Our hospitality and catering department is always busy in the Grove Training Kitchen and Restaurant on the second floor of the Knightstone Campus. Whether they’re making treats to sell around the College, or serving the public in the evening, they are always learning and improving their skills.

We’re taking a look back at the best guest chefs and experiences they’ve had over the last term…

Making canapés and serving front of house at Berwick Lodge

Our students were given a fantastic opportunity at the start of the year to serve front of house at an event at Berwick Lodge, and make canapés with head chef, Istvan Ulmann. They had a fantastic day, making a variety of dishes for a BBQ event and afternoon tea, and Istvan later returned to the College to deliver a guest session in our Grove Restaurant. Read the full story here.

Weston Wok from the College’s atrium

Back in February, a few of our Level 3 students decided to run their own Weston Wok lunch business from the Knightstone Campus atrium! They cooked lunch for paying members of the public, staff and students, fresh in front of them.

A vegetarian chef came for a visit

Elisabeth Guillén, Head Chef at The Gloucester Old Spot in Bristol, came in to lead a class of our Level 3 students. She taught them about traditional Spanish recipes with a vegetarian focus, creating some fantastic dishes and showing the diverse flavours you can create, even without meat! You can read the full story here.

Serving a party of 40 guests in the Grove Restaurant

The College recently held a special celebration for winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, so our hospitality and catering students worked hard throughout the day to make a three-course meal for all 40 VIPs. Everyone was thoroughly impressed with the food and all their hard work.

Working at the Cheltenham Festival

22 of our students attended the Cheltenham Festival to serve thousands of visitors over the week. They encountered a few famous faces while working in the Gold Cup Restaurant, Paddock Restaurant and The Sizzling Jack prepping food and serving front of house.

Find out more

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in hospitality and catering, we offer a range of courses and apprenticeships that can help you on your way! 

Click here to find out more...

This year’s Creative Arts Festival took place from 23rd May until the 21st June and provided our students with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents. There was a range of shows throughout the festival, with work produced by students studying courses throughout our Creative Arts Department.

The Summer Showcase took place at Loxton Campus, running for 8 days and was met with great reviews. There was a wide range of work on show, which was produced by students studying media production, graphics, photography, contemporary arts, graphic design, as well as art and design.

Our music students took over the Electric Banana for three nights, with students from Year 1, Year 2 and UCW taking to the stage and treating the audience to DJ sets, acoustic sessions and other musical performances.

The Performing Arts Showcase ‘The Greatest Show’ was a fantastic spectacle which took place in front of a packed out crowd in the Playhouse, and was met with standing ovations. If you are interested in studying any Creative Arts courses you can find information by clicking here.

Only businesses with an annual wage bill of £3 million pay into the levy

It is widely believed that all businesses pay into the apprenticeship levy, but this isn’t the case. Only employers that have an annual wage bill of more than £3 million pay into the apprenticeship levy. Organisations that meet this criteria must pay 0.5% of their wage bill into the levy, and this can only be retrieved by investing in apprenticeships.

For every £1 that a levy-paying organisation invests in an apprentice, the government adds 10p. If you don’t pay into the levy, the government will fund 90% of apprenticeship training costs!

Even business that don’t hire an apprentices are paying into the levy

Some businesses believe that you only pay into the levy if you hire an apprentice. But that’s not true. ALL BUSINESSES with a wage bill over £3 million pay into the levy.

So, by choosing not to train an apprentice, many businesses missing put on a share of the pot they’ve contributed to.

The levy can be used to train all employees - regardless of age

The levy doesn’t have to be used to train school leavers or new recruits. It can go towards the training of existing staff – regardless of age.

The levy can be used to provide members of staff with industry-specific or transferable skills, like team leading. Apprenticeships also cover a range of levels, including degree level. This is an effective way of developing existing staff and strengthening your work force.

The levy gives businesses more control over their apprenticeship programme

Another misconception is that businesses have less control over apprenticeships that are funded by the levy. That’s not true. In fact, the levy has actually made it easier for employers to choose bespoke packages that meet the needs of their business.

If you’re confused about the levy, or not sure how it can be used to benefit your business, get in touch with our Training Solutions team.

You can email apprenticeships@weston.ac.uk or call 01934 411 594.

Alternatively, you can find out more on the team’s webpage.