Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds (old)
COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS
With hundreds of unique, exciting and inspiring programmes to choose from, everything you need to create your brighter future is waiting for you at Weston College.
From the minute you walk through the door, the experience and the environment that we create is all about maximising your potential. It’s about preparing and motivating you for a fresh and focused career pathway.
Every Weston College student becomes part of one of our exciting new Career Excellence Hubs. This means you will take part in a study programme with lots of career boosting benefits, all with the aim of help you to go further, giving you the opportunity to become career ready with the skills, knowledge and expertise you need to be successful in your next step and reach your ultimate goal - whatever that may be!
Whether you are looking for the next step after school or the next step in your career, we're bound to have a programme for you. Take a look below at the different types of qualifications available for school leavers and young people between 16 and 18 years old.
Did you know we also run English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)?
Start your brighter future by selecting a subject you're interested in below, and don't forget - you can apply online and it only takes 5 minutes!
Discover our range of courses for school leavers aged 16-18 using the search options below...
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Find Your Future Path
Qualifications Explained
At Weston College we know that everyone learns differently. That’s why we deliver a variety of different qualification types - to give you the chance to learn in the way that suits you the most.
A Levels
A Levels develop the knowledge, skills and study habits to excel at university, as well as the attributes recognised by employers. Your academic studies will be complemented with enrichment opportunities such as trips, mentoring and work experience, providing the perfect springboard for your future career. A Levels are assessed through exams at the end of two years of study. Most learners study three subjects - some choose four.
Apprenticeships
With an apprenticeship you’ll go straight into the workplace and be shown clear routes to progress straight into employment within a specific occupation. You can achieve nationally recognised qualifications, earn a wage, and gain skills that will see you get ahead. On average you will spend 20% of your learning time in the college and 80% within the workplace..
Professional and Technical Qualifications
Professional and technical qualifications are designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to gain employment within specific industries or occupations. They provide a balance between theory and practical skills development. They are suited to those who want to get hands-on experience within a particular vocational area. These programmes include work placements. Assessment is more varied and will include exams, coursework and practical work.
Traineeships
Traineeships are a great way for 16 to 24-year-olds who haven’t yet gained the skills and experiences necessary to apply for jobs and apprenticeships. They are taught mostly in the workplace and include a mixture of personal and social development, and employability skills. The aim of a traineeship is to train you within a company so that you are more likely to be offered an apprenticeship or a job.
T Levels give you the chance to learn what a real career is like while you continue your studies. T Levels have been designed with leading businesses and employers to give you the knowledge and skills you need, including a minimum of 45 days on an industry placement – this means you will spend 80% of your learning time in College and 20% within the workplace.
CHOOSING WHAT TO STUDY
We are all about CAREERS NOT COURSES and pride ourselves on being able to offer a huge range of programmes to ensure you develop the skills and knowledge employers and universities are looking for. As the only education provider in North Somerset that enables you to work your way up from an entrylevel programme to a degree, we’re here to help you choose the right programme for you.
We can help you choose your study programme or apprenticeship by accessing the following support:
School Liaison Team
Working with local schools we help you find out about college life and programmes of study, and we provide you with advice and guidance about what programmes will best suit you. We will either visit your school, attend careers fairs and parents’ evenings or coordinate campus and virtual events such as our taster days, holiday workshops and tours.
Events
We put on a number of events over the year, which will be a mixture of face-to-face and virtual events. These provide you and your family with the opportunity to explore our facilities, speak to our lecturers, find out about the support on offer and choose the right programme for you. Our events also give you the opportunity to engage with a number of employers to find out about careers in their industry and why they value the calibre of candidates that come from Weston College.
CAREERS ADVICE
- On our website you can access a wealth of career guidance, such as:
- All the programmes you can study.
- What our alumni have gone on to achieve.
- Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) that will help explain what relevant careers and jobs are available, including salaries.
- NEW – Subject careers roadmaps, so you can map your journey with us and ensure it will get you into your chosen career. Also, check out Career Coach - this provides you with the opportunity to:
- Take an assessment that matches you with careers.
