On Monday 2nd July, Weston College’s Rolls-Royce apprentices took a trip to the famous RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The apprentices are training to be aircraft engine fitters and this was a great opportunity for them to see up close the engines that Rolls-Royce produce on the airfield at an RAF base.

The students got to view an Airbus 330, an A400M and then had the privilege of going on board a Hercules C130J for a closer look! This gave them the chance to see the Rolls Royce engines in a real life situation. They also witnessed an Osprey aircraft doing some manoeuvres above the air field.

The students that visited the site have spent the first year at Weston College’s South West Skills Campus undertaking their Rolls-Royce Engineering Apprenticeships taking a mixture of academic subjects and hands on engineering workshop training. The College prides itself on delivering training specific to each company it works with and opportunities to visit places such as Brize Norton further enrich the students’ experience on their course.

Mick Jones, Aerospace Lecturer at Weston College said “All the students really enjoyed the trip and felt they had a greater appreciation of where all the work they do at Filton ends up, plus they could see first-hand why the quality of their work is so important! “

If you are interested in becoming a Rolls-Royce Apprentice please contact our Apprenticeship Team on 01934 411594 or click here to find out more.

As you may already know, Weston College has just been shortlisted for six national awards.

These are among the most prestigious honours available in the further education (FE) sector. So, to be in the running for six, is a huge achievement.

The Principal, Individual staff, College initiatives, and the College, as a whole, are all finalists in various categories.

But what are the awards all about? Why is it such an achievement? Who’s been shortlisted, and for what?

Let us explain.

What are the awards?

We’ve been shortlisted in four categories of the 2019 Tes FE Awards. (Tes was formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement, by the way).

In Tes’s words, the awards “recognise the most outstanding individuals and institutions that the FE sector has to offer, and those shortlisted are the cream of the crop.”

Put simply, they are the ‘Oscars’ of the FE world.

We’re also finalists in two Association of Colleges’ (AoC) Beacon Awards.

Now in its 24th year, the Beacon Awards showcase best practice and innovation in colleges. As Carole Stott MBE, Chair of the AoC Charitable Trust, explains: “The Beacon Awards were created to highlight the great work that goes on in colleges every day.”

The awards cover achievements in the academic year 2017-18.

Are these separate awards?

Yes and no.

The Tes and Beacon awards are judged independently but they have teamed up to release the shortlists and will hold a joint ceremony to announce the winners.

This ‘gala awards evening’ will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on Friday, 22nd March, 2019. It promises to be a spectacular event with more than 800 guests expected to attend, including government ministers and many of the great and good from the education sector.

Why is it such a major achievement for the College?

Firstly, these are all national awards, so every college, member of staff and special initiative was eligible for at least one category.

Then, to be finalists in so many categories is exceptional. For instance, there are only 11 Tes categories and we’re shortlisted in four. Likewise, we’re shortlisted in two of the eight Beacon Award categories.

There are eight finalists for each Tes Award, and either three or four in the AoC Award categories.

Who’s been shortlisted, and for which awards?

These are our finalists in the Tes Awards:

Dr Paul Phillips CBE – FE Leader of the Year

Our Principal, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, is a finalist in this category, which recognises exceptional leadership in FE in the UK.

Dr Phillips has led from the front as the College has enjoyed another hugely successful year. Among the highlights were the College winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. This is one of the College’s most impressive achievements since it embarked on its 16-year transformation under the leadership of Dr Phillips in 2001.

Claire Knapp – FE Teacher of the Year

Claire is a lecturer in motor vehicles at the College.

This award rewards the individual whose passion, knowledge and skill have inspired students to success and who have made a major contribution to educational life. It is open to anyone working as a teacher, tutor or lecturer in the FE sector. All finalists have had an excellent impact on learners’ progress, attainment and growth, and brought positive change beyond learners.

Weston College – FE College of the Year

It’s a major honour to even be shortlisted for this award, which “rewards colleges whose imagination and passion have led to stellar provision in all areas”.

This has been another exceptional year for the College. As well as success in the apprenticeships (90% offered permanent positions after completion) and pre-employment (60% of Job Centre Plus referrals transitioning into employment within 6 months), we won two Beacon Awards last year and won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – one of only two FE colleges in the country awarded this prestigious honour.

Sensory Learning Base – Specialist Provider of the Year

‘The Sensory Learning Base’ is a purpose-built, safe, self-contained, specialist facility at Weston College’s Knightstone Campus for learners with Profound and Complex Learning Disabilities (PCLD).

This award recognises specialist providers whose imagination and passion have led to stellar provision and support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those with specific learning requirements. Award finalists have been shown to provide high-quality curriculum with excellent student outcomes, reflected in strong recruitment and success rates.

Here are our finalists for the AoC Awards:

College-wide mental health initiative – Mental Health and Wellbeing Award

This College initiative was developed to enhance the mental health, wellbeing and welfare of its learners, staff and community. It involves the College’s Welfare and Pastoral, Inclusive Practice/Mental Health, Sport and Public Services and HR teams.

The award celebrates the important work colleges are doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of their learners and staff.

