A student at Weston College’s Sixth Form has won a district award at a Young Enterprise event, and will progress to the regional finals.

Ilja Voroncovs, who studies A Levels in Psychology and Sociology and an Extended Certificate in Applied Science, recently took part in the Young Enterprise programme and was nominated by his tutor for a Journey Award. 

The Journey Award is for students who took part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme, and have progressed particularly well not necessarily just within the project itself. 

Elinor John, Lecturer in Photography and Employability Co-ordinator at the Sixth Form, said: “I nominated Ilja due to his increased confidence over the programme. Ilja was extremely shy at the beginning of the course, but flourished as a result of the opportunity with the Young Enterprise. 

“Ilja’s confidence went from strength to strength, and he was really deserving of that recognition. The most rewarding aspect was that not only did his team, business advisors and I see the growth in Ilja, but he recognised it in himself.”

The Young Enterprise programme challenges teams of students to start a business from scratch, selling a product of their own design and making a profit. It requires them to work as a team, alongside real business advisors who help to guide and mentor them.

Wayne Richards, Head of the Sixth Form, said: “The Young Enterprise programme gives students the opportunity to get a feel for real-life business, and start to explore the different aspects of creating and running their own business. 

“We’re so proud of students like Ilja who really challenge themselves, and end up progressing not just within the College but personally, too, as a result of the project. We encourage all our students to grow and develop in any way they can and we’re really proud of what Ilja has achieved.”
 

Everyone can remember their favourite teacher.

It might’ve been someone who helped you get to grips with a subject you struggled with, or a teacher who always found a way to make classes interesting and relevant.

Excellent teachers have an effect that goes beyond classroom learning – often influencing the career you choose and the success you make of it. Not to mention helping shape the person you become.

Data backs up the anecdotal evidence.

An Ofsted study, which focused on a range of ‘outstanding’ providers, shows that “consistently good or better teaching, learning and assessment has never been more significant for learners in further education (FE)”.

The FE and skills sector has a fundamental role in helping learners progress to a rewarding and prosperous career – as well as developing the social skills that will enable them to make a contribution to society.

For many learners, further education is their last chance before they risk dropping out of education and training altogether. Learners, therefore, need the very best teaching to ensure they are on track and take the right next steps to secure a future of sustained employment.

In other words, FE is a watershed moment in many young people’s lives – which highlights the key role that teachers play.

I’ve always said that at Weston College, our teaching staff are our most important resource.

It’s no secret that FE providers across the country are feeling the pinch from repeated and prolonged budget cuts. But, nonetheless, we're continually investing in our lecturers.

We understand the importance of remunerating staff who perform well, and making them feel valued – or you run the risk of losing them, to the detriment of your learners.

You don’t have to take my word for it. We’ve been awarded the Investors in People (IIP) Gold Standard, which is held by less than 2% of UK businesses and demonstrates our commitment to invest in our staff to improve performance. We’re also an Investors in People ‘Champion’ – a prestigious award given to IIP role models.

And this investment is paying huge dividends.

Over recent years, the College has gone from strength to strength and, in 2014, we were graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted – the first college in the South West to earn top marks under the new assessment framework.

This was due, in no small part, to the quality of our teaching staff – which was singled out by Ofsted.

At the end of last year, we won the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. This award recognises excellence, innovation and positive impact on the community, and is seen as one of the most important educational prizes in the country.

It’s fantastic that individual members of staff have also been recognised for their efforts and the quality of their teaching.

The Pearson Teaching Awards are a prestigious national prize, with winners chosen from thousands of nominations. It speaks volumes for our staff that we have won an incredible six since 2014. This year, Travel and Tourism lecturer Charmaine Hale-Lynch and our Welfare and Pastoral Services Team won silver awards.

As you can see, the commitment we make to our staff produces tangible benefits for our learners which, after all, is why we are here. Not only can learners be sure they’ll get the highest quality education with us, staff members understand their efforts will always be rewarded.

Dr Paul Phillips, CBE Principal and Chief Executive 

New generations of students are set to benefit from the opening of a flagship facility at Weston College. The £13 million Health and Active Living Skills Centre, completed by Midas Construction is based at the college’s Loxton Campus and will welcome its first students this September.

The aim of the bespoke facility is to provide learners with knowledge of the healthcare and sport sectors as well as vital industry skills. The centre will bring together the College’s health and social care, sports therapy and active living courses into one facility, which will benefit students, businesses and the wider community.

