2023 has been another exciting year at Weston College!

Throughout the year we have seen amazing new initiatives, incredible success and high profile visits.

Here are some of the highlights of the year:

We’re proud to say that we have won a wide range of awards this year! It’s incredibly special to receive recognition for what we do and is a great source of pride for Weston College staff and students.  

These awards are a testament to the hard work of our amazing staff and students. Congratulations on an amazing year everyone!  

2023 has been a fantastic year for guests visiting our learners here at Weston College! It’s time to look back through at the guests, each bringing a unique perspective and fresh knowledge to our students.  

Each guest lecture and guest workshop that is delivered helps learners to build their knowledge in a wider context than they may have seen before, allowing them to learn about new careers and businesses.  

Purplex Workshop Inspires Learners 

Our business learners had an insightful workshop from local marketing agency Purplex Marketing. Adi Day and Beth Patch spoke to the learners about what B2B (business-to-business) marketing entails and how they can progress into this industry.  

Read the full story here!

Loud Speaker Workshops Motivate Learners 

All learners were invited to Loud Speaker ‘Game of Life’ Workshops. These aimed to help young people build their resilience and confidence as well as raising their aspirations, increasing their emotional intelligence & developing unique personal storytelling skills.   

Our Head of Personal Development and Student Voice, Antonia Travers said: “The workshops were highly energetic and motivational, they supported the development of learner's communication, resilience and inspired them to think about their futures and aim high.” 

Read all about it here! 

Alex Lipinksi  

Students were able to meet and interview Alex Lipinski in April. Alex’s advice to the students was to keep their own identity with music and to be honest in their songs. He also gave the students some tips on the best way to get their music out onto the scene.  

Later in the year, Alex came back to Weston College in October to perform a live album recording! Alex said: “I wanted to give something back; so, we’re bringing the band, a professional sound engineer, and top-flight videographer to work collaboratively with students at the college, in a real, and incredibly important piece of work.” 

Read both stories here and here. 

ESOL Students Enjoy Rounders and a Dyson Guest Lecture 

Our ESOL learners had an exciting guest lecture from Dyson, where representatives told learners about their cutting-edge inventions, their competitive edge in the market, and the intricate journey of developing and testing new products.   

After the informative session, students were given the chance to interact with Dyson robots. They had the opportunity to control and code the robots to follow routes on a map. 

Read the full story here. 

Later in the year, ESOL students were able to team up with Avon and Somerset Police, as well as Avon Fire and Rescue in a fun rounders match, designed to build community ties.  

ESOL lecturer Liam said: “The atmosphere in the sports hall was welcoming, good-humoured and inclusive. Adding to this the police and fire service were kind enough to bring food along and take the time chatting and getting to know the learners.” 

Read about the match here! 

Apprentices Inspire Students – Visit Somerset Industry Day 

Weston College has fantastic links to local businesses, including Visit Somerset. Apprentices got involved with the students, and shared their experience of their apprenticeship, by setting up a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch for students. 

At Weston College, it is always a thrill to see Apprentices who are flourishing in their career journey, investing back and mentoring! 

Read about it here. 

Guinot Visit Beauty Therapy Learners 

Our Level 3 Beauty Therapy learners were treated to a guest lecture and demonstration from an industry professional at Guinot, the No. 1 Beauty Salon in France. 

Learners had the opportunity to further develop electrical therapy technical skills, gaining knowledge and information about the treatments and products available.  

Read all about it here! 

Mollie's Deliver Exciting Guest Lecture 

Our Travel and Tourism and Business students were fortunate to receive a guest lecture from Lindsey Williams, who is the Head of Sales at Mollie's. Learners were given an insight into the company’s plans to expand into new markets, as well as getting a sneak peek into some new initiatives.  

Read about it here.

Former Detective's Fascinating Lecture 

Former detective for Gloucestershire Constabulary Tony Jay captivated A Level law, Level 3 Criminology and Access to HE Social Sciences students with his firsthand account of the notorious Fred and Rose West serial killer case. 

