News and events

A Weston College student is through to the WorldSkills final in China after winning gold in the UK event.

Thomas Griffin and fellow Weston College student Jacob Skyrme made it to the UK final where they competed against six others in the web design event.

The three-day competition took place in Birmingham and assessed students’ practical skills, knowledge and employability attributes in timed conditions. More than 3,000 students started out in all categories of the UK competition, with 500 selected for the national finals.

In a first for the College, Thomas Griffin won Gold, which earns him a place in the UK squad for the international WordSkills final in Shanghai in 2021.

A delighted Thomas said: “Getting the opportunity to compete at WorldSkills is something which I am really grateful for.

“There was some tough competition but I was determined to come out on top, and showcase my web development skills.

“In managing to get a medal in my second year proves that, with enough effort and persistence, I can achieve anything.

“I could not have got this far without the support of my friends, family, and my lecturer, Jason Hill, who has been with me every step of the way.

“I am also excited about potentially representing the UK in China, which isn’t something many people can say!”

Jason Hill, HE Curriculum Co-Ordinator Applied Computing, added: “I am delighted for Thomas, and so proud of both Thomas and Jacob who did an amazing job to reach the UK final.

“They worked very hard, and proved that they are capable of work to the highest standard. We are all excited to see the next steps on their journey towards the international finals in Shanghai.”

With Brexit around the corner, many organisations are looking for new ways of bringing talent into their business. One approach that is often overlooked, is employing an ex-offender.

By giving an ex-offender the opportunity to get back into work, you’ll have access to this pool of work-ready talent.

Our work providing education in 19 prisons has revealed the untapped potential that’s available. There have been numerous success stories, including ‘Billy’.

‘Billy’ struggled to find a job after being released from prison. He had many skills to offer, having previously worked in retail and managerial roles, but, having been out of work for a while, lacked confidence.

‘Billy’ was knocked back for roles he was more than capable of doing, and set out to change the perception employers have of people with criminal convictions.

‘Billy’ decided that to find employment he would have to get some ‘work experience’, so he completed an extended placement with a well-known high-street store. His confidence soon grew, as he received excellent feedback from customers and his employer. He also had a hugely positive effect on the store and showed he was capable of more responsibility.

‘Billy’, whose skills had not gone unnoticed, soon outgrew his placement and landed a role as an assistant manager. He is now going from strength to strength in his new role, and his employer was thrilled to find such a high-calibre candidate. ‘Billy’ has certainly helped change the perception of those within his business of ex-offenders, and the store has definitely benefited from his expertise.

If you are interested in discovering the opportunities that ex-offenders can offer your business, get in touch today through the 600 in 6 page of our website.

Have you wondered what it’s like to be a computing student? Meet Connor, an applied computing student.

Connor joined Weston College when he enrolled on the IT Practitioners Diploma, Level 3 course. This course improves your knowledge and practical skills in a range of IT areas including, IT systems, social media in business, data modelling, information management and website development. You find out how computer systems work and learn to utilise different applications. The assignments are based on workplace situations, so you get a real insight to the careers available in IT and what it is like to work in the industry.

He then moved to UCW to study applied computing. This popular foundation degree emphasises the practical application of computing principles and on development of IT skills.

The course also provides the core knowledge in software design, systems analysis and web technologies required to either progress to further study or gain employment in an IT role. It covers:

• Computing applications
• Software design and development
• System analysis and databases
• Web technologies and platforms
• Computing project management
• Digital devices implementation and usability
• Object-orientated software design and development
• Service support tools and techniques
• Work experience.

As part of the work experience module, Connor was briefed with creating a new website for Aequus– a housing/property developer owned by the local council.

Connor said: “Working on this project was a great experience. I had monthly meetings with the client as I found this was an easier way to get the information I required than calling or waiting for something to be emailed across. Web design is also quite creative so it’s sometime difficult to explain how you are visualising something over email or the phone.

“Weston College and UCW have provided me with lots of employer contacts through projects such as this one. I have enjoyed learning about CSS language and above all they have given me the confidence in my work.” Connor is hoping to progress to the top-up year with UCW and then a Master’s at UWE. He also had this advice for future students: “Make friends, work hard, and take part in the trips, as this is where I have made life-long friends. We were lucky enough to go to Florida and tour Universal Studios where we learnt about special effects, animation, edit movies and 3D printers. I’d recommend anyone coming to Weston College and UCW, as the lecturers are fantastic and always there to help.”

Connor has since graduated from UCW with a First-Class Honours Degree, and is now specialising in Cyber Security at the University West of England.

"I have been studying Penetration Testing, Ethical Hacking and Network Security. Thanks to my Extended Diploma at Weston College and my Bachelor’s Degree at UCW, I had already gained important experience with programming languages such as C++ which have been very useful in advancing in Cyber Security.

"Also, thanks to my studies of Website Development at UCW, I have a great understanding of how websites and databases work and therefore how to secure them, this included important experience with SQL and PHP. Thanks to the courses, I have a great understanding of what secure code looks like and how to implement security measures. This has been a huge advantage while progressing into the Cyber Security field.

"My next goal is to advance into the Cyber Security field further. After graduating from my Masters, I hope to progress into a career in Penetration Testing." 

See Connor’s website - https://www.aequusdevelopments.co.uk/
See all computing course, starting this September - https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/computing-and-it