A Weston College lecturer has won a major accolade for his service as a Royal Marine and achievements since leaving the forces.

Dave Beresford (pictured left), who is a Public Services lecturer, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the English Veterans Awards held at Mercure Holland House in Bristol.

The awards celebrate veterans who have made the often-difficult transition from the military to civilian life. They reward those who have gone above and beyond and excelled in their relevant fields and act as role models for future service leavers.

“I didn’t even know I’d been nominated initially,” said Dave. “So, to be shortlisted, and then win the award, was a wonderful surprise and a huge honour.

“I’m proud to have served in the Marines for 14 years and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the forces.

“As many ex-service personnel find, the transition into civilian life isn’t always easy, and it presented a few challenges initially.

“But military life taught me a number of lessons and skills that have served me well in my career in education and I’ve been able to call upon them to teach young people at Weston College.”

During his 14 years in the Royal Marines, Dave was awarded the Military Cross after rescuing two colleagues who were weighed down with heavy equipment and under fire from enemy forces.

Despite struggling with some common problems associated with moving into civilian life, Dave has gone on to forge a highly successful career in education. After starting as a graduate primary school teacher, he has progressed to lecture in further and higher education at Weston College.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, led the plaudits to Dave.

“To win such a prominent award is a magnificent achievement and deserved recognition for Dave,” said Dr Paul.

“After a distinguished career in the armed forces, he’s demonstrated massive determination and aptitude to carve out a wonderful career as a lecturer and is inspirational role model for his learners.”

Weston College itself was also among the finalists at the ceremony after being shortlisted for the Employer of the Year category.

The College has a strong history of supporting local military units and the Armed Forces community and is strengthening this commitment by launching a course to help servicemen and women find employment when they leave the forces.

Shaun Canniford, College Representative for the Armed Forces Covenant, said: “As a College we have a serious commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise to provide veterans and their families, and those leaving the military seeking, training and work opportunities.

“To be given recognition at the English Veterans Awards for our support of veterans was fantastic and we look forward to continuing the work we do by launching our Veterans Pre-Employment Programme on October 30th. This new course will ensure veterans are offered the training, advice and support they need to gain qualifications and find employment on leaving the armed services.” Click here to read more about this exciting new initiative.

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01934 411 594
apprenticeships@weston.ac.uk

The chance to be part of a Taster Day celebrating all things Higher Education is being offered next month (October) at Weston College.

The College’s University Centre and Loxton Campus will open their doors on October 27 to anyone interested in studying for a Degree and looking to start in Autumn 2015.

As well as receiving all the information needed to consider an application, prospective students will be able to take part in a series of ‘hands-on’ workshops in a variety of subject fields, giving them a vital taste of Degree level study.

On offer are workshops in Musical Theatre, Sports Studies, Performing Arts, Computing and Photography, among many other subjects. Those taking part will also be treated to lunch, and can attend a number of information sessions about applying via UCAS, managing finances and accommodation, and what to expect in the first few weeks.

Anthony Murray, Weston College’s Director of Higher Education, said: “We are very pleased to be offering this Higher Education Taster Day, which is aimed at giving aspiring students a clearer understanding of the step-up from Level 3 to University-level study in a wide variety of subject areas. Taking part in this kind of preparatory activity will give students an advantage throughout the university application process and once they start their degrees, wherever they choose to study.

“Weston College offers degree-level study in partnership with Bath Spa University and the University of the West of England, and our range of courses is expanding every year. As a recently designated College of Further and Higher Education, we are committed to providing effective information, advice and guidance to boost the aspirations and prospects of young people thinking about progressing to Higher Education. We look forward to welcoming students from near and far to this exciting day.”

Parents of prospective students are welcome to attend the Taster Day, as are adults returning to HE, or entering it for the first time.

Demonstrating experience of HE through taster sessions and other events is very useful when applying to UCAS, and all visitors to the College’s Taster Day will come away with something tangible to use in their portfolio.

Weston College is one of the top performing Colleges in the South West and is now officially a College of Further and Higher Education. Almost 100 per cent of graduates to on to employment within six months of graduating, and of those graduating in 2014, more than 20 per cent came away with First Class Honours degrees, compared with a national average of 16 per cent.

Anyone interested in coming to the HE Taster Day needs to book before Friday October 3. For more details please contact Weston College’s Higher Education Team on 01934 411 409 or by emailing  he.unit@weston.ac.uk

Weston College has been described as a ‘true beacon’ for colleges nationwide when it was presented two awards from the Association of Colleges (AoC).