College initiative to meet address skills shortages in the engineering sector – Engagement with Employers Award

This recognises the College’s transformational approach to delivering responsive provision that meets the skills priorities for the engineering and advanced engineering sector. It’s a joint initiative involving the College’s Business Growth, Employer Engagement, Higher Education and Faculty of Engineering teams.

Wish us good luck for March 2019 when the winner for each category will be announced!

The innovative training course launched last year but already boasts numerous success stories. Students have completed apprenticeships at high profile restaurants across Bristol and the South West, as well as being nominated for prestigious awards.

One of those success stories is Elliott, who aims to become a Michelin-starred chef and believes the apprenticeship has set him on the path to achieving it.

He said: “I decided to join Weston College as food and cooking has always been my passion.

“My godmother is a really good cook and she has been an inspiration to me. When I was younger we used to cook together, so I knew I wanted to be a chef from a very young age.”

“When I saw the apprenticeship advertised with weekly masterclasses taught by local Michelin-starred chefs, it really grabbed my attention,” Elliott said.

“The masterclasses, which teach a diverse range of techniques, have exceeded my expectations. A great example is one we had from a local fishmonger - an area I lacked experience in.

“We were shown how to gut and fillet a salmon and several mackerel. It didn’t stop there as the masterclasses go into real depth. We were also shown how to trim and pin bone, as well being taught about different types of cuts and cooking techniques.”

Thanks to Weston College, Elliott has gained an apprenticeship at Puro restaurant in Clevedon.

“The whole process of getting an apprenticeship was very easy,” he said. “I have received great support from Weston College. My college assessors actually come to me as well which saves me travelling to Weston. I really enjoy my apprenticeship and the team give me expert training.

“My long-term ambition is to gain Rosettes (a cooking accreditation award) and also to become a Michelin starred chef in the future. College has also helped me to get the ball rolling on this. Through the programme I have been taught key skills in a range of areas which include butchery, fish mongering and desserts which I have been able to perfect during my apprenticeship.”

Elliott points out that the apprenticeship doesn’t only teach students to cook – it also helps them in many other aspects of their career.

He said: “I have received a large amount of support from the College. Not only are my college tutors at every practical session, but they offer great support on the theory too which has really developed my knowledge, they have also supported me with my functional skills (English, maths and ICT). This would have been a real struggle for me without their help.”

You can see our current vacancies, by clicking here. 

Weston College women’s netball team are celebrating after winning promotion to the Premier Division of the Weston Winter League.

The squad, which includes three staff members and five Academy players (a mix of first year and second year learners), clinched promotion after winning division one.

The idea of the combined club was to bring together students and staff from different courses and different campuses and enable them to have fun engaging in a common interest. This falls under the College’s Body and Mind (BAM) initiative, which encourages students and staff to take part in enrichment activities to promote healthy lifestyles and well-being.

Yvonne Pearson, the College’s head netball coach, set up the team in 2018 and has been an active player ever since. She said: “I wanted to enter a team into the Weston League to allow learners the opportunity to work together with staff, stay fit and engage and develop skills to compete at a good standard.

“We received the Division One Champions award at the Weston netball presentation evening, which was a proud moment, and we’re extremely excited about practicing at the new Health and Active Living Centre to prepare for the season ahead!”

The team, which has also entered the summer league, will be looking for new players from September. Training will take place on Monday evenings (5.30-6.30pm) at the College’s new, bespoke facility – the Health and Active Living Centre. This team is open to all staff and learners at Weston College.

If you would like to be involved, please email Yvonne Pearson at yvonne.pearson@weston.ac.uk.

For those interested in sport at Weston College, read more about our sport courses and sports academies.

We always love to hear about the fantastic accomplishments our alumni achieve.

Art & Design learners were recently visited by ex-students who are now studying arts at prestigious universities.

All three of these ex students studied the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design and visited current students to inform them first hand about the benefits of staying on and completing this unique course. Scroll down to read what they had to say!

Weston College is officially a Further AND Higher Education establishment following a successful bid to the Government.

The move towards offering more degrees at the College ties in with North Somerset Council’s strategy for the regeneration of Weston-super-Mare and will lead to an eventual aim of having a ‘University Centre’ in the town.

Although Weston College already offers degrees, its new status means it will be able to expand its provision significantly, leading to many more new jobs for the town and surrounding area.

Welcoming the news, Dr Paul Phillips, Weston College Principal and Chief Executive, said the College’s new status tied in with the continuing development of its South West Skills Campus (SWSC) on Locking Road, extensions to Loxton Campus on Locking Road, the development of the North Somerset Enterprise and Technology College at Junction 21and improvements at its Knightstone Campus.

He said: “The time was right to go for this bid, particularly when the town of Weston-super-Mare will be seeing major regeneration in the very near future in the form of Junction 21 and the Dolphin Square development. I am jointly working through the Local Enterprise Partnership and North Somerset Council so that the idea of regeneration in Weston-super-Mare leans towards a ‘town centre urbanisation project’ with HE a major feature of this.”

