We caught up with Megan Thomas, who is the Education and Outreach Lead at Hinkley Point C, to find out about the work they do with us.

The Hinkley Point C project is the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in over twenty years. It is currently in the construction phase, but once live it will provide power to 6 million home across the UK.

My role is to inspire, engage and educate young people across the South West to consider a career at the project. We have a huge range of opportunities and career pathways on the project, and I'm always looking at how I can get new talent involved!

We have worked closely with Weston College for many years; especially as they sit within the 90-minute radius of the Hinkley Point C site. Weston College have brilliant facilities with a huge offer and a team of dedicated and reliable staff.

We are part of the Careers Excellence Hubs, which I think are a brilliant initiative to bring business into the curriculum, and show students the reality of the industry they are studying.

I believe it is vital for students to have engagement from business throughout their studies whilst at College, and this is what we have been able to provide Weston College students with.

We have worked closely with the curriculum areas that link directly into the project, and have given these students a full careers workshop on the opportunities available once they complete their studies. I always bring members of Team HPC with me when I present to students, so we can really bring the project to life, and the students can ask the raw and real questions they want to!

For me, we are always looking to bring new people onto the project so getting in front of the young people who are about to begin their career journeys is brilliant.

Megan Thomas, Education and Outreach Lead, Hinkley Point C Project

A big thank you to Megan and Hinkley Point C, for all they do in supporting Weston College learners.

Find out more about our courses for school leavers, by clicking here.

In February 2022, Weston College developed and launched Accelerate; a 7 month intensive skills and training programme for businesses and individuals to access in for free in North Somerset. As the project draws a full close one year later, it has been revealed that not only did the Community Renewal Fund reached it target objectives, but Weston College succeeded with the allocated part of the programme.

Together with North Somerset Council, The Food and Drink Forum and The Hive - Business Support Centre, Weston College received a share of funding from a £2.8m government initiative, which was part of the UK Community Renewal Fund.

Working together, the partners developed Accelerate – a unique umbrella of fully rounded support opportunities for not only working individuals and business wanting to upskill or start a business but also to for individuals looking for help to get back into work and access key support. Accelerate was one of four projects that delivered skills, community, business, and employment opportunities.  

In total, Weston College alone reached 322 unique businesses from February to September 2022, culminating in a reach of over 1100 individuals in total. A large portion of those businesses reached were North Somerset SMEs, of whom hire under 250 employees and quite often struggle to access funded training courses.

Of the 1100+ individuals that were reached in just over 7 months, 200 participants engaged in life skills support following the Brighter Futures jobs fair which welcome local businesses looking for talent and supporting job seekers.

Skills Sessions included CV support, resilience in employment, and appropriate employment related behaviour training. The event helped all attendees with application support and job opportunities. Accelerate also developed a packed monthly calendar of free and accessible workshops for businesses and individuals to access that covered key skills requirements. Successful workshops included Managing Teams and Mentoring, Navigating Difficult Conversations in the Workplace, Marketing and Branding, Sustainability support, Canva Essentials, Disability Confident Employment, Leadership Skills, Microsoft, Excel, Diversity and Inclusion and British Sign Language (amongst much more).

The project also enabled the development of a business community hub at Spacebar, a dedicated workshop style space located in the Sovereign Centre. Spacebar is still used weekly for all partners, for free, to offer business advice, promote volunteering opportunities in the region and access further training and outreach to those seeking employment support or specialist advice for refugees in the region.

Even though Accelerate, as a funded project, has now closed, the community of business support remains strong. All North Somerset business, of all industries and sizes are welcome to join the Accelerate LinkedIn group and take advantage of continuing support. Weston College continues to be a reliable resource for business support across recruitment, apprenticeships and more and is working hard with businesses to support learners into industry and enable business to access training, secure talent and thrive.

Learners from our Business Career Excellence Hub have raised an incredible £5,170 for Weston Hospicecare, through the Business Enterprise Challenge.

Now in it’s second year, the Business Enterprise Challenge sees Business students split into18 groups, and tasked with raising money for Weston Hospicecare. Each group are given a Business Mentor, as well as a £50 donation for a start-up budget. The challenge is to turn their £50 into the most profit, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Each group of learners have created their business plan, which includes sourcing products, developing their pricing strategy, coming up with a marketing plan and then selling their product or service.

The groups ran their businesses from October to January, and included companies that created ‘Christmas Treat Baubles’ for pets, sustainable eco-friendly biodegradable ‘Self Care Packages’ and an events management business.

Dean of Faculty for Professional Studies Access to HE & Animal Science at Weston College, Helen George, said: “We are so proud of what our learners have achieved as part of this challenge. Over the course of the challenge, we have seen learners grow in confidence, increase their understanding of running a business and build vital skills that will support them throughout their future careers.

Most importantly learners have raised a lot of money for Weston Hospicecare, which has been the driving force behind the success we have seen to date.

Thank you to our Business Mentors who have provided such valuable advice, guidance and feedback to the learners. We really appreciate their support.”

Each group of learners presented their experiences to a judging panel, as well as sharing how much they raised, which resulted in four award winning groups:

• Fundraisers Achievement Award – Isabelle, Abi, Elena, Lauren, Inga, Lloyd, and Wiktor
• Best Presentation Award – Nicole, Ella, Olivia, Milly, Eva, and Amanda
• Product Innovation Award – Paige, Martyna, and Eloise
• Employer Engagement/Networking Award – Thomas, Charlotte, Grace, Harry, Reg, and Daniel
• Overall Winners Award – Jodine, Melwin, Harry, Samuel, Maddison, and Denver.

Philppa Haynes, Founder of Insight 101 Brand Strategy Consultant, and mentor to our overall winners, said: “I’ve always been impressed by the commitment of Weston College to its students. The Enterprise Challenge Awards, sponsored by Weston Hospicecare, is yet another feather in their cap. As a mentor for the winning team which raised over £1000, I’m so proud of the students. Guts, determination and a little bit of flair were very much key to their success.”

Ben Whitwell, Creative Director Benji Graphics, and also a mentor, said “This was a really great project to be involved with, not only did it raise a fantastic amount for Weston Hospicecare, but it gave us a chance to work with really passionate and enthusiastic students from Weston College. It was really rewarding seeing their project through from planning through to sales and great to see them rewarded for all their efforts. I’ll be back next year, and I’m coming back to win with my team!

If you would like to find out more about studying a business course at Weston College, click here.