Creating brighter futures

Weston College’s annual CareersFest took place on November 19, 2024, at the Winter Gardens Pavilion in Weston-super-Mare. The event aimed to inspire and guide current learners by showcasing a wide range of career pathways, from apprenticeships to higher education and beyond, while helping them reflect on their skills and interests. 

This year’s CareersFest was attended by just under 1,000 Weston College learners, more than 28 employers, and 15 Further Education providers and a number of Weston College Support stands. The room was buzzing with energy as the exhibitors showcased their offerings, including prominent employers such as Thatchers Cider, the Ministry of Defence, the Royal Navy, Hinkley Point, and Bristol Airport. Universities, including University Centre Weston, UWE Bristol, Bath Spa University, and Cardiff Metropolitan University, were also present, providing guidance and highlighting exciting opportunities for attendees. Camp America also participated, offering insights into summer camp travel experiences in the United States. 

Anna Holton, Careers and Employability Manager at Weston College, commented on the success of the day: “We’re so thrilled at the outcome of our CareersFest 2024 event, where we were able to bring together Weston College learners to meet potential employers, universities, and other future options! Here at Weston College, our mantra is ‘careers, not courses,’ so ensuring our learners have opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations with these exhibitors is crucial. We've already had positive feedback from the exhibitors that attended and our learners about their experience yesterday. We can’t wait to see where our learners’ journeys take them!” 

The Careers and Employability Team are available to support learner with their next steps and you can get in touch via cet@weston.ac.uk or checking out our webpage here. 

If you are a school learner and would like to receive some advice on your future at Weston College, you can contact the School Liaison team here! 

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. 

In order to provide greater opportunities for our learners, we are actively seeking to increase our number of Careers Excellence Hub Partnerships with fantastic employers. Our Engineering CEH are doing just that by taking our learners up to Babcock in order to promote and develop a partnership between Weston College Engineering and Babcock for T Level Industry Placements. 

Babcock is a globally leading engineering company which specialises in international defence, aerospace and security equipment and manufacturing. They ensure that the critical services of defence equipment are produced to be durable, affordable and available in order to create a safe and secure world. They also provide engineering support to naval, land, air, and nuclear operations, as well as frontline support, specialist training and asset management. 

To begin the day, our Engineering learners got a tour of Babcock and its facilities to better understand how the company work and familiarise themselves with the environment. During the tour, the learners were then lucky enough to witness a simulated torpedo firing which they thoroughly enjoyed. 

Not only this, the students also had the opportunity to engage in a series of tasks and activities throughout the day, the highlight being a virtual welding simulator. This was a computer-based tool that allowed the students to practice welding techniques in a virtual environment, without the need for actual equipment or materials. Three learners broke the record, achieving a score of 98/100 which highly impressed the Babcock staff and were awarded medals as recognition of their outstanding achievement. 

Since visiting Babcock, the company have confirmed that they are keen to work out a finalised plan for hosting T Level industry placements and are fully onboard with supporting our learners achieve world leading industry skills. This future partnership will open up many amazing opportunities for our learners and is largely accredited to their hard work and the positive impression they made on Babcock during their visit. 

We’d like to thank Babcock for having our learners and making a lasting impact on their passion for engineering. 

If you are interested in applying to one of our Engineering courses in September, click here. 

Deciding what to do after college is often daunting, whether you’re interested in university, an apprenticeship, or going straight into work, the best way to decide is to be fully informed of every option.  

One of our ex-students, Charlie, is currently on his second year of a Degree Apprenticeship at the Ministry of Defence (MOD). After finishing Weston College 2 years ago, Charlie came back in to talk to some of our A Level learners about all the benefits of a degree apprenticeship, outline the general structure, and explain the application process and entry requirements needed for a degree apprenticeship at the MOD.  

At college, Charlie studied A Levels in Computer Science, Economics and Maths and is currently completing the Digital Technology Degree Apprenticeship, a 4-year course that allows him to obtain a degree but also get some great work experience at the same time.  

A Degree Apprenticeship at the Ministry of Defence consists of approximately 80% work and 20% study and is normally around 4 years long. The university study aspect of Charlie’s course is completed 1 day a week and is delivered at the Weston College Winter Gardens. There are approximately six work placements across the 4 years, each lasting around 8 months and providing you with real-world skills and knowledge of a working environment.  

There are many benefits to choosing a degree apprenticeship which stretch outside of gaining more work experience than a normal university degree. For example, you also get opportunities to travel, a fully funded tuition and a competitive salary throughout your apprenticeship, a flexible work schedule with the option to work from home, the chance to work alongside amazing industry partners, and a high chance of continued employment once you have completed your apprenticeship. 

In order to apply for a degree apprenticeship at the MOD, you are required to have at least five GCSE’s grade C or above, and 3 A Levels or equivalent grade C or above, including Maths and a Science. If you meet these requirements or are on track to achieve them, you can apply by sending in your CV and a cover letter of why you would be a good fit for them.   

You will then be required to complete an online competency test in Maths, English and Computer Science; however, this application process can vary depending on the degree apprenticeship you apply for. High scoring candidates will be invited to the assessment centre in Weston to complete tests and, if you are successful, you will then be invited to an online interview. Provisional offers will then be made, and a formal offer will be sent out once you have achieved the required grades.  

Charlie also gave tips to the learners regarding the assessment process, giving a brief outline of previous assessment examples and explaining the typical attributes that the MOD look for in candidates, for example initiative and communication between groups.

He also provided advice for students considering a degree apprenticeship, saying, “you should apply to multiple degree apprenticeships but also apply to a university because that is your best chance of getting something.   

I applied to 5 or 6 and I only heard back from 2 of them. You may have a bad day, so your best bet is to apply for multiple and increase your chances.”  

The learners found Charlie’s talk helpful and inciteful, with their lecturer, Ana, saying “they asked questions until the very end of the lesson. I’d never seen them so engaged!”  

We’d like to say a big thank you to Charlie for coming in and talking to the students about his experiences and explaining the application process for a degree apprenticeship at the Ministry of Defence.  

If you’re interested in applying for our A Levels next September, click here.  

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.