The College has been handed two national Beacon Awards by the AoC; the UCAS Progress Award for Careers Education and Guidance and the Council for Learning Resources in Colleges Award for the Effective Integration of Libraries/Learning Resources Centres in Curriculum Delivery.

The awards recognise the hard work of the College’s ASPECT (Advice, School, Progression, Employability, Careers, Transition) team and its LibraryPlus team.

The AoC Beacon Award Local Presentation Ceremony was held at the College’s Conference and Events Centre, in Knightstone Road, on Tuesday 4th May.

The ceremony formally announced the two achievements and consisted of networking and a lunch followed by presentations and prize-giving.

Local businesses and dignitaries, including Weston-super-Mare’s Mayor Cllr Raymond Armstrong and Mayoress Joan Dunne, attended the ceremony. 

Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, Dr Paul Phillips OBE, said: “It’s tremendous, the work which goes on at Weston College. These two teams have shown a real entrepreneurial flair and have ensured the learner has come first.

“Thank you to all of the guests who attended the ceremony, your support demonstrates the importance of collaboration and partnership in a true sense – we are all working together to ensure learners succeed.”

Ian Monroe, South West Regional Director of the AoC and Jon Graystone, representing the AoC’s steering group which judged the awards, attended the ceremony to present the two awards.

Mr Graystone said: “I am delighted to recognise and celebrate these achievements. We received 140 nominations and the quality of the two from Weston College was clear and the reason that they won.

“The judging process is rigorous, it involves all nomination being made anonymous, and so judges are unaware which colleges they come from.

“Weston College is a true beacon for Colleges in the UK.” 

Are you interested in filmmaking but don’t know where to start? To save you searching online through pages and pages of guidance we’ve boiled it all down into five key pieces of advice for filmmaking novices…

Get out and shoot something

This is a fundamental part of our film courses, and crucial for anyone who wants to learn the art of filmmaking. Shooting as much as you can means you’ll learn about your equipment, but it doesn’t matter what you record with - you’ll still be learning what works and does not work when capturing a scene. We encourage our students to go out and film as much as possible, they make an average of 12 films over two years.

Learn to edit... it’s more accessible than ever before

Most computers and laptops these days come with basic video editing software as standard, and even on phones there are apps which can be utilised to edit recordings. At Weston College, our students have access to Adobe Premiere CC, Final Cut Pro and a huge range of supporting software. We have expert in-house tutor support on hand to guide our students through the editing process.

Upload your footage and test audience reaction

This means you’ll get valuable feedback on your work which you could use to improve your filmmaking. Our students regularly present their films to peers and tutors for feedback. You could upload your films to YouTube, Facebook or your own website, and when you’re confident enough submit them to film or art festivals. Our students’ films have screened at local cinemas including the Odeon, Watershed, Arnolfini and the Cube in recent years.

Watch everything you can

We encourage our students to watch a lot of films. The more you watch, the more you will be inspired to create. You can also pick up on other filmmakers’ techniques by watching their films, and recreate them to enhance your creations. At Weston College most of the tutors are working filmmakers themselves, and are able to give our students further insight into the filmmaking process.

Don’t give up. Keep creating, learning and refining

Every filmmaker has things that go wrong or wishes they could reshoot certain films, and even the best directors have flops. The more attempts you make, the more you will learn about filmmaking and the greater your chance at success.

We offer our students every opportunity to hone their skills; working on their own, with their peers and on industry based projects throughout their time with us. This intensive exposure to filmmaking is the best way of preparing you for your footsteps in the industry, in whichever direction they may go.

Want to find out more? Our film and media courses cover the basics of filmmaking and more!

We've been invited to Buckingham Palace to pick up one of the most important educational prizes in the country: the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

The award is the latest of a string of successes that the College has seen in recent years since the appointment of Dr Paul Phillips CBE as Principal and Chief Executive.

What is a Queen’s Anniversary Prize?

The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are awarded to leading colleges and universities every two years, and reward excellence, innovation and positive impact on the community. It is generally thought of as equivalent to an Honour but applied to an institution. It is a nation-wide award that is considered to be the most prestigious in the education sector. For further information on the Queen’s Anniversary Prize please visit www.royalanniversarytrust.org.uk

What did we win it for?