It features a state-of-the-art training hospital ward, one full size 3G pitch, one full size rugby pitch, a multi-gym and a sports hall. Dr Paul Phillips, CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This outstanding new training centre is the latest step in our drive to provide students with the very best learning facilities and resources.

“We have worked with key business partners to ensure that the Health and Active Living Centre will tackle the current skills shortage in the sector and address the longer-term issues that affect our health service and the health of the local population.” The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority contributed £5.4 million towards the project, match funded by the college.

Chair of the West of England LEP, Prof Steve West, said: “We’re pleased to support the new Health and Active Living Skills Centre to deliver important investment in skills for health and social care professionals working in our region. It will also give young people the skills they need to progress further in their education and secure better career prospects right here in the West of England.

“We need to train more people for future careers in our hospitals and community services - this will improve the quality of care and improve people’s lives. With more highly qualified professionals, and with people trained in a wider range of disciplines, people will be better cared for.” James Rimmer, Chief Executive of Weston Area Health Trust, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for partnership working between Weston College and Weston General Hospital.

“This demonstrates the investment we are both making to support the learning and development of students. We hope it will also help the recruitment and retention of staff as well as supporting the increased demand on healthcare locally”.

The development also continues a strong framework partnership between Weston College and Midas, who have worked closely together on a number of recent projects including the newly built Construction Training Centre.

Derek Quinn, Executive Director for Midas Construction, said: “This fantastic new development will have a significant long term impact on staff, students and the local community and we are pleased to have been able to complete the project on time for Weston College.

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.

Further education (FE) colleges are an essential cog in the education ‘machine’ in England.

As Principal of Weston College, you might say I’m biased.

But I’d argue that’s given me extensive, first-hand experience of how colleges help people of all ages and backgrounds make the most of their talents and ambitions.

You don’t need to look very far to see the impact Weston College is having on people across the region; from our successful traineeship programme to the thriving sixth form. We mustn’t forget the impact of apprenticeships, and pre-employment – who both support learners of varying ages and truly change lives.

And these are only the direct benefits. If you consider the role colleges play and the influence they have in the wider communities, it’s clear they are driving social mobility and boosting local and regional economies.

This week we welcomed Visit Somerset CEO John Turner to deliver a talk to stakeholders, and he shared how our students are making change happen and to quote John: “we have seen a direct impact on our economy through partnering with Weston College.”

What a fantastic reference, and how amazing are these learners performing to have such an impact! To put it bluntly, colleges matter – to their students, staff and local communities.

However, it’s no exaggeration to say their futures are in jeopardy due to the extensive and continued funding cuts affecting the sector.

For too long the vital work of colleges has been overlooked and underfunded.

The total college income in England has fallen by £1 billion since the start of the decade, which represents a funding cut of around 30%.

This drop in funding has led to:

• Fewer hours of teaching and support for young people
• Course closures
• A reduction in the number of learning opportunities for adults
• The value of staff pay falling by over 25% since 2009
• Job losses and recruitment problems
• College teachers earning £7,000 less on average than school teachers.

The situation is completely unsustainable and we need action now.

Fortunately that action is materialising in the form of the ‘Love our Colleges’ campaign, which is uniting the sector in pursuit of one overarching goal – appropriate funding of further education.

This includes:

• Increasing the 16-19 funding rate by 5% a year for the next five years, and extending the pupil premium to cover post-16 students
• Fully funding a National Retraining Scheme to support Level 3 to 5 skills
• Introducing a lifetime learning entitlement to fund skills training for all adults who have not previously achieved a level 3 qualification.

As well as making the case for extra government funding and fair pay in FE, ‘Love our Colleges’ is also highlighting the great work that goes on in colleges, and the brilliant staff that make it all possible.

Throughout the week we have shared stories for our learners and staff across social media and it makes me proud to read these daily quotes – we really are creating brighter futures.

If you are yet to see these quotes, I would suggest taking a look and see why we advocate fairer funding and love our college.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE,

Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College

Weston College was celebrating today (Wednesday May 22) as the Government announced that its partnership bid for a new 14-19 education establishment has been successful. 

The North Somerset Enterprise and Technology College (NSETC) was given the green light by the Department for Education (DfE). It is one of more than 100 successful new free school applications announced today (Weds). 

The application process was extremely competitive and the NSETC was in the top 10 of applications. 
The good news comes after months of planning. The bid was led by Weston College with a significant range of partners including the NHS, Clarks, University of West of England and North Somerset Council. 

The Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, Dr Paul Phillips said: “This heralds a real change in teaching and learning for the whole of North Somerset. The new institution will deliver to 14 to 19 year olds, with phase one starting in 2014 for 16-19 year olds. Our focus will be on superb teaching and learning complemented by state-of-the-art resources with a commercial and industrial focus. 

“The Enterprise and Technology College represents a new model of learning for North Somerset and I'm sure that prospective parents will be as pleased as we are to know that this initiative, which will be ground-breaking in terms of curriculum and concept, has been whole-heartedly supported by the Government.” 

The 700-pupil college will have a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) combined with a strong business ethos. Young people will wear business attire and will be expected to attend from 9am-5pm rather than traditional school hours in order to start to prepare them for the world of work. Its ethos is that young people need more than just excellent academic qualifications to succeed in the 21st century; they also need the transferable employability skills and breadth of experience that will make them highly attractive to future employers and universities.

The partners for this project are committed to providing:

• Advice, information and design of the curriculum
• Industry and academic expertise
• Mentoring opportunities for the students
• Access to specialist technical facilities
• Staff development opportunities
• Degree modules for the gifted and talented students
• Opportunity for quality work experience.

On progression from the NSETC, students will be confident, enthusiastic, highly skilled and qualified to enter higher education, further specialist training, apprenticeships, or to move effectively into the workforce.

Already applications are being received from young people across North Somerset. There is clearly going to be a massive demand for places at this new and vibrant institution and we will be organising a parent and student forum in June, further details to follow. Considerable interest has already been received from the NHS in terms of the NSETC being able to provide a future workforce with appropriate skills and training.

The Enterprise College will be based in bespoke premises at a site in the new Enterprise Zone in Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset. The new buildings will open in totality by August 2015 although the first students will be able to start from September 2014. Work will now commence to recruit the Principal and staff teams for this new model of learning.

Announcing the new schools, Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “There are many innovators in local communities set on raising standards of education for their children. I am delighted to approve so many of their high-quality plans to open a free school. “Free schools are extremely popular with parents and are delivering strong discipline and teaching excellence across the country.”

For more information call us on 01934 411411.

Weston College has launched a new three-year law programme for apprentices and top regional legal firm Foot Anstey has already taken on six.

The Business Administration Level 2 with Legal Pathway Apprenticeship can progress to an Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services with careers leading to a variety of legal careers.

Weston College Business Administration Coordinator Liz Painter said: “We set up this Apprenticeship in response to requests from legal firms.

“The traditional approach to a legal career via A Levels and university is being challenged by apprentices wanting to earn while they learn.”

The Government recently announced funding for three million new Apprenticeships, and the number of UK apprentices has soared by 73 per cent from 491,300 in 2009 to 851,500 (in 2014?).

Ninety per cent of Weston College apprentices were offered permanent jobs – a 46 per cent increase in filled jobs compared to last year.

The College currently supports 1,200 apprentices and works with 1,400 employers and is the biggest facilitator of Apprenticeship programmes in the region.

With five offices across the South West Foot Anstey is among the UK’s leading law firms with 50 partners and 500 staff and advises regional, national and international clients.

Susie Halliday, Head of Learning and Development at Foot Anstey: “We are delighted to be at the heart of this exciting new initiative which gives young people the opportunity to grow and have long-term careers with our business.  For Foot Anstey it is a great opportunity to develop valuable lawyers of the future.”

The College’s new Training Solutions, based at the South West Skills Campus, Locking Road provides businesses with relevant and flexible training programmes.

The College offers a wide programme of Apprenticeships to people aged 16 and over looking for a new career via training or alternative to A-Levels.

Its Apprenticeship programme can be studied at Levels 2, 3 and 4 and learners progress while continuing to work alongside experienced and skilled staff.

The 50-strong team of work-based learning Assessors work with more than 1400 organisations in the South West.

The College was the first in the South West to launch the Higher Apprenticeship Scheme enabling employees to gain university-level qualifications in accountancy, care and business.

While apprentices receive workplace training they enjoy College benefits including bus passes, gym sessions, discounted driving lessons, hair and beauty treatments.

WESTON College Higher Education media students premiered their films at the Watershed cinema in Bristol last week (Thursday June 9th).

The aspiring filmmakers from the College’s Film and Media Arts Production foundation degree, which is run in partnership with Bath Spa University, presented 14 short films to an audience of more than 100 people at the venue on Bristol’s Harbourside. 

