-style competitions in prisons across the south west.

Prison learners were taught a range of catering skills before putting them to the test and cooking a meal of their own. Prison governors then chose the winner after sampling the dishes.

The day-long courses were designed to inspire learners and encourage them to consider a career in catering when they are released.

The initiative was hailed a huge success by Weston College Training and Development Manager Brian Howe, who taught the courses with colleague Pedro Aparicio.

Brian said: “First, all the learners took part in a demonstration, which involved showing them how to cut poultry.

“They then produced a range of fantastic dishes using the skills they had learned – including Oriental, Asian and Caribbean-style chicken. Some even cooked their own naan and pitta bread from scratch. The standard was amazing.

“It was so rewarding to see the passion and skill on display – they took in absolutely everything they were shown.

“The idea was to show what a career in catering and hospitality could offer. I lost count how many said that’s what they wanted to do when they are released.”

The classes were organised by the Weston College - the school of food apprenticeship team chef apprenticeship team known as The School of Food – a new chef apprenticeship jointly delivered by Weston College. The School of Food is a unique training course, run by chefs for chefs and designed to tackle the local skills shortage. A new and exciting apprenticeship programme that launched in April 2018, training aspiring chefs. Among the School of Food’s latest intake is a learner recently released from HMP Leyhill, who was inspired by the prison MasterChef class.

Weston College provides education services to ten prisons across the South West of England – Leyhill, Eastwood Park, Bristol, Erlestoke, Guys Marsh, The Verne, Portland, Exeter, Channings Wood and Dartmoor.

The Weston College Offender Learning team delivers a wide range of training provision in South West prisons, including catering, English, maths, customer service, art, plastering, carpentry, plastering and bricklaying. Curriculums are designed to engage offenders in learning and help them gain the skills and qualifications required to find sustainable employment when they are released. Weston College is proud to work in partnership with and supporting the Ministry of Justice and Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service to rehabilitate offenders and reduce re-offending.