COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS
Your Future Starts Here
With hundreds of exciting courses, this is where your journey begins. From day one, you'll be supported, inspired, and on track to a rewarding career.
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Whether you're finishing school, changing direction, or learning English with our ESOL courses – we’ve got you covered.
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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
This week is New Year New You week, and our team is on hand at all campuses to give free help and guidance towards your health and wellbeing goals for the new year. Click here to find out about the fun and free sessions we're holding, and read on to discover our top tips for a healthy mind...
Eat healthily
The things you consume have a big effect on your mental happiness. Eating a balanced diet will keep your energy levels up throughout the day and make you feel a lot healthier.
Watch what you drink
Drinking water and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine can also improve your mental health, as well as stopping smoking. Drinking water helps your body flush out toxins and is key to healthy skin, preventing spots, making your eyes look brighter and makes you more alert.
Be more active
Exercising every day has both physical and mental benefits. Exercise makes your body release endorphins which can greatly improve your mood. Walking or cycling (instead of driving), dancing, and even doing housework are all easy ways to get the blood pumping. Combine this with eating healthy and you’ll start to look and feel better.
Get a good night’s sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is also essential to relaxing your brain. Get into a good sleep routine and try not to watch television or browse the internet before sleeping - this could disrupt your body's natural sleep process through intrusive blue light.
Talk to others
Feeling connected with other people is an important part of what makes us human and neglecting this part of life can have detrimental effects on your mental health. Many mental health problems can be helped or even prevented by keeping in touch with others and maintaining strong relationships. If you are having difficulties then some of the best help can be given by friends or family, so talk to them about how you feel as well as listening to their thoughts and emotions.
Do something new
This one’s easy – all you have to do is something you’ve never done before, even something as simple as visiting a new place, starting a new hobby or reading a book by an author you’ve never heard of. New experiences challenge your brain to process and store new information and keep it active.
Remember that help is available
It might seem easy to start these changes, but sticking to them is going to challenge you. Our health care assistants are on hand to help you achieve your healthy living goals.
Students from Weston College's Sport and Public Services Department visited Weston Town Hall last week to discuss the changes to Weston-super-Mare's town centre with Cllr John Crockford-Hawley, Chairman of North Somerset Council.
The students discussed projects such as the Tropicana, Backwell leisure facilities, the town square/Italian Gardens development and using sport as a rehabilitation tool.
Cllr John Crockford-Hawley said: "The students showed their excellent debating skills and their ability to present new ideas. They were very passionate about using sport to help people struggling with addiction.
"I wish all debates that I chair could be of this quality!"
Catering students at Weston College got the opportunity to cook with locally-produced cooking technology last week as part of the Chefs’ Forum Academy.
The students got the chance to use Clifton Food Range’s renowned water bath cooking products (as seen on Masterchef and the Great British Menu), which are made in Weston-super-Mare.
Christopher Wicks, Head Chef at Old Down Manor, was on hand to kick-off the water bath cookery unit of the students’ course, demonstrating how this method of cooking can seal in flavour and gives chefs control over the texture of the food.
This type of cookery is called sous vide and involves vacuum sealing the ingredients before cooking at a low temperature in the special water-based cooking machines. It is a technique which is rapidly gaining popularity in many top restaurants.
Catherine Farinha, Founder of the Chefs’ Forum, said: “Having an industry expert like Chris Wicks teach Weston College’s catering students will inspire the young chefs and show them the versatility of sous vide cookery.
“They will learn about portion control, quality consistency and all the other advantages of low temperature cookery that make it Wicks’ cooking method of choice.”
The Chefs’ Forum Academy was launched at Weston College in September 2016, and brings together local chefs, food producers and innovative product designers. It enables industry professionals to pass on their knowledge of the catering industry to trainee chefs in a collaboration which aims to promote Weston College as a centre of excellence for catering and hospitality in the South West of England.
WHICH LEVEL IS RIGHT FOR ME?