The eclectic mix of traditional, experimental, corporate and documentary flicks included ‘Ghosts’, a collaborative effort by all of the second year students, and ‘That’s Life’, which was shot by the first year students on their residential trip to Granada, Spain.

Samuel Wiggins, who directed ‘Ghosts’, said: “Working on a professional set of such a big size and scale was new to us all, but it was such a rewarding and enjoyable experience. We’re all really pleased with the film.”

The event was also organised and promoted by the multi-talented students.

Emily Eades, who led the organising committee, said: “Everyone came together really well to work on staging the showcase.

“The response was better than we could ever have hoped for, and we’re grateful to everyone who came along to share our memorable evening with us.”

As well as counting as coursework towards their degrees, the students will be submitting the shorts to competitions and festivals and also using them to support their applications to join professional shoots in the coming months.

Jimmy Hay, the coordinator of the FdA Film and Media Arts Production course at Weston College’s Loxton Campus, said: “As lecturers, we were incredibly proud to see the films being played on the big screen at a cinema as prestigious as the Watershed.

“We have a really strong group of students and the quality of the films they’ve made this year is a testament to the amount of work and dedication they’ve put into developing their craft and how effectively they’ve worked together as a team.”

The programme also included ‘The Fatal Deal’ by Miguel Fonseca and Jessie Clayton; ‘Choco Factory’ by Tanicka Fenty; ‘The Ring’ by Miguel Fonseca; ‘The Truth Is In The Groove’ by Becki Couch; ‘Jooxter’ by Seb Harris and Poppy Mobsby; ‘Under The Bridge’ by Emily Eades; ‘8 Mil Memories’ by John Peeke; ‘Play Dead For Me’ by Alex Shepherd; ‘Moth’ by Harley Sanderson; ‘The Different Sides of Helsinki?’ by Lizzy Holbrook; ‘Below The Neck’ by Samuel Wiggins; and ‘INTIMAE’ by Seb Harris and Poppy Mobsby.

You can view the showcase trailer by visiting: https://vimeo.com/169445451

At Weston College we get a lot of questions from members of the public who want to improve their hair and beauty knowledge. In the first of a two-part hair and beauty advice special we ask Jessica Stagg, former Weston College student and owner of Essential Beauty and Aesthetics, for answers to some of the most frequently beauty questions…

Click here for part two!

How can I tell when makeup expires?

Many people don’t know this essential beauty tip, and the answer is more simple than a lot of people think!

Almost every product you use has an expiry date, and using the product when it has gone off can damage your skin or affect results. Look for a symbol on the back of the makeup which looks like an open jar. In it, there should be a number which indicates how long the product will last after it has been opened.

How do I remove gel nail polish?

Removing gel nails is easy, all you need is acetone, cotton balls, a high-grit buffer, a nail file, and aluminium foil cut into squares big enough to wrap around your fingertips.

First, use the file to break the seal of the gel polish, making sure that you don’t file too deep as this could damage your nail. Cut the foil into 10 three-centimetre wide squares.

Next, soak a cotton ball in acetone and place it on your fingernail and wrap the foil around your fingertip to hold the cotton ball in place. Wait 15 minutes and the gel nail should flake off easily. Use a buffer on your nails to remove any residue.

You could become an expert in gel nails as little as three months with one of Weston College's nail technology part-time courses. Click here to find out more!

How should I clean makeup brushes?

To properly clean your makeup brushes you’ll need a shallow bowl, gentle shampoo, a sink and a lint-free cloth. Begin by running your brushes under lukewarm tap water to remove any remaining makeup. Focus on cleansing the bristles but try to avoid the handle as the heat of the water may loosen the glue over time.

Fill the bowl with lukewarm water and put a small amount of shampoo in it. Swirl the tip of your brush in the water and then swirl the brush in the palm of your hand to work up a lather. Rinse the brush under running water when you’re satisfied that the brush is clean, and then leave to dry!

How can I earn money with my beauty skills?

If you’re talented in makeup, nail art or massage you could earn money in the beauty industry as a beauty technician. Getting qualified and learning new skills is important, and I started my career by taking a beauty therapy qualification at Weston College. I then worked in salons for five years, and opened my first salon Essential Beauty and Aesthetics in Weston-super-Mare in 2016.

Weston College has courses for all ages and abilities, including part-time courses designed to fit around your schedule.

There are nearly 20,000 people employed in the beauty industry in the Bristol and Somerset area. The average starting salary in this sector is £15,000, however more qualified and specialist beauty therapists can earn over £20,000 per year.

Find out what courses we have on offer by clicking here!