My name is Dave Newman, and I am the owner and Chef Patron at The Ginger Pig Kitchen, here in Weston-super-Mare. The Ginger Pig Kitchen is a local restaurant, focusing on fresh food, served in a relaxed atmosphere with great service.

In 2018 I decided I wanted to complete a Digital and Technology Solutions BSc (Hons) Degree Apprenticeship, to further my development and provide me with a valuable next step in my career.

My name is Alex and I am undergoing an apprenticeship in Operational Firefighting.

Becoming a firefighter is something that I always wanted to do, so I decided to apply, and I did this through the Avon Fire and Rescue Service website.

It wasn’t an easy process, but it was rewarding as you went though and completed each step.

Last week, Weston College, in conjunction with the Luke Wheaton Legacy Trust, delivered the Apprenticeship Career Open Evening, which took place at the North Bristol Rugby Club, with over 140 people in attendance, looking to explore their future career pathways.

Weston College continues to buck the national trend when it comes to apprenticeships, having successfully achieved more than 300 apprenticeship enrolments in just 50 days!

The campaign which aimed to counter youth unemployment, and provide new opportunities for people looking to take the next step in their career, proved to be highly successful; with opportunities created across sectors.

Companies of all sizes pledged to get involved, from global heavyweights such as GKN, to national organisations like the NHS, as well up and coming businesses, like Apache Construction.

This week plumbing learners from our Construction Career Excellence Hub, were treated to a visit from German specialist tool manufacturers, REMS.

Daniel Parker, Regional Product Engineer at REMS, delivered a brilliant guest talk, whilst also showcasing the wide product range on offer. Daniel said: “It was a real pleasure to show off our product range to the next generation of Plumbing and Heating Engineers, the lads were really enthusiastic and a real credit to the College.”

Last year we met Lillie, a learner who lacked confidence, but had huge potential.

Lillie’s dream was to work as Healthcare Support Worker, and she started her journey with us, on a traineeship.

Traineeships give learners the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in a sector they are interested in, while also improving employability skills, English and Maths.

It wasn’t an easy start, as at first Lillie felt that she wasn’t ready to progress, but that simply wasn’t the case.

Weston College Law learners celebrated their achievements at the Bristol Law Society Awards, which took place at the Bristol Marriott City Centre Hotel on the 3rd November.

The awards were a huge success, with over 200 attendees from across the legal sector in attendance.

From a Weston College point of view, several of our CILEx learners made the final shortlist, which was a fantastic achievement in such a competitive award show.

Scaffolding apprentices training at the Construction Training Centre, are going from strength to strength.

Before the Construction Training Centre opened, learners from the South West had long distances to travel in order to gain scaffolding accreditation, but now that is not the case.

Our collaboration with AAT provides the perfect blend of learning, between Online and On-Campus, to allow you to gain your qualification in Accounting. Another great delivery of this course is through the Apprenticeship, where you'll spend time both in the classroom and in the workplace. This flexible approach means apprentices can choose how, when and where they want to study.

We heard from Michelle, who completed the AAT Apprenticeship, and told us about her experience!