Weston College students will be at the forefront of the brand new Digital T Level qualification, which will be launched in September 2020.

T Levels are central to the Government’s plans to improve technical and vocational education. With content designed by employers, these new 2-year, post-GCSE courses aim to deliver a pipeline of skilled young people to help businesses thrive.

The T Level qualification is a highly technical alternative to A Levels, and is part of the Government’s commitment to giving people access to high-quality training opportunities.

T Levels will combine classroom theory, practical learning and an industry placement – of at least 315 hours, or approximately 45 days – where students will build the knowledge and skills they need in a workplace environment.

Damian Hinds, Education Secretary, said: “Everyone agrees that a radical shake-up of technical and vocational education in this country is long overdue. T Levels are our chance to do that – offering young people high-quality alternatives to our world-class A Levels from September 2020.”

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, said: “T Levels have been described as the biggest overhaul in post-school education for 70 years.

“For Weston College to be at the forefront of this revolution is an honour and an exciting challenge. We’ve built a national reputation for the quality of our teaching and helping to launch this pioneering programme only enhances that standing.

“From September 2020 we will be offering a Digital T Level and this represents a tremendous opportunity for school leavers in Weston-super-Mare, Bristol and beyond.

“T levels are shaped by employers and benefit from the unique insights of industry leaders. This means learners will be equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to get ahead in the modern jobs market.”

If you or your child is interested in studying a Digital T Level from September 2020 please fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in touch to let you know how.

Three Weston College lecturers have been chosen to join Microsoft’s global network of educator experts. This means a wealth of benefits and possibilities for learners.

Louise Pratten, lecturer in English, Shaun LaTouche, lecturer in Foundation Learning and Lynne Richards, lecturer in ICT, have been awarded Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert status.

As MIE experts, the trio will get to use a huge range of the technology giant’s resources and programmes and be able to test new products before they’re released. They’ll also have the opportunity to share innovative and exciting teaching methods with thousands of fellow experts around the world.

And this will all be channelled into developing innovative teaching methods and engaging learning environments – with the ultimate aim of improving the learner experience.

The MIE experts will have the expertise and knowledge to:

• Enable learners to get the best out of Microsoft’s resources
• Use technology to spark learners’ creativity and uncover hidden talents
• Help learners overcome barriers to learning and support learners with special educational needs or disabilities
• Create more inclusive learner-centred classrooms and environments
• Communicate more effectively with classes and encourage learners to collaborate with a range of resources
• Create learning resources in a variety of formats to suit a range of needs and learning styles.

Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Worldwide Education, Microsoft, perfectly sums up the role MIE experts play: “Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts are inspiring examples of educators, applying new ways of teaching and learning in their classrooms that motivate learners and empower them to achieve more.

“We celebrate and support the work they do every day.”

This news follows hot on the heels of the announcement that we are one of 14 providers in the UK to be awarded ‘Microsoft Showcase College’ status.

As a Showcase College, we’ll benefit from billions of pounds of research and knowledge, as well as Microsoft’s support in the personalising student education. This includes the use of one-to-one devices, Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, Skype, Minecraft and more.

Interested in joining us, browse our courses:

• 16-18 full-time courses for school leavers
• Part-time adult courses

A College Apprentice has scooped the South West Regional heat of a National SPARKS* competition that could see him test his skills in Brazil.

Liam Bennet, 18, of Ebdon Road, Worle, competed at Bridgwater College against nine South West colleges, gaining 170 out of 200 points – 30 more than his nearest rival.

Weston College Building Services and Environmental Technology Manager, Christopher Simpson, said: “Liam has done brilliantly and we’re really proud of him.

“He’s been with us since he was 16 and is now a Level 3 Apprentice working for Weston Electrical Services. The whole electrical team here and at work have supported him.

Liam is now set to compete at a national level in April at Birmingham and if he succeeds is set to jet to Rio de Janeiro later this year for the international final.

The South West Skills Campus (SWSC) on Locking Road is undergoing an £11 million investment.

In 2010, the Construction and Engineering Centre of Excellence (CECE) won a ‘National Training Award’ for the South West of England.

