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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
Weston College has teamed up with Weston-super-Mare Helicopter Museum to help renovate Weston Airfield’s dilapidated pilots’ block.
College students, their lecturer Steve Harris and curriculum manager Shaun Canniford volunteered to plaster the 1930s building that has laid in a derelict state since 1993.
“The Helicopter Museum approached us with this project and we were more than happy to help,” Shaun said.
“This development has enabled us to give our students the opportunity to take the skills that they have learned in the workshop and apply them in a commercial environment. Taking into account the significance of the building to the local community, it was important that the College contributed to this project.”
The project is being funded by the Coastal Communities Fund, who have earmarked £138,000 for the development, and the plaster was donated by CRS Building Suppliers, a local business that is based next to the museum in a building that was once part of the airfield complex.
Nick Burrough, Branch Manager at CRS Building Supplies, said: “This is a local project and the College and CRS both share the same vision of supporting the local community to help it grow, expand and develop.”
Alison Page, Project Manager of the redevelopment, said: “This regeneration will help Weston-super-Mare retain its links to a long history of aviation, and is about giving that history back to the local people.
“So much of our aviation history is already gone, and we want to bring it all back in to the room it started in.”
The development will finish in 2016 and open to the public as Weston Aviation Museum.
On Friday 4th December the Helicopter Museum will be holding a social event for anyone with a link to Weston-super-Mare’s aviation past.
For more information on the social event or to volunteer at the site, contact Alison on 07341 836097.
Weston College is widely known as an outstanding provider of education, but it also has been successfully changing the face of Weston-super-Mare for decades by transforming underused and unloved buildings into award-winning facilities.
Take a look at the below images to see how the College has changed over the years, and find out about the many successful building projects it has completed…
Knightstone Campus
Opened in 1970, the College’s Knightstone Campus was the first College building to be constructed. Built in a typically brutalist style, the College has invested significantly over the years to modernise the building, creating a new entrance atrium in 1998.
Before
After
Loxton Campus
The College’s second campus, which includes its Sixth Form Centre, was built on the site of the former Broadoak Sixth Form College. The site was renovated and reopened in 2008.
Before
After
South West Skills Campus
The South West Skills Campus started life as Bushacre Business park. The College moved into the former Clarks shoe factory initially, and as provision grew the site expanded into the roadside industrial units and Renault garage. This renovation earned the College a nomination for two building excellence awards.
Before
After
Weston College Conference Centre
Built in 1892, the Hans Price-designed Conference Centre was refurbished from a derelict state in 2012, winning the Somerset Trust ‘Building of the Year’ award and earning a nomination for an English Heritage Angel Award in the process.
Before
After
Law and Professional Services Academy
Weston College bought the former Arosfa Hotel in January 2016 and spent millions of pounds on much-needed renovation work to the row of Victorian terraced houses. The building opened for teaching and student accommodation in September the same year.
Before
After
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Winter Gardens Pavilion
The College reopened the Winter Gardens Pavilion to the public in September 2018. The public now benefits from updated facilities, a new modern British restaurant and a new cafe.
Click here for more before and after pictures of the Winter Gardens Pavilion.
Before
After
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Find out about how Weston College has invested in its award-winning facilities over the years...
Weston College and the Federation of Small Businesses Limited (FSB) have joined forces to generate more apprenticeships opportunities across the West of England.
Following the FSB ‘Make or Break, getting apprenticeships reform right for small businesses’ report in August 2016, it was discovered that two in three small-medium enterprises retain their apprentice once they have finished their studies, which represents the benefits of hiring apprentices. Weston College actively seeks to better these statistics, with over 90% of its apprentices being offered permanent positions once they have completed their course.
The objective of this partnership is to highlight opportunities for small-medium enterprise employers across the West of England to engage with apprenticeships to recruit and develop talent, supporting their business growth.
John Mayer, the FSB Weston-super-Mare branch Vice Chairman said: “The FSB are committed to supporting our members locally and nationally to understand the opportunities presented by apprenticeships to attract, retain and develop a skilled workforce. There are significant benefits to employing an apprentice, giving the employer a valuable resource they can invest in to help successfully manage their businesses. We are therefore delighted to be working in partnership with Weston College to directly address some of the myths and lack of understanding around apprenticeships and generate additional employment opportunities across the region.”
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group, said: “At Weston College we pride ourselves in putting students first, and we are committed to giving our learners the best opportunities possible. We are excited by the prospect of working with FSB, as we aim to expand our network of local businesses and employers, to deliver more apprenticeships in the region.”
The partnership will include Weston College and the FSB hosting a joint Apprenticeship Expo event on 31st October at the Winter Gardens in Weston-super-Mare. The event will focus on enlightening businesses to the opportunities that apprenticeships can present to their organisation. Organisations will receive advice on recruitment and funding, as well as the opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from companies that offer apprenticeships.
Employers can register their interest for the event here
To discuss the advantages apprenticeships can bring to your organisation, contact us on 01934 411 411 or email apprenticeships@weston.ac.uk
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