The Royal Anniversary Trust judges acknowledged our pioneering approach to outstanding inclusive practice. They recognised that Weston College’s dedicated special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision had delivered impact at a local, regional, national and international level. The College has been recognised for creating world class facilities delivering aspirational provision to over 1000 students requiring additional support. Continuous high performance has been driven by strong leadership from the very top, which has placed empowerment and personalisation at the heart of the College’s strategic plans.

Judges could see that our excellent delivery has allowed the sharing of best practice in order to improve outcomes for other disadvantaged groups including ex-offenders and the long term unemployed. They also recognised that the College’s award-winning provision showed how staff, learners and employers have worked together to “value people” and to create inclusive social mobility for all.

Why is inclusive practice important to us?

Our focus on inclusive practice is led by our Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, who believes that our students should be put first and that all of our students should be able to enjoy the same high-quality teaching, facilities and support regardless of their background and abilities. He was inspired by the 2001 White Paper titled “Valuing People – A New Strategy for Learning Disability in the 21st Century”.

What does this mean for our students with SEND?

Students at the College can expect to achieve results that are consistently above the national benchmark, with 97% of learners with SEND progressing into employment, further learning or higher education. They can also expect to study in purpose-built facilities that enable them to fulfil their full learning potential. They are taught and supported by highly-qualified specialist staff through personalised programmes of study, which are dynamically and innovatively based on an empowerment model which promotes independence rather than dependency. 

Hi! I’m Chris. I work in the Weston College Marketing department as an apprentice. I’m eighteen and I am loving my apprenticeship. For National Apprenticeship Week, I’m going to be talking about the exciting benefits of being an apprentice. 

I started my apprenticeship back in early September after successfully making it to interview and then completing the interview process. On the first day I was very nervous, I hadn’t worked in an office environment before but my mind was soon put to ease as everyone was really friendly and offered any help and support that I needed. It was exciting to meet my team and they are always there to give me any guidance I require which helped me to settle in quickly and make friends. 

One reason that I decided to become an apprentice was because I was excited by the opportunities that I could get within my company that I could use to kick-start my career. More and more companies are valuing real world experience and an apprenticeship is the perfect way to get this while still learning new skills and techniques through my College course. I was worried about the cost of university and so I began to look into alternatives. I found with apprenticeships that instead of paying to learn (and racking up a worrying debt) I could earn a salary and have my course paid for at the same time by getting an apprenticeship.

Some of the highlights of my apprenticeship so far have been the events that I have helped to organise. These are quite difficult to get right as you have to be very careful to not miss anything since often, quite a small problem can make a whole event go wrong! However, when the event is done it is very satisfying to know that I have done well. Some of the skills that I have learnt include professional writing, effective administration among many others. These skills have enabled me to become more involved in team activities. Professional writing has boosted my communication skills and administration has enabled me to help my team with fundamental aspects of marketing. Since I am hoping for a career in marketing, this is vital life experience that I can use to gain employment in the future.

I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who is looking to boost their chances for the future! They combine real world experience seamlessly with an excellent College course. I find that learning on your feet in a true work environment is the best way to gain practical experience that can then be applied in a business context. Some of the incredible experiences that I have gained include business fairs, planning my own events and I have many more planned for the future. Apprenticeships are a great way to get on the job ladder with a wide range of local and national companies pledging to hire. 
 

Deciding what to do and where to go after school can be a difficult decision to make, but at Weston College we offer so much variety that we have fantastic courses for everyone.

If you’re looking to pursue a media course, we are confident that we have the best options on offer for you, and we know that we are the best place to study media. Keep reading to find out why...

Creative Arts students from Weston College had the exciting opportunity to visit Bristol’s Marble Factory to watch the ‘Art Battle’ live painting competition.

The ‘Art Battle’ featured 12 artists, who had 20 minutes to create art on a blank canvas. The competition challenged the artists’ ability to work quickly and showcased their creative talent in front of an eager audience of art fans.

The winner is decided by an audience vote. All of the artwork produced on the night goes to a silent auction to support the artists involved.

Nicola Stent, Creative Arts lecturer at Weston College, who accompanied the learners, said: “This was a great opportunity for our learners. The group were engaged throughout the evening and they got involved with voting and purchasing artwork from the event.”

Weston College Art and Design students Cam Gelder and Heidi Lear will be taking part in the next ‘Art Battle’ in Bristol in November.

Nicola added: “We’re very excited to accompany Heidi and Cam and we wish them the best of luck!”

The event is taking place on Tuesday 13th November at the Marble Factory from 7pm. Spectator tickets are still available and can be purchased here.