Mike Jackson, Chief Executive of North Somerset Council, said: “This is excellent news for North Somerset, and Weston-super-Mare in particular. We work very closely with the College and I am delighted that their bid to Government has been successful. Weston College already plays an extremely important role in Weston-super-Mare’s economy. As we look to the future, Higher Education should play a significant role in delivering development and investment in the town centre, which is a priority for the council.”

HE provision at Weston College has grown rapidly, with around 800 students now on HE courses with partners Bath Spa University and the University of the West of England. It is hoped that a new centre may easily double this number in the next few years.

Weston College’s aspirations tie in with a speech made recently by Universities Minister David Willetts, who said that HE provision should focus on economic ‘cold spots’.

The minister said that he hoped the removal of controls on student numbers from next year would result in more campuses being set up. He added: “There are no barriers to setting up a higher education campus. If this is your town’s dream we want you to pursue it.”

Former international rugby player Lee Byrne visited Weston College to talk about his career and answer questions from the College’s sports academy students.

The rugby star was shown the College’s sports facilities, including its new 3G artificial grass pitch located on the former site of Grove Park’s tennis courts.

Lee told the students about his career, which included working as captain for Newport Gwent Dragons, playing for Wales in the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2008, and as full-back for the Lions in South Africa in 2009.

During the Q&A, Lee said that he left school at a young age as he was not receiving support for his dyslexia, before commenting that he “would have loved to have come to a college like Weston,” which was awarded a Beacon Award in 2012 for its training programmes for learning support staff.

Sam Bate, 17, from Bridgwater, said: “It was a different experience to a normal guest lecture, Lee’s a big name in rugby and gave us a great insight into professional sport.”

Paul Taylor, Weston College’s Sports Development and Performance Manager, said: “This session has offered invaluable information to our students about training techniques and what it takes to be a professional sportsperson.”

“These insights will be useful to our learners, both in lessons and throughout their future sporting careers.”

With the gender pay gap hitting headlines on a constant basis we take a look at why it’s not just men who make good engineers…

Across the UK there is a skills shortage of engineers, which is why we’re investing millions of pounds into creating courses to provide trained engineers that meet the country’s future needs.

This shortage means that engineers are paid well and there are a variety of engineering specialisms that you could pursue. On the flip side, the lack of women in the engineering industry not only contributes to the gender pay gap but also deprives us of a considerable amount of talented individuals that could make a huge difference.

In the UK, only 20% of people enrolled on degree-level engineering programmes such as our new Higher Level Apprenticeship are women, which is a shame because girls possess the same ability to be successful in this field as boys!

On the whole, girls tend to do better at GCSE and A Level, and in the crucial STEM fields, girls do just as well as boys. Year after year, we see young women matching or even outclassing their male peers in maths and science exams – both fundamental technical skills for an engineer.

More and more, the engineering industry is crying out for engineers who not only have proficient technical capability, but are also good communicators who work effectively in teams and can explain their work to key stakeholders. Other crucial skills include a strong, analytical mind and attention to detail. All of these are things that women excel in.

Liz Griffiths, Weston College’s Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, told us about the route that took her into a successful career in engineering. She said: “When I left school I was unsure about the career path that I wanted to pursue.

“I knew that my favourite subjects were maths and physics, so I wanted to find an occupation that related to those subjects.

“I was lucky enough to attend a seminar on women in engineering and was immediately interested in the exciting and varied career options that are available in the engineering industry, so I started to investigate the different kinds of apprenticeships that were available.

“The most important piece of advice I would give to girls that are considering getting into engineering is that it’s a very diverse and well-paid career and there is bound to be a pathway that interests you.

“If you’re unsure, it’s worth going to college open days to see what different types of engineering courses and apprenticeships are available.”

Weston College's Business Awards is an annual event that recognises our business partners and their apprentices. Here are five things that happen almost every year that we can't wait to experience at this year's awards dinner...

The guest speaker

At the Business Awards we always get an inspirational or motivational guest speaker (like Penny at our 2017 awards). The speakers come from a variety of industries, but usually they are a household name. They'll be present throughout the evening, so you should get to meet them and have a chat if you'd like!

Great food

Food is a pivotal part of the whole evening, and we always aim to please with a delicious three-course meal. This year, the professional catering team at Lasseter's at the Winter Gardens, under the direction of Head Chef David Newman, will be cooking up a storm...

Big prizes

Each year, the winner of the coveted Principal's Award for Overall Apprentice of the Year receives a cheque to reward them for all of their hard work.

A beautifully decorated venue

We pull out all the stops to make sure the night is memorable - and that includes plenty of decorations to create a special atmosphere. In the past we've added special touches like confetti cannons (see above) and smoke machines...

The awards...

Winning businesses and apprentices get to take home a Weston College business award to celebrate all of their achievements!

Make a nomination!

Want to enter Weston College's 2018 Business Awards? Submitting a nomination is free and easy. You could nominate your employer, your apprentice, or even yourself for an award! Need more persuading before you enter? Click here to read why you should think about nominating your apprentice...

Ready to nominate?

Click here to nominate an apprentice.

Click here to nominate a business.