<p>At Weston College, we believe that great education starts with a supported and valued workforce. That’s why, on 5 January 2026, we hosted our first-ever Staff Wellbeing Day, welcoming more than <strong>600 staff members</strong> to a day dedicated entirely to wellbeing, connection, and personal growth.</p><p>The event was designed to create a positive start to the new term, offering colleagues time and space to recharge after the festive period while reconnecting with one another. Staff took part in a diverse programme of <strong>short, engaging wellbeing activities</strong>, including mindfulness sessions, creative workshops, nature-inspired experiences, and interactive talks led by wellbeing professionals.</p><p><strong>Guest Speakers Kick Off the Morning</strong></p><p>The day began with inspiring talks from two expert guest speakers:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Dr Claire Plumbly –</strong> Clinical Psychologist, Amazon bestseller author of Burnout: How to Manage Your Nervous System Before It Manages You, and founder of Plum Psychology, a boutique service supporting individuals to overcome trauma, burnout, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Claire shared insights and practical advice on managing the nervous system, helping staff better understand how to care for their mental wellbeing.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p></li><li>Dr Mandy Gardner – Representing VANS, she highlighted how staff can use the College’s allowance for voluntary days to make a positive impact in their local communities, emphasising the power of collective action to improve economic, health, and wellbeing outcomes. By offering flexible, bite-sized sessions, the day encouraged staff to explore new ideas and wellbeing practices in a relaxed and inclusive environment.</li></ul><p><strong><u>A Workplace That Cares</u></strong></p><p>Wellbeing days like this are part of our wider commitment to creating a <strong>positive, inclusive, and supportive workplace. </strong>They help to:</p><ul><li>Foster collaboration and strong relationships across teams</li><li>Support mental health and work–life balance</li><li>Create a welcoming and energising return to work</li><li>Build a culture where wellbeing is a shared priority.</li></ul><p>Feedback from staff highlighted how valued and supported they felt, with many describing the day as uplifting and motivating.</p><p>We are proud to work with a range of local partners and wellbeing specialists who helped make the event such a success, and we are excited to build on this with further wellbeing initiatives throughout the year.</p><p>If you’re looking to join a college that genuinely invests in its people, Weston College is a place where <strong>wellbeing, connection, and professional fulfilment matter.</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><drupal-entity data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1c0676bf-2481-4d9b-9a7d-537aa588dbe8" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{&quot;image_style&quot;:&quot;max_750x750&quot;,&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;}}">&nbsp;</drupal-entity>

<p>Weston College and The Bristol Port Company have proudly won an award at the inaugural PSS Awards, at Stamford Bridge in London, celebrating their collaboration in modernising Bristol Port’s induction process.</p><p>This accolade marks a significant milestone in their joint efforts to enhance employee engagement through cutting-edge technology and interactive learning.</p><p>Bristol Port sought to move beyond the outdated methods of standard induction videos and basic multiple-choice questions, aiming for an engaging, interactive, and technologically advanced experience.</p><p>Their goal was to create an induction process that went beyond a tick-box exercise to truly immerse new employees.</p><p>The collaboration was rooted in the shared ethos of curiosity, collaboration, and a commitment to innovation. Together, they developed a state-of-the-art induction programme featuring:</p><ul><li>Bespoke Content: Tailored to meet the unique needs of Bristol Port</li><li>Interactivity and Innovative Design: Engaging new employees through dynamic elements</li><li>360-Degree Footage: Providing an immersive experience of the port environment</li><li>Trackable Data and Digital Certification: Ensuring progress is monitored and certified digitally.</li></ul><p>Since its implementation, the new induction process has been a huge success. New employees gain a deeper understanding of the company from day one, allowing them to transition to specialised training swiftly and effectively.</p><p>Louise Pratten, Head of Digital Education at Weston College, said: “We are so proud of the work that we have completed with The Bristol Port Company, and the fact it has been recognised on a national scale shows how impactful this has been and will be moving forward.</p><p>“Through this innovative partnership, we have set a new standard for employee engagement and training, demonstrating how strategic alliances can drive meaningful change and achieve remarkable success.”</p><p>If you would like to collaborate with Weston College, you can contact <a href="mailto:employers@weston.ac.uk">employers@weston.ac.uk</a></p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak" dir="ltr"><strong>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 </strong></span><a class="fui-Link ___1rxvrpe f2hkw1w f3rmtva f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1hu3pq6 f11qmguv f19f4twv f1tyq0we f1g0x7ka fhxju0i f1qch9an f1cnd47f fqv5qza f1vmzxwi f1o700av f13mvf36 f1cmlufx f9n3di6 f1ids18y f1tx3yz7 f1deo86v f1eh06m1 f1iescvh fhgqx19 f1olyrje f1p93eir f1nev41a f1h8hb77 f1lqvz6u f10aw75t fsle3fq f17ae5zn" href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/jobs?utm_source=main-menu&amp;utm_medium=main-…; aria-label="Link here" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/jobs?utm_source=main-menu&amp;utm_medium=main-… class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak" dir="ltr"><strong>here</strong></span></a><span class="ui-provider a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ab ac ae af ag ah ai aj ak" dir="ltr"><strong>. 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.</strong></span></p>

