Weston College invites the local community to come together for the Summer Spectacular 2025, this Saturday (7th June from 10 am to 6 pm), a vibrant and family-friendly event packed with live performances, interactive experiences, and a celebration of student success. 

Taking place across the Italian Gardens and the newly reopened Winter Gardens, this free event on Saturday promises something for everyone—from dazzling musical showcases to alpacas, virtual reality, and more. 

Visitors will enjoy a day full of performances, including: 

• Live music and vocals on the Italian Gardens stage. 
• A performance by the Mental Health Choir and a dance piece by English Speaker Other Language (ESOL) learners in the Winter Gardens Ballroom (11:30 am). 
• A high-energy Performing Arts Showcase from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm, featuring highlights from Les Misérables, Sister Act, Rocky Horror, Fame, and Back to the Future. 

But the Summer Spectacular is much more than a show—it’s an open invitation for the community to get involved and try something new. 

Activities include: 

• Meet the alpacas from Weston College’s Animal Management Centre at Puxton Park. 
• Make a bee flower bomb and support local conservation. 
• Create your nature-inspired sun catcher with the Education and Early Years team. 
• Explore virtual reality and learn how to build your own PC. 
• Enjoy a pamper session with hair tinsels and hand massages from the Hair & Beauty learners. 
• Discover the future of automotive engineering, including hydrogen-powered vehicles and onboard diagnostics. 
• Join the ESOL team for a cultural experience—try traditional dance, and learn greetings from around the world. 

In addition, the University Centre Weston Open Day will be running alongside the event inside the Winter Gardens. It’s a perfect chance to explore degrees and degree apprenticeships available locally, ideal for college and sixth form leavers, adult learners, or anyone considering their next step. 

This year’s Spectacular also marks the grand reopening of the iconic Winter Gardens Ballroom, a beloved Weston landmark once again filled with life, learning, and celebration. 

The event will be opened on the Italian Gardens stage by the Mayor of Weston-super-Mare, who will help kick off a day of festivities, thanking students, staff, and the wider community for their energy, creativity, and contributions. 

Weston College Summer Spectacular 2025 is open to all, free to attend, and a fantastic way to celebrate the town’s young talent, explore new opportunities, and enjoy a brilliant day out. 

Having a workforce composed of strong, effective leaders is essential for driving business efficiency and enhancing employee satisfaction. To explore the true value of leadership in today’s workplace, we spoke with Rebecca Freeman, Director of Field Operations at Countrywide Surveying Services. She shares valuable insights into what businesses are looking for in their leaders - and why developing leadership skills is more important than ever!

Rebecca Freeman, Director of Field Operations at Countrywide Surveying Services

What would you say are required attributes of a leader?

There are many different ‘types’ of leader and this in turn comes with differing attributes. However for me the key areas I consider crucial when it comes to leadership are honesty, accountability, ethical behaviour and confidence. Alongside all of these key skills it’s paramount to be able to have a clear vision and strategic mindset and be a natural communicator.

Would you say someone is born a leader, or is being a leader something you learn over time?

Personally, I don’t think someone is born a leader. What shape’s us during childhood has a massive influence on who we become as adults and ultimately leaders. We are all of course leaders of ourselves but during our early years we will be influenced, and we will become shaped by our experiences. I find the best leaders often had our found great role models to look up too.

What can you tell me about the leadership and management course with Weston College?

The leadership and management course with the college is great. Firstly because it can be done over a virtual platform which is so much more flexible and allows us to reach so many more individuals than we would have previously been able to do. Secondly the content of the course is very modern, visionary and insightful.

We wanted to work with Weston College on the Leadership and Management course because of the ease of the programme allowing us to reach a wider audience and the course content which provides a great grounding for our future aspiring leaders.

What does this course teach, and how can it help businesses to thrive?

The core skills are often hard to take time to ‘teach’ when working within a ‘role’ within an organisation. Being able to do the day job and alongside this participate in the course allows opportunity to delve into core attributes such as the ones I mentioned previously and gives the candidates time to really focus on themselves as individuals.

Why is good leadership so important in the residential surveying industry?

In the residential industry, surveyors are now most commonly remote workers which means they spend very little time being able to interact with colleagues. As such it can feel more of a challenge to perhaps take those progressionary steps into leadership. However leadership is crucially important within surveying as we steer our way very much into a digital age what we need more than ever are leaders able to align technology and people very much together whilst still ensuring the mortgage market continues to move forward. Buying a home is one of the biggest investments you can make which makes our role very significant.

To find out more about our leadership and management courses, click here.

Welcome to the Weston College Careers & Employability Team Monthly Blog!

Last month was a busy one, highlighted by our very first Parent Information Evening focused on post-18 options. We were thrilled with its success and look forward to planning more events to support you and your young person's career journey- be sure to check out our main article for all the details. 

We're also excited to welcome Zoe to the team! Zoe joins us as our Higher Education Careers and Employability Coordinator, and we’re thrilled to have her on board. 

"Hello there, my name is Zoe and I am the new Higher Education Careers & Employability Co-ordinator, based within University Centre Weston's HEART office in the Winter Gardens. I am here to help with career planning, long-term career goals and job hunting as you navigate your way through Higher Education and into employment as a graduate. Recognising, developing and talking about your education and employment skills is a vital tool in getting the types of jobs you want, so if you are a UCW student, look out for my messages and taught careers sessions. If you'd like 1-2-1 careers support, feel free to drop me a line via Teams. My working days are Monday - Thursday."

If you would like to get in touch with the Careers and Employability Team please contact cet@weston.ac.uk

On the 30th of April we hosted our revamped Parent Information Evening. The format involved a careers fair style marketplace for learners and parents/guardians to engage in meaningful conversations with employers and learn about university, apprenticeships, employment and gap years. This was combined with bespoke presentations targeting post 18 routes for learners. 

We had hundreds of people attend, making for an incredible atmosphere and promoting purposeful conversations allowing learners and parents/guardians to feel more confident in exploring options beyond level 3.

Regional T Level Student of the Year – Lloyds Bank 

Congratulations to Callum, one of our talented T Level Digital learners, who has been recognised as the Regional Student of the Year by Lloyds Bank! This well-deserved achievement reflects his outstanding effort and engagement during his industry placement at the Bristol branch. You can read more about his journey here. We wish Callum the very best of luck as he now goes forward as a nominee for the National Student of the Year!

CV Competition Winners Announced! 

The Careers Team is excited to announce the winners of our STEPS Month CV Competition. Congratulations to Sian, our Level 2 winner, and Robin, our Level 3 winner! Both submitted outstanding and professional CVs that impressed the judges. As a reward for their efforts, they have each won an Amazon gift card. Well done!

Wishing them the best of luck for the summer ahead!

• UCAS Offer Deadline - Thursday 5th June 2025 (Learners must respond to their offers from universities or it will be automatically deleted).  
• University Centre Weston Open Day - Saturday 7th June 2025 
• Summer Show - 7th June 2025
• UCAS Extra Closes - Thursday 4th July 2025 
• UCAS Clearing Opens - Friday 5th July 2025 
• A Level and T Level Results Day - Thursday 14th August 2025 
• UCAS applications are open and learners can submit - Tuesday 2nd September 2025 (For learners who will be starting University in September 2026)  

Get in touch with the Careers and Employability Team, by clicking here.