SafeGuard Clothing has donated a bulletproof vest to Weston College’s Uniformed and Public Services students.

The international body armour company’s donation fits in with its mission of educating students about the necessity for safety equipment for front line service operatives.

SafeGuard Clothing has partnered with several regional and national education institutions to assist with materials and information that enrich the students’ learning experience.

Thomas Bowman, speaking on behalf of SafeGuard Armour and Clothing, said: “Under our corporate initiative for social responsibility and involvement, we assist local colleges in developing their Public Services courses.

“We offer our support, expertise and guidance to improve student preparedness for the line of work they have chosen.”

Rebecca Ranson, Curriculum Manager for Sport and Public Services at Weston College, expressed gratitude to SafeGuard for the donation, saying: “It offers our students great advantage in acquiring the knowledge and skills they need in their chosen field.

“Such level of corporate and social responsibility creates vital opportunities and enhances the quality of our educational program.

“We are happy that Weston College is among those that have been selected to receive a donation as we believe it creates a unique advantage for our students to understand the type of body armour they will be using later on in their careers.”

SafeGuard Armour and Clothing is a worldwide manufacturer and distributer of body armour and is involved in research and development for new materials to enhance the wearability of protective body armour for front line services.

Civil engineering is an exciting job which leads people into successful careers working on important projects.

With Weston College announcing its new Higher Level Apprenticeship in Civil Engineering, we take a look at how civil engineers are transforming the country...

Hinkley Point C

Hinkley Point’s new nuclear reactor will be the biggest construction site in Europe, and the most expensive structure ever constructed. 5,600 people will be employed at the project’s height, and Civil Engineers are in short supply to meet the project’s demands. When finished, it will account for 7% of the country’s energy. Click here to find out how the College is supporting Hinkley.

Heathrow expansion

Heathrow Airport – one of the busiest airports in the world – is expanding, and creation of a new runway will reshape the landscape forever. Two new passenger terminals and transport hubs will be built, connected by an underground passenger transit and baggage system. An extra runway will enable 740,000 flights a year, and could be constructed over the M25 – which would present a unique proposition for the engineers tasked with designing the build. This project will take a massive amount of planning and construction, and will involve civil engineers from across the UK.

Electrification of the Great Western train line

The electrification of the Great Western train line is the biggest investment in the Great Western railway since Brunel built it more than 150 years ago. The project is hoped to stimulate economic growth in the South West by improving commuter and transport links, and investment in infrastructure is one of the Government’s key focuses in the post-Brexit economy.

Flood defences

15 years ago, Leeds was inches away from devastating floods. Work has now started on an innovative £45m flood alleviation scheme to protect the city in the future, with major construction work in the town centre and surrounding areas. Improving the flood defences in this area will provide 22,000 jobs over the next 10 years, and 150 apprenticeships have been created for the project.​

Queensferry Crossing

Currently under construction in Scotland, the Queensferry Crossing is a road bridge under construction in Scotland which will carry the M90 motorway over the Firth of Forth. The bridge will be a massive 2.7km. The £1.35 billion project is directly employing over 1000 people.

Our new courses

Weston College’s new Higher Level Apprenticeship in Civil Engineering is taught both on site and at the College’s brand new Future Technology Centre. Wessex Water has confirmed that it will be recruiting the first cohort of apprentices to study within the programme in January 2017.

The new programme is a Level 4 apprenticeship which incorporates an NQV Diploma in Construction Site Supervision and an HNC in Construction in the Built Environment.

Click here to find out more.

With the gender pay gap hitting headlines on a constant basis we take a look at why it’s not just men who make good engineers…

Across the UK there is a skills shortage of engineers, which is why we’re investing millions of pounds into creating courses to provide trained engineers that meet the country’s future needs.

This shortage means that engineers are paid well and there are a variety of engineering specialisms that you could pursue. On the flip side, the lack of women in the engineering industry not only contributes to the gender pay gap but also deprives us of a considerable amount of talented individuals that could make a huge difference.

In the UK, only 20% of people enrolled on degree-level engineering programmes such as our new Higher Level Apprenticeship are women, which is a shame because girls possess the same ability to be successful in this field as boys!

On the whole, girls tend to do better at GCSE and A Level, and in the crucial STEM fields, girls do just as well as boys. Year after year, we see young women matching or even outclassing their male peers in maths and science exams – both fundamental technical skills for an engineer.

More and more, the engineering industry is crying out for engineers who not only have proficient technical capability, but are also good communicators who work effectively in teams and can explain their work to key stakeholders. Other crucial skills include a strong, analytical mind and attention to detail. All of these are things that women excel in.

Liz Griffiths, Weston College’s Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, told us about the route that took her into a successful career in engineering. She said: “When I left school I was unsure about the career path that I wanted to pursue.

“I knew that my favourite subjects were maths and physics, so I wanted to find an occupation that related to those subjects.

“I was lucky enough to attend a seminar on women in engineering and was immediately interested in the exciting and varied career options that are available in the engineering industry, so I started to investigate the different kinds of apprenticeships that were available.

“The most important piece of advice I would give to girls that are considering getting into engineering is that it’s a very diverse and well-paid career and there is bound to be a pathway that interests you.

“If you’re unsure, it’s worth going to college open days to see what different types of engineering courses and apprenticeships are available.”