Weston College has been named ‘Provider of the Year’ at a national awards ceremony that celebrates outstanding achievement in developing English and maths skills.

Representatives of the College received the prestigious prize at The Skills Awards at Leicester City FC’s King Power Stadium.

The Provider of the Year award recognises “pioneering innovation, excellence and effectiveness” in the College’s English and maths teaching and outcomes.

The Skills Awards are hosted by BKSB, a company that develops interactive products to improve English, maths and ICT skills.

The awards are designed to reward the quality and diversity of educational delivery and achievement in the best educational establishments. They also recognise the most dedicated members of the teaching profession and their learners.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group, said: “We’re delighted that our English and maths provision has been recognised on the national stage.

“English and maths skills are vital to the prospects of all individuals for their education, career prospects and day-to-day living, and are quite rightly high at the Government’s agenda.

“This award highlights the priority we place on equipping learners with those skills, and also the quality of the tutors we're fortunate to have at the College.”

Weston College was one of only 32 organisations across the UK to be awarded funding to develop flexible/blended courses as part of the DfE Flexible Learning Fund (FLF) pilot which runs until 31st July 2019.

The FLF courses have been developed in partnership with a number of local employers, to ensure that they address specific skills gaps and/or identified need.

The pilot courses are:

• Leadership and Management

• ICT User Skills, Enterprise Skills

• Understanding Autism

• Customer Care in a Health and Social Care Setting

• Maintaining a Tenancy.

They range in length from 3 days up to 20 weeks and are accredited by an awarding body.

A major benefit of this type of delivery is that learners do not have to take time out of the workplace to come into college to study. Delivered through a virtual classroom, the courses include interactive sessions, webinars, videos, virtual group sessions and online assessments. A college tutor is available to help learners throughout the course, running online Q&A sessions, webinars and marking uploaded assignments.

It has long been recognised by businesses that, in order for them to continue to innovate and grow, there is a need to continually invest in upskilling, retraining and the professional development of their teams. Alongside this, encouraging entrepreneurial thinking and supporting people to develop transferable life skills helps a local economy to diversify and grow.

The courses have been designed to offer transferable skills that can be used both within the workplace and outside of work. For example, the Enterprise course has a strong focus on understanding money management and project management. These skills can be applied to the management of a project within the workplace, but also applied to a project at home such as extending a property.

Although the courses only launched in January, there has been significant take up by employers with some of the courses fully subscribed a month in advance. Businesses have recognised how these courses can help with meeting specific business needs, but also helping to meet personal objectives of staff.

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Jane Vivian, Project Manager of New Initiatives.

The manager of a coffee shop and café run as a joint venture between Weston College and Leyhill Prison has won a surprise award.

Leyhill Grounds Coffee Shop is based next to the Gloucestershire prison, and is open to the public.

It employs people who are in custody as part of a Weston College social enterprise which has been created to provide opportunities for those in custody.

Kaye Thomas received the special award in recognition of her work with the prison ‘residents’ and the quality service the shop provides.

It was presented by Charles Martell, the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, who visits the shop on his regular visits to Leyhill.

“It was a wonderful surprise,” said Kaye.

“Ray Johnson, the prison governor, called me into a room to, apparently, talk about buying some new blinds for the shop.

“I was then presented with the award by Charles Martell. The High Sheriff of Somerset and the future High Sheriff of Gloucestershire had come as well. There were a few tears in my eyes I don’t mind admitting.”

The award recognises Kaye’s efforts in developing the social, communication and employability skills of the employees, who are all residents of the prison.

“It’s a very rewarding job,” said Kaye.

“As well as barista and catering training, we provide work experience and help residents develop the broader skills they’ll need to secure jobs on release.

“Everyone who works in the shop has to hand in a CV and is interviewed – just like any job.

“It’s great when former employees get back in touch to say how well they’re doing and how we helped them.”

The shop is run in partnership with HMP Leyhill by Releasing New Potential – a Community Interest Company operated by Weston College – which helps people lead crime-free lives.

Gerry Shattock, Releasing New Potential’s Social Enterprise Manager, said: “Leyhill Grounds Coffee Shop is a commercial venture. That means everything has to be up to a very high standard –the quality of food, drink and service – or customers won’t come back.

“This not only provides residents with the practical knowledge they need in order to work in a hospitality environment, but also broader operational skills that can be applied in many other sectors.”

Leyhill Grounds Coffee Shop is clearly proving a big hit with customers. It’s currently the top-ranked coffee and tea shop in the Gloucester area on Trip Advisor, and second in the list of ‘places to eat’.

As well as running Releasing New Potential, Weston College provides education in prisons across the South West of England, including Leyhill. Curricula are designed to engage offenders in learning and help them find employment when they are released. The Weston College team delivers a wide range of courses in the prisons, including catering, English, maths, customer service, art, plastering, carpentry, and bricklaying.