Hi I’m Danny, and I completed the Work Ready You programme at Weston College, which helped me to gain 3 qualifications including an E2 Certificate in Preparation for Employment, an E3 Award in Preparation of Work, and a L1 Award in Employability Skills. This course has also helped me to progress into my current job role at Weston College, which I will discuss below!

I chose to enrol on a pre-employment course at Weston College because I had been out of work for a long time and felt I needed to rebuild my confidence and improve my chances for employment. The pre-employment course looked like a good way to help me get back into work and find some direction.

The course introduced us to various types of jobs and workplaces. We learned how to tailor our CVs for different roles, which was very useful. We also had lessons on communication skills, including giving PowerPoint presentations, working in groups, and participating in smaller team activities.

In the final week, we gained practical experience through a work placement, with some students visiting places like Cineworld and Puxton Park. The course lasted five weeks in total, and there were four weeks of classroom learning followed by one week of work experience.

Throughout the course, I improved my confidence, communication skills and how to work effectively in a team. These skills have been valuable in both my job search and everyday life.

Right from the start, I had support from a keyworker from the Moving Up team. They were available by phone or email whenever I needed help, and they continued to support me even after the course ended. Most importantly, my tutor Juliette Weaver provided exceptional guidance. She was kind, energetic, and always made sure we all felt included while offering useful resources for learning.

Shortly after completing the course, I was offered a job at Weston College as a Learning Support Assistant through Forward Futures. The transition was smoother than I expected. Juliette believed in my abilities and recommended me for the job, which made a big difference. When I started working, I found that everyone was very welcoming, and it quickly felt like a supportive team environment.

A very proud moment for me was to be recognised at the Celebration of Success awards at Weston College. It felt encouraging to see all the hard work of both learners and staff celebrated, and winning the ‘Pre-Employment Student of the Year’ award was a real boost to my confidence.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone at Weston College for giving me this opportunity. The course has made a significant difference in my life. I am especially grateful to Juliette Weaver, who helped me to see my potential when I could not see it myself. Without her support and guidance, I might still be struggling to find work.

Weston College Performing Arts and Media students have teamed up with Avon and Somerset Police to produce a powerful new short film to educate young people on bystander intervention in situations involving violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Led by Adrian Harris, Performing Arts Lecturer at the College, the project brought together FE Performing Arts students from the Acting Pathway and Year 1 FE Media students. The collaborative piece, filmed in April following months of weekly planning sessions, seeks to raise awareness of how members of the public, particularly young people, can safely and effectively intervene in violent or abusive situations.

Avon and Somerset Police delivered a briefing on the sensitive topic, sharing the project’s aims but offering students creative freedom. With professionalism and maturity, learners devised different approaches to intervention, enabling the Police to tailor the message to specific audiences and scenarios.

Rehearsals took place at Weston College’s Knightstone campus, with filming completed in the picturesque setting of Grove Park to lend authenticity and impact to the final production.

Adrian Harris, Performing Arts Lecturer, explained:

“The students have been brilliant. After watching the short films by Avon and Somerset Police, they expressed what worked and what didn’t, whether the message was clear or not, and offered original ideas and points of view to make it relevant to the younger generation.”

“The film will be shown to secondary school students - to help them deal with issues they come across and to show the different ways that, instead of being bystanders, they can be active contributors and help prevent violence against women and girls.”

This project forms part of the Performing Arts and Media Careers Excellence Hubs. The College has fourteen sector-specific Career Excellence Hubs, which evidence our dedication to supporting both employers and learners in achieving their future goals. By creating a seamless connection between industry and education, we enable learners to acquire not only the essential skills and knowledge but also the professional networks necessary to excel in their chosen fields. 

Participating students described the project as both educational and empowering.

Brooke, a Performing Arts Acting Pathway student, shared:

“I think it’s important for this type of film to be portrayed by young adults like us because relationships are so common in teens, and it’s critical to show that it’s not okay to display certain behaviours, and to get that message across early on because it could prevent serious situations from happening. It’s so important that young people learn about consent and respecting people’s boundaries.”

Patrick, a Musical Theatre student, added:

“This project teaches people how to not be a bystander in a situation where you may see violence against women. If I was in a real-life violent situation, I might have struggled knowing how to intervene but now I’ve gained an understanding of the different ways I can get involved and help.”