It delivers training in a wide range of construction occupations including, plumbing, electrical installation, carpentry, trowel trades, painting, decorating, plastering, property maintenance, as well as renewable energy courses and apprenticeships.

The CECE holds specialist workshops for training electricians along with bespoke brickwork and carpentry workshops at a resource-based learning centre with online learning available.

The CECE is also a test centre for the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and health and safety card.

There is a 100 per cent success rate for Level 2 qualifications with around 70 per cent of CECE students finding work in industry while others enhance their DIY skills.

Earlier this month, leading industry magazine, The Stage, interviewed Ged Stephenson, Section Leader for Performing Arts and Musical Theatre....

The highly resourced Wessex Academy of Performing Arts fosters independent creativity while remaining focused on equipping students for getting work.

"The overriding ethos is employment. We're training students not just for the profession, but to be employable and to exist and survive as a professional long after they have graduated." Ged Stephenson, section leader for performing arts and musical theatre at the Wessex Academy of Performing Arts, is clear about the advantages of training: "Too many young performers are being told the only way to succeed is to move to London and get an agent. but if you want to work - and work creatively - why jump into that overcrowded market without the right preparation?" 

Located in Weston-super-Mare, Wessex Academy offers two BA (hons) and two foundation degree courses, all accredited by Bath Spa University, in performing arts and musical theatre. Currently, it has a student population of 120 drawn from the UK and abroad, all of whom can expect to experience a flexible and wide-ranging approach to learning that also gives them opportunities unmatched elsewhere. 

Stephenson recognises - and the course celebrates - the reality that "students want to be creative, imaginative and do exciting work". And, he argues, Wessex Academy is best suited to realising those ambitions with its imaginative approach to theatre, making, its dual emphasis on performance and musical theatre and its commitment to innovation. 

"London is not the only place to achieve your ambitions. The industry is bigger - and demand for talent is wider - than just London. You can find work and, just as importantly, you can create work in Weston that you couldn't elsewhere." 

With a wide array of theatres, arts centres and unconventional performance spaces on Weston-super-Mare's doorstep, resources at the college are also generous and plentiful, with 12 studios including dedicated theatre, singing, dance and recording spaces alongside a rehearsal room, two 'black box' performance space and the 207-seat Blakehay Theatre (which this year underwent a £1 million refurbishment) ably servicing students' needs. 

Just as plentiful are the opportunities available. The curriculum covers theorists of the past and practitioners in the present. This runs throughout the three years of the course, and is succinctly described by Stephenson as "a crash course in how we got from performance as ritual in the past to the stylistic pluralism of today. It is matched by an emphasis on flexibility. 

"In the second year of performing arts, students take a module called 'performance event', in the third year 'independent practice' - where they explore a range of genres and practitioners before selecting an area to specialise in and develop their own shows."

Third-year students form their own theatre company "and they do two national, sometimes international tours (in recent years, to Poland, Austria and Germany) offering shows and workshops they have created themselves. They also present a contemporary performance festival in which student give solo performances based on the genre of a particular theatre practitioner or theorist."

Here, adds Stephenson, the focus is on equipping students to develop workshops and classes alongside touring productions to make a more enticing proposition for bookers and venue managers.

Four such companies are in operation during the current year, all of which can tap into a long-established infrastructure between the college and local arts organisations for help and support if the students decide to continue the company after the graduate.

As well as producing traditional shows (Into the Woods last year, Stepping Out this year) final-year musical theatre students are encouraged to create new work in collaboration with the London-based Mercury Musical Developments promoting new writers in the genre to create entirely new shows.

Earlier this year, Wessex students collaborated with American counterparts in Las Vegas to present a simultaneous internet-linked performance called Time-Lapse. This used cutting-edge technology to marry the two companies' contributions without any time delay, despite the more than 5,000 miles separating them.

Digital technology is also playing a key role in a current student project that marries puppetry and iPads, while others - including a one-man show, with the student actor in a nearby forest, and a multi-performer piece in which students were dispersed throughout the town - made use of connected Smartphones to interact with the audience and determine actions and outcomes. 

