One of our talented A-Level students, recently had the incredible opportunity to interview singer/songwriter and musician Alex Lipinski on the Wave Community Radio.  

Phoebe, who studies A-Levels in English Literature/Language, Sociology, and History, has always had a passion for writing and a strong interest in journalism. "I have always wanted to go into journalism. I love to write and so was looking to go into some sort of field to do with this, but I ended up falling into the Broadcasting Journalism sector and am absolutely loving it," she shared. 

Her involvement with Wave Community Radio began when she saw an opportunity to interview key industry figures at the CareersFest at the Winter Gardens. "I saw a message on Teams about Wave Radio offering an opportunity for students to interview key industries at the CareersFest... It felt like something I shouldn’t miss as I wanted to go into Journalism, so I put myself forward," Phoebe explained. Following the success of her initial interviews, she eagerly sought more opportunities with the station and has been hosting her own show since the start of May. 

The interview with Alex Lipinski was a highlight for Phoebe, as she has known him both as an artist and a family friend. "The whole interview with Alex was incredible... The highlight would have to be hearing his soon-to-be-released song ‘The Ballad of The Boy,’ which he played for the first time ever exclusively on the show," Phoebe recounted. She was also impressed by Lipinski's cover of The Killers' ‘Read My Mind’ and was intrigued to learn about his musical upbringing. 

Phoebe’s show, part of the Student Takeover on Wave Community Radio, features a music guest every other week for performances and interviews. Her dedication to giving small artists a spotlight and discovering new music is evident in her programming choices. "Being able to give small artists a spotlight is what I am also aiming to keep on my shows, and I love discovering new music," she noted. 

Phoebe’s experience on Wave Community Radio has solidified her desire to pursue a career in broadcasting journalism. "This is what I want to do now, so I am going to continue working hard and hopefully make it into BBC one day," she expressed. 

She also shared some valuable advice for aspiring journalists: "Ask the questions, do some digging, take all the opportunities given to you and communicate effectively. Be brave also... It was extremely out of my comfort zone to do those interviews, but I am so grateful to myself that I did it anyway." 

Listeners can tune in to Phoebe’s show every other Monday from 7-8 PM on Wave Community Radio. Her next show is scheduled for June 10th, where she will continue to feature new and experienced artists, providing them with a platform to share their music and stories. 

You can also listen back to shows on Mixcloud, by searching 'Wave Community Radio' and look for The Student Takeover. 
Phoebe also has an Instagram account, updated with her upcoming shows and her music favourites - @one.phoeberculley

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. 

Two T Level students have recently had the exciting opportunity to complete their placement with Griffiths Farrans JV, as part of their commitment to support the next generation of talent in construction and civil engineering.

The work placement element of T Levels (which equates to 20% of the duration of the course) gives learners the opportunity to put the theory they have learned in the classroom into practice and gain real-life experience in an industry related to their course.

Ned and Kimberly, who study Construction: Design, Surveying and Planning, have been working on an exciting public transport project at Bristol Airport since April, which has involved helping in delivering an enlarged public transport interchange with an enhanced internal road system.

The learners are also working on an additional multi-story car park which includes waiting rooms and rest facilities. These projects are part of Bristol Airport’s multi-million-pound transformational development plan which aims to allow 12 million passengers a year to use the Airport.

Kimberly says that the activities she usually carries out day-to-day at her work placement involve taking levels, marking out points for ground works, and creating surveys. The area that she has found the most interesting has been using modern technology to set out different aspects of the construction of the project such as a total station, magnet field controller and GPS to take levels and to set out on site.

When asked if Kimberly would encourage others to apply to T Levels, she said, “I would definitely recommend T Levels to other students. T Levels give you a more practical insight of the career field you want to go into.”

“Going to placement has really helped me think about my future and has provided a clearer vision of what I may want to do for my future. I am confident that this is the career field I am meant to be in, and I really enjoy it.”

Click here to read more about T Levels available at Weston College: https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/t-levels

I’m Leslie Warren, a qualified Chartered Surveyor and currently an Asset Manager for a c.£4bn (AuM) UK property portfolio.

Last year when I was searching for a job, I attended the Weston College Takeover Day at the Job Centre, as I wanted to refresh my Microsoft Excel skills. Whilst there I found out about the Pre-employment courses on offer at the college and decided to apply.

The course was really beneficial to me, as I increased my skills in Excel, improved my CV, and I also found out about AI, and how this can be utilised to enhance job applications.

I used the AI elements of the course to create a PowerPoint presentation, which I then used in the interview to get the job I have now.

I enjoyed the course, met some lovely people, enjoyed visiting Weston College and benefited from what I learned there.

The teaching was excellent, the tutor able to disseminate information to a wide demographic with skill, patience, care and kindness shown at all times.

I now work nationally, from home most of the time, but with an office in Bristol and London that I visit weekly as well as completing site visits when required.

The type of tasks I complete include Asset-Evaluations, Options Appraisals (which are Board Reports that request a decision on a recommendation that I create), managing budgets, conducting and commissioning financial analysis, portfolio management and Net-Present-Valuations.

The part that I most enjoy about my job is when I identify an underperforming asset and my recommendation to dispose of it is approved by the board, and I then get the chance to financially prove myself by acquiring capital receipt from open market disposals that more than cover the cost of hiring me.

My time at Weston College brought me up to speed with contemporary norms and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have had the chance to learn.

Leslie.