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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Qualification Explained
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Qualifications Explained
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Find Your Future Path

A Levels

Animal Management

Automotive

Beauty Therapy

Business and Management

Computing and Digital Technologies

Construction

Construction Professions

Creative Arts

Education and Early Years

Engineering and Green Skills

Hair and Barbering

Health and Social Care

Hospitality and Catering

Law

Performing and Production Arts

Protective Services

SEND

Sport and Fitness

T Levels

Travel and Tourism

You can progress onto degrees and higher apprenticeships with UCW...

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.

Check out A-Levels Here

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..

Check out Apprenticeships Here

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.

Check out Traineeships Here

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.

Check out T-Levels Here

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

25 Mar 2025

Last month, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/healt…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/healt…; target="_blank">Health and Social Care</a> students took part in Health and Social Care Future Skills Week, a week-long project focused on developing important skills for their future careers. Each day gave students the chance to learn something new, work with professionals, and explore different areas of the health and social care sector. The week started with a wellbeing day, where students worked with the Student Engagement Team, taking part in activities designed to help them look after their own wellbeing, including art therapy, a gym induction, and an afternoon of sports. This gave students time to focus on their own health and welfare and learn ways to stay healthy in the future. On Tuesday, students met with guest speakers from different areas of Health and Social Care. Nick Mallett from University Hospitals Bristol and Weston shared his experience in nursing, as well as Jenny Gamlin, a community midwife and health visitor, Michelle Clarke, a respiratory specialist, and Clare Waggett, an occupational therapist, also discussed their roles and what they entail. These sessions provided our learners with a better understanding of the various career options available in the sector. Wednesday was all about learning key workplace skills. Students took part in training for manual handling, first aid, and learned about National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) and Sepsis 6. These are essential skills that are required for students who wish to begin working in the health and social care sector. <drupal-entity alt=""Lecturer showing students how to use a hoist"" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8edd5fc3-613c-4f1e-946a-668ea70a5f81" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"max_500x500","image_link":"","image_loading":{"attribute":"lazy"}}"> </drupal-entity> On Thursday, students took part in the ‘100 New Ideas’ project where they worked in teams with students from different levels to come up with creative ideas to support older people’s health and wellbeing. Their ideas were part of a campaign by the St Monica Trust, and the best ones were chosen by a panel of judges. The winning teams received prizes, and their ideas were shared with St Monica Trust. The winning idea from our students was to facilitate a bus service between their care villages in Bristol and North Somerset. This would allow residents to participate in events across the organisation, visit people they may know and meet new people. Students also came up with ideas to support dental care, a dating service to build friendships and relationships, and creating more spaces for a variety of worship.Health and Social Care Future Skills Week provided our students with opportunities to experience different career pathways with industry professionals. It was an excellent way to network and build connections, but also prepare them for a variety of sectors with invaluable information from hands-on workshops and informative guest lectures. Thank you to the industry professionals who took the time to visit our <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/healt…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/healt…; target="_blank">Health and Social Care</a> students and share your first-hand experience. <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/healt…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/healt…; target="_blank">If you are interested in applying to one of our Health and Social Care courses, click here.</a>

Health and Social Care Future Skills Week

20 Mar 2025

Guthrie Kennard performing on stage to the Music students

Last month, Guthrie Kennard, an American singer-songwriter from Texas, visited our <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/music…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/music…; target="_blank">Music Performance and Production</a> learners, offering invaluable insight into the world of songwriting and performance. With over 60 years of experience in Old Blues and Southern country music, Guthrie brought not only his talent but also his wisdom, sharing stories from a lifetime dedicated to music. Guthrie has played bass for six decades and performed alongside legendary musicians like Larry Graham, Buddy Miles, Rocky Hill, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. From playing gigs in small intimate settings to massive crowds of 50,000 people during the peak of the blues movement, Guthrie had many amazing stories to share with our learners about his journey. His passion for music has never faltered, “I have more stories than I do money,” he admitted, and even at 74, he continues to play because it brings him joy and fulfilment. During his visit, Guthrie shared insights into the songwriting process. He emphasised the importance of originality in lyrics, advising students to avoid repetition and make every line unique. His songwriting process is also largely organic—he starts with chords and a melody, often relying on drum patterns to guide the rhythm.  While he doesn’t always plan albums in advance, he claims that he has a clear sense of the sound he wants to achieve. “I usually have a feeling of what an album will sound like, and I will write a song and decide that I need to keep it in that genre,” he explained. Guthrie finds inspiration for his songs originates from the world around him. “I listen to stories, so if I hear a line that inspires me, I will use it as a lyric,” he shared. However, he also admitted to struggling with writer’s block, encouraging the students to keep writing, whether it’s serious songs or silly and fun, every bit of creativity is progress. The students were captivated when Guthrie performed in our Michael Eavis music Suite at Loxton Campus. Many of our learners aspire for a lifetime career in music in the future, giving them a lot of encouragement and insight into their chosen industry.  Guthrie acknowledges that his age has slowed him down a bit and discussed the challenges he has faced over time, but his love for music has always outweighed the negatives and he doesn’t want to stop playing. “I love doing it, and it keeps me going. It’s something I’ve done since I was a kid. Even though it’s been hard, it’s also kept me alive.” During his visit, Guthrie praised Weston College’s facilities and the warmth of the students and staff, admitting that he was actually a bit nervous to be there. Guthrie’s insights and experiences provided the students with an honest, unfiltered look at the realities of being a musician. From handling criticism to navigating the financial struggles of the industry, he offered an abundance of knowledge that will undoubtedly help shape the future generation of artists.  We’d like to say a huge thank you to Guthrie Kennard for taking the time to visit us all the way from Texas and share his amazing journey and wisdom with our students. <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/music…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/music…; target="_blank">If you’re interested in applying to one of our Music and Production courses, click here.</a>

