LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES
There is always so much going on across our various campuses and courses.
Stay up to date on our latest news here or check us out across social media.
Weston College has won a contract to provide workplace training that meets the needs of individuals, employers and the region.
The College will deliver Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) and Skills Support for Redundancy (SSR) programmes across the West of England until April 2021.
The contract was awarded by Serco, which operates SSW in partnership with a network of high-quality training providers.
SSW supports people who are 16 or over and either employed or self-employed. It provides small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) with the skills required to grow their business.
The initiative is focused on training employees for the following sectors:
- Advanced engineering and aerospace
- Construction
- Creative and digital
- Distribution
- Health and life sciences
- High-tech
- Low carbon
- Professional and financial services
- Retail
- Rural and food economy
- Visitor economy.
Businesses that offer SSW to employees receive a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) to help identify the skills needed to help them grow and innovate. A flexible training packages is then developed, with training taking place in the classroom, workplace and online.
SSR is designed to support individuals affected by redundancy. It provides free training for employees facing redundancy or those that are redundant to help them gain new skills, rebuild their careers or even start their own business.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “We are delighted to deliver Skills Support for the Workforce, and Skills Support for Redundancy in the West of England.
“At Weston College, our mission is to create brighter futures creating brighter futures, and by offering this type of training to SMEs across the region, we will certainly be achieving that.”
SSW and SSR, are co-funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and the European Social Fund.
Did you know that we offer pre-employment training to people that don’t have qualifications, and may not have any experience?
We asked our Referral Advisor for the Pre-employment team, Emma Crandon, some questions to give a better understanding on what they offer.
Where are you based?
I am based at Weston College’s South West Skills Campus, but I also visit the Weston-super-Mare Job Centre every Tuesday, Clevedon Job Centre every other Thursday, and hold sessions at the local food bank as well.
What support do you offer?
We offer a wide range of courses, and they are free to people that are unemployed, receiving benefits, or in a job earning less than £16,009.50 per year. These courses are beneficial in many ways; you can upskill, build confidence, open up employment opportunities and most importantly – become more employable.
How can people access this support?
The support we offer, is very easy to access. Job coaches are aware of our courses, and they can always refer you to a course that will benefit you. I also visit the Job Centres, so feel free to come and say hello or book an appointment and we can chat about ways to support you.
If you would like to get in touch, you can call me on 07580857699 or email me, emma.crandon@weston.ac.uk.
Why should people get in touch and ask for support?
If you are unemployed and looking for work, we can help you to gain qualifications and the confidence needed to find a job. We try and run our sessions during school time, and we also offer one to one support.
What has been your highlight of the job?
When you see people that have been out of work for years, their confidence is usually really low and they feel like they are unemployable. Helping these people gain skills, confidence and progress into jobs, is a specific highlight of my job.
Is there anything that you would like to add?
If you are interested in any of our courses please get in touch with me, and I will be happy to help.
You can find out more about our pre-employment courses, by clicking here.
A moody seascape has earned a Weston College student two coveted awards in a national photographic competition.
Ed French, 16, entered the National Historic Ships Photography Competition with a picture he took by Marine Lake, Weston, and was presented with the awards at a ceremony on board HMS Belfast in London.
Ed, of Devonshire Road, Weston, scooped the First Prize in his category, ‘Young Photographer Historic Ship or Seascape’, and was overall winner of the competition’s ‘Young Photographer UK’ class.
He was handed his awards by BBC TV presenter Julia Bradbury following a celebration lunch aboard the historic warship.
Now studying a Level Three BTEC Extended Diploma in Photography at Weston College, Ed was a pupil of Broadoak School when the photo was taken. On the day he took it the rain had cleared, leaving a cloudy sky. Ed cycled down to the Marine Lake, by Knightstone Island, and took the picture with a compact digital camera.
He said: “I was very surprised and delighted to win the awards. Mine was the last category to be announced so it was a very tense wait.”