Read the story here. 

Leroy Rosenior Visits Media Students 

Weston College received a visit from a very special guest, Leroy Rosenior. Leroy is a former West Ham, Fulham, QPR and Bristol City football player, who visited our Year 2 Media Production students to assist with their Broadcast Journalism project. 

Leroy does incredibly important work as an anti-racism campaigner, educating schools and colleges about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. He is an ambassador for the Show Racism the Red Card campaign. Leroy’s work to remove discrimination is so strong that it even earned him an MBE in 2019. 

Read the full story here!

That's it for this year. We can't wait to show all of the guest speakers and workshops coming in 2024! 

In January, Weston College – one of three National Centre for Excellence in Special Educational Need and Disabilities (SEND), is launching a FREE Understanding Autism course.

The 10-week virtual course is an opportunity to empower parents and carers of children and young people on the autism spectrum. Commencing on January 17th and taking place on the 10 following Wednesdays, this course aims to foster a supportive community and equip participants with valuable insights into autism.

The course is designed to be accessible for as many people as possible, with two different time slots (10am-12pm or 6pm-8pm) offering flexibility to accommodate busy schedules.

There are several key topics, which will be covered during the course:

Comprehensive Understanding of Autism

Delve into the fundamentals of autism, gaining insights into its nature, characteristics, and the diverse spectrum it encompasses.

Communication Difficulties

Explore effective communication strategies tailored for individuals on the autism spectrum, promoting better interaction and understanding.

Sensory Issues

Develop an understanding of sensory sensitivities and learn practical approaches to navigate and support individuals with sensory challenges.

Collaborating with Professionals

Gain valuable tips on effective collaboration with professionals, ensuring a holistic support network for autistic individuals.

Legislation and Rights

Navigate the legal landscape surrounding autism, empowering participants with knowledge about relevant legislation and the rights of individuals with autism.

Community Engagement

This virtual course serves as a platform for parents and carers to come together, fostering a sense of community and shared experience. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussions, share best practices, and build a supportive network. The course is not just about learning but about connecting with others who share similar journeys.

If you are interested in this course, please email lucy.behan@weston.ac.uk.

Our incredible Level 3 Performing Arts students showed off their talents at the Wintertainment Showcase!

The Wintertainment Showcase is a variety show, allowing Performing Arts learners from all three pathways of Dance, Musical Theatre and Acting to put all the hard work they have done on display. Learners have been practicing and preparing for the Wintertainment Showcase for weeks, fine tuning their performances and honing their skills to be the best they can be.  

Direction and choreography were in the hands of our fantastic lecturers; Joe, Fiona, Lisa and Marjory. Some students went one step further however, choreographing their own impressive performances. 

Our Dance students wowed audiences, demonstrating a wide range of styles. These were swing, jazz, contemporary and commercial. The clear favourite, however, was a dazzling performance of "Backstage Romance" from Moulin Rouge the musical. Acting students were also on top form, performing monologues from a variety of plays as well as a group piece from a play called "Metamorphosis". Musical theatre students rounded out the variety perfectly, with a blend of solo songs and monologues. The highlight of the Musical Theatre performers however were the excerpts from "Fame", "Come From Away" and "Need A Little Christmas". 

All of the effort and hard work clearly paid off for the learners as the feedback they received was outstanding. Friends and family watched with pride and congratulated the learners on an excellent show. Lecturers were also incredibly impressed with lecturer Joe saying this: “The Level 3 Performing Arts Wintertainment Showcase was a huge success, showing our incredibly talented students in this wonderful variety show. They have progressed and developed their skills in confidence, professionalism and skills which has prepared them for our end of year full scale musical and play at the end of the academic year. I am extremely proud of each and every one of them!” 

The performance had a strong impact, teaching learners about how a professional show is put together. Learners were able to boost their own vital industry skills including working with headset microphones, understanding lighting cues and learning to work together as a large cast of performers for a live audience. 

