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!
Discover our range of courses for school leavers aged 16-18 using the search options below...
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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>Business is one of the most popular degrees in UK universities, as well as one of the most popular choices for 16-18s. Though there will be many contributing reasons as to why, a major factor is learners wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the continuously changing business environment, and how it reacts to what goes on in the world. Completing the qualification will give an opportunity to the learner to become a part of it and progress through the business world.</p>
<p>So, here’s 5 reasons why a business qualification could be the best decision you make for your career!</p>
<p>1. Business is made up of a huge number of different sectors. By completing a qualification before launching into the workplace, you’ll get the opportunity to discover which aspect of Business you have the most passion for, and which is best suited to your natural skillset in order to succeed.</p>
<p>2. Once you’ve decided which sector of Business is best suited to you, you’ll discover there’s Business related jobs in almost every job sector imaginable, for example sport, fashion, education, hospitality and entertainment, so you will have the chance to choose which wider sector you wish to work in. You could even take these opportunities abroad if working overseas is of interest to you.</p>
<p>3. While learning and working, you’ll create and develop a huge number of new skills. These will be highly transferrable to new adventures in your work life, for example a great combination of essay writing skills, but also mathematics skills for the finance and accounting aspect of Business. Some skills you develop will also prove useful in your personal life too. High quality communication skills, for example, will be as beneficial in your personal life as much as in the workplace.</p>
<p>4. Business offers the ability to progress in the workplace, with performance reviews and promotion opportunities. Having the ability to progress will help with your career satisfaction, the chance to take on new challenges, and an increase in your engagement day to day. Therefore, having a qualification before entering the workplace will heighten the chances of progression, by providing you with knowledge to secure promotions.</p>
<p>5. You can make Business qualifications adaptable to you! With the ability to start studying Business at any age over 16, it’s not too late sign up to one of our many Business courses; Apprenticeships, T Levels, A Levels, BTEC, and degree/degree apprenticeship</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you’re interested in a qualification in Business to lead you to a career, click:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…;- Here for more information about studying Business at Weston</a></p>
<p>- <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/level… for A Level</a>/<a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin…;
<p>- <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin… for T Level</a></p>
<p>- <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-adults/business-and-m… for Apprenticeships</a></p>
<p>- <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/subject/business-and-professional-studies/">Here for Degrees in Business at UCW</a></p>
<p>Nine Graduating 3rd year <a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/courses/graphic-design-top-up-ba-hons/">BA Graphic Design</a> learners recently presented an exhibition of their work at ‘New Designers’ at Business Design centre in London. Some had previously completed a range of level 3 qualifications with Weston College, such as <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/graph… Design Extended Diploma</a>, and <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu… Extended Diploma.</a></p>
<p>The ‘<a href="https://www.newdesigners.com/">New Designers</a>’ event invites 2500 hand-picked graduate design talents from around the UK to present their work at the longest running and leading design showcase over a period of two weeks. UCW’s learners had the chance to show off their best designing work at the prestigious event, even with the possibility of winning awards.</p>
<p>The event also provides the chance for graduates to connect with big employers like Sky, looking to recruit. As well as employers, there are also buyers looking to source the most innovative craft and design. This networking event is a great opportunity to display potential career roles to the graduates, begin helping them make decisions in what their future goals are, and how to reach them!</p>
<p>Graphic Design degrees can have a broad array of careers available to graduates, but more than half of graduates in employment in the UK got a job in graphic design in the first six months after graduation.</p>
<p>Vicki King, the Higher Education Graphic Design Co-ordinator commented: <em>"The learner's work came together in a super professional looking stand - we could not be more proud!”</em></p>
<p>She continued:<em> “One of the key benefits of this event is learning how to represent themselves, something which all students grew to excel at during the exhibition."</em></p>
<p>Congratulations to everyone involved for this wonderful achievement!</p>
<p>Rebecca is currently completing her <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu… and Technical Solutions course</a>, as an apprentice, and has recently competed in the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Championships.</p>
<p>The MOS Championship is an extension of the MOS certification programme, launched in 2010 to assess learner’s knowledge to prepare them for university and the workplace. The championship welcomes students from all over the world to compete head-to-head to win the title of MOS Champion.</p>
<p>Rebecca had previously completed the Excel course on the programme, so was familiar with MOS, and heard Weston College were running and had beat the MOS Course Week challenge but hadn’t heard of the full Championship at the time.</p>
<p>Completing the week challenge was motivation for Rebecca to then complete the Word Associate Course on the 23rd May, and whilst doing this, selected the option to enter the championship if she scored high enough on the associate course, not thinking she would ever reach the next stage. The associate course was to be carried out online, so Rebecca finished the projects, each of which containing 5-7 individual tasks to showcase her advanced skills on Word, and scored high enough on the course to be entered into the championship!</p>
<p>The final took place on the 15th June, and Rebecca completed the hour long exam in just 20 minutes! The exam ended up being slightly easier than she was expecting, but she believed this was due to rigorous revision of practice exams and questions on the lead up and on the day.</p>
<p>Overall, out of 30 competitors, Rebecca placed in sixth, with a score of 95%!</p>
<p>Rebecca commented: <em>“If you’re reading this and thinking of entering next year, practice as much as you can; LinkedIn learning have a huge range of courses that are really helpful for practicing and have loads of training material.”</em></p>
<p>She continued: <em>“The whole experience has been wonderful, and I never thought I’d get the chance to compete in a competition like this. I’m thrilled with my final score, and the skills I’ve gained from partaking are highly valuable; I’ll carry them with me all throughout my apprenticeship and future career.”</em></p>
<p>Congratulations, Rebecca!</p>
