We recently caught up with Level 3 Uniformed Public Services student Toby, who have us some insight into what it's like to study Public Services here at Weston College...

If someone was thinking of applying for Public Services, what would you say to them?

I am very pleased I chose this course and would have no hesitation in recommending it to other students! I browsed the college prospectus when I was in Year 11 to see what opportunities were available in further education. I then attended an open evening to find out more about the course, which sounded amazing!

What are the top 3 skills you need to study Public Services?

Leadership, team work and determination!

Were you surprised about the facilities at Knightstone?

I was surprised there was an entire floor for our department. On the 7th floor there's a gym and a large gymnasium with a climbing wall including other useful equipment which makes public service life more enjoyable and interesting. We have lots of facilities at hand which can make lessons more fun and gives us something to do with free time as we can have a game of basket ball or other activities. The library is brilliant for socialising with other students and making new friends which has helped me personally as I didn’t know many people. It’s a great place for students from all classes to come together and work alongside each other.

How would you describe the staff?

The staff encourage and aspire us to do well and get the best out of us. They give us direction in thinking about our future careers and advise us based on their own experiences and knowledge. The delivery of lessons by the staff makes the course interesting and easier to understand, also the staff are approachable if you have questions or need help. What I like is that they build a friendship with everyone individually which makes you feel you can talk to them about any problems or queries. 

What makes Weston College Public Services stand out?

The college is modern, clean and is a nice working environment which makes college life really enjoyable. Compared to other colleges I visited, Weston is well equipped and the campus is situated in a great location.
 

What do you want to do after finishing your course?

The course has given me an insight into public service life and after completing this course I will be joining the army. My qualification can give me the ability to join as an officer if I wish to.

Thanks Toby, we wish you the very best of luck!

Click here to learn more and apply now for courses in Public Services

The College is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week (March 3-8) with a series of events and initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to take up a new career.

A touring roadshow, a pop-up shop in Weston-super-Mare’s Sovereign Centre and input into a Skills event at the Winter Gardens are just some of the College’s activities during the week.

The week also marks the launch of ‘100 in 100’, a College-led bid, supported by the National Apprenticeship Service and the Weston Mercury newspaper, to create 100 new Apprenticeships in 100 days. One of the key aims of the campaign is to raise awareness of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), which is available for eligible businesses who take on a young apprentice.

On Monday March 3 a pop-up shop will open in the Sovereign Centre and run until Sat March 8, offering information and advice.

A strong emphasis on Apprenticeships will be seen at the Skills Show, taking place at the Winter Gardens on Tuesday March 4. More than 3,000 people are expected at the European Social Fund and Local Enterprise Partnership-funded event, where they will be able to talk to dozens of local and regional employers and other training providers, and enjoy taster sessions in catering, construction, business, hair and beauty and healthcare. Local schoolchildren will be among the visitors to the event which is open from 10am-2pm for school groups and 3pm-7pm for the general public.

The College is also taking a mini version of the Skills Show out on the road, visiting eight schools including ones in Bridgwater, Clevedon and Nailsea. Children will be given an introduction to Apprenticeships, including a talk from an employer, and again, taster sessions will be on offer.

Weston College is the biggest facilitator of Apprenticeship programmes in the region and its Training Solutions, based at the South West Skills Campus on Locking Road, Weston, was set up to provide businesses with relevant and flexible training programmes.

In recent years a huge growth in the number of Apprenticeships has been witnessed, with leaps of more than 100 per cent year-on-year.

James Wilmot, the College’s Apprenticeship Recruitment Coordinator, said: “National Apprenticeship Week is the highlight of our year and 2014 looks to be our most successful yet with the message being spread far and wide.

“We work with a fantastic range of employers and more are getting involved all the time.

“Apprenticeships are a fantastic alternative to full time college-based study and our activities during National Apprenticeship Week are a great way for everyone to get all the information they need while trying out the different career routes on offer.”

Weston College student Fahma Mohamed was invited to 10 Downing Street last week (Thursday 14th) to meet David Cameron as part of his community engagement forum.

Fahma, 19, who is currently enrolled on an Access to Higher Education course at the College, was questioned by the Prime Minister on Muslim women’s issues in British society.

The Prime Minister was keen to find out what it means to be a Muslim female in Britain today and learn about the issues of empowerment, segregation and isolation that Muslim women face.

In a Sunday Times article after the meeting, David Cameron called Fahma a brilliant Muslim women’s role model.

“I heard great examples of so many women who are flourishing in our country,” he wrote, while raising the issue that some Muslim women are forced into gender segregation, discrimination and social isolation from mainstream British life.

Mr Cameron said it was time to be "more assertive about our liberal values, more clear about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers."

In a Facebook post following the meeting, Fahma commented that she enjoyed meeting the Prime Minister and was glad that he was listening to the voices of British Muslim women.

Fahma is a junior trustee of Integrate Bristol, a charity that was set up to help with the integration of young people who have arrived in Britain from other cultures. She is the eldest of nine children and moved to Britain when she was seven when her parents fled war-torn Somalia.

In 2014, she rose to international fame after creating a petition seeking to put education at the heart of tackling female genital mutilation, which became one of the fastest-growing ever seen on change.org and was signed by nearly 250,000 people.

The petition drew the attention of the then UK Education Secretary Michael Gove, who praised Fahma’s “inspirational” campaign and ensured that the Department for Education wrote to all schools about female genital mutilation and provided materials for teachers to tackle the subject.

She also met the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and who promised to use the influence of the United Nations to ensure that the campaign, backed by the Guardian newspaper, received global attention.