This incredible showcase forms part of the Creative Arts Careers Excellence Hub. The College has fourteen sector-specific Career Excellence Hubs, which evidence our dedication to supporting both employers and learners in achieving their future goals. By creating a seamless connection between industry and education, we enable learners to acquire not only the essential skills and knowledge but also the professional networks necessary to excel in their chosen fields. 

Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic show!  

To find out more about our performing arts courses, click here!

Weston College recently hosted a ‘Careers in Law’ event, as part of the Career Excellence Hub, for students at Loxton Campus. The College’s legal courses continue to see growth with a large number of A Level Law students at its Sixth Form and Paralegal Apprenticeships providing routes into legal careers. 

The College has exciting plans to offer a brand new Legal Services T Level course for school leavers from September 2024, the first Legal T Level in the region.

The legal and professional services sector, employs over 65,000 people in the region according to research by the West of England Combined Authority. Recognising the breadth of careers in the sector for learners and the College’s ‘careers not courses’ ethos, the event provided an opportunity to collaborate with employers to showcase careers to learners. Employers including Burges Salmon, Simmons and Simmons, CMS, Foot Anstey, Womble Bond Dickinson, RPC, Irwin Mitchell and VWV attended, meeting students during the event.

Dave Crew, Head of Business Growth & Employer Partnerships at Weston College said “Thank you to our employer partners for supporting our ‘careers not courses’ ethos. Our region has a large legal sector which is evolving at pace through its use of technology and various pathways for learners to join the sector. This creates exciting career opportunities on our doorstep for learners. It was fantastic to see our students engaging with potential future employers and discovering the breadth of careers available. We’re look forward to collaborating with employers as we create our new Legal Services T Level launching in September 2024.”

Employers commented on the enthusiastic engagement from College students.

Lauren Gardener, Early Talent Executive at RPC said “We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with students from Weston College, it was great to meet so many engaged individuals with a genuine passion about working in a law firm. We hope that after sharing our Legal and Claims Handling apprenticeship opportunities, we have inspired the students to continue their pursuit in a career within law."

Keith Mitchelhill, Early Talent Recruitment Advisor at Womble Bond Dickinson said “It was a pleasure to speak with the students of Weston College, they all came incredibly well prepared and we had some very insightful conversations regarding how to best display their experience and the different routes into law.”

Harry Keaveney, Legal Apprentice at Burges Salmon said “The enthusiasm and curiosity displayed by the students was remarkable. This reflects the excellent work that the college is doing to prepare them for their future careers. It’s clear that Weston College is dedicated to creating valuable opportunities for students and we look forward to working with them in the future."

If you would like to find out more about Weston College's A Level courses, please click here. 

Employers looking to upskill staff through the College’s legal courses or access future talent can contact employers@weston.ac.uk

In September we hosted our second Great Big Green Week and built on from the success of the first one in 2022. This year saw we developed a range of events and activities for all members of our Weston College Community, not only to raise awareness and promote our Sustainability and Social Action Agenda, but also to ensure we are ALL contributing to aiding the environmental challenges that lie ahead. Key activities included our Engineering and Automotive Sustainability Learner Conference, with learners completing a ‘real-world’ challenge with judges from our key employers. Our annual Beach Clean in partnership with Weston Pier and other activities such as ‘Green Your Campus’, as we seek to achieve Net Zero.

Here's a short film celebrating all we did in that week:

Weston College’s Sports students organised and executed a multi-sport event organised as part of a comprehensive project contributing to their qualification. The students displayed exceptional organisational skills and leadership capabilities during a practice run, where they hosted a multi-skills event for local Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools.

The Level 2 students took on the challenge of coordinating this practice event as a practice before the main event, demonstrating their commitment to practical learning and community engagement. The multi-skills event aimed to provide an inclusive and enjoyable experience for students from local SEN schools while allowing Weston College learners to apply their theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting.