Live Performance and Q&A from Guthrie Kennard, a Musician from Texas

19 Mar 2025

Gold, silver and bronze winning groups handing over a cheque to Kirsty Simmons from Weston Hospicecare

Business Enterprise Challenge is a fantastic competition ran every year for <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…; target="_blank">Business</a> and <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/trave…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/trave…; target="_blank">Travel and Tourism</a> students to give them a chance to work as a team and create a marketable product that they can sell to the public in order to raise money for Weston Hospicecare. This is the fourth year of the Business Enterprise Challenge and, so far, their efforts have raised over £22,500 for Weston Hospicecare in the last 4 years!  <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nQOqhNCNB-0?si=L69yS34lyWqUyjZh" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>There were 21 groups in total and each group start the challenge with a £50 investment from local employers to be used as the start up for their products. They then design and create an innovative business plan to sell and reinvest their profits to further develop their sales and grow their product and community impact.  Every group taking part in this challenge are provided with a business mentor from a local employer in Weston-super-Mare. These mentors provide support and guidance throughout the whole process, offering the students with invaluable advice in areas such as networking, financial management, sales and much more. This provides the learners with essential transferrable skills for future entrepreneurs.  All groups came up with unique and innovative products, however three groups in particular took the challenge in stride and exceeded all expectations, raising large sums of money and going above and beyond during the selling process. During this challenge, we offer Bronze, Silver and Gold awards as an incentive to work harder and win the title. The winners also got public recognition and a certificate to reward their efforts.  Our Bronze winners created personalised lip gloss keychains which were loved by all ages. By keeping costs low and sales high, their product remains popular among students and staff. Their dedication, even outside of lessons, helped them raise an impressive £519.16. <drupal-entity alt=""Bronze group on stage at Celebration of Success holding up their certificate"" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1e3b784e-3c2f-4f6c-8579-68c98de46953" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"max_500x500","image_link":"","image_loading":{"attribute":"lazy"}}"> </drupal-entity> Our Silver winners showcased creativity and smart reinvestment, selling bespoke Halloween and Christmas candles at high-profit margins. They leveraged each other's strengths, worked closely with their mentors, and attended external events, raising an amazing £627.25. <drupal-entity alt=""Silver group on stage at Celebration of Success holding up their certificate"" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="25cbfa1b-6ca2-4f92-8825-7d183b7e1a65" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"max_500x500","image_link":"","image_loading":{"attribute":"lazy"}}"> </drupal-entity> All teams worked extremely hard, but our Gold winners, Wax and Walkies, smashed the record, raising more money than any other group in the last four years with a fantastic £1,100. Selling wax melts, hot chocolate, and dog treats, they created a diverse range of products to maximise sales. With mentor Sarah’s guidance, they built one of the project’s strongest brands, earning them the top spot—complete with custom T-shirts to further promote their products!   <drupal-entity alt=""Gold group on stage at Celebration of Success holding up their certificate"" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a40aa5c3-f86a-43d0-9fc6-e4d931bba939" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{"image_style":"max_500x500","image_link":"","image_loading":{"attribute":"lazy"}}"> </drupal-entity> This challenge allows the students to think creatively and independently in order to develop and sell products for profit. By working with local employers and mentors, the students got to engage with the local community, whilst also learning more about the logistics behind setting up a business and the importance of financial management and much more. It gave them invaluable experience from a real-world setting and provided them with transferrable skills for the future.  Kirsty Simmons, the Community Fundraising Manager at Weston Hospicecare, thanked our students for the amazing work they have done for them over the years, adding, “This fundraiser is amazing for Weston Hospicecare and Weston College because we’re getting the community together. Not only are we getting fundraising, but the students are learning from mentors that are out in the business world where they can make new relationships and connections which they can use going forward.  This money will go to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their family members. It’s really crucial to know that we are not just here for the patients, but we are also here for their families.”  We are incredibly proud of all the students who have taken part this year, raising a total that has surpassed all other years once again with a fantastic £7289.87 which has been donated directly to Weston Hospicecare.  Thank you to the mentors and local employers that invested in our learners, got involved with the project and supported them through the process. This challenge would not be possible without your involvement.  If you’re interested in applying to one of our <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…; target="_blank">Business</a> or <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/trave…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/trave…; target="_blank">Travel and Tourism</a> courses, click here.  If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/jobs?utm_source=main-menu&utm_medium=main-…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/jobs?utm_source=main-menu&utm_medium=main-…; target="_blank">here</a>. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.

Business Enterprise Challenge Raises Over £7,000 for Weston Hospicecare

Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds (old)

COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS

Discover our range of courses for school leavers aged 16-18 using the search options below...

Select a Course Subject:

Search courses by keyword:

Search by Keyword:

Select a Career:

Find Your Future Path

Qualifications Explained

A Levels

Apprenticeships

Professional and Technical Qualifications

Traineeships

CHOOSING WHAT TO STUDY

School Liaison Team

Events

CAREERS ADVICE

LATEST NEWS

Quick Links

Useful information

Contact Us

Apply or find out more

LATEST NEWS

Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds (old)

COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS

Discover our range of courses for school leavers aged 16-18 using the search options below...

Select a Course Subject:

Search courses by keyword:

Search by Keyword:

Select a Career:

Qualifications Explained

A Levels

Apprenticeships

Professional and Technical Qualifications

Traineeships

CHOOSING WHAT TO STUDY

School Liaison Team

Events

CAREERS ADVICE

Apply or find out more

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