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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 students are set to wow family audiences with a pantomime performance of Aladdin this December.
Performing and Production Arts students will stage the classic tale at Weston’s Blakehay Theatre on December 5th and 6th.
Both shows start at 7pm and tickets, priced at £10, are available from Blakehay’s box office or online at www.blakehaytheatre.co.uk
The students will also be putting on separate performances for school children during the day and touring local schools the following week.
There’s fun for all the family in this traditional, family panto. It’s packed full of song, dance, mayhem and magic, as Aladdin tangles with evil Jafar and tries to save his love Princess Jasmine.
The students’ annual panto will be performed from an original script by College Performing Arts Technician Peter Tyler, with additional material provided by fellow staff members Andy Collyer and Keith and Ben Simmons.
Weston College is set to play a lead role in tackling the construction industry skills shortage by opening a state-of-the-art industry focused training centre.
The Weston College Construction Training Centre, based just off Junction 21 of the M5, will open in spring 2019 and represents a £3.8 million investment.
It will offer training in three key construction areas – plant operations, scaffolding, and groundworks.
Courses have been selected and designed with employers’ needs in mind and in response to the growing demand for a trained and skilled construction workforce in the region.
Training will be available as required by employers and individuals, rather than fitting into the traditional academic year.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group said: “The Construction Training Centre is a natural step into commercial training and starts an exciting chapter for us.
“Over the last ten years, we’ve built strong relationships with employers to develop our apprenticeship provision.
“But we’ve recognised, more and more, the need to deliver training at the point of need – not only for school leavers during the academic year.
“The Construction Training Centre means employers can come to us at any time for short courses, top-up courses, and to up-skill staff who are taking on new roles. We’ll also provide apprenticeships in these new areas to train the next generation of this industry’s workforce.”
The new centre has been designed to equip industry with the workforce it needs now and into the future.
Dr Paul Phillips said: “It’s a direct response to the skills shortage in the three areas.
The ability for the centre to offer plant training for all major site plant will be a significant development for the South West, whether that is with 360 excavators, dumper trucks or telehandlers, the centre will offer easily accessible training, key to meeting industry demand.
The College has commissioned Midas Construction to build the centre.
Dr Paul Phillips said: “We have a long-running relationship with Midas. They understand the College, our priorities and how to provide the learning environment that students need.”
Weston College will team up with national leader for scaffolding, safety experts Simian, to provide outstanding scaffolding training.
This training centre has been made possible through the efforts of Weston College in partnership with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and North Somerset Council.
The financial investment has been provided by the College match-funding a successful bid for funding from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) through the Local Growth Fund, administered by the West of England Combined Authority.
Chair of the West of England LEP, Prof Steve West, said: “We’re really pleased to support the fantastic new Construction Training Centre at Weston College. This will help to equip our current and future construction workforce with the skills they need to drive forward the building of new homes, business premises and infrastructure as our region grows. It will also help them to secure better career prospects and make the most of the opportunities available right here in the West of England.”
Derek Quinn, Executive Director for Midas Construction, said: “We are delighted to be continuing the strong framework partnership between Weston College and Midas. As a regionally-based business we are active in promoting opportunities for careers within construction and so we are particularly proud to be involved in bringing forward this new facility which will help develop a skilled and highly-trained workforce for the future.”
As you may already know, Weston College has just been shortlisted for six national awards.
These are among the most prestigious honours available in the further education (FE) sector. So, to be in the running for six, is a huge achievement.
The Principal, Individual staff, College initiatives, and the College, as a whole, are all finalists in various categories.
But what are the awards all about? Why is it such an achievement? Who’s been shortlisted, and for what?
Let us explain.
What are the awards?
We’ve been shortlisted in four categories of the 2019 Tes FE Awards. (Tes was formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement, by the way).
In Tes’s words, the awards “recognise the most outstanding individuals and institutions that the FE sector has to offer, and those shortlisted are the cream of the crop.”
Put simply, they are the ‘Oscars’ of the FE world.
We’re also finalists in two Association of Colleges’ (AoC) Beacon Awards.
Now in its 24th year, the Beacon Awards showcase best practice and innovation in colleges. As Carole Stott MBE, Chair of the AoC Charitable Trust, explains: “The Beacon Awards were created to highlight the great work that goes on in colleges every day.”
The awards cover achievements in the academic year 2017-18.
Are these separate awards?
Yes and no.
The Tes and Beacon awards are judged independently but they have teamed up to release the shortlists and will hold a joint ceremony to announce the winners.
This ‘gala awards evening’ will take place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London on Friday, 22nd March, 2019. It promises to be a spectacular event with more than 800 guests expected to attend, including government ministers and many of the great and good from the education sector.
Why is it such a major achievement for the College?
Firstly, these are all national awards, so every college, member of staff and special initiative was eligible for at least one category.
Then, to be finalists in so many categories is exceptional. For instance, there are only 11 Tes categories and we’re shortlisted in four. Likewise, we’re shortlisted in two of the eight Beacon Award categories.
There are eight finalists for each Tes Award, and either three or four in the AoC Award categories.
Who’s been shortlisted, and for which awards?
These are our finalists in the Tes Awards:
Dr Paul Phillips CBE – FE Leader of the Year
Our Principal, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, is a finalist in this category, which recognises exceptional leadership in FE in the UK.
Dr Phillips has led from the front as the College has enjoyed another hugely successful year. Among the highlights were the College winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education. This is one of the College’s most impressive achievements since it embarked on its 16-year transformation under the leadership of Dr Phillips in 2001.
Claire Knapp – FE Teacher of the Year
Claire is a lecturer in motor vehicles at the College.
This award rewards the individual whose passion, knowledge and skill have inspired students to success and who have made a major contribution to educational life. It is open to anyone working as a teacher, tutor or lecturer in the FE sector. All finalists have had an excellent impact on learners’ progress, attainment and growth, and brought positive change beyond learners.
Weston College – FE College of the Year
It’s a major honour to even be shortlisted for this award, which “rewards colleges whose imagination and passion have led to stellar provision in all areas”.
This has been another exceptional year for the College. As well as success in the apprenticeships (90% offered permanent positions after completion) and pre-employment (60% of Job Centre Plus referrals transitioning into employment within 6 months), we won two Beacon Awards last year and won the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – one of only two FE colleges in the country awarded this prestigious honour.
Sensory Learning Base – Specialist Provider of the Year
‘The Sensory Learning Base’ is a purpose-built, safe, self-contained, specialist facility at Weston College’s Knightstone Campus for learners with Profound and Complex Learning Disabilities (PCLD).
This award recognises specialist providers whose imagination and passion have led to stellar provision and support for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those with specific learning requirements. Award finalists have been shown to provide high-quality curriculum with excellent student outcomes, reflected in strong recruitment and success rates.
Here are our finalists for the AoC Awards:
College-wide mental health initiative – Mental Health and Wellbeing Award
This College initiative was developed to enhance the mental health, wellbeing and welfare of its learners, staff and community. It involves the College’s Welfare and Pastoral, Inclusive Practice/Mental Health, Sport and Public Services and HR teams.
The award celebrates the important work colleges are doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of their learners and staff.
College initiative to meet address skills shortages in the engineering sector – Engagement with Employers Award
This recognises the College’s transformational approach to delivering responsive provision that meets the skills priorities for the engineering and advanced engineering sector. It’s a joint initiative involving the College’s Business Growth, Employer Engagement, Higher Education and Faculty of Engineering teams.
Wish us good luck for March 2019 when the winner for each category will be announced!
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