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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
Did you know that we offer pre-employment training to people that don’t have qualifications, and may not have any experience?
We asked our Referral Advisor for the Pre-employment team, Emma Crandon, some questions to give a better understanding on what they offer.
Where are you based?
I am based at Weston College’s South West Skills Campus, but I also visit the Weston-super-Mare Job Centre every Tuesday, Clevedon Job Centre every other Thursday, and hold sessions at the local food bank as well.
What support do you offer?
We offer a wide range of courses, and they are free to people that are unemployed, receiving benefits, or in a job earning less than £16,009.50 per year. These courses are beneficial in many ways; you can upskill, build confidence, open up employment opportunities and most importantly – become more employable.
How can people access this support?
The support we offer, is very easy to access. Job coaches are aware of our courses, and they can always refer you to a course that will benefit you. I also visit the Job Centres, so feel free to come and say hello or book an appointment and we can chat about ways to support you.
If you would like to get in touch, you can call me on 07580857699 or email me, emma.crandon@weston.ac.uk.
Why should people get in touch and ask for support?
If you are unemployed and looking for work, we can help you to gain qualifications and the confidence needed to find a job. We try and run our sessions during school time, and we also offer one to one support.
What has been your highlight of the job?
When you see people that have been out of work for years, their confidence is usually really low and they feel like they are unemployable. Helping these people gain skills, confidence and progress into jobs, is a specific highlight of my job.
Is there anything that you would like to add?
If you are interested in any of our courses please get in touch with me, and I will be happy to help.
You can find out more about our pre-employment courses, by clicking here.
Further education (FE) colleges are an essential cog in the education ‘machine’ in England.
As Principal of Weston College, you might say I’m biased.
But I’d argue that’s given me extensive, first-hand experience of how colleges help people of all ages and backgrounds make the most of their talents and ambitions.
You don’t need to look very far to see the impact Weston College is having on people across the region; from our successful traineeship programme to the thriving sixth form. We mustn’t forget the impact of apprenticeships, and pre-employment – who both support learners of varying ages and truly change lives.
And these are only the direct benefits. If you consider the role colleges play and the influence they have in the wider communities, it’s clear they are driving social mobility and boosting local and regional economies.
This week we welcomed Visit Somerset CEO John Turner to deliver a talk to stakeholders, and he shared how our students are making change happen and to quote John: “we have seen a direct impact on our economy through partnering with Weston College.”
What a fantastic reference, and how amazing are these learners performing to have such an impact! To put it bluntly, colleges matter – to their students, staff and local communities.
However, it’s no exaggeration to say their futures are in jeopardy due to the extensive and continued funding cuts affecting the sector.
For too long the vital work of colleges has been overlooked and underfunded.
The total college income in England has fallen by £1 billion since the start of the decade, which represents a funding cut of around 30%.
This drop in funding has led to:
- Fewer hours of teaching and support for young people
- Course closures
- A reduction in the number of learning opportunities for adults
- The value of staff pay falling by over 25% since 2009
- Job losses and recruitment problems
- College teachers earning £7,000 less on average than school teachers.
The situation is completely unsustainable and we need action now.
Fortunately that action is materialising in the form of the ‘Love our Colleges’ campaign, which is uniting the sector in pursuit of one overarching goal – appropriate funding of further education.
This includes:
- Increasing the 16-19 funding rate by 5% a year for the next five years, and extending the pupil premium to cover post-16 students
- Fully funding a National Retraining Scheme to support Level 3 to 5 skills
- Introducing a lifetime learning entitlement to fund skills training for all adults who have not previously achieved a level 3 qualification.
As well as making the case for extra government funding and fair pay in FE, ‘Love our Colleges’ is also highlighting the great work that goes on in colleges, and the brilliant staff that make it all possible.
Throughout the week we have shared stories for our learners and staff across social media and it makes me proud to read these daily quotes – we really are creating brighter futures.
If you are yet to see these quotes, I would suggest taking a look and see why we advocate fairer funding and love our college.
Dr Paul Phillips CBE,
Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College
Three Weston College lecturers have been chosen to join Microsoft’s global network of educator experts. This means a wealth of benefits and possibilities for learners.
Louise Pratten, lecturer in English, Shaun LaTouche, lecturer in Foundation Learning and Lynne Richards, lecturer in ICT, have been awarded Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Expert status.
As MIE experts, the trio will get to use a huge range of the technology giant’s resources and programmes and be able to test new products before they’re released. They’ll also have the opportunity to share innovative and exciting teaching methods with thousands of fellow experts around the world.
And this will all be channelled into developing innovative teaching methods and engaging learning environments – with the ultimate aim of improving the learner experience.
The MIE experts will have the expertise and knowledge to:
- Enable learners to get the best out of Microsoft’s resources
- Use technology to spark learners’ creativity and uncover hidden talents
- Help learners overcome barriers to learning and support learners with special educational needs or disabilities
- Create more inclusive learner-centred classrooms and environments
- Communicate more effectively with classes and encourage learners to collaborate with a range of resources
- Create learning resources in a variety of formats to suit a range of needs and learning styles.
Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Worldwide Education, Microsoft, perfectly sums up the role MIE experts play: “Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts are inspiring examples of educators, applying new ways of teaching and learning in their classrooms that motivate learners and empower them to achieve more.
“We celebrate and support the work they do every day.”
This news follows hot on the heels of the announcement that we are one of 14 providers in the UK to be awarded ‘Microsoft Showcase College’ status.
As a Showcase College, we’ll benefit from billions of pounds of research and knowledge, as well as Microsoft’s support in the personalising student education. This includes the use of one-to-one devices, Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, Skype, Minecraft and more.
Interested in joining us, browse our courses:
WHICH LEVEL IS RIGHT FOR ME?
