The digital age we live in puts a wealth of resources and technology at our fingertips.

At Weston College, we use these digital advantages to make learning more accessible through the ‘Flexible Learning Fund’ (FLF). Our digital learning team works closely with curriculum staff to adapt lesson content into digital formats, whilst ensuring virtual learning remains engaging and high quality.

This enables people whose circumstances might prevent them from physically attending college to access the same opportunities and make the most of some of the fantastic part-time courses that are available. This flexible approach also helps students on Access to Higher Education courses, by enabling work and research to be completed outside the academic year so it doesn’t interfere with other courses.

Compared to an average online learning course, the digital learning team goes the extra mile to connect learners with a personal tutor. These lecturers, who have a breadth of experience in their industry, provide their students with the same care and attention as those studying in a ‘traditional’ sense.

This is all done through the Virtual Learning Environment where participants receive and submit work and interact with their tutors. Hattie Abretti, Digital Learning Development Manager, said: “Although we are still in our infancy as a team, we already have a strong ethos and model to which we develop our courses.

“We want learners to engage with content, not be spoon fed. Our primary focus is providing quality access to our outstanding subject specialists and opportunities to participate in, and build, learning communities.”

The team made fantastic progress since being formed just over a year ago, with courses such as the Autism Awareness Award experiencing high levels of intake. The team currently comprises five members of staff:

The Construction Training Centre has been open for just over four months, and is already proving a popular destination for construction firms.

The centre was developed in response to the growing demand for a trained and skilled construction workforce, and is the first of its kind in the region.

It isn’t focussed on providing training for one industry, but is instead a ‘one-stop shop’ that offers training courses in:

• Plant
• Health and safety
• Scaffolding
• Highways and groundworks
• Driver training
• Warehousing

The courses are developed around employers and their needs, to ensure that the centre provides relevant and effective training.

The facility is impressive, and boasts all the equipment you would expect to find on a construction site.

You can see images from the centre below.

Two graduates from the BA (Hons) Graphic Design, run in partnership with Bath Spa University, have taken up graduate designer roles with Dyson.

Amelia Hurrell and Laura Hughes both graduated with First Class Honours in 2013 and had been working as freelance designers as well as taking up intern positions - Amelia at Sky Creative, having won the New Designers Sky Award 2013, and Laura at Proctor and Stevenson, a prestigious web design company.

Thanks to the strong reputation of the College’s degree provision in Graphic Design, Victoria Norcross, Programme Co-ordinator for FdA and BA (Hons) Graphic Design, was contacted by Ben Tappenden, Creative Head of Graphics and Packaging at Dyson and asked to recommend some graduates for the role of Junior Designer. Amelia and Laura were both successful at interview.

Ben said: “The candidates from Weston College were strong in interview and had encouraging portfolios. Laura and Amelia are competent and exciting graduate designers with a good sense of fun, enthusiasm, confidence, professionalism and ambition in abundance.”

Victoria said: "The achievements of these students are testament to the excellent work-based opportunities they had whilst studying at Weston College. It's great to see them being so highly regarded and working in high-profile companies so soon after graduating."

Amelia said: “The BA (Hons) in Graphic Design degree at Weston College was the perfect springboard for me. It provided the necessary skills and experience - through work placements and communication with local design agencies - to be successful at interview and secure a graduate job with Dyson. I’ve really enjoyed my time at Dyson so far, having been involved in a wide range of projects that have allowed me to exercise the skills I learnt at the College, and I can’t wait to see what challenges await me in the future.”

Laura said: “Studying at Weston College equipped me with skills and real world experience to give me the best possible start to my career. If I hadn’t been to Weston I doubt I could have gained my position at Dyson. Since starting in my role I have been involved in a wide range of really interesting projects and been through a great graduate induction programme. It’s amazing to work for such a big company that is so well respected and always at the cutting edge of design." 

Weston College will be holding a unique open event that will bring together prospective students and employers wishing to recruit apprentices in a variety of sectors.

Businesses from across the region with live apprenticeship vacancies will be at the College’s Knightstone Campus from 5pm to 8pm on Tuesday 15th March in order to provide information about their companies, describe the job roles available and answer any questions.

Some of the employers will also offer interactive workshops at the event, which is being held to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week.

Among employers attending the open evening will be: Purplex Marketing, Honey Tree Nursery, Concierge and Notaro Homes.

Training managers from the College will be available throughout the evening to discuss apprenticeships and share apprentice portfolios to give people an understanding of what is expected of an apprentice.

The Weston College Apprenticeships Team will also be in attendance to offer advice and guidance on apprenticeships and traineeships, and will be on hand to support attendees with applications and CVs.

All three of the College’s campuses will be open and representatives from all courses and subject areas will be available to provide advice and guidance.

Dr Paul Phillips OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “This year we wanted to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week in style and this open evening is a great way to do that. It presents a fantastic opportunity for anyone of any age that wants to become an apprentice to meet with employers who are currently recruiting.

“Apprenticeships are a key focus for Weston College as we recognise the importance of them to help drive the economy and develop the skills that businesses need.

