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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
An adult learner at Weston College has been recognised for the exemplary standard of his work on a HR management course.
Phil Davies, HR advisor, has now completed the Level 5 Intermediate Certificate in HR Management and won the CIPD Student of the Year Award 2019 (West of England Branch) at the CIPD People Management Awards. The awards celebrate and reward the outstanding achievements and contributions made by HR and Learning and Development professionals.
The 2019 winners were announced at a ceremony at the UWE Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Diane Steer, a Lecturer in HR at Weston College, said: “Phil was nominated for the award because his work was consistently of an exemplary standard. He is an outstanding learner who always contributed to class discussions and debates and was able to relate theory to his own practice. He is a credit to the HR profession.”
The College’s Level 5 Intermediate Certificate in Human Resource Management is a one-year course that’s studied one evening a week. It covers a range of units including developing professional practice; business issues and the context of HR; using information in HR; employment law; resourcing and talent planning; reward management.
Phil said: “I’m proud to have achieved a formal qualification that recognises and validates my years of practical HR experience. Many thanks to my employer for supporting and encouraging me and to my lecturers at Weston College who skilfully guided me in my studies."
Helen George, the College’s Dean of Professional Studies, said: “This is the second time a College Level 5 CIPD learner has won a CIPD Student of the Year Award. This is a real credit to both the excellent learners and staff here at Weston College. We are very proud of Phil and this his achievements.”
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Update 20 November 2019
University Centre Weston (UCW) and Weston College graduate Henry Green has been named as the Association of Colleges (AoC) Higher Education Student of the Year runner-up. He was presented with a certificate to commemorate his success at the International Conference Centre, Birmingham, on Tuesday (19 November) evening.
A Weston College and University Centre Weston (UCW) graduate is in the running to win the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Higher Education Student of the Year Award.
Henry Green has made the final three for the prize, and will find out if he wins when the winner is announced during the annual AoC conference in mid-November.
Henry, from Burnham-on-Sea, completed the Level 2 Extended Certificate and Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Travel and Tourism at Weston College before progressing to a Foundation Degree in Tourism Management and Top-up Degree in Business Management with Sustainability at UCW.
The 22-year-old graduated this summer with an upper second class (2:1) honours degree having impressed his lecturers throughout his time at Weston College and UCW.
As well as being a dedicated and popular student, Henry was nominated for the award in recognition of his achievements whilst having a diagnosis of autism.
He took every opportunity to make the most out of his studies, including attending trips to the United States and Belgium and working as a student ambassador at open days and other events.
He also discussed how to support students on the autism spectrum during staff development sessions, and even took the time to speak to students on UCW’s Inclusive Practice Degree about how they too could develop their professional practice.
Henry also undertook a number of work placements as part of his studies, including at Weston’s Helicopter Museum, and has written articles about autism for a number of publications.
He said: “Weston College provided me with a positive and encouraging environment, this helped me to achieve all of the things that I did. The most important thing about my time at Weston College is that it gave me self-belief, I mostly struggled to mix with my peers and lacked confidence in my own abilities.
“I have been very lucky to be surrounded by the right people who have helped me along the way, and I hope achieving my degree encourages other people with disabilities that they can too.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey, so being considered for an award at the end of it is a welcome surprise.” Dr Paul Phillips CBE, the Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, added: “Henry is a humble young man who does not appreciate how inspiring he is to those around him.
“He won a UCW Faculty Student of the Year award last year and we will all be keeping our fingers crossed that he wins this AoC prize as well.
“He is a wonderful example of someone who has met the challenges of life head on and would be a very worthy winner.”
Henry’s shortlisting is the latest in a number of successes for Weston College at the AoC Awards, with the organisation having recently won prizes for its dedication to improving learner mental health and wellbeing and to recognise its commitment to supporting students with learning difficulties and disabilities.
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Our Health and Social Care students can now practise clinical procedures under lifelike conditions thanks to the arrival of four new residents at the new Health and Active Living Skills Centre.
The state-of-the-art medical mannequins – known as ‘Nursing Anne’ and produced by Laerdal – are the latest addition to the new centre’s impressive simulation hospital ward.
It is the first nursing simulator to cover every aspect of modern nursing education, from basic assessments and critical thinking to advanced interventions. These interactive dummies will allow students to train for the multitude they could encounter in an actual hospital ward.
As well as looking lifelike, the dummies can be programmed to say specific phrases and react to learners’ actions in order to improve team performance within a risk-free environment. Learners can also take temperatures, and blood pressure and heart readings from the dummies, and observe vital signs using the monitors.
All of these can be operated remotely for realistic emergency simulations for assessment situations.
Darren, from Laerdal, who provided training for staff to use the simulators, added: “The aim here is to improve healthcare education and build a safe place to practically practise and troubleshoot, which is imperative before applying skills to a real person.
“These sophisticated simulators are more than just plastic. Compared to the older dummies, these provide a more realistic interaction for students which gives them a better representation of a real-life situation.”
Click here for more information on the Nursing Anne Simulators
Click here for more information on the Health and Active Living Skills Centre
Click here for more information on Health and Social Care courses
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