<p>T Levels can be a great stepping stone for students interested in <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/course-category/apprenticeship/">degree apprenticeships</a>. They provide a solid foundation of technical knowledge and practical skills that are often highly relevant to apprenticeships in industries like engineering, digital, and healthcare.</p><p>We spoke with two Degree Apprenticeship learners from <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/">UCW</a&gt;, Joshua and Alexander, who both also completed <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/t-lev… Levels</a> at Weston College, to discover how their T Level experience has influenced their success in their Degree Apprenticeships.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What T Level did you study at Weston College, and which degree apprenticeship are you now currently doing at UCW?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua:</strong> I studied the T Level in <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu… Production, Design, and Development</a> at Weston College, and now I’m doing a degree apprenticeship in <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/courses/digital-and-technology-solutions-bsc-hons… Development</a> at UCW.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> I studied <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu… Production, Design and Development (DPDD)</a> and I am currently attending the <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/courses/digital-and-technology-solutions-bsc-hons…; degree apprenticeship.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Which company are you currently working with for your degree apprenticeship?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua:</strong> I am currently working for <a href="https://mttltd.com/">Motor Trade Technologies (MTT)</a> a company in the automotive industry which create garage management software and multiple other solutions in the industry.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> I am currently working for <a href="https://www.airbus.com/en">Airbus</a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What were some highlights of your T Level experience?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua:</strong> My main highlight for the T-Level is the industry placement I did for TwistedWeb, which is the sister company to MTT, as it allowed me to get an understanding of life in a workplace. It also taught me soft skills with talking to customers and skills I needed for my exams in college. Another highlight would be the final major project in my second year, as most people would say they hate exams, this exam was the most fun I had. It included in creating a web application based on a scenario given and going through the steps of the software cycle – this was the best part of my two years there.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> The main highlight was the work experience! For me it was a very unique thing and my placement at Sen5e IT pushed my career forward a lot. Another highlight of my T Level was the teaching style, and the events that were held.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What inspired you to do a degree apprenticeship following your T Level?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua:</strong> As a person who learns better by doing things in a practical way, I have always had my head set on continuing my education whilst gaining work experience, and the apprenticeship seemed like the perfect option. Also, seeing the students in the year above me in the T Level go to amazing apprenticeships, I felt like I should follow their footsteps and continue learning after my T Level.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> The inspiration came from a mix of working in the workplace, as well as the educational side of a degree apprenticeship. As degree apprenticeships work in a similar way to my T Level, I found that the balance between the work experience and college really suited me, so I chose to continue with the same balance on the degree apprenticeship scheme.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>How has your T Level helped you with your degree apprenticeship at UCW?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua: </strong>The technical and theoretical skills I learnt during my T-Level have been the biggest help. I was already familiar with programming languages and software development practices. This made it a lot easier for me to handle the challenges at UCW whilst also contributing to the workplace.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> The main thing that helped me with my degree apprenticeship from the T-Level was the work experience as it gave me an insight into what the work would be like and the transferable skills from coding.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>How did you find the transition from T Levels to degree apprenticeship?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua: </strong>The T-Level gave me a solid foundation, but the apprenticeship added another level of academic hardship, which took me a while to adjust to. Balancing work and study has also been a challenge, but it is still rewarding to see feedback on both university projects and work projects.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> I found the transition to be very simple! The T-Level prepares you for the degree apprenticeship – it really feels like the course was built for the transfer into a degree apprenticeship.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>How has the work placement you did during your T Level helped you in your current workplace for your degree apprenticeship?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua:</strong> My work placement during my T-Level studies was the most valuable part of it. I learned how to communicate with clients, working as part of teams and managing deadlines. These are skills I use every day in my apprenticeship. It also gave me a better understanding of how the theory I was learning in the classroom applied in the real world.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> The work placement I did during my T-Level was the best experience I have had in a workplace. It has helped me in my current workplace as I know how to act and how to present professionally within a work environment. All in all, it really prepared me for the whole of my current position at Airbus.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What advice would you give to anyone considering doing T Levels?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua: </strong>If you are looking for a practical career, no matter what industry it is, and want to develop your hands-on skills while still getting a solid foundation in your industry, I would recommend T Levels time and time again. It's the best way to gain experience in a workplace and opens the door to apprenticeships, further education and even jobs. In my industry most companies are after experience when looking at CVs, and T Levels are your best friend when looking for experience in specific fields. One thing I had in my first year was the inability to gain a placement, but it took time and networking across the area to land a spot. I will always say not to worry and stay calm as there are always people to help you, the amount of support you get is amazing.</p><p><strong>Alexander:</strong> Do it - plain and simple! The T-Level is the best pathway to prepare you for both the workplace and a degree as it teaches you to balance your time and keep on top of your assignments. T Levels also teach you all the essential skills that every workplace is looking for and there is nothing more valuable than that.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>What advice would you give anyone considering doing a degree apprenticeship?</strong></p><p><strong>Joshua:</strong> A degree apprenticeship is an excellent way to earn while you learn. You get to apply what you’re studying in real-time, which is incredibly valuable. It’s hard work, but the payoff is worth it. I’d advise anyone considering it to be ready for the balance of work and study, but also to embrace the opportunity to develop both academically and professionally.</p><p><strong>Alexander: </strong>Again, plain and simple, do it! It is the best way to complete a degree and hopefully acquire a job by the end of it! Again, it teaches discipline, time management and essential social skills. Although it is very different to the standard university lifestyle, it will teach you a lot more.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Find out more about <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/t-lev… Levels here</a>, and find out more about <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/course-category/apprenticeship/">Degree Apprenticeships here</a>!</p>