Register below to reserve a place at the event:

Weston College is widely known as an outstanding provider of education, but it also has been successfully changing the face of Weston-super-Mare for decades by transforming underused and unloved buildings into award-winning facilities.

Take a look at the below images to see how the College has changed over the years, and find out about the many successful building projects it has completed…

Knightstone Campus

Opened in 1970, the College’s Knightstone Campus was the first College building to be constructed. Built in a typically brutalist style, the College has invested significantly over the years to modernise the building, creating a new entrance atrium in 1998.

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After

Loxton Campus

The College’s second campus, which includes its Sixth Form Centre, was built on the site of the former Broadoak Sixth Form College. The site was renovated and reopened in 2008.

Before

After

South West Skills Campus

The South West Skills Campus started life as Bushacre Business park. The College moved into the former Clarks shoe factory initially, and as provision grew the site expanded into the roadside industrial units and Renault garage. This renovation earned the College a nomination for two building excellence awards.

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After

Weston College Conference Centre

Built in 1892, the Hans Price-designed Conference Centre was refurbished from a derelict state in 2012, winning the Somerset Trust ‘Building of the Year’ award and earning a nomination for an English Heritage Angel Award in the process.

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After

Law and Professional Services Academy

Weston College bought the former Arosfa Hotel in January 2016 and spent millions of pounds on much-needed renovation work to the row of Victorian terraced houses. The building opened for teaching and student accommodation in September the same year.

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After

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Winter Gardens Pavilion

The College reopened the Winter Gardens Pavilion to the public in September 2018. The public now benefits from updated facilities, a new modern British restaurant and a new cafe.

Click here for more before and after pictures of the Winter Gardens Pavilion.

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After

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The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Joint Committee has agreed £8.7 million in funding for two Weston College projects.

UPDATE TO ARTICLE – Both brand new facilities have since opened. Click here to visit our facilities page.

The College will now be able to create two new centres which will focus on teaching skills in key priority sectors for the West of England.

£3.3 million will be put towards creating an Construction Training Centre, and a further £5.4 million will go towards creating a Health and Active Living Skills Centre. These new centres will address a number of skills shortages in the local area, as well as creating jobs and benefitting businesses. The Health and Active Living Skills Centre will be community-focused and seek to improve health and wellbeing across Weston and North Somerset.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This announcement confirms our intention to now enhance construction skills, health, wellbeing and fitness across North Somerset.

“Our facilities, including the Winter Gardens and university centre development will provide state of the art learning and resources across a range of qualification levels and sectors, meaning that local people will benefit from unprecedented access to learning opportunities including degrees.

“These new centres will give us the complete resources to meet the growing demand for these skills across the region, particularly in terms of Hinkley Point C.”

This announcement comes at the end of a successful month for Weston College, which saw its higher education provision, University Centre Weston, graded Gold under the Teaching Excellence Framework – putting it above many Russell Group universities and among the top 20% of university-level education providers in the country and on par with Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor, said: “Through the Local Growth Fund the Joint Committee can approve projects that will deliver much needed infrastructure. North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the wider region will benefit from these projects approved today to improve skills in engineering, construction and health.”

Professor Steve West, Interim Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Approval for these projects show that we can work together to make the West an attractive option for business and industry. These are important steps in ensuring that we have the right skills in the right sectors coming through for the long term.”

So your secondary education is coming to an end and you're faced with many choices...

Different people learn in different ways, and some may choose to stay on at a local sixth form. For the majority of local school leavers, Weston College is a popular option due to the diverse range of courses and wanting to experience a fresh environment with a lively and exciting atmosphere as well.

If you're considering College but are unsure about how it compares to school, read on!

As part of your learning experience at Weston College you'll have access to the full Microsoft Office 365 online dashboard.

Simply use your College login (given to you during enrolment) to access a range of features...

Help and advice for using Microsoft Office 365 apps and software is available through the LibraryPlus service at each of our main campuses.

You can book a one-to-one session with a LibraryPlus learning technologist to help you get the most from Office 365.

This year Weston College hospitality students will get the opportunity to learn from renowned chef, Mikey Bain.

Mikey enjoys a growing reputation in the industry, having learnt under some of the UK’s best chefs such as Ramon Farthing and Martin Burge who have successfully run Michelin Star restaurants. Having served a great tutelage under these chefs, it wasn’t long before Mikey was running his own kitchen. He had great success here too, having achieved 2 AA rosettes whilst running the kitchen at Beechfield House Hotel. Mikey is now Senior Sous chef at Calcot Manor.

Sandra Bull, Divisional Lead for Hair, Beauty, Hospitality and Catering at Weston College said: “We are delighted to welcome Mikey to the team through the chef’s forum. He has had a great career so far and has a lot of experience to share with our students."

Mikey added: “I am thrilled to be presented with this opportunity, and cannot wait to get started. Learning from industry professionals has really helped me grow into the chef I am today, and I would love to share my expertise to help future chefs.”

For more information on our hospitality offering, click here.