- Explore broad career pathways that match your strengths and interests.
- Compare careers within a pathway - including salaries, required education and more.
- Explore our programmes that will set you on the path to your desired career.
- Take a career assessment - and receive an in-depth report that can help you identify the best programme and career path for you!
We’re here and happy to help – if you would like more advice and guidance, contact our school liaison team by emailing schoolteam@weston.ac.uk. - they you can arrange a one-to-one careers appointment with our specialist staff.
LATEST NEWS
<p>This past week we had over 30 different students engage with the Esports Academy with trials that we ran in 3 different games to determine which students would be involved with the <a href="https://champs.britishesports.org/">British Esports Student Championships</a> (BESC). Every student showed excellent professionalism and “good manners” to each other whilst competing for places with each student commenting on how much they enjoyed themselves and wanting to do it again!</p>
<p>On Tuesday we did our first set of try outs on Overwatch and had 12 students join in for 3 hours! Every single person played their very best and impressed with excellent displays of skill and high levels of communication. It was so difficult to make a final decision on the final team of 5 starters and 2 substitute players. In the end we decided to shortlist some candidates that we wanted to have another look at and give the other 4 players, who were unable to show up for the day, a fair chance to show off their skills. Roll on Thursday 29th for round 2!!</p>
<p>On Wednesday we had Valorant and an incredible 17 students showed up to try out! We split the students up into 3 teams as they all had two rounds against each other. Over the course of the 3 hours+ try out, the students gave us the opportunity to assess their skills, communication and teamwork. All of the students were impressive, and the games were highly entertaining, with our final game where we mixed the teams up for a second time being an extremely close match!</p>
<p>We had the difficult task again of choosing 5 starters and 3 substitutes and on Friday we announced our decisions after some considered assessments and consultation with each other. It wasn’t easy letting 9 students know that they hadn’t made it, but we anticipate that they will be back after the Winter split ends. The Valorant team has already spent 2 evenings training with each other and getting to know each other better, their passion and determination to improve and perform well in the BESC is inspiring to see.</p>
<p>Thursday was Rocket League day! We had another 7 students show up and try out for the team. The games were very exciting to watch with each player showing why they should be on the team. We spent a little over an hour and a half putting the students through their paces and eventually we managed to have a decision on the 5 students who would be representing us for the Winter split.</p>
<p>We are excited to see our Valorant and Rocket League teams in action this Wednesday within the BESC first round of the Swiss stage and we’re looking forward to the second round of trials for Overwatch on Thursday to determine the team that will be competing for us in our pursuit to get to Nationals in the spring, and hopefully the in person (LAN) Grand Finals at the British Esports Performance Center in June!</p>
<p>Business is one of the most popular degrees in UK universities, as well as one of the most popular choices for 16-18s. Though there will be many contributing reasons as to why, a major factor is learners wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the continuously changing business environment, and how it reacts to what goes on in the world. Completing the qualification will give an opportunity to the learner to become a part of it and progress through the business world.</p>
<p>So, here’s 5 reasons why a business qualification could be the best decision you make for your career!</p>
<p>1. Business is made up of a huge number of different sectors. By completing a qualification before launching into the workplace, you’ll get the opportunity to discover which aspect of Business you have the most passion for, and which is best suited to your natural skillset in order to succeed.</p>
<p>2. Once you’ve decided which sector of Business is best suited to you, you’ll discover there’s Business related jobs in almost every job sector imaginable, for example sport, fashion, education, hospitality and entertainment, so you will have the chance to choose which wider sector you wish to work in. You could even take these opportunities abroad if working overseas is of interest to you.</p>
<p>3. While learning and working, you’ll create and develop a huge number of new skills. These will be highly transferrable to new adventures in your work life, for example a great combination of essay writing skills, but also mathematics skills for the finance and accounting aspect of Business. Some skills you develop will also prove useful in your personal life too. High quality communication skills, for example, will be as beneficial in your personal life as much as in the workplace.</p>
<p>4. Business offers the ability to progress in the workplace, with performance reviews and promotion opportunities. Having the ability to progress will help with your career satisfaction, the chance to take on new challenges, and an increase in your engagement day to day. Therefore, having a qualification before entering the workplace will heighten the chances of progression, by providing you with knowledge to secure promotions.</p>
