Further education (FE) colleges are an essential cog in the education ‘machine’ in England.

As Principal of Weston College, you might say I’m biased.

But I’d argue that’s given me extensive, first-hand experience of how colleges help people of all ages and backgrounds make the most of their talents and ambitions.

You don’t need to look very far to see the impact Weston College is having on people across the region; from our successful traineeship programme to the thriving sixth form. We mustn’t forget the impact of apprenticeships, and pre-employment – who both support learners of varying ages and truly change lives.

And these are only the direct benefits. If you consider the role colleges play and the influence they have in the wider communities, it’s clear they are driving social mobility and boosting local and regional economies.

This week we welcomed Visit Somerset CEO John Turner to deliver a talk to stakeholders, and he shared how our students are making change happen and to quote John: “we have seen a direct impact on our economy through partnering with Weston College.”

What a fantastic reference, and how amazing are these learners performing to have such an impact! To put it bluntly, colleges matter – to their students, staff and local communities.

However, it’s no exaggeration to say their futures are in jeopardy due to the extensive and continued funding cuts affecting the sector.

For too long the vital work of colleges has been overlooked and underfunded.

The total college income in England has fallen by £1 billion since the start of the decade, which represents a funding cut of around 30%.

This drop in funding has led to:

• Fewer hours of teaching and support for young people
• Course closures
• A reduction in the number of learning opportunities for adults
• The value of staff pay falling by over 25% since 2009
• Job losses and recruitment problems
• College teachers earning £7,000 less on average than school teachers.

The situation is completely unsustainable and we need action now.

Fortunately that action is materialising in the form of the ‘Love our Colleges’ campaign, which is uniting the sector in pursuit of one overarching goal – appropriate funding of further education.

This includes:

• Increasing the 16-19 funding rate by 5% a year for the next five years, and extending the pupil premium to cover post-16 students
• Fully funding a National Retraining Scheme to support Level 3 to 5 skills
• Introducing a lifetime learning entitlement to fund skills training for all adults who have not previously achieved a level 3 qualification.

As well as making the case for extra government funding and fair pay in FE, ‘Love our Colleges’ is also highlighting the great work that goes on in colleges, and the brilliant staff that make it all possible.

Throughout the week we have shared stories for our learners and staff across social media and it makes me proud to read these daily quotes – we really are creating brighter futures.

If you are yet to see these quotes, I would suggest taking a look and see why we advocate fairer funding and love our college.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE,

Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College

Three Weston College lecturers have been chosen to join Microsoft’s global network of educator experts. This means a wealth of benefits and possibilities for learners.

Louise Pratten, lecturer in English, Shaun LaTouche, lecturer in Foundation Learning and Lynne Richards, lecturer in ICT, have been awarded Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert status.

As MIE experts, the trio will get to use a huge range of the technology giant’s resources and programmes and be able to test new products before they’re released. They’ll also have the opportunity to share innovative and exciting teaching methods with thousands of fellow experts around the world.

And this will all be channelled into developing innovative teaching methods and engaging learning environments – with the ultimate aim of improving the learner experience.

The MIE experts will have the expertise and knowledge to:

• Enable learners to get the best out of Microsoft’s resources
• Use technology to spark learners’ creativity and uncover hidden talents
• Help learners overcome barriers to learning and support learners with special educational needs or disabilities
• Create more inclusive learner-centred classrooms and environments
• Communicate more effectively with classes and encourage learners to collaborate with a range of resources
• Create learning resources in a variety of formats to suit a range of needs and learning styles.

Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Worldwide Education, Microsoft, perfectly sums up the role MIE experts play: “Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts are inspiring examples of educators, applying new ways of teaching and learning in their classrooms that motivate learners and empower them to achieve more.

“We celebrate and support the work they do every day.”

This news follows hot on the heels of the announcement that we are one of 14 providers in the UK to be awarded ‘Microsoft Showcase College’ status.

As a Showcase College, we’ll benefit from billions of pounds of research and knowledge, as well as Microsoft’s support in the personalising student education. This includes the use of one-to-one devices, Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, Skype, Minecraft and more.

Interested in joining us, browse our courses:

• 16-18 full-time courses for school leavers
• Part-time adult courses

Over 50 local children from nurseries, primary schools and childminders experienced a range of activities in Grove Park on Thursday (Art in the Park) and went home with a bag of their creations.

Learners from Level 1 to Level 3 Early Years courses planned and presented activities to encourage creativity in the outdoors.

“I started at college last month and this was our first big children’s activity. I really enjoyed it, it’s interesting to see how children use the same equipment and the differences in their creativity.” Grace, Level 3 BTEC Extended National Diploma in Children’s Play Learning and Development (previously from Hans Price Academy).

Gergana from Little Angels Weston said “We want to say a big thank you to all of you for inviting us to the Art event in the Grove Park today. All of the children and staff were so happy to join the event today! It was really well organised and all of us felt very welcome to come and join”

Karen, Early Years Subject Area Manager said “Thank you to the children and staff of Christchurch Primary School and Little Angels Weston. The children who attended the event were well-behaved and enthusiastic in joining in with all the activities. Also, a special thank you to Friends of Grove Park for their support today. Our local community is massively important to Early Years learners at Weston College. We want to get involved in making Weston the best place for children to grow and thrive.

Find out about the early years courses starting here in September at our open evening:

? Thursday 7 November 2019
⏰ 17:30 – 20:00
? Knightstone Campus
? www.weston.ac.uk/event/open-evening-7th-november