Weston College has employed Chris Lemin as its new Curriculum Lead for Cyber Security. Cyber security is the process of protecting networks, systems and  data from cyber-attacks. It is a hot topic, with the government estimating that large businesses face an average cost of £19,600 when presented with a cyber-security breach.

Chris brings a wealth of knowledge to the role, having worked for the Royal Air Force and as a commercial cyber-threat intelligence analyst for the past three years. As part of his most recent role, Chris dealt with a wide array of companies, assisting them in defending attacks from the internet.  

In February, Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Institute produced a study based on 1,200 senior executives, which highlighted that 68% of organisations are reporting a high demand for cyber skills. Chris is now writing the Level 4 cyber security apprenticeship standards, and is ensuring that these meet the needs of employers and give students the relevant training to meet these skills gaps. These apprenticeships will offer students the perfect mix of both education and exposure to the cyber security world, while gaining a formal qualification.  

As well as the new cyber security apprenticeship, the College is developing a cyber lab which will be based at the Winter Gardens.  This will allow the students the opportunity to practice a range of scenarios, from testing insecure networks to reconfiguring a network, giving them hands on experience.

Chris said: “Education is the key to cyber security, we are aiming to help organisations to meet the needs of their skills gap.”

Over 1,200 students attended Weston College’s annual Brighter Futures Fair at the Winter Gardens.

The fair provides College students with the opportunity to meet a range of employers and education providers, and make a more informed decision about their next steps.

Universities and businesses were among 50 exhibitors at the event, including EDF Energy, Osborne Clarke, The Honeytree Day Nursery, University of Bristol and First Group.

Emma Cox, Training Co-Ordinator at exhibitor Thatchers Cider, said: “We strongly believe in offering local young people career opportunities, so it was exciting to be involved in the Brighter Futures Fair and meet so many Weston College learners.

“We have a wide variety of career opportunities within Thatchers and working closely with Weston College has enabled us to source local talent.”

Ben Cocks, Assistant Director – School Engagement and Learner Growth – at Weston College, said: “We were delighted to host another successful careers fair – one that provided our learners with an opportunity to talk to a real range of exhibitors.

“We feel it is critical to provide our learners with the platform to engage with both employers and universities, as this will help them make an informed decision on their next steps.”

There was also the opportunity for the learners to win some exciting prizes, including an Amazon Echo, Lasseter's restaurant vouchers and a Swansea monopoly set. There 14 prize winners were:

• Chloe Peacock

• Chloe Pritchard

• Skylar Beacham

• Kraig Taylor-Bryant

• Josh Mitchell

• Mark Tapley

• Jaida White

• Kieran Perry

• Charlotte Bailey

• Tasin Ahmed

• Alistair Cameron-Kettle

• Blake Goodare

• Lottie Gwer

• Ewan Barnfather

Weston College has set up a new competition to recognise students’ volunteering efforts.

The Community-Based Volunteering Project requires students to dedicate time to an organisation of their choosing over a set period.

As well as being hugely rewarding, the project is a fantastic opportunity to build employment contacts and will look great on CVs.

To enter the competition, learners must contact a charity or organisation they would like to help and put together a project proposal. This should include the organisation name, proposed number of hours and the resulting benefits.

Proposals must then be emailed to volunteering@weston.ac.uk and approved before the volunteering can take place. Once the projects have been completed and evaluated, a group of winners will be announced on the 14th June 2019. They will be awarded a financial fund to spend in agreement with tutors.

As well as entering the competition, learners can earn a Weston College Volunteering Award. This recognises the commitment and dedication that is shown show by volunteering. The award is structured into three tiers – bronze, silver and gold – which correspond to the number of hours spent volunteering within each academic year.

For more details, read to the Community Based Volunteering Project and Volunteering Award Guide or email volunteering@weston.ac.uk.