<p>5. You can make Business qualifications adaptable to you! With the ability to start studying Business at any age over 16, it’s not too late sign up to one of our many Business courses; Apprenticeships, T Levels, A Levels, BTEC, and degree/degree apprenticeship</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you’re interested in a qualification in Business to lead you to a career, click:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…;- Here for more information about studying Business at Weston</a></p>
<p>- <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/level… for A Level</a>/<a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…;
<p>- <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin… for T Level</a></p>
<p>- <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-adults/business-and-m… for Apprenticeships</a></p>
<p>- <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/subject/business-and-professional-studies/">Here for Degrees in Business at UCW</a></p>
<p paraeid="{c513bbb9-660c-417d-94c7-fbae0ed0d06f}{186}" paraid="1958389261">From September 2022, Weston College are welcoming school leavers to study the brand-new Business T Level programme. T Levels offer a mixture of both college and work-based learning which has been designed to give learners the technical skills and workplace experience to kick-start their career. The new programmes are developed in collaboration with employers and providers so that the content meets the needs of the industry. </p>
<p paraeid="{c513bbb9-660c-417d-94c7-fbae0ed0d06f}{196}" paraid="736843707">The two year Business T Level course is the equivalent to three A Levels, and will provide students with an understanding of a broad range of issues relevant to the sector, including; an overview of organisational cultures and values, stakeholders, governance and the impact of organisations on society and the environment; project and change management; business behaviours including communication; quality improvement and compliance in all aspects of public and private sector organisations. </p>
<p paraeid="{c513bbb9-660c-417d-94c7-fbae0ed0d06f}{246}" paraid="127291444">Those joining the college in September will get to experience the brand-new facilities including an industry standard business boardroom with the latest technology and a brand-new workspace. </p>
<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{7}" paraid="1060651400">Employers across the country are recognising how important T Levels are going to be, especially in their plans for developing their future work force. NatWest Bank has pledged their support of the new Business T Level course at Weston College by shaping the curriculum, providing business skills training to students, and highlighting the benefits of employers hosting industry work placements through their regional employer network. </p>
<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{27}" paraid="631591141">NatWest’s support of the Weston College T Level course is aligned to their mission to be a purpose-led bank and champion the potential of people, families, and businesses across the UK, focusing on the areas which can have the biggest positive impacts across society. </p>
<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{41}" paraid="491313287">Elly Rowley, NatWest Regional Ecosystem Manager for the South-West said; “Through partnerships and resources, we are committed to supporting the business success stories of the future and are pleased to be working with Weston College on the introduction of their new Business T Level course.” </p>
<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{49}" paraid="1997028666"> “We look forward to meeting and inspiring these future business leaders and being part of the curriculum through this exciting T Level partnership, which Weston College have been working closely with employers and industry on." </p>
<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{55}" paraid="1868081809">Dave Crew, Head of Business Growth & Employer Partnerships at Weston College said; “T Levels are the future of college-based technical education, and we’re committed to developing our curriculum with employers to create a work-ready pipeline of talent for our region. NatWest are a key partner for the College, and we’re delighted to be working together to create a challenging and engaging programme of skills training for our Business T Level course, as we create the business leaders of the future.” </p>
<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{55}" paraid="1868081809"> </p>
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<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{69}" paraid="1042316832"><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/t-lev…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Find out more about T Levels here.</a> </p>
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<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{77}" paraid="1078019791"><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Learn more and apply now for the Business, Management and Leadership T Level.</a> </p>
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<p paraeid="{229d2a7d-06cb-4a41-9841-cabd77be49ee}{85}" paraid="1786362817"><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Learn more and apply now for the Accounting T Level.</a> </p>
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