Creating brighter futures

Weston College and University Centre Weston are teaming up to host a community beach clean event on April 24th from 11am-3pm, funded by Weston and Burnham Energy. 

The event aims to bring together members of the community to work towards a cleaner, more sustainable environment.

Several groups of learners from Weston College and University Centre Weston will be joining forces to support the community by cleaning the beach. The event will provide a fun and engaging way to educate and raise awareness about environmental issues, while also providing an opportunity for everyone to take action and make a difference.

The community beach clean event will take place on Weston beach, with all necessary equipment provided, including gloves and bags.

The event will also feature several stands set up in the Tropicana, where students and the public can learn more about sustainability.

Visitors can expect to see stands from North Somerset Council's Waste and Recycling team, as well as their Energy team. There will also be a litter-picking game, a demo on ‘60 things to reuse plastic for’, a plastic workshop, and a stand on how to grow your own food.

Sir Paul Phillips, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for members of the community to come together and make a positive impact on our local environment.

“At Weston College we are passionate advocates of making a difference to the community and therefore, we embed a green, lean and socially responsible approach, in order to sustain the world’s resources, reduce environmental impact and create the vibrant, positive and fairer communities of tomorrow.”

There is no need to pre-register for this event, just go to the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare, on Monday 24th April, 11:00am – 3:00pm. Click here to find out more about the event.

Are you a lover of languages, eager to gain a qualification in Spanish?  

We have some good news! 

We are extremely pleased to announce that Spanish A Level will soon be introduced into the curriculum at Weston College Sixth Form. 

The new subject will offer students a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of Spanish. 

You will develop confident and effective communication skills in Spanish and a thorough understanding of the social issues, trends and politics as well as artistic culture in the Spanish speaking world. 

This course is part of our Sixth Form Career Excellence Hubs, which brings you closer to industry than ever before! You will hear from people within the industry, who will equip you with the latest skills, to enhance your future career opportunities. 

What does the course involve? 

Study subjects include understanding native speakers in spoken and written materials; developing your confidence in self-expression and essay writing and cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking society such as modern-day idols, Spanish regional identity and cultural heritage. 

How will the course be assessed? 

Exams in your second year. 

What future study opportunities and careers are there? 

The ability to speak more than one language is highly valued by many universities and employers and can be combined with a number of subjects, leading to careers such as business, tourism, international law, journalism, media or engineering. 

More information to follow. 

To find out more about our Careers Excellence Hubs (CEH), click here.  

Alex Lipinski is a former Weston College student who has built a vast and impressive career from humble beginnings on the West Country club circuit, to huge audiences across the pond in New York. He recently paid us a visit to deliver a talk about his experiences in the music industry to our Music Performance and Production learners. Students also had the opportunity to interview the talented musician and watch him perform live. 

Alex grew up in a musical family being influenced by 60s Rock and Roll music such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Kinks. Alex had a love for writing music and began his journey performing his songs in clubs, bars and for family occasions. The interest in his music has grown greatly, particularly after his recent successful shows at The Borderline. His track ‘Lonesome Train’ was also recently selected by BBC 6 presenter, Tom Robison, as one of his tracks of the week. 

He advised to the students is to have their own identity as an artist, writing from the heart and not being too influenced by chart music. Alex expressed originality and creativity is key amongst such a competitive industry, stating:  

“The main thing is honesty when writing music...being honest with yourself and thinking what do you want to write about? Who are you as a person or as an artist? What do you want to say? Often people see what’s number 1 in the charts and think ‘ok I’m going to write a song like that because that will be successful.’ It doesn’t really work like that; you can tell that doesn’t mean anything. Having your own identity as a writer and an artist is more valuable than anything.” 

He also gave the students some tips on the best way to get their music out onto the scene and to not be disheartened or discouraged when they do not get the responses they expected right away. 

Overall, the learners thoroughly enjoyed his visit and hearing from someone who was exactly in their position before going on to achieve success in the industry. Thank you, Alex, for inspiring the next generation of artists! 

Find out more about our Music Performance and Production course here.