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW255438541 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-user-drag:none;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);clear:both;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);cursor:text;direction:ltr;font-family:&quot;Segoe UI&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Web&quot;, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;overflow:visible;padding:0px;position:relative;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;user-select:text;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">Over the last couple weeks, not only have the Esports course upgraded their systems and facilities, but the students have also had the pleasure of receiving a talk by the former head coach and current assistant coach of Fnatic, Jake “mini” Harris.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">Fnatic is one of the top Esports organisations in the world and “mini” shared his journey with the students of how he became the coach of one of the world’s top Valorant teams. He discussed the importance of fostering a team culture of openness, professionalism, and communication as this was the key to Fnatic's continued success.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">The main message that “mini” provided the students was that to be successful in anything, not just the Esports community, hard work is required, and a lot of additional time invested beyond the time you get within a classroom environment. It is also very important to network within your desired industry and get involved in events so you can get your name out there.</span></p><drupal-entity alt="&quot;Jake &apos;mini&apos; Harris professional talk to students&quot;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="de95c7d5-97ec-4cbe-8f8b-d220afa13960" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{&quot;image_style&quot;:&quot;max_500x500&quot;,&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;}}">&nbsp;</drupal-entity><p>&nbsp;</p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW255438541 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-user-drag:none;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);clear:both;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);cursor:text;direction:ltr;font-family:&quot;Segoe UI&quot;, &quot;Segoe UI Web&quot;, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;overflow:visible;padding:0px;position:relative;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;user-select:text;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">In order to provide more opportunities for the students and help them progress, Weston College have upgraded their Alienware computers to a new setup based around ggRock, a system that is used by the top Esports colleges in the UK.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><drupal-entity alt="&quot;ggRock upgraded computer systems&quot;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="209378ab-14bb-4952-b56e-ad91e2d7502e" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{&quot;image_style&quot;:&quot;max_500x500&quot;,&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;}}">&nbsp;</drupal-entity><p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">Not only this, a brand new streaming room has been installed which will be used on a weekly basis in tandem with the British Esports games once they get up and running. The students will also be using it for their Live Streaming, Shoutcasting, and Events modules.&nbsp;</span></p><drupal-entity alt="&quot;New Streaming Setup&quot;" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="519f6640-470c-4ba1-b872-b26a749a9d6f" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{&quot;image_style&quot;:&quot;max_500x500&quot;,&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;}}">&nbsp;</drupal-entity><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-size:inherit;">On top of this, British Esports even requested to stream our Esports students’ first Valorant game on the main British Esports stream this week which has over 10.3K followers. To watch their stream, click the video below.</span></p><p><iframe src="https://player.twitch.tv/?video=2271591989&amp;parent=www.weston.ac.uk&…; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" scrolling="no" height="378" width="620"></iframe></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">Students who choose an Esports course can progress to university or an apprenticeship and have many career options available to them including Computing, Digital Marketing, Media, Sports, Business, and Esports.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">Even if you’re unfamiliar with Esports, that’s okay! As long as you have some kind of interest in gaming, the course allows you to develop your skills and explore potential pathways with excellent equipment, staff and facilities at your disposal. One lecturer, Will, says the most important attribute for a student considering Esports is for them to have a ‘positive attitude and a willingness to learn’.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><span style="font-size:inherit;">A big thank you to Jake “mini” Harris for telling his fantastic story, providing advice, and encouraging our learners to pursue their desired pathways.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="margin-bottom:8px;margin-left:0;margin-top:0px;"><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu…; rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu…; target="_blank">If you would like to study an Esports course at Weston College, click here.</a></p></div>

<p>Weston College is proud to announce its continued recognition as a Microsoft Showcase School for the sixth consecutive year (2024-2025), marking half a decade of collaboration with Microsoft and commitment to educational excellence. This prestigious honour places the College in an elite global group of institutions that lead the way in educational innovation, emphasising the longstanding relationship we’ve cultivated with Microsoft and our community.</p><p>The ongoing recognition as a Microsoft Showcase School is a significant achievement for the entire Weston College community. Learners will continue to benefit from ongoing access to cutting-edge educational technologies and global best practices. This accreditation reinforces the College’s commitment to developing skills vital for today’s workforce, ensuring our students are well-prepared for future careers in an ever-evolving digital landscape.</p><p>For our staff, this recognition offers sustained access to a global network of educators, providing opportunities to exchange ideas, collaborate on forward-thinking teaching strategies, and pursue continued professional development. Weston College’s staff will benefit from ongoing access to Microsoft’s exclusive tools and resources, including the 2024-2025 Showcase School Badge, social media templates, and the Worldwide Educator Community Team, further enriching their teaching and learning experiences.</p><p>Louise Pratten, Head of the Digital Education Team, expressed pride in the College’s continued success: "Being recognised as a Microsoft Showcase School for the sixth year in a row is a tremendous honour for Weston College. This achievement not only highlights our enduring commitment to delivering future-focused education but also empowers our staff and learners with top-tier technological tools and global collaboration opportunities. We’re excited to continue sharing our educational journey with other educational organisations worldwide."</p><p>As part of the ongoing Microsoft Showcase School programme, Weston College will continue exploring innovative ways to integrate technology into teaching and learning.</p><p>With access to a wealth of resources, Weston College is well-positioned to advance its mission of providing a transformative and inclusive learning experience. This ongoing recognition underscores our unwavering dedication to harnessing technology to create dynamic, impactful learning environments for all.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><drupal-entity alt="Microsoft Showcase School Logo" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1273c519-35ca-40ce-92d8-a9433eba638a" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{&quot;image_style&quot;:&quot;max_325x325&quot;,&quot;image_link&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;image_loading&quot;:{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;lazy&quot;}}">&nbsp;</drupal-entity>