Ed won a £400 digital camera for Broadoak School and a group visit to the SS Great Britain ship in Bristol.
Weston College Photography lecturer Jamie Dormer-Durling said: “I am really pleased for Ed’s success. We like to encourage our students to enter photography competitions; it’s highly motivational and gives a great boost to their confidence. Ed is thinking of continuing to the FdA Photography Course at Weston College where I’m sure he will continue to flourish as a photographer.”
Weston College is to open officially its bespoke £2.5 million engineering training centre with a ceremony attended by leading local and national businesses.
The College has invested £1.5 million in machinery and equipment and £1 million in building works at its South West Skills Campus, which now offers a full engineering and manufacturing curriculum.
Among those attending the launch event on November 2 will be representatives from major companies including Serco (one of the largest employers in the country), GKN (whose apprentices are currently undergoing training at the College), Thatchers, Midas and SKF Clevedon.
Dr Paul Phillips, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “Weston College is committed to helping businesses in the engineering, aerospace and manufacturing sectors grow and develop the talent of the future by supporting the development of a highly skilled, innovative and valuable workforce.
“To achieve this aim, the College has invested in facilities including bespoke engineering and advanced technology workshops, composite manufacturing workshops, 3D printing suites and classrooms, IT suites and learning spaces.”
The new facilities have enabled the College, which has been rating ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, to expand its engineering courses. It now offers qualifications in a wide range of engineering skills including mechanical, fabrication and welding, aeronautical, manufacturing, digital technologies and maintenance.
The College has also become one of the first in the UK to offer a new Trailblazer Apprenticeship for the aerospace industry, and is one of the few colleges in the country to offer an apprenticeship pathway in advanced composites.
Andy Davidson, Weston College’s Executive Director of Professional and Technical Curriculum, said that engineering graduates can expect to earn 20% more per year than graduates from most other subjects and it is expected that there will be 1.86 million jobs in the sector available over the next five years.
“Engineering is an incredibly important part of both the local and national economy, and is responsible for £280 billion of the country’s gross added value.
“It’s a fast growing industry in the UK and there is an enormous amount of demand for qualified engineers. Weston College’s brand-new facilities will enable us to provide students with training on the most current and up-to-date machines, and properly prepare them for jobs in the engineering industry.”
The College - which was named ‘College of the Year’ and ‘Overall FE Provider of the Year’ at the national TES Awards – has installed cutting-edge technology including fully equipped machining workshops, materials labs, hydraulics and pneumatics labs, PLC and control systems labs, electronics workshop, CAD suites, composites workshops, 3D printing facilities and maintenance and fabrication workshops.
Many of these facilities will be demonstrated during a tour that will take place as part of the launch of the new £2.5 million engineering workshops, in addition to presentations that will be made by representatives from the University of the West of England.
A former Weston College student is to become one of the youngest people in the country to be awarded a doctorate, after her work with local charity Integrate Bristol successfully raised the awareness of Muslim women’s rights issues.
Fahma Mohamed, 19, who studied Access to Higher Education at Weston College, is to be awarded an honorary Doctorate in Laws by the University of Bristol on Friday (15th July).
She gained prominence after her successful campaign to raise awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM) gained the attention of the former Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove.
The petition led to training to help teachers, doctors and social workers identify and assist girls at risk of FGM.
Sarah McLaughlin, Lecturer and Study Skills Tutor for Access to HE, congratulated her by saying: “We are extremely proud of Fahma and are delighted that her dedication to raise awareness of such an important issue has been recognised.
“She has worked diligently to achieve her Access to Higher Education diploma and her commitment to her charity work prior to and during her studies, is commendable.”
Access to Higher Education is a course designed to give adult learners the qualifications they need to get into university.
Fahma studied the Medical Sciences pathway, successfully completing the course in June this year. She will progress to study Biomedical Science at Kings College London this September.
Weston College has announced a partnership with Uphill Cricket Club which will see the two organisations share facilities and work closely in developing cricketing in the local community.