There's also a module on professional practice - "everything from how to raise money, forming a company, creating a website and social network presence to managing your accounts and how to do your VAT returns" - to inculcate in students a valuable business sense alongside their artistic ambition.

Those stepping out on their own leave the academy with advice on auditioning, how to present themselves so they stand out, the right way to approach agents an, no less crucial, a purpose-made showreel that shows off their skills and talent to the best.

All of which amounts to a unique offering to potential students keen to work and learn in an imaginative, independent-minded environment in which the needs of the individual performer are squarely at the centre of things.

"Once our students walk through that door for an audition," Stephenson proudly adds, "they generally get it".

A University Centre Weston (UCW) student will graduate this weekend despite having suffered from throat cancer for much of the academic year.

John Byrne kept up with his studies while receiving treatment for the disease and has now earned a BSc (Hons) degree in Counselling.

Along with more than 500 other UCW graduates, he will receive his degree at a ceremony at the Conference Centre in Weston on Saturday (24th September).  

The 51-year-old was diagnosed with cancer in November and immediately underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and complications made him so unwell that he was put on a life support machine for ten days.

Thankfully, John is now well on the road to recovery having been in remission since March.

He said: “I was doing my reading for the course and working on a laptop in hospital because I didn’t want the cancer to take my degree away from me.

“At times it seemed like an impossible task, but I received so much support from my family and friends and everyone at UCW that I was determined to keep going.

“I’m so pleased that I will be able to graduate as planned with everyone else on my course.”

John was unable to attend lectures due to stays in the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Weston General Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

So his lecturers on the degree, which is delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University, provided course materials and feedback to help him persevere.

UCW Counselling lecturer Barbara Feldtkeller said: “John has been such an inspiration to the tutor team at UCW and his peers on the course, I hope he has a really enjoyable and memorable day on Saturday.

“His diagnosis a few weeks into the beginning of the programme came as a shock to all of us, but he was determined to carry on, so we just kept supporting him.”

John, who grew up in London, earned further education qualifications from Weston College before enrolling on a two-year higher education Foundation Degree with UCW in 2013.

He now plans to study for a Master’s degree in Counselling after completing the one-year top-up to earn full Honours.

24% of UCW students graduating with full Honours have earned First Class degrees, and the overall pass rate is 94%.

Of the students on the BSc (Hons) Applied Computing course, which is delivered in partnership with UWE Bristol, 47% will graduate with First Class Honours.

In the past, apprenticeships have been shunned in favour of other academic routes such as A Levels and university…

Now they are being recognised as a competitive alternative to traditional classroom-based study. They offer students the chance to enter into an industry, achieve nationally-recognised qualifications, and at the same time earn a wage and gain relevant work experience.

Weston College works with over 1,400 employers in the Bristol area to deliver 70 different apprenticeships, so we’re very familiar with the reasons why people choose to become an apprentice over other methods of studying.

Here are some of the top reasons our current apprentices give for choosing apprenticeships…

It can work out cheaper for the same qualifications

Many people are choosing apprenticeships because they offer great value for money compared to classroom-based study. With the new higher-level apprenticeships, you can even study a for a degree at the same time as gaining relevant work experience and earning a wage. Most of the time, an apprenticeship is paid for by the Government or the employer, however if this isn’t the case there are generous incentives such as the Advanced Learner Loan you can take advantage of.

You get more choice with the things you learn

Apprenticeships give people a lot of choice when it comes to choosing the skills they are taught, and apprenticeship training providers like Weston College will match prospective apprentices with relevant employers to ensure that they will enter in an industry they’re interested in and are appropriate for them. Our apprentices are offered career advice and support from our experienced commercial recruitment team to maximise our apprentices’ chances of success.

Apprenticeships lead to jobs most of the time

A major benefit of an apprenticeship over classroom-based study is the fact you’ll go straight into employment and gain highly-relevant work experience. Entering straight into the industry allows you to establish yourself within a business and gain the sector-specific skills employers are looking for. As a result of this, 90% of our apprentices are offered permanent positions at the end of their course.

