Last year, four Media Production students were given an exciting brief from Aerospace Bristol – to create a short video to be played in the museum’s exhibition.

This live project brief saw four students gain valuable experience, as they put their theory to the test and ran a project from start to finish.

As part of this project, students carried out research on the engineering industry, planned video content and organised interviews. They also worked closely with Weston College engineering students, to get a taste of what the industry entails.

One student that worked on the project is Chloe Bailey. She said: “I believe that every single member of the team worked to their strengths, which is what pulled us through to the screening day and finishing off the project. We were proud of the final outcome and look forward to seeing it at the exhibition.”

Chloe was joined on the project by her classmates Kate Busby, John Davies and Kraig Taylor-Bryant.

Amy Seadon, Learning and Community Engagement Manager at Aerospace Bristol, said: “The team did a fantastic job.

“They listened carefully to the brief and produced a wonderful short film which truly brought out and showcased the enthusiasm of the engineering students. We hope that seeing it will inspire more young people to explore a career in engineering.”

The video, which showcased the world of engineering – including what it is like to study engineering in the 21st century – premiered last December and is now on display for Aerospace Bristol visitors to see.

The project was carried out as part of the Media Production Level 3 ‘Client Brief’ unit, which is designed to give our students real-life experience of working with a client.

You can find out more information on our Media Production courses, here.

Local Holiday Park Pontin’s Brean Sands has made a significant commitment to training their staff through their work with Training Solutions.

The park, based in Burnham-on-Sea, approached Training Solutions as they wanted to offer further training and qualifications to all their staff.

So far the park has had nine achievements in the NVQ Level 2 Food & Drink Service qualification and an impressive 22 achievements on the Level 2 EDI Certificate in Team Leading. They have also had achievements in Customer Service, NVQ Level 2 and 3, and the NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery.

Brian Howe, Training Manager at Pontin’s, said: “We have a great working relationship with Training Solutions; they are extremely professional and always help us achieve our goals.” He added: “Training Solutions has had a significant impact on our business; our teams have had a fantastic time working with them, our business has flourished and we now have a more positive and professional team.”

This NVQ level 2 Food and Drink Service is best suited to people who provide a table service of food and drink, and bar staff, who prefer to do a qualification directly related to their job. The qualification covers topics such as customer service, teamwork, health and safety, food service, and preparing drinks.

Ryan Edgell, aged 27, recently complete the NVQ Level 2 in Food and Drink Service. Ryan said: “Training with Training Solutions has been a very beneficial experience. The staff helped me throughout the qualification with a dedicated and supportive assessor as well as informative workshops which were flexible and tailored to my needs. Achieving my NVQ has enabled me to put my knowledge and skills into practice and has given me greater confidence in providing a quality service.”

Brian explained the key benefits of working with Training Solutions and said: “They are flexible to our needs and they offer support and advice which is both professional and personal to us and our teams. Our team members have all gained knowledge, experience and achieved great results – and some of them have even been promoted!”

He also encouraged other employers to contact Weston College and said: “I would recommend Training Solutions as they are achieve to high standards and work with you not against you - on time every time. They are team players who are professional, approachable and friendly.”

This NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery qualification is best suited to anybody who is a chef that prepares a wide range of dishes using numerous cooking methods from basic fresh ingredients. The course includes topics such as preparing fish, meat and poultry, maintaining food safety, effective teamwork and ordering stock.

Glen Simpson, aged 22, recently completed this course. The Catering Manager said: “My NVQ has really benefited the running of the kitchen and I am planning to offer the qualification to the rest of the team. As a manager, having an enthusiastic team who want to do well, are driven to achieve something for themselves, makes my job a lot easier.”

Alex Moore, Senior Work-Based Co-ordinator at Training Solutions, said: “Over the past two years we have developed a strong working relationship with Pontin’s and we’re delighted to see so many of their staff achieving. We’ve built a good level of communication and trust, and I am always keen to help them identify any training opportunities.”

Pontin’s are intending to work with Training Solutions next year and considering retail training, housekeeping, customer care and team leader courses again, combined with skills for life in numeracy and literacy.

Training Solutions offer a wide range of flexible, business-related training, development and consultancy services including NVQ qualifications, Professional Development Workshops and Coaching and Mentoring programs. The majority of these can be delivered in the workplace, reducing the disruption to the business while engaging in staff training.

Pontin’s employ over 180 people. They are part of the Pontin’s holiday company founded in 1946 which currently runs five holiday parks across the UK.

For further information please call Training Solutions on 01934 411594. 

Three lecturers have become Weston College’s first graduates from a Master’s degree delivered in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE).

Mark Harvey, James Hazzard and Gill Cook were all presented with the award of MA in Education at a graduation ceremony held at UWE.

The first 60 credits (PGCert stage) of the degree were delivered through tutorial sessions at Weston College, with candidates completing the rest of the award through taught sessions at UWE and independent research.           

Mark, who is the Programme Coordinator for degree courses in Uniformed and Public Services, said: “The course fitted well around my work commitments and has enhanced my knowledge. The support from Weston College gave me the confidence to engage fully in the course and embrace the challenges it held.”

James, who teaches further education (FE) and higher education (HE) courses in Sport and has recently taken on a role in HE Quality and Curriculum, said: “The College encouraged and supported me to complete the MA in Education, which was tailored to meet the needs of a full-time employee, focusing on twilight lectures and flexible tutorial meetings. The one-to-one support at the College was outstanding and really helped me to develop the skills to enter the research project phase of the course.

“The course has allowed me to develop research skills that are transferable to a number of areas within the profession, as well as developing knowledge enabling me to further support Higher Education learners at Weston College.

“The course was very challenging but ultimately rewarding, and the skills I have acquired have encouraged me to potentially progress onto Doctorate research and become involved in teaching the MA programme at Weston College and UWE.”

Gill, who is the Programme Co-ordinator for degree courses in Animal and Equine Management and a Tutorial Champion for the Business, Management and IT Faculty, said: “The MA has enhanced my ability to support students through the research process and allowed me to expand my teaching to research-based modules within our Foundation Degrees.

“It has also supported my tutoring at FE level and supported my role as Senior Tutor to guide and advise the Faculty on the most effective way to use tutorial and support systems.

“The course was really enjoyable and the support from Weston College tutors was excellent.”

The degree is now open for applications from suitably qualified members of the public wanting to study the first stage at Weston College. Please contact the Higher Education team at Weston College to find out more: he.unit@weston.ac.uk