The project also offered invaluable professional development for students, many of whom were engaging in a professional filming environment for the first time. Working with a crew of directors, sound technicians, and photographers gave them real-world experience in following a brief, taking direction, and collaborating under pressure.

This collaboration highlights the power of creative education in tackling real-world issues. By engaging with challenging topics like VAWG, our students are building professional skills and becoming advocates for positive change in their communities.

Thank you to Avon and Somerset Police for giving our students this fantastic opportunity!

If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.

Weston College today (Tuesday 8th April 2025) responds to the publication of the Financial Notice to Improve report by the Department for Education.

The College is also publishing its accounts for the financial year 2023, which was delayed due to an investigation related to the notice.

Both publications detail how the former Principal and CEO received a remuneration package of over £1.8m in 2023, which included a ‘retention payment’ of £909,000.

The investigation, undertaken in June 2024 by the Further Education Commissioner’s Office on behalf of the Government, discovered that the former Principal’s package was approved by a remuneration committee without the approval of the College board and without the knowledge of any current member of the College’s Senior Executive Team.

During summer 2024, the College made a significant number of changes to its governance and management, including an experienced interim Chair of Governors appointed by the Further Education Commissioner’s Office, a new Principal & Chief Executive, a new Chief Operating Officer and an Interim Clerk supporting the board. These changes have also seen 17 new board members join since September 2023, when the former Principal and CEO had retired, with none of the remaining board members having served on past remuneration or audit committees.

Interim Chair of Governors Tim Jackson said: “As a result of the investigation and in response to the verbal recommendations by the Further Education Commissioner’s Office in June 2024, significant changes were approved by the board and implemented in July 2024 to strengthen governance, improve oversight and due diligence. The publication of the 13 recommendations in the intervention report today entirely matches the changes implemented in July 2024.

These changes have been repeatedly monitored by the board and shared with the FE Commissioner team and the ESFA at the regular intervention case meetings since July. These actions have been successful and will ensure there can be no repetition of anything like this in future.”

Changes include:

• a dedicated governance professional who does not report to the CEO/Principal and provides challenge and guidance to the Board the Chair and Principal.
• a review of the terms of office for all governors in line with the Association of Colleges’ Code of Good Governance so that all current Board members have no more than 8 years' service.
• robust reporting procedures, ensuring transparency and consistency regarding the approval of senior post holder pay.

Tim Jackson added: “The College board of governors are shocked at the size of the remuneration package paid to the retired ex-Principal in 2023 and the years prior to that. They believe the remuneration sums at this level are unacceptable and agree with the FE Commissioner Intervention report concerning this being a matter of a failure of proper governance processes and poor decision making around the best use of public funds, which we note were made by a past membership of the board of governors.”

“I would like to thank those members of staff, who were brave to raise concerns with regulators in relation to this matter as and when these were discovered and who prioritised the integrity and interests of the College, their colleagues and students.”

“Over the past months, the College has worked alongside the FE Commissioner’s Office and other stakeholders to provide a transparent and accurate picture of the events prior to summer 2023. This has been a long process, but the College was able to quickly and effectively address concerns raised within the notice to improve.”

“Our focus now is on the robust and rigorous controls and governance, alongside a culture of trust, transparency, accountability and fairness in our decision making.”

Principal and CEO Pat Jones said: “Staff and the wider college community will understandably be concerned and dismayed about the remuneration package revealed by this investigation, and we recognise those frustrations.”

“We want to reiterate that the focus of the investigations and subsequent financial notice to improve are about past issues dating back to a period concluding in the summer 2023. The financial notice to improve does not relate to our sustainability, to the high quality of education we deliver, or to our general finances, which are in good health.”

“My priority with the support of the Executive Team is about making sure that an ethos and culture of trust, transparency, care and equity is at the forefront of all decisions. We started this process by immediately addressing the pay differential of our staff, and a 4-8% pay award was implemented in the Autumn term 2024, which was far in excess of the Association of Colleges (AoC) recommendation."

“We would like to thank all our staff and our stakeholders for their ongoing support and look forward to continuing on our roadmap to becoming an ‘Extraordinary College’.”