Weston College’s Academy of Sport will be given access to Uphill Cricket Club and Uphill Football Club, and, in turn, the cricket club will be able to use the indoor sports hall at Weston College Academy on Sunday afternoons.
The Academy of Sport will also support Uphill Cricket Club to recruit junior players in primary and secondary schools, and enable the club to access College courses such as first aid and safeguarding.
Paul Taylor, Sports Development and Performance Manager at Weston College, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students and Uphill Cricket Club.
“Uphill is a brilliant community partner. We are both really focused on engaging the wider community and are looking to encourage both male and female players with our programmes as well as those who may never have played.”
Weston College’s Academy of Sport offers aspiring sportsmen and women an opportunity to further develop their potential. It provides students outstanding coaching, training and support both individually and as a team, enabling students on all courses access to sporting activities outside of their academic studies.
You can find out more at www.sportweston.co.uk
Weston College has received the Association of Colleges’ (AoC) Beacon Award for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities at an event at The Grove Restaurant at Weston College’s Knightstone Campus.
The award recognises the College’s specialist provision for students with special educational needs and disabilities, particularly Weston Bay – the College’s autism spectrum residential training centre. Judges found that the College actively develops and promotes exemplary teaching and learning which benefits its students and sets an example for other colleges across the country to follow.
This year the AoC received 120 submissions from 100 colleges from across the UK.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This award recognises an area of Weston College provision that has a tangible effect on its learners, enabling them to progress beyond their own expectations.
“Nationally, only 24% of autistic people are in employment, whereas 100% of the students who study in Weston Bay progress into further study, university, independent living or paid work.”
The award follows investment in the College’s inclusive practice provision over recent years under the direction of Dr Phillips CBE. The Weston Bay facility was the first of its kind in the UK to be opened by a further education college, and its success has led Dr Phillips to work with colleges across the country and internationally to replicate its provision.
Ian Munro, Area Director (South West) for the AoC presented the award at the event and informed the gathering of some of the assessor’s comments. He said: “The winning submission demonstrated outstanding strategic planning for the provision, led by senior management and the governing body and developed over several years.
“The programme also included a seamless dual approach to teaching and learning; strong professional development and training, with certification at degree and Master’s level, for staff; high quality residential training provision; outstanding success rates.
“All the Beacon criteria were met and many exceeded in this project; and verified through the independent assessors visit to the College.”
Weston College celebrated the successes of its apprentices, trainees, work experience students, and their employers at the annual Weston College Business Awards at the Winter Gardens Pavilion, Weston-super-Mare.
The Awards, sponsored by Honeyfield Property Services Ltd, brought together key figures in the regional business community to reward the outstanding achievements of the College’s learners, as well as the business partners that work with the College to support their success. Ben Smith, Founder and Creator of the 401 Challenge, delivered the keynote speech and handed out trophies and certificates to the winners.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “The Business Awards was a fantastic celebration of the outstanding efforts of our students and the employers that work with the College to enable their learning.
“It was great to see the diverse range of businesses that the College works with come together to recognise apprentices for the hard work that they do. These apprentices haven’t just succeeded – they have excelled and progressed into permanent employment, management and key positions in their businesses.”
Ben Mager, a College student who recently visited Buckingham Palace with Dr Phillips to receive the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, took home the awards for Childcare Apprentice of the Year and Overall Apprentice of the Year.
Ben was born eight weeks prematurely and was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy. He started studying at Weston College in 2011 as part of the School Link Programme and then followed a progression path through the College’s Faculty of Inclusive Practice. He realised his potential and started to believe in himself while taking part in the College’s Into Work supported internship programme, where he discovered his passion for working with children.
Last year he started an apprenticeship in Children and Young People’s Workforce at Castle Kids, where he has become popular with the children and introduced successful activities to them.
Ben said: “This award shows how far I’ve come, that I’ve worked so hard, and that the College has recognised me for who I am, what I’ve done and what I’ve achieved.
