Weston College’s highly anticipated Creative Arts Summer Showcase opened in spectacular fashion on Tuesday 11th June at Loxton Campus.

Family, friends and members of the public attended an evening of celebration at Loxton Campus as learners from Weston College and University Centre Weston (UCW) showcased their incredible art forms.

The exhibition included diverse pieces of work by learners studying art and design, photography and graphic design courses; degrees and the College’s pre-degree UAL Foundation Diploma.

The opening night was electric. Every room hosted a variety of work which inspired conversations surrounding the themes and the learners’ abilities. Performances by music learners and an interactive photo booth also added to ambience.

Many of the displays were comprised of learners’ final course projects, which involved months of effort and contributed to their final grade. A section of the exhibition was also filled with impressive works of art created by learners who are studying College art courses whilst serving sentences in prison. Click here to read more about our Prison Education programme. 

Chair of the College Corporation, Andrew Leighton-Price, attended the opening night. He said: “The Summer Showcase was absolutely amazing. There were so many innovative works of art, with so many mediums used, from paint, sculpting, to digital, to on line film and gaming.

“The learners I met at the show gave me a fantastic insight and it was clear that there is a huge wealth of talent and passion that goes into the work here at Loxton Campus.

“It was clear that the learners and staff had collaborated to make this a truly memorable event, using the extensive resources available. I’d like to congratulate everyone that contributed to this impressive showcase”

John O’Connell, the College’s Head of Creative Arts, said: “It was a wonderful evening. It was very well attended and such a joy to see all the hard work of both our students and staff come together to produce a body of work with conceptual depth and visual appeal across a diverse range of subjects.”

The Summer Showcase is open to the public at our Loxton Campus on weekdays (10am – 4pm) and Saturday 15th June (10am – 2pm), until Thursday 20th June.

Summer Showcase forms part of the Creative Arts Summer Festival which provides our students with a fantastic opportunity to showcase their talents each year. As well as the recent production arts runway and film screening showcase, there is still a variety of shows still to come as part of the festival. Click here to see details of the other events taking place throughout June.

During the first week of induction, our English and Maths team were busy putting together creative challenges for GCSE and Functional Skills English and Maths Learners to take part in.

At our South West Skills Campus, learners took part in ‘English is Everywhere’. This engaging workshop involved multiple activities such as inserting correct punctuation into jokes and seeing who can build the tallest towers by answering revision questions.

Furthermore, at our Loxton Campus, learners put their heads together to complete teambuilding activities such as English revision Jenga and a penalty shoot-out in our Health and Active Living Skills Centre sports hall where one correct answer = one shot at the goal.

Similarly, maths skills were also put to the test. Learners were tasked with creating questions for their fellow students from a 3D exhibition! Real life scenarios e.g. Glastonbury Festival and FIFA were used in order to inspire an interest in maths and utilise their maths skills to relatable situations.

The aim of this was to positively reinforce English and maths skills outside of the classroom in a wider context. By using an alternative approach, learners become more relaxed and engaged with the work at hand, thus making it more engaging and fun to learn. Moreover it was an opportunity for vocational staff and the English and maths team to work together collaboratively and demonstrate to learners the seamless and integrated relationship.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College Group visited the sessions. He commented: “The passion and enthusiasm that our staff put into their work never ceases to impress me. At Weston College the learners come first and adapting our teaching to their needs is just one of the ways we go above and beyond to inspire them.

“Some of these learners might have previously had negative experiences with these core subjects, therefore it’s essential that we give them a fresh start, capture their interest and continue to support them to achieve success with their maths and English GCSEs.”

This type of work is an example of why last year, Weston College was named among the first 21 colleges to establish a maths centre of excellence.

The new centres were announced in response to Sir Adrian Smith’s review of post-16 maths education, which recommended improving basic maths for people over 16.

The chosen colleges, which will share £40 million of funding over five years, are spread across the country. Weston College is one of only two centres in the South West.

As well as improving the quality of basic maths provision for low-attaining young people over 16, the new centres will design new teaching approaches, develop high-quality resources, build teachers’ skills and spread best practice.

An upsurge in the number of apprenticeships arranged by Weston College is being matched by a dramatic growth in vacancies.

In October, the College helped to fill 35 vacancies, a 120 per cent increase on the same time last year and a record for the College.

The areas of business administration and catering/hospitality are particularly busy, with more vacancies cropping up every day.

In addition, Weston College has taken on 10 apprentices of its own in various roles.

James Wilmot, Weston College's Apprenticeship Recruitment Co-ordinator, said: “We've worked very hard over the last 12 months to improve the recruitment rate and that work has really paid off. Vacancies are increasing all the time and show no signs of slowing down.

“The good thing is that these are not ‘low grade’ jobs that have no worth. They are with strongly-performing companies committed to the training and development of all their staff, including apprentices, which shows the calibre of companies we are working with.”

Employers include North Somerset Council and Weston Area Health Trust, along with a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, garages, hair and beauty salons and estate agents.

James describes it as a 'win-win' situation. He said: “Employers get young people who are enthusiastic, eager to learn and willing to show a keen interest. The apprentices gain on-the-job experience, qualifications and an income while they learn.”

Emily Taylor, 18, from Milton, is currently working as an Apprentice Receptionist and Business Administrator at Weston College's Training Solutions in Locking Road.

In her teens she lived in the United States and when her family returned to the UK she wasn't sure what career path to follow. After an interview with Weston College she decided to take up their apprenticeship offer.

“I never thought I'd work in an office,” she said, “but I was attracted by the combination of work and study. Being a receptionist is a much more involved job than I expected, but everyone at Training Solutions is very helpful and supportive.

“I see the apprenticeship as a platform for what I'd like to do in the future. I'd like to be a PA, and maybe go back to America to work. For now, this is a fantastic way of gaining work experience and qualifications at the same time. You're given a lot of support and I can't recommend it highly enough.”
 

For more information about studying at Weston College visit http://www.weston.ac.uk or call 01934 411411. You can also visit http://www.facebook.com/apprenticeshipvacancies for the latest apprenticeship vacancies with Weston College.