Weston College has smashed through its target of creating 600 work-related learning opportunities in six months.

The ambitious ‘600 in 6’ campaign aimed to persuade businesses to ‘pledge’ a range of opportunities to help learners gain the knowledge and they skills they need in workplace. These include apprenticeship, traineeship and work experience places.

It expanded on last year’s successful drive to create 200 apprenticeship vacancies in 100 days by including the College’s full range of work-based training services.

The campaign far exceeded expectations, securing 697 pledges in five months from business such as Wookey Hole Caves, Sedgemoor Council, Smurfit Kappa, Wessex Water and Carbase.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “It is highly impressive that we have managed to create opportunities for over 600 learners to gain experience with some of the best companies in the region.

“This year we wanted to showcase our full employer offer – to see businesses get behind this has been particularly exciting.

“Many organisations feel that they are suffering from a skills gap, and this campaign shows that we are actively supporting the community and matching enthusiastic learners with forward-thinking employers.

“Throughout this campaign we have built new relationships with employers, and I look forward to these progressing further in the future. Thank you to all of our employers and regional partners for supporting such a valuable initiative.”

If you’d still like to pledge an opportunity to the ‘600 in 6’ campaign, there’s still time. Find out more by speaking to our award-winning Training Solutions team on 01934 411 594.

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.

Having recently written about the precarious situation in which further education currently finds itself, it’s great to be able to discuss a far more positive subject.

Our newly built Construction Training Centre has been open a few months now and has, so far, been met with universal approval.

There’s a good chance you’ve already seen the centre as it’s visible as you enter Weston from junction 21 of the M5. But if not, let me tell you, it’s a hugely impressive sight – particularly the vast ‘hangar-style’ building, which is used for scaffolding training and warehouse-based activities, such as forklifting.

The centre also provides courses in plant operations, highways and groundworks, and large vehicle driver training.

As well as the purpose-built practical training areas, the centre boasts six classrooms (which ‘open out’ to form meeting rooms), an ICT suite, CSCS testing facility and canteen.

The centre was developed in response to the growing demand for a trained and skilled construction workforce in the region. With that in mind, the training has been developed with employers’ requirements in mind – namely to provide the skills business’s need, when they need them.

And we’re already seeing the benefit of this approach, with bookings for training – from employers and individuals – already exceeding expectations.

Not only that, we’ve been inundated with positive feedback on the facilities, and the quality and range of the training.

Among the reasons for the construction sector’s widening skills gap is the scarcity of specialist training facilities across the country. To illustrate the point, before our centre opened, there was nowhere in England to train scaffolding workers between Plymouth and Birmingham. Our centre – conveniently situated off the M5 – provides businesses and workers in the south west region with a purpose-built resource on their doorstep (comparatively).

This is particularly important given that the region will be home to a number of nationally significant developments over the next decade.

But as with any development of this nature, it wouldn’t be possible without the support and input of a range of partner organisations, including North Somerset Council and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership.

Likewise, the project has benefitted from our long-running relationship with Midas Construction, who were commissioned to build the centre. They understand the College, our priorities and how to provide the learning environment that students and businesses need.

Another key partner in the development are scaffolding training and safety experts, Simian, who deliver CISRS scaffolding training and other related health and safety courses at the centre. Simian are world leaders in the sector and their expertise has enabled us to develop these outstanding facilities and offer sought-after courses.

Although it’s still early days for the centre, the signs are extremely promising – and that’s great news for students, employees, businesses and the wider construction industry.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE

Principal and CEO

You can take a closer look at our courses and facilities on the construction section of Weston College’s website, or the dedicated Construction Training Centre site. You can also apply for our construction courses and training straight through these websites.