Weston College Group was proud to welcome senior representatives from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) to its new Aerospace Skills Academy at Airbus, Filton, for a special visit highlighting the future of technical skills development in the region.

Today Weston College has been named as one of the country’s new Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs), securing a pivotal role in delivering high-quality training for the next generation of workers in advanced manufacturing, which is one of Britain’s fastest growing and most critical sectors.

Weston College was proud to contribute to the latest Bristol & Bath Cluster Meeting hosted by the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), held at the Airbus AIRTeC Centre in Filton.

The event brought together industry leaders, education providers and regional stakeholders to explore how the South West can collectively strengthen the aerospace and advanced engineering skills pipeline.

Last night, we were proud to host our annual Apprenticeship Open Evening, welcoming prospective students, parents and carers to explore the exciting career pathways available through apprenticeships.

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, we caught up with three of our apprentices to hear all about their apprenticeship experiences.

What is your name and what apprenticeship are you currently doing?

Weston College is celebrating the launch of its first cohort of Engineering Foundation Apprenticeships, with 21 learners enrolling with GKN Aerospace this week. This represents almost two thirds of all Foundation Apprenticeship starts nationally since the programme launched in August 2025.

Weston College and University Centre Weston (UCW) brought together leading engineering employers on Wednesday 19 November 2025, for a high-level Engineering Technical Advisory Board session, which was aimed at shaping the future of technical education across the region.

The event was hosted at GKN Aerospace, Bristol, and focused on strengthening collaboration between industry and education to ensure that training, curriculum design, and skills development continue to meet the needs of the local engineering and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Claire Hazelgrove MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke was welcomed to GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Centre in Bristol to showcase how industry and education are working together to deliver high-quality technical skills and support regional economic growth.