It can still lead to uni and career progression

Once you’ve finished your apprenticeship and gained employment, you’ll have the option of progressing onto further study, an apprenticeship at a higher level, or specialising in an area of your industry. A lot of our apprenticeship subjects are taught at a variety of levels, so you may be able to study with us right up to degree-level.

All the benefits of being a student and having a job

So, apprenticeships enable people to achieve nationally-recognised qualifications, earn a wage, and gain skills – but there are many other benefits too… As well as benefitting from being an employee of your company, you’ll be able to enjoy access to the facilities your apprentice training provider offers. Weston College’s apprentices benefit from students’ union membership, NUS cards, a subsidised bus pass, access to our award-winning facilities and sports academies, and support and guidance from our dedicated teams.

Easter's the perfect time for baking, and traditional Easter snacks are easy and fun to make, as well as being delicious to eat...

Hot Cross Buns are the second most common Easter treat (after chocolate eggs, of course!) and are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. The tradition dates back as far as the 14th century.

Here's our catering students' recipe for the Perfect Hot Cross Buns!

Weston College recently welcomed 400 GCSE students from local schools for a hospitality industry taster say with The Chefs’ Forum Academy, designed to get them interested in a career in the industry.

The event, held at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, saw students from Worle School, Hans Price Academy, Backwell School, Voyage Learning Campus, Robert Blake Science College and NSETC welcomed with ‘mocktails’ and canapés made by the College’s Level 2 hospitality students.

The students were then treated to demonstrations from some top chefs on The Chefs’ Forum demo stage, including a fish demonstration from Professional Master Chef Finalist Elly Wentworth (Lucknam Park), and a lesson in pricing from UK Curry Chef of the Year Stephen Gomes (Moksh) and Istvan Ulmann (Berwick Lodge).

Demo chefs were also joined by the College’s level 2 hospitality students, and Istvan Ulmann was joined by his new apprentice, Lillianna Young, who has recently completed her level 3 qualification with the College.

The school students also got some hands-on experience during Gavin Roberts’s butchery demo, learning how he makes sausages for the Kernow Sausage company, and were given free hotdogs made with Kernow Sausages to try.

Sandra Bull, Area Manager for Hair, Beauty, Hospitality and Catering at Weston College, said: “The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and it was fantastic to see so many young faces inspired to consider careers in catering and hospitality, with demonstrations by talented local chefs and industry experts.”

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum Academy, said: ““It was a real honour to be asked to stage this event by the College. The Chefs’ Forum Academy is going from strength to strength and feedback from teaching staff and students is fantastic.

The Chefs’ Forum Academy work in partnership with the College to provide classroom-based hospitality and catering students with guest lectures and opportunities to attend industry events.

Weston College music students received career advice from some of the industry’s biggest names at the recent BBC Music Introducing Live show.

Thousands of visitors flocked to the two-day event at the Tobacco Docks in London, which featured live performances and hundreds of prominent industry speakers.

These included artists, presenters, DJs, record label executives and retailers – among them Jo Whiley, Example, Kano, Joel Zimmerman (better known as ‘deadmau5’ and Gabrielle Aplin.

College students heard talks from a wide range of industry experts. They gave advice on breaking into, and working, in the music industry – whether that’s live events, songwriting, as an artist or A&R (‘artist and repertoire’ reps find and sign new artists to a label).

Students also got the opportunity to network with key figures and try out the latest technologies and even perform on the ‘open mic stage’. Level 3 Music Performance and Production student, Connor Hammond, made the most of the opportunity, performing two of his original tracks for the audience.

Another Weston College student, Ant Watts, was even featured on to the event’s highlights show reel (from 00.05-00.07).

Ant, who was filmed testing out one of the latest electronic Yamaha drum kits, said: “I found the BBC Introducing Live event really inspiring. It helped me understand the ‘ins and outs’ of the music industry, and gave me the opportunity to meet all of the great organisations that will help me in the future.”

BBC Music Introducing is a BBC Radio platform that discovers and supports unsigned and ‘under-the-radar’ UK talent. It gives artists airtime on local and national BBC radio stations, and the opportunity to play Introducing stages at festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds and Radio 1’s Big Weekend.