Our motto ‘Creating Brighter Futures’ is clearly evident within our sporting provision.

As well as boasting fantastic facilities – including the brand-new Health and Active Living Centre (HALC) – our outstanding courses form a range of progression pathways, which have resulted in four former students being employed in our sport faculty.

We sat down with Matt, Dan, Liam and Sarah (pictured left to right) and asked them about their experiences and how the College has developed over the years.

We cannot wait to continue to build on our existing success and create brighter futures for more young people. Click here for more information on Sport courses. 

A Weston College lecturer has won a major accolade for his service as a Royal Marine and achievements since leaving the forces.

Dave Beresford (pictured left), who is a Public Services lecturer, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the English Veterans Awards held at Mercure Holland House in Bristol.

The awards celebrate veterans who have made the often-difficult transition from the military to civilian life. They reward those who have gone above and beyond and excelled in their relevant fields and act as role models for future service leavers.

“I didn’t even know I’d been nominated initially,” said Dave. “So, to be shortlisted, and then win the award, was a wonderful surprise and a huge honour.

“I’m proud to have served in the Marines for 14 years and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the forces.

“As many ex-service personnel find, the transition into civilian life isn’t always easy, and it presented a few challenges initially.

“But military life taught me a number of lessons and skills that have served me well in my career in education and I’ve been able to call upon them to teach young people at Weston College.”

During his 14 years in the Royal Marines, Dave was awarded the Military Cross after rescuing two colleagues who were weighed down with heavy equipment and under fire from enemy forces.

Despite struggling with some common problems associated with moving into civilian life, Dave has gone on to forge a highly successful career in education. After starting as a graduate primary school teacher, he has progressed to lecture in further and higher education at Weston College.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, led the plaudits to Dave.

“To win such a prominent award is a magnificent achievement and deserved recognition for Dave,” said Dr Paul.

“After a distinguished career in the armed forces, he’s demonstrated massive determination and aptitude to carve out a wonderful career as a lecturer and is inspirational role model for his learners.”

Weston College itself was also among the finalists at the ceremony after being shortlisted for the Employer of the Year category.

The College has a strong history of supporting local military units and the Armed Forces community and is strengthening this commitment by launching a course to help servicemen and women find employment when they leave the forces.

Shaun Canniford, College Representative for the Armed Forces Covenant, said: “As a College we have a serious commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise to provide veterans and their families, and those leaving the military seeking, training and work opportunities.

“To be given recognition at the English Veterans Awards for our support of veterans was fantastic and we look forward to continuing the work we do by launching our Veterans Pre-Employment Programme on October 30th. This new course will ensure veterans are offered the training, advice and support they need to gain qualifications and find employment on leaving the armed services.” Click here to read more about this exciting new initiative.

Local Holiday Park Pontin’s Brean Sands has made a significant commitment to training their staff through their work with Training Solutions.

The park, based in Burnham-on-Sea, approached Training Solutions as they wanted to offer further training and qualifications to all their staff.

So far the park has had nine achievements in the NVQ Level 2 Food & Drink Service qualification and an impressive 22 achievements on the Level 2 EDI Certificate in Team Leading. They have also had achievements in Customer Service, NVQ Level 2 and 3, and the NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery.

Brian Howe, Training Manager at Pontin’s, said: “We have a great working relationship with Training Solutions; they are extremely professional and always help us achieve our goals.” He added: “Training Solutions has had a significant impact on our business; our teams have had a fantastic time working with them, our business has flourished and we now have a more positive and professional team.”

This NVQ level 2 Food and Drink Service is best suited to people who provide a table service of food and drink, and bar staff, who prefer to do a qualification directly related to their job. The qualification covers topics such as customer service, teamwork, health and safety, food service, and preparing drinks.

Ryan Edgell, aged 27, recently complete the NVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink Service. Ryan said: “Training with Training Solutions has been a very beneficial experience. The staff helped me throughout the qualification with a dedicated and supportive assessor as well as informative workshops which were flexible and tailored to my needs. Achieving my NVQ has enabled me to put my knowledge and skills into practice and has given me greater confidence in providing a quality service.”

Brian explained the key benefits of working with Training Solutions and said: “They are flexible to our needs and they offer support and advice which is both professional and personal to us and our teams. Our team members have all gained knowledge, experience and achieved great results – and some of them have even been promoted!”

He also encouraged other employers to contact Weston College and said: “I would recommend Training Solutions as they are achieve to high standards and work with you not against you - on time every time. They are team players who are professional, approachable and friendly.”

This NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery qualification is best suited to anybody who is a chef that prepares a wide range of dishes using numerous cooking methods from basic fresh ingredients. The course includes topics such as preparing fish, meat and poultry, maintaining food safety, effective teamwork and ordering stock.

Glen Simpson, aged 22, recently completed this course. The Catering Manager said: “My NVQ has really benefited the running of the kitchen and I am planning to offer the qualification to the rest of the team. As a manager, having an enthusiastic team who want to do well, are driven to achieve something for themselves, makes my job a lot easier.”

Alex Moore, Senior Work-Based Co-ordinator at Training Solutions, said: “Over the past two years we have developed a strong working relationship with Pontin’s and we’re delighted to see so many of their staff achieving. We’ve built a good level of communication and trust, and I am always keen to help them identify any training opportunities.”

Pontin’s are intending to work with Training Solutions next year and considering retail training, housekeeping, customer care and team leader courses again, combined with skills for life in numeracy and literacy.

Training Solutions offer a wide range of flexible, business-related training, development and consultancy services including NVQ qualifications, Professional Development Workshops and Coaching and Mentoring programs. The majority of these can be delivered in the workplace, reducing the disruption to the business while engaging in staff training.

Pontin’s employ over 180 people. They are part of the Pontin’s holiday company founded in 1946 which currently runs five holiday parks across the UK.

For further information please call Training Solutions on 01934 411594.