Programmes for School Leavers
Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds
COURSES FOR SCHOOL LEAVERS
With hundreds of unique, exciting and inspiring programmes to choose from, everything you need to create your brighter future is waiting for you at Weston College.
From the minute you walk through the door, the experience and the environment that we create is all about maximising your potential. It’s about preparing and motivating you for a fresh and focused career pathway.
Every Weston College student becomes part of one of our exciting new Career Excellence Hubs. This means you will take part in a study programme with lots of career boosting benefits, all with the aim of help you to go further, giving you the opportunity to become career ready with the skills, knowledge and expertise you need to be successful in your next step and reach your ultimate goal - whatever that may be!
Whether you are looking for the next step after school or the next step in your career, we're bound to have a programme for you. Take a look below at the different types of qualifications available for school leavers and young people between 16 and 18 years old.
Did you know we also run English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)?
Start your brighter future by selecting a subject you're interested in below, and don't forget - you can apply online and it only takes 5 minutes!
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Qualifications Explained
At Weston College we know that everyone learns differently. That’s why we deliver a variety of different qualification types - to give you the chance to learn in the way that suits you the most.
A Levels
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.
Apprenticeships
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
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.
Traineeships
Traineeships are a great way for 16 to 24-year-olds who haven’t yet gained the skills and experiences necessary to apply for jobs and apprenticeships. They are taught mostly in the workplace and include a mixture of personal and social development, and employability skills. The aim of a traineeship is to train you within a company so that you are more likely to be offered an apprenticeship or a job.
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.
CHOOSING WHAT TO STUDY
We are all about CAREERS NOT COURSES and pride ourselves on being able to offer a huge range of programmes to ensure you develop the skills and knowledge employers and universities are looking for. As the only education provider in North Somerset that enables you to work your way up from an entrylevel programme to a degree, we’re here to help you choose the right programme for you.
We can help you choose your study programme or apprenticeship by accessing the following support:
School Liaison Team
Working with local schools we help you find out about college life and programmes of study, and we provide you with advice and guidance about what programmes will best suit you. We will either visit your school, attend careers fairs and parents’ evenings or coordinate campus and virtual events such as our taster days, holiday workshops and tours.
Events
We put on a number of events over the year, which will be a mixture of face-to-face and virtual events. These provide you and your family with the opportunity to explore our facilities, speak to our lecturers, find out about the support on offer and choose the right programme for you. Our events also give you the opportunity to engage with a number of employers to find out about careers in their industry and why they value the calibre of candidates that come from Weston College.
CAREERS ADVICE
- On our website you can access a wealth of career guidance, such as:
- All the programmes you can study.
- What our alumni have gone on to achieve.
- Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) that will help explain what relevant careers and jobs are available, including salaries.
- NEW – Subject careers roadmaps, so you can map your journey with us and ensure it will get you into your chosen career. Also, check out Career Coach - this provides you with the opportunity to:
- Take an assessment that matches you with careers.
- Explore broad career pathways that match your strengths and interests.
- Compare careers within a pathway - including salaries, required education and more.
- Explore our programmes that will set you on the path to your desired career.
- Take a career assessment - and receive an in-depth report that can help you identify the best programme and career path for you!
We’re here and happy to help – if you would like more advice and guidance, contact our school liaison team by emailing schoolteam@weston.ac.uk. - they you can arrange a one-to-one careers appointment with our specialist staff.
LATEST NEWS
<p><a href="https://mollies.com/">Mollie’s Motel and Diner</a> have just been welcomed as Future Talent Business Partners of Weston College, in association with the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2022-01/84501_Weston%20Col… and Hospitality Career Excellence Hub (CEH)</a>. The <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs">CEH</a> allows learners to take part in many career boosting benefits, and work alongside professionals to pick up skills and knowledge to impress employers looking to recruit the best talent.</p><p>Mollie’s is a growing family of motel-diners with big ambitions. In spirit, Mollie’s was born in America – an offspring of the classic roadside motel and drive-in diner, a welcome stopover on a route to somewhere. They borrowed the inviting red neon signs and the easy-going vibe, the burgers, the shakes, the bottomless coffee, a dash of nostalgia, but there’s nothing old-school about Mollie’s. Expect innovative digital check-in, EV chargers, designer rooms with a fresh Soho House look and affordable prices.</p><p>Mollie’s reached out to Weston College as part of their career pathways project, hoping for support in their current team’s growth and development, as well as an exciting welcome into the hospitality industry. The company as a whole want to support their people, the communities they serve, and playing a part to reinvigorate the industry.</p><p>Trudi Parr, People and Development lead from Mollie’s, spoke about what being part of the Career Excellence Hub means to them: “The Career Excellence Hub helps us provide additional support and structure and gives us an additional platform to reach and enrich the future lives of people joining the hospitality sector and at Mollie’s.</p><p>“We want all our team to have a clear career pathway and for us to be able to provide the tools that enable this. Being part of the Career Excellence Hub will help us achieve our goal and promise our team the investment and support in building a longstanding career.”</p><p>Once the CEH has been fully embedded into Mollie’s career pathways programme, drop in events will be held for their own team, as well as external events for freshers’ and apprenticeships, to engage with as many people as they can. Trudi explained, “We have a responsibility to invest in the future of hospitality employees and we are looking forward to working with our partners at the career excellence hub to do this.</p><p>“We encourage other businesses considering it, to join us! It gives the opportunity to reinvent the narrative, support the development of talent and support the community in an industry that we love.”</p><p>Sandra Bull, the Dean of Faculty of Service Sectors, commented, “We are so thrilled that Mollie’s has joined our Hospitality and Catering Career Excellence Hub. Our mission statement is ‘creating brighter futures’ and we passionately believe in helping all our students reach their ultimate goal, focussing on their future employability and developing the skills they will need to have a successful career, and we are confident that Mollie’s will be able to support our learners in this way. We’re so excited to see what happens from this partnership.”</p><p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs">If you’d like to learn more about the Career Excellence Hub, click here!</a></p>
