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
WHAT is it?
Starting construction at the start of 2018, the Health and Active Living Skills Centre has brought together our health and social care, sports therapy, and active living curricula into one bespoke facility. It includes a fully equipped gym and multi-purpose sports hall. This allows students to observe and learn about the effects of exercise on the body. There are also state-of-the-art science labs, including provision for sport analysis, a health therapy suite, and a six bed fully-equipped simulation ward including high-tech patient mannequins.
The Centre also boasts a separate clinic/therapy room which is used by external health and sports professionals – this enables students to access health and sports professionals on site.
WHERE is it?
The centre is situated next to our Loxton Campus, and close to Weston General Hospital. This offers students the perfect opportunity to work closely with the hospital, and gain valuable knowledge from industry professionals. The ability to get hands-on experience and learn from experts in their field plays a huge role in students’ progression and learning. As James Rimmer, Chief Executive of Weston Area Health Trust, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for partnership working between Weston College and Weston General Hospital. This demonstrates the investment we are both making to support the learning and development of students”.
WHY do we need it?
The NHS and small to medium-sized employers in the healthcare sector have identified increasing skills shortages that could lead to major recruitment issues in the sector if they are not addressed. To help combat this skills shortage and give back to the community, over £13 million has been invested to employ builders and contractors in the local area to build high-quality facilities for our students. The first of its kind in the region, the Health and Active Living Skills Centre enables young people and adults to study courses from Level 1 up to degree-level. This ensures that the region is able to provide the skills and qualifications it needs for a sustainable healthcare workforce.
Click here to see the floorplans for the building.
Dzeneta Antoneviciute, Level 1 Hairdressing and Beauty, and Amelia Searle, Level 2 Hairdressing competed in the AHT competitions at the end of January in Aberdare, Wales.
The AHT competition is open to any 16-19 year old studying hairdressing/barbering or beauty. Dzeneta and Amelia will be joining Zoe and Claire, who have direct entries within their fields at the finals on Sunday 15th March at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been given. I am looking forward to expanding my skills even further. Going to the finals will be an incredible experience in which I hope to excel in”, Amelia.
Each learner will now need to practice their looks for the next stage whilst developing their time management skills. Tutors will be pressure testing them (providing opportunities to practice in front of an audience) to prepare them for the big stage. This will mean that each learner will need to commit additional time for specialist training in addition to their college timetable.
Jenna, FE Curriculum Co-ordinator for Hair and Beauty, said: “I'm so proud of each of our learners who took part in the regional AHT competition, they put in outstanding performances and should be pleased to have gained first place. We pride ourselves with offering all learners the opportunity to take part in competitions. These competitions are a brilliant way to springboard their skills, improving their future employability.
We look forward to hearing how the finals go in March.
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Hi I'm Emma, a Digital Marketing Apprentice at Weston College.
After finishing my A Levels, I didn’t know what to do with my career. I knew university wasn’t the route I wanted, but I was also afraid of being 20 years old and doing an apprenticeship. I saw an apprenticeship as something for school leavers, and I didn’t realise the opportunities it would present me.
I wanted to get my foot in the door with a local employer, and start a job where I could showcase my creativity, and express my passion for social media. An apprenticeship gave me just that, and was the perfect route to kick start my future career in marketing. I quickly learned that the majority of other apprentices at Weston College were the same age as me – in fact, there are several people older than me studying an apprenticeship in order to upskill.
I now laugh at the fact that I got the role of an apprentice so wrong - instead of doing the basic jobs I was expecting, I am treated the same as any other member of the team. I am given so many opportunities to fully understand what digital marketing is and why it is so beneficial to the organisation. The team are incredibly supportive, and I know that I can approach anyone with a question and not only will they help me with the situation, but it will also benefit my qualification.
I have grown in confidence so much since working at Weston College, from something simple like picking up the phone to ask someone a question, to communicating with senior staff and employers during events.
What I love most about my job is that no two days are the same. Whether I am working on adding content to one of the websites, editing a video, or covering an event on social media; my role allows me explore my creativity in the best way imaginable. My proudest moment whilst working at Weston College was creating and managing a digital campaign by myself for the first time – and seeing the impact it had on student recruitment. This is something I didn’t believe I would be able to do when I first started my apprenticeship.
Weston College has a brilliant staff mentoring program which helped me to settle in straight away. As a previous Weston College student I thought I knew most things about the college, but I was definitely wrong. I meet my mentor regularly for coffee, which really helps with my development.
I’ve recently become part of a new initiative called the ‘Inspiring Future Talent’ programme, which welcomes all current internal apprentices working at the college, and allows apprentices from across the organisation to discuss issues or struggles that come with being an apprentice. We are given the opportunity to talk about any topics that we feel will help to support us through our time at Weston College, and it’s a great opportunity to get to know others. Being inspired by the help I received from my mentor, I hope to help other people, especially apprentices into settling into the college in the future.
I am loving my time as an apprentice, and look forward to continuing my development at Weston College.
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WHICH LEVEL IS RIGHT FOR ME?
