COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS
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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
On Tuesday 12th November, Weston’s popular Tropicana venue hosted our annual careers convention "CareersFest" - exclusive for students at Weston College.
Students were bussed in throughout the day and had 1 hour to roam around and meet with over 60 employers and educational institutes. Engaging activities and thoughtful advice made the event a huge success with lots of valuable talks and insights into multiple industries being shared.
As well as nationally renowned names, local businesses and universities also attended, expanding the mindset and thinking process of those who attended.
One learner commented "I loved learning how to present the weather with BBC Bristol. It was really fun and it's definitely opened my eyes to more career ideas."
Alliance Homes’ stand was a popular destination with multiple skills based challenges surrounding construction.
Jade from Alliance Employment Team said: “The day’s been fabulous. It’s been really really busy and we’ve had lots of students showing interest and engaging which has been amazing.
“We’re recruiting for our apprenticeships in construction for next year and this has been a great chance to meet students and share these opportunities with them”.
We also caught up with Tom Thayer, Hinkley Point C’s Inspire Education Programme Manager, who added “Whilst building interest in STEM through the Inspire Programme, our aim is to ensure that local people can benefit from the huge range of opportunities on offer at Hinkley Point C.
"The team here at Weston College have provided fantastic support towards that aim and we’ve had lots of referrals to our HPC education programme as a result.
“We’re well into the Civil Engineering Phase of the project which will be followed by the start of the mechanical and electrical fit out of the new power station. It means there are opportunities available in a huge range of careers that will continue to develop over the coming years.
“We encourage young people to sign up to www.edfenergy.com/youngHPC to find out more about the variety of career paths that are available and what job roles are in demand right now."
Katherine from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School was aiming to recruit students looking to study performing arts at HE: “This is my first time recruiting in Weston and the atmosphere has been buzzing.
“We’re a drama school and theatre company all in one, so we specialise in first class higher education courses so whether you want to work on stage or behind the scenes, there are opportunities here for everyone”
Careers Advisors and event organisers Jasmine and Lisa added: “CareersFest was designed to encourage our learners to explore their career interests and skills and discover where their personalities could thrive. This included raising awareness of employers, apprenticeships, higher education and other opportunities.
"We hope that all of the learners had the chance to do this and also enjoyed the day!”
Many thanks to all the staff and organisations who helped to make this event informative and interesting for our students.
Click here to see the full list of employers that attended.
Rimante joined Weston College as a 16-year-old to study a Level 3 course. Since then, she’s progressed through University College Weston, gained employment at the College and now works in the HR department. Here she talks about her journey and offers advice to potential students.
After attending a taster day, I knew the College and the Travel and Tourism BTEC Extended Diploma was for me. The course gave me an insight into the different sectors of the industry, which helped me decide what I wanted to focus in the future. The lecturers also came from different industry backgrounds and related the subject back to real experiences, which made it very interesting to study.
The residential trips were also amazing. I went to Gambia twice and got to understand how tourism works over there and what impact the big travel organisations have on the country’s economy. The trips also helped us relate our studies to ‘real life’.
We had several guest lecturers – from various backgrounds like Bristol Airport – and visited the Virgin Atlantic customer experience day where we got an insight about their branding and how they deliver customer experience.
Aside from subject-specific skills and knowledge, the course gave me skills I can apply in virtually any job role, such as researching, report and presentation writing and budgeting. Those are the skills that all employers out there are looking for and it makes you stand out from other applications.
If anyone’s thinking about studying the course, I’d say ‘go for it’, because it opens so many career paths. Even if you end up working in a different industry – like myself – the knowledge you gain is transferable and it doesn’t limit you in the future.
After this course I progressed to the foundation degree in Tourism Management at University Centre Weston. This was the logical choice as I’d enjoyed the Level 3 course so much and knew how great the facilities and lecturers at Weston College were.
The class sizes were also smaller than other places, which meant I got more support when I needed it. Plus, the course was only two days per week, so I could continue working and gaining industry experience while studying.
After the foundation degree I moved on to the Business Management with Sustainability BA (Hons) top up. It was also while I was studying my degree that I started working at the College as a part-time Trainee Clerical Assistant.
After I graduated I also had the opportunity to volunteer with Nicaraguan project workers in Quisuli Arriba in the north of the country to hold educational workshops about the importance of clean water and effective sanitation processes. Read more
I then joined the HR team at the college, whilst studying for the Human Resources Practice CIPD Certificate, this was an evening course once a week for a year. This course gave me a solid introduction into HR and helped me develop the skills that are required for a HR role.
I then went on to complete the level 5 Human Resource Management CIPD Certificate, which was also one evening a week for a year. This course helped to further developed my professional practice, looked at business issues in the context of HR, employment law, resourcing/talent planning and reward management.
If you are looking to start your HR career or wish to get the qualification to support your position/further develop your career. I would recommend these courses, they help you to link the theory with real practice and are certified by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
It’s been a really enjoyable and rewarding journey, and I can’t recommend the College highly enough.
If you’re thinking about following a similar path, I’d advise attending the open days that are held throughout the year. Here, you can speak to the many lecturers and careers advisors, and ask any questions about the potential study routes and career paths.
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We always love to hear about the fantastic accomplishments our alumni achieve.
Art & Design learners were recently visited by ex-students who are now studying arts at prestigious universities.
All three of these ex students studied the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design and visited current students to inform them first hand about the benefits of staying on and completing this unique course. Scroll down to read what they had to say!
WHICH LEVEL IS RIGHT FOR ME?