<div style="float:right;width:50%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oeWk0CxblmI?si=46WOepQfs45F5Boe&quot; width="560"></iframe></div><p>It’s official, <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/">University Centre Weston (UCW)</a> is among the best places to study at university level in the UK, according to the results of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) published on September 28th 2023.</p><p>The TEF panel considered the overall rating for UCW to be Gold, placing it among the country’s best university and college higher education providers. This recognition by the TEF Panel reflects UCW’s unwavering dedication to providing outstanding education to a diverse student body and places it within the top 20% in the UK and one of only six colleges nationally to achieve the status.</p><p>The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) is a national scheme run by the Office for Students (OfS) that aims to encourage higher education providers to improve and deliver excellence in the areas that students care about the most: teaching, learning and achieving positive outcomes from their studies.</p><p>The TEF does this by assessing and rating universities and colleges for excellence above a set of minimum requirements for quality and standards.</p><p>Providers that take part in the TEF receive an overall rating as well as two underpinning ratings – one for the student experience and one for student outcomes.</p><p>The ratings reflect the extent to which a provider delivers an excellent experience and outcomes for its mix of undergraduate students and across the range of its undergraduate courses and subjects.</p><p>Hundreds of higher education institutions in England, Wales and Scotland have had their teaching quality, learning environment, and student outcome data assessed by the TEF Panel and rated as either Gold, Silver, Bronze or Requires Improvement.</p><p>The TEF Panel judged that UCW delivers consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students, which is of the highest quality found in Britain.</p><p>Jacqui Ford, Interim Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group expressed her delight, saying,</p><p>“This achievement represents a significant milestone for our region, confirming the excellence of our institution for higher education. Furthermore, it underscores the Weston College Group’s positive impact on learners both locally and nationally. Attaining Gold status also validates UCW’s approach of seamlessly blending high-quality academic learning with practical, career-oriented education, providing our students and university partners with confidence in our offerings.”</p><p>Ford extended her gratitude to the dedicated staff at UCW, Weston College, and partner universities, recognising their instrumental role in achieving this remarkable status. She noted:</p><p>"Our journey to this point would not have been possible without the invaluable support of my predecessor Sir Paul Phillips who led the Weston College Group since 2001 until his retirement in August 2023, our partner universities, the University of the West of England, Bath Spa University, and Hartpury University, as well as UCW’s Vice Principal for Higher Education, Sadie Skellon. The dedication of our staff, and governors, and the collaborative efforts with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and North Somerset Council have also been essential in reaching this remarkable achievement.”</p><p>UCW’s Vice Principal for Higher Education, Sadie Skellon added:</p><p>“The TEF Panel has recognised the efforts of the talented and dedicated students and staff that we have at UCW and across the Weston College Group, and the value of the outstanding support we provide.</p><p>“UCW is committed to being an inclusive institution, promoting participation from students from all backgrounds and supporting students to ensuring positive outcomes for all. We have strategic aims to articulate this and are pleased the OfS has acknowledged that UCW ‘tailors provision and succeeds in its aim of supporting underrepresented groups of students from its region to achieve in their studies’.</p><p>In addition to praise for the student experience, UCW was praised for its supportive learning environment, offering students access to a wide range of high-quality academic support tailored to their needs. The institution has also demonstrated a commitment to embedding employability and entrepreneurship into its course content, preparing students for successful futures.</p><p>UCW’s dedication to research, innovation, scholarship, professional practice, and employer engagement further enhances the academic experience, contributing to the institution’s outstanding standing in the TEF.</p><p>This Gold rating in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework solidifies UCW’s status as a leading institution committed to excellence in higher education.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>