<p>This summer we were presented with a really exciting opportunity, to create a new forest school for our Education and Early Years students!</p><p>It has been fantastic to see this come to fruition, with support from across faculty to make this such an exciting environment for learners. A couple of weeks ago, we joined forces with Construction staff to clear the brambles and build a wooden bridge to make the area safe and ready for learners.</p><p>The concept of Forest Schools originated in Scandinavia. The teaching approach was widely adopted in Denmark throughout the 1980’s and was believed to be the solution to the lack of indoor facilities for Pre-School children.</p><p>In the early 1990’s a group of nursery practitioners visited Sweden and witnessed the benefits. Following their return to the UK they developed a programme for Forest Schools. Forest Schools has now become widely accepted across the UK and the approach has taken on its own unique flavour which is being adopted elsewhere in the world.</p><p>The Education Career Excellence Hub at Weston College has always spent time on the theories and delivery linked to Forest schools, but this year with the support of our Future Business Partner’s Puxton Park and Busy Buddies, our learners can experience their own dedicated area on a weekly basis.</p><p>At Weston College we are committed to supporting learners to become more environmentally conscious, and we are always looking for ways to help the younger generations appreciate the outdoors and natural environments – with this being the next step in our journey.</p><p>There is also an increasing awareness of the importance of understanding wellbeing and self-development from a young age, so it is vital that our learners here at Weston College get the chance to understand and develop the skills required as they enter this Education sector changing for the future.</p><p>Going forward, our T Level learners will be instrumental in designing this space as part of their programme, and will study the holistic and learner led approach where space allows children to take risk and problem – solving a natural environment.</p><p>The Education Career Excellence Hub at Weston College delivers a wide range of courses where learners can go on into a teaching profession, teaching assistant, nursery professional, childminder or educational support. <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.w… our full suite of course, by clicking here</a>.</p><p><em>Sandra Bull, Dean of Faculty for Service Sectors</em></p>
<p>The field of Designing, Surveying and Planning in the Construction industry is a broad one, but highly important to the development of societies. The stages that go into construction require huge amounts of time and dedication, but ultimately results in great success!</p>
<p>This field is a great path to go down, and an increase in the workforce in this profession would be highly beneficial to the field, but one that includes more equality and balance would be a massive step forward for the reputation of construction. Construction is often seen as a ‘male’ job, and we want to help show that anyone, regardless of gender, can have a successful career in construction.</p>
<p>So, we want to present 5 reasons why this could be the perfect career choice for you, and kickstart your path in Construction: Design, Surveying and Planning!</p>
<p>1.<strong> Important work!</strong> As previously mentioned, this line of work is highly important in supplying new homes and buildings for towns and cities as the demand increases, and pre-empting this demand with the planning aspect of the sector.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Keeping busy! </strong>This career choice will be demanding in terms of needing to be easily adaptable to picking up new skills, as it will likely be ever changing, and you’ll be expected to keep up with what’s expected of you. However, this will mean the job will not get boring, and you’ll always be kept busy!</p>
<p>3. <strong>Specialised qualifications to get you in the job!</strong> The courses, including <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/const…;, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/const… Levels</a> and<a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/const…; transition programmes</a>, are offered to both <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/const… leavers</a> and <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-adults/course-finder?… Weston College. These courses are specifically designed to prepare you for this career choice, with a great balance of academic college learning for the theory side, and workplace experience to provide you with practical knowledge.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Specialise in your strongest area! </strong>After selecting which course is best suited to you, and completing the course, you will be able to decide which aspect of the sector is best suited to your natural skillset, and which you could see being your future career. Opportunities in the industry could include civil engineering, technical surveyor, architect, building technician, building control officer, town planning assistant and geospatial technician, along with many more.</p>
<p>5. <strong>Financially beneficial!</strong> Some of the careers listed above have great starting salaries, with the opportunity to progress and gain more qualifications while you work, for example a <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/subject/engineering-and-construction/">degree with UCW</a>. The more skilled you become in your chosen sector, the more you will be financially rewarded! Construction Site Managers can earn, on average, £47,500!</p>
<p>Over <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/why-choose-us/our-work-employers">2,500 employers</a> who work with Weston College are looking to attract their future workforce and give our learners great opportunities to begin their careers. Work placements are often a great way to begin your career, so by studying courses with Weston College and undertaking work experience, we hope to make the process of securing a job smoother and easier!</p>
