SafeGuard Clothing has donated a bulletproof vest to Weston College’s Uniformed and Public Services students.

The international body armour company’s donation fits in with its mission of educating students about the necessity for safety equipment for front line service operatives.

SafeGuard Clothing has partnered with several regional and national education institutions to assist with materials and information that enrich the students’ learning experience.

Thomas Bowman, speaking on behalf of SafeGuard Armour and Clothing, said: “Under our corporate initiative for social responsibility and involvement, we assist local colleges in developing their Public Services courses.

“We offer our support, expertise and guidance to improve student preparedness for the line of work they have chosen.”

Rebecca Ranson, Curriculum Manager for Sport and Public Services at Weston College, expressed gratitude to SafeGuard for the donation, saying: “It offers our students great advantage in acquiring the knowledge and skills they need in their chosen field.

“Such level of corporate and social responsibility creates vital opportunities and enhances the quality of our educational program.

“We are happy that Weston College is among those that have been selected to receive a donation as we believe it creates a unique advantage for our students to understand the type of body armour they will be using later on in their careers.”

SafeGuard Armour and Clothing is a worldwide manufacturer and distributer of body armour and is involved in research and development for new materials to enhance the wearability of protective body armour for front line services.

The West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Joint Committee has agreed £8.7 million in funding for two Weston College projects.

UPDATE TO ARTICLE – Both brand new facilities have since opened. Click here to visit our facilities page.

The College will now be able to create two new centres which will focus on teaching skills in key priority sectors for the West of England.

£3.3 million will be put towards creating an Construction Training Centre, and a further £5.4 million will go towards creating a Health and Active Living Skills Centre. These new centres will address a number of skills shortages in the local area, as well as creating jobs and benefitting businesses. The Health and Active Living Skills Centre will be community-focused and seek to improve health and wellbeing across Weston and North Somerset.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “This announcement confirms our intention to now enhance construction skills, health, wellbeing and fitness across North Somerset.

“Our facilities, including the Winter Gardens and university centre development will provide state of the art learning and resources across a range of qualification levels and sectors, meaning that local people will benefit from unprecedented access to learning opportunities including degrees.

“These new centres will give us the complete resources to meet the growing demand for these skills across the region, particularly in terms of Hinkley Point C.”

This announcement comes at the end of a successful month for Weston College, which saw its higher education provision, University Centre Weston, graded Gold under the Teaching Excellence Framework – putting it above many Russell Group universities and among the top 20% of university-level education providers in the country and on par with Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Tim Bowles, West of England Mayor, said: “Through the Local Growth Fund the Joint Committee can approve projects that will deliver much needed infrastructure. North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the wider region will benefit from these projects approved today to improve skills in engineering, construction and health.”

Professor Steve West, Interim Chair of the Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Approval for these projects show that we can work together to make the West an attractive option for business and industry. These are important steps in ensuring that we have the right skills in the right sectors coming through for the long term.”

There are so many cooking and hospitality programmes dominating television – from Bake Off and Come Dine With Me to MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen. But have you ever wondered what it would really be like to work in the industry?

You can travel the world

Being a chef is the ideal career for anyone with a bit of wanderlust, because you can be a chef anywhere in the world, and sometimes you will end up travelling to discover new flavours and techniques!

You never stop learning

As a chef, you are constantly learning new things, experimenting and perfecting your technique. You’ll never reach a point where you know it all, because it’s such a diverse career that there is always more to learn.

It’s not like the TV programmes

Some TV chefs paint a certain (sometimes very solo!) image of being a chef, and while the job doesn’t come without pressure it’s very different to the occasionally glamorous TV portrayal. Be prepared to work, but also remember you’ll have a team of people supporting you.

You’ll probably work long hours

Everyone looking to embark on a career as a chef needs to be prepared for long, unsociable hours – that’s just one of the realities of the job. But you can be sure that, while this seems daunting, it’s one of the most rewarding and varied professions for the right person.

There’s always progression routes in your career

Because hospitality is such a diverse industry, there’s plenty of progression routes whatever your goals are. Whether you’re looking to be a fantastic all-round chef or specialise in a particular cuisine, there are always jobs and ways to move up in your career.

Interested?

If being a chef sounds like the career for you, an apprenticeship with the Food and Drink Academy at Weston College is an ideal place to start. You can learn all the skills you need to be a chef, while earning a wage. For more information, visit the hospitality and catering page.