COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS
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QUALIFICATIONS EXPLAINED
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.
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 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.
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.
LATEST NEWS
Our hospitality and catering department is always busy in the Grove Training Kitchen and Restaurant on the second floor of the Knightstone Campus. Whether they’re making treats to sell around the College, or serving the public in the evening, they are always learning and improving their skills.
We’re taking a look back at the best guest chefs and experiences they’ve had over the last term…
Making canapés and serving front of house at Berwick Lodge
Our students were given a fantastic opportunity at the start of the year to serve front of house at an event at Berwick Lodge, and make canapés with head chef, Istvan Ulmann. They had a fantastic day, making a variety of dishes for a BBQ event and afternoon tea, and Istvan later returned to the College to deliver a guest session in our Grove Restaurant. Read the full story here.
Weston Wok from the College’s atrium
Back in February, a few of our Level 3 students decided to run their own Weston Wok lunch business from the Knightstone Campus atrium! They cooked lunch for paying members of the public, staff and students, fresh in front of them.
A vegetarian chef came for a visit
Elisabeth Guillén, Head Chef at The Gloucester Old Spot in Bristol, came in to lead a class of our Level 3 students. She taught them about traditional Spanish recipes with a vegetarian focus, creating some fantastic dishes and showing the diverse flavours you can create, even without meat! You can read the full story here.
Serving a party of 40 guests in the Grove Restaurant
The College recently held a special celebration for winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, so our hospitality and catering students worked hard throughout the day to make a three-course meal for all 40 VIPs. Everyone was thoroughly impressed with the food and all their hard work.
Working at the Cheltenham Festival
22 of our students attended the Cheltenham Festival to serve thousands of visitors over the week. They encountered a few famous faces while working in the Gold Cup Restaurant, Paddock Restaurant and The Sizzling Jack prepping food and serving front of house.
Find out more
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in hospitality and catering, we offer a range of courses and apprenticeships that can help you on your way!
Click here to find out more...
A female driver for a Somerset based delivery company has just passed her LGV C driving licence, having been trained through Somax Driver Training, part of the Weston College Group.
Six months ago, Emma Wilson aged 32 from Weston-super-Mare, was a Dispensing Assistant at a Pharmacy and after a chance conversation with a Director of Jays Logistics, she decided to change her career path and joined the company as a van driver.
Emma was then signed up to the government’s trailblazer apprenticeship scheme for Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) Driver, this was done in conjunction with award winning trainers from Backwell based Somax Driver Training. On Monday 19th March 2018, Emma passed her LGV C driving test with only four minors.
The transport and logistics industry is heavily male orientated and the training required makes it seem expensive to get into, but across the UK there is a shortage of around 50,000 HGV drivers. With companies like Jays Logistics, in partnership with Somax and Weston College, offering many ways to get into the industry from warehouse, driving and office apprenticeships, this could be set to change.
Paul Phillips, Operations Director at Jays Logistics, said: “When Emma joined us in October 2017 we both took a leap of faith, Emma had never driven anything bigger than a Fiat 500!
“However, we took a chance; Emma took an initial drop in wages for the potential future earnings and a career doing something she enjoys.
“In five months Emma has learnt the ropes and has been driving a 4m Sprinter since her start, her confidence has soared, she is a well-liked, valuable and hardworking member of the team.”
Exams are just around the corner and revision is getting into full flow. We want to help make the process as painless as possible for you, so we have looked into 5 revision apps which you can download right now to get you prepared for exam season...
Gojimo
Gojimo was created by the Telegraph and is the UK’s most popular revision app, giving you access to over 40,000 practice questions. This app covers a wide range of subjects, from exam boards such as AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC. The app features questions from 28 GCSE subjects, and 20 A Level subjects, giving you a great platform to prepare for your exams.
The app is also a great tool to track your progress, and by taking the quizzes it can be a fun way of revising. It will give you instant feedback and also detailed explanations which can help you learn from your mistakes.
Quizlet
Quizlet allows you to create study sets and according to research 95% of students who learn with Quizlet improved their results. Through Quizlet you can access revision cards which have already been made, or you can create your own to share with your friends. There are also games which offer a different way to test your skills and learn new information.
Revision App
The suitably named app has over one million revision notes, flashcards and quizzes. If you are a visual learner then you can also watch videos, allowing you to go back over any topics that you don’t feel quite so confident with. By offering such a variety of tools, this app will help ensure you feel suitably prepared for your exams.
This app makes it easier for store all your revision tools in one place, as you can tailor the app to your courses and level.
SelfControl
If you are a procrastinator then this app will allow you to make more effective use of your time. SelfControl blocks websites in a set time period to stop the temptation of checking your newsfeeds and helps you to put your full focus on the task at hand.
Simple Mind
This app gives you the chance to create mind maps, it is easy to use and allows you to colour code, add images and keep all the vital information you need in one easily accessible place. An advantage of this app is that you can use it across platforms, so whether it be on your computer at home, or on your phone whilst out and about, this is a great revision tool.
WHICH LEVEL IS RIGHT FOR ME?