“My aim is to work with children with additional needs and disabilities. I want to give back to them the support I’ve received as a disabled person myself.”
As part of his prize, Ben Mager received a cheque for £150 from event sponsors Honeyfield Property Services Ltd.
Weston College’s Business Awards is open to businesses that work with the College to offer apprenticeships, traineeships and work experience opportunities to its students. There were 30 award winners, ranging from small and medium employers to large international companies such as GKN Aerospace.
The UCAS deadline is fast approaching.
And if you haven’t decided which university you want to go, don’t worry.
We’ve got four top tips to help you choose.
1) Location
Location is a really important factor to consider when applying for university, as you want to live somewhere that makes you feel at home. Are you likely to miss your family? Or maybe you can’t wait to get away? Take this into consideration when thinking about university, it can help give you a much better experience.
2) Course
This is a crucial one, as it’s the main reason you’re going to university. Course content differs depending on which university you choose to go to, so make sure you do your research. This will help you find out if the modules matches your strengths, and increases the chances of choosing something that suits you and your future plans. You also need to think about entry requirements – for instance, whether your predicted grades good enough – and employment statistics, as graduates of some universities have a better track record of landing jobs than others.
3) Living costs
Being a student can be expensive, so make sure you research the cost of living in your chosen location. It’s worth looking into the cost of accommodation, whether it be halls of residence or house sharing, to make sure you can afford where you are going. Some universities will also offer a bursary (a grant that helps with the cost of fees, books, rent, etc.) and it’s definitely worth checking if you are entitled to one.
4) Environment
Environments differ amongst universities. Campus universities tend to have everything you need in one location (halls, lectures, shop, bar, restaurant, etc.), whereas others provide more independence and are spread across a city or town. Think which you would prefer, and factor travel arrangements into your thought process.
If you need any support with your UCAS application, please contact Hamish Gilpin on hamish.gilpin@weston.ac.uk, or call on 01934 422742.
Marketing and Communications
The marketing department is responsible for promoting Weston College to the public, by promoting the Colleges courses, achievements and events.
Our aims are to attract learners to study within the Weston College Group, build and grow the College’s brand and highlight its reputation, and promote the College Group’s success, student progression and outstanding support for our learners.
The marketing department manages the College’s websites and official social media accounts, runs advertising campaigns, creates press releases, and manages many of the College Group’s events, such as Graduation, the Celebration of Success and the Business Awards.
We produce a wide range of publications including our full-time, Higher Education and part-time prospectuses, course leaflets and posters, and other documents such as the College’s annual report, magazines and newsletters, course brochures and the student handbook.
Weston College is committed to providing accurate and timely information for local, regional and national media, and the general public.
The marketing team is available between 8.30am and 5pm, Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Fridays. You can get in touch with us by emailing marketing@weston.ac.uk.
All of our press releases are uploaded to the news section of our websites. News from the academies we sponsor, including the North Somerset Enterprise and Technology College, can be found on the news section of the Inspirational Futures Trust’s website. News pertaining to our Higher Education Provision can be found on www.ucw.ac.uk.
The marketing department produces most imagery and film in house, and keeps an extensive archive of the photographs it takes. If you would like a copy of an image featuring you or a member of your family, please contact us at photography@weston.ac.uk.
Our photos of graduation and many other events can be found on the College’s Facebook page. High quality images can be found on the College’s Flickr account.
Weston College is able to accommodate many requests to provide locations for film and photography. The College has a range of attractive, modern and adaptable facilities which can be viewed on our youtube channel.
We also are able to provide heritage facilities such as the Victorian Hans Price designed Conference Centre and, from September 2017, the 1927 Winter Gardens Pavilion.
For booking details, contact marketing@weston.ac.uk.
For enquiries about sponsoring key events such as Celebration of Success, Business Breakfast, Business Awards and Graduation, please contact the marketing team by email at marketing@weston.ac.uk.