Top Bristol-based law firm TLT solicitors has been working with Training Solutions for just eight months and has already experienced some significant benefits.

The national firm has seen 15 employee achievements in NVQ Level 2 Business Administration and NVQ Level 2 Customer Service.

Jamie Birkinshaw, Assistant Manager at TLT, said: The Training Solutions team has helped us to develop our employees' confidence, motivation and self-esteem and our ability to offer clients the best possible service.”

Shona Williams, a Case Handler at TLT, said: “The course has helped me develop my skills and build my self-confidence. Throughout my learning I was able to identify areas which could be strengthened to help me to progress in my career. I would definitely study with Weston College again – in fact I have already enrolled on another course!”

Daniel May, a Junior Case Handler at TLT, said: “There was plenty of support and guidance available throughout the course and I would recommend it to others as I really enjoyed it. By completing the course I have not only gained a qualification but I have also demonstrated my commitment and competence at what I do.”

TLT started working with Training Solutions after they won a tendering process, alongside another local educational institute and an international training organisation, all offering NVQs.

Jamie said: “We initially selected Weston College because of their broad range of training courses and because of their pro-active and flexible approach. Staff at the Centre have gone out of their way to invest time in understanding our business and to meet our specific training and development needs.”

He added: “We would recommend Training Solutions to anyone enquiring about external vocational training services. We would advise them that the Training Solutions team is very flexible in their approach to the delivery of training, ensuring wherever possible, the impact upon the business whilst employees are undertaking studies is minimised.”

TLT will continue to work with Training Solutions in rolling out the NVQ Level 2 Business Administration and Customer Service to Office Assistants and Case Handlers. This year they are also planning to roll out the NVQ Level 3 in Team Leading to Team Supervisors within the Banking and Lender Services group.

Jamie explained the benefits of working with Training Solutions and said: “For us the people and support provided by Training Solutions is the key benefit. The team have worked with us to ensure we develop a bespoke NVQ programme that best suits our needs and caters for our people. They offer flexibility, expertise and it’s a trouble-free process.”

He added: “The consultation and communication provided by the Training Solutions team has been very good and they fit in well with the culture of the firm. They are keen to continually evaluate what is working well, whilst highlighting any areas for improvement. To date, we have built up a very good relationship with Training Solutions.”

Weston College of Further and Higher Education are taking a major step to enhance their already highly successful delivery of Higher Education. 

The College has submitted two key bids to the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) which, if successful, will bring in bespoke centres for high technologies and professional services to the region.  Both these centres will be built in Weston-super-Mare and will provide a major catalyst for business regeneration.

If the bids are successful there is an opportunity for state-of-the-art facilities in both disciplines and a growth in students studying and living in North Somerset.  The Professional Studies Academy is a response to employers for an existing demand for specific training in a wide range of disciplines.  This includes law, accountancy, business, management, justice services and many more.  Simultaneously the High Technology Centre will include bespoke facilities for composite engineering, digital media, computer-aided design and games design.

The College bids have been supported by North Somerset Council and a range of other agencies.  There is a joint ambition to have 1,000 undergraduates in Weston-super-Mare within the next twenty four months, with a longer term ambition to grow this provision significantly in conjunction with other key partners. 

Both the College, Council and others are aware of the potential for the future which will build upon the significant success already achieved.  In January this year the College received the highest accolade from Ofsted when it gained Outstanding status for its provision.  This made the College the very first in the South West under the new Ofsted framework to gain such recognition.  In addition, almost 100 per cent of graduates from the degree courses progressed to employment within months of graduating.  The 2014 statistics indicated that more than 20 per cent achieved first class honours, significantly above the national average for the UK. 

Dr Paul Phillips, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “The West of England LEP has set a dynamic standard for skills, development and economic regeneration.  Our bid is massively important for both the town and the region.  If successful, the LEP will in reality provide the leverage to bring state of the art facilities to the area.  In an ideal world I would hope that such facilities would not only effect major change but could provide community resources for use by everyone.”

Cllr Nigel Ashton, Leader of North Somerset Council, said: “Higher Education provision is vital to the growing employment needs of Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset and the wider West of England area.

“We are working closely with Weston College to ensure they can deliver their ambitions for a greater emphasis on learning in the town centre which will in turn provide a catalyst for further regeneration opportunities.”

WESTON College Higher Education media students premiered their films at the Watershed cinema in Bristol last week (Thursday June 9th).

The aspiring filmmakers from the College’s Film and Media Arts Production foundation degree, which is run in partnership with Bath Spa University, presented 14 short films to an audience of more than 100 people at the venue on Bristol’s Harbourside. 

The eclectic mix of traditional, experimental, corporate and documentary flicks included ‘Ghosts’, a collaborative effort by all of the second year students, and ‘That’s Life’, which was shot by the first year students on their residential trip to Granada, Spain.

Samuel Wiggins, who directed ‘Ghosts’, said: “Working on a professional set of such a big size and scale was new to us all, but it was such a rewarding and enjoyable experience. We’re all really pleased with the film.”

The event was also organised and promoted by the multi-talented students.

Emily Eades, who led the organising committee, said: “Everyone came together really well to work on staging the showcase.

“The response was better than we could ever have hoped for, and we’re grateful to everyone who came along to share our memorable evening with us.”

As well as counting as coursework towards their degrees, the students will be submitting the shorts to competitions and festivals and also using them to support their applications to join professional shoots in the coming months.

Jimmy Hay, the coordinator of the FdA Film and Media Arts Production course at Weston College’s Loxton Campus, said: “As lecturers, we were incredibly proud to see the films being played on the big screen at a cinema as prestigious as the Watershed.

“We have a really strong group of students and the quality of the films they’ve made this year is a testament to the amount of work and dedication they’ve put into developing their craft and how effectively they’ve worked together as a team.”

The programme also included ‘The Fatal Deal’ by Miguel Fonseca and Jessie Clayton; ‘Choco Factory’ by Tanicka Fenty; ‘The Ring’ by Miguel Fonseca; ‘The Truth Is In The Groove’ by Becki Couch; ‘Jooxter’ by Seb Harris and Poppy Mobsby; ‘Under The Bridge’ by Emily Eades; ‘8 Mil Memories’ by John Peeke; ‘Play Dead For Me’ by Alex Shepherd; ‘Moth’ by Harley Sanderson; ‘The Different Sides of Helsinki?’ by Lizzy Holbrook; ‘Below The Neck’ by Samuel Wiggins; and ‘INTIMAE’ by Seb Harris and Poppy Mobsby.

You can view the showcase trailer by visiting: https://vimeo.com/169445451