The progression from college is often daunting, whether you’re interested in university, an apprenticeship, or going straight into work, the best way to decide is to be fully informed of every option. That’s why the Art and Design Careers Excellence Hub (CEH) organised a Fashion and Textiles lecturer from the University of the West of England (UWE) to discuss the available courses to some of our Art and Design students. 

The Fashion and Textiles guest lecturer from UWE, Tracy Fitzgerald, discussed everything from the variety of modules each year, to the different work placement opportunities and career pathways available.  

According to Tracy, there are three main areas of a Fashion and Textiles course at UWE: Fashion design, Textile design, and Fashion Textile futures. These three areas provide a range of different opportunities, roles and pathways for students. To get an idea of each of these areas, Tracy provided our students with portfolios from previous years that they could browse in order to experience the kinds of projects they’d get the chance to complete on the course. 

During this guest lecture, Tracy thoroughly outlined each year of the courses so the learners were well informed of what a university course may entail. This included explaining project briefs, the amazing employers that students have previously worked with on placement, the opportunities to study abroad, as well as outlining how the course is delivered by breaking down each year. 

A Fashion course at UWE not only develops a student's knowledge and skills in fashion, but it also allows them to develop more transferrable skills which can be useful in upskilling any role. This includes getting the chance to use different software such as CAD Design, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and more! 

The learners also learnt a bit about the exams and coursework, the hours they’d spend on campus, and the advanced workshops they would get the chance to partake in. This helped the learners gain a better understanding of how a university course is delivered and provides a better picture of whether this is the right route for them. 

Tracy also reassures the students by informing them that the base of the course is creativity. You are not expected to know everything before you begin, you’re simply expected to have ideas and be enthusiastic in what you are studying. 

Overall, the guest lecture from Tracy Fitzgerald proved to be very insightful and provided our students with a lot of information regarding what to expect from a university course so they can choose the right path for them once they progress after college. 

A big thank you to Tracy from UWE for taking the time to come in and give an amazing talk to our learners, it benefited them greatly.  

If you are interested in applying to one of our Art and Design courses in September, click here. 

The Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction T Level learners have had another exciting day out, visiting Uncle Paul’s Chilli Farm in Butcombe as part of their induction. 

Weston College have been proud partners of Uncle Paul’s Chilli Farm for many years and have supported many of our students during this time. It is an amazing charity that supports and empowers socially disadvantaged people with learning difficulties, creating an immersive and safe environment where they can learn, build their confidence, and prepare for employment. 

By taking our Construction T Level learners here, it gives them a better understanding of some of our partner charities and how important it is to give back to society. During this trip, they took part in team-building activities and learnt new skills to help introduce them to the course. 

Before the main activity commenced, the students took a tour of the farm to familiarise themselves with the environment, exploring the crops and admiring the animals as they went. They were then tasked with a team building, survival activity that required them to light a fire from scratch and boil a ‘Kelly kettle’ full of water to make everyone a hot chocolate or coffee. 

Once everyone was refreshed and hydrated, the students began working on their main task: repurposing donated pallets into furniture! 

Uncle Paul’s Chilli Farm had received some wooden pallets as a donation but had no real use for them, so asked our year 1 Construction T Level students if they could design and create pieces of furniture in groups that could be used around the farm, reducing waste and improving sustainability. 

Both groups decided to repurpose the pallets into seats so they could be used around the farm by both learners and visitors. Once they had been made, the seats were painted green, ready to be used around the farm. 

But the fun didn’t stop there! Some learners also took part in the ‘Chilli Challenge’ where they got the chance to try a variety of Uncle Paul’s homegrown chillies, some of which proved to be very hot! 

Daniel Comerford, one of our Construction lecturers at Weston College, said “everyone enjoyed the day very much. The leaners got to know each other better and worked together on the various projects, improving their communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills.” 

Overall, it was a very successful day that not only allowed the students to give back to the community, but also better familiarise themselves with their peers by working together to create furniture out of salvaged wood. 

As a college, we’d like to give a huge thanks to Uncle Paul’s Chilli Farm for accommodating our T Level learners and making the day so engaging. 

If you’re interested in applying to our Construction: Design, Surveying and Planning T Level in September, click here. 

Our adult learners from the Empower programme in the Faculty of Inclusive Practice have been tasked with an important project that will test their skills, creativity, and decision-making, giving them chance to follow a brief and consider different factors that may affect their final product. 

These learners are working with Griffiths Farrans JV and Bristol Airport to restore 4 picnic benches for Oatfield playground in Backwell. After lots of wear and tear, these benches have become old and damaged but are a community favourite in the playground. Rather than replacing them, our FIP students have been asked to refurbish them and salvage what they can to improve sustainability and reduce waste. 

Griffiths Farrans JV are building a new public transportation interchange hub and multi-storey car park at Bristol Airport, which intends to reduce congestion, increase convenience, and encourage more public transport.  

Our guest speakers from Griffiths and Farrans JV, Kate and Emily, came to excite our learners and get them involved, giving them the chance to help out a local community but also show them the increase in opportunities available in the future.   

This project is for the students to not only restore the pre-existing benches, but also to create one new bench that is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all weathers. It can be made from any materials, and the students have complete freedom, with all the required materials being funded by Griffiths Farrans JV. 

The students were thrilled by the possibilities, immediately discussing different designs and considering a variety of accessibility options for a wide range of wheelchairs. They began to explore the different materials that would be best suited for their design ideas as well as considering how many seats they wish to include. 

Once the learners decide on the design as a group, they will begin to put their plan in motion with the help of their lecturers and technicians to ensure everything is carried out safely. By giving the learners this task, it builds their confidence, allows them to put their ideas into practice, and develop important transferrable skills in a supported environment which they can take with them after college. 

A big thank you to Griffiths Farrans JV for giving our students this opportunity! We’re excited to see how it turns out.

Weston college is one of four SEND Centres for Excellence, click her to find out more.