In preparation for the event, the students undertook various responsibilities, including contacting staff, ensuring they were abiding by health and safety measures, carefully planning the activities, and successfully running the event on the designated day. The feedback received from the participating schools and the Education Learning Alliance Network (ELAN) was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the students' exceptional confidence and organisational expertise.

Dan Lomax, Curriculum Coordinator of Sport and Health at Weston College, expressed admiration for the students' dedication and success, stating, "We are immensely proud of our Level 2 students who not only embraced the challenge of organising and running a multi-skills event but also received positive feedback for their confidence and impeccable organisational skills. This project not only contributes to their academic progress but also provides a sense of responsibility and community engagement."

Encouraged by the success of the practice event, the Level 2 students are now gearing up for the main event, collaborating with local SEN schools and partnering with Voluntary Action North Somerset (VANS) to ensure a larger and even more impactful experience. This collaboration reflects Weston College's commitment to fostering partnerships with the community and creating opportunities for students to apply their skills beyond the classroom.

The main event, planned in conjunction with VANS, is expected to further showcase the students' ability to organise inclusive and engaging activities for the local SEN community.

This event forms part of the Sports and Fitness Careers Excellence Hub. Weston College's Career Excellence Hubs are designed to be the launching pad for our learners' careers. In a world where connections and relevant skills matter more than ever, these hubs offer a holistic approach that prepares learners to thrive in their chosen industries. With the support of these hubs, our learners are well-equipped to make a significant impact in their professional journeys. 

For further information about Weston College courses, please click here.

The Business Enterprise Project is an exciting endeavour taken on by our Business and Travel students every year, and this project has been no exception!  

The yearly Business Enterprise Project started when Weston Hospicecare approached the Weston College business team with funding opportunities. The Business department came up with a plan to run an enterprise project where learners create and sell products for charity.  

As part of the Careers Excellence Hub, learners have the opportunity to make connections with twenty-one local employers who mentor them and provide advice and guidance regarding the learner’s plans for what they are selling and how they are going to promote it. This feedback is crucial for the development of our learners and allows our learners to prove themselves in a different environment. In addition to being mentored by employers, some of our T-Level Management learners kindly give up their time to act as coaches to the learners. 

A key part of the project is getting used to handling real money, with these same local employers kindly donating £50 to each group of learners which they then must reinvest into products to sell for a profit. A huge thanks must be given to these employers as they are crucial to the project.  

To help foster a healthy competitive spirit, the project is run as a competition, with high performing groups recognised with awards at the end of the project! The overall winner is the group who have made the most profit.  

This project has a fantastic impact on learners. The project is an incredible opportunity to learn a huge range of business skills including finance, marketing, sales, and customer service. This project allows them to take ownership of this learning and put into practice the knowledge and skills they have developed in the classroom. It’s not just business skills developed either, with confidence being built by interacting with employers, the public, and presenting information to judges at the end of the project. This provides fantastic personal development for future interviews and employment. 

Subject Area Manager for Business Ben Melhuish said “Running the enterprise project is my favourite part of the academic year. Putting learners out of their comfort zone, developing their skills and all whilst raising huge sums of money for a local charity is the kind of thing that inspires staff and learners." 

Ben is right about learners raising large amounts of money for charity. Last year’s Business Enterprise Project raised £5,500 for Weston Hospice care! Better still, this year's learners are hoping to beat that benchmark. 

Learners sold their products to the public at a wonderful Christmas Market at the Weston-super-Mare rugby club and have also been selling products this week in the Sovereign Centre to boost their sales and get hands on experience selling to the public.  

This project forms part of the Business Careers Excellence Hub; Weston College is committed to preparing learners for success in a rapidly evolving job market which is reflected in our offer via our bespoke Career Excellence Hubs, which form an integral part of all college programmes. In a world where professional networks and industry-specific skills are integral to landing employment, these hubs provide a unique solution to bridge the gap between education and industry demands. 

Well done to all the learners for everything they have done so far, and good luck to them for the rest of the project! A huge thanks to the employers for giving up their time and donating money to the learners to kickstart the project in the best way.