My job at Weston College is part of College Information Services (CIS) and I work within the Admissions department. In Admissions we work primarily with adult learners and provide them with Information, Advice and Guidance which could include funding information and how to enrol on courses...

Another role we have is to conduct course interviews to ensure they are enrolled onto the correct course and guide them into their desired career. Admissions will also manage the FT applications and support school leavers through their college application journey. This journey can be quite daunting for applicants and their parents when they’re applying to study at college, so it is a really rewarding to be able to settle any nerves and be able to reassure them through the application process.

A typical day for Admissions would involve completing enrolments, calling back customers who have left us a message outside of our opening hours, and interviewing the future students who have applied to study with us. They say that ‘Variety is the spice of life’ and that is how I would describe Admissions; no two days are the same. We will also speak to customers by using different methods of communication such as by phone, email, and our new live chat service on the Weston College website.

Since starting at Weston College 10 years ago, I have been supported to develop both professionally and personally. I have completed NVQ’s in Advice and Guidance (IAG) Level 3 and Customer Service Level 3. I have also completed courses such as British Sign Language for Frontline Staff and Mental Health First Aid to help make our service in admissions more inclusive to everyone. Through achieving these qualifications and skills it has allowed me to deliver the highest level of service to all our customers. These courses and qualifications have proven to be invaluable, and to see the impact these courses I have worked through have had on our learners and customers makes it all worthwhile..

My proudest moment whilst working at the college was meeting a customer whose aspiration was to become a teacher, but she did not have the qualifications that were required. We spoke about the types of courses she would need to study to achieve this goal and how she could realistically afford to enrol onto each course. A few years later she came back to see me, and she had just started working for Weston College as a tutor and was incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I had given her at the beginning. Helping someone to achieve their dream job is extremely rewarding and my favourite part of the job.

For anyone thinking about working for the college you won’t just be joining a department, you will be joining the Weston College family. The staff are always happy to help each other, whether it is solving problems or offering new services to our students and customers. The college invest into all their staff whether it is through courses or career progression within the organisation. I am so enormously proud to work for such a successful college.