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>Hi, I’m Alisha and I’ve just finished studying the <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/compu… Production, Design and Development T Level.</a></p>
<p>I was part of the first ever cohort of learners to study <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/t-lev… Levels</a>, not only at Weston College, but in the UK.</p>
<p>The course has honestly been excellent, and I am so glad that I decided to go down the T Level route. It has helped me to develop a range of skills, from soft to hard skills – as well as developing my technical skills which I can already tell are going to benefit me in the future.</p>
<p>One of the benefits of studying a T Level, is having the opportunity to gain work experience through an industry placement – something which I enjoyed!</p>
<p>I completed my placement at a company called Next Theme where I focussed on web development. I experienced creating a website for a company and used languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP.</p>
<p>I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to put the theory I’d learnt in the classroom into practice, by experiencing a real working environment. I also had the opportunity to develop new skills, such as PHP, which shows the benefit of industry placements.</p>
<p>During my placement, I wasn’t just seen as a ‘placement student’, my role was Junior Developer, and through this I have completed tasks related to websites and marketing, which helped me to understand how businesses can expand and build their digital presence.</p>
<p>My skills have been put to the test, especially in terms of HTML and CSS skills, but thanks to the support I have received at college, I have been able to handle the challenges that have come my way.</p>
<p>My industry placement employer has also been supportive, which has been a huge help. They have guided me through the transition to work and helped me gain even more knowledge.</p>
<p>I am so proud to have worked for Next Theme, the experience has improved my confidence and communication, as well getting a clearer understanding of what it is like to work in a professional environment.</p>
<p>Now that I have completed my T Level, I am planning to go to university to study computing, as I would like to develop my skills even further to become a web developer.</p>
<p>If you are reading this and thinking of studying a T Level at Weston College, then I say go for it! You will learn so many skills on your course, the staff are incredibly supportive, and the industry placement takes the course to the next level!</p>
<p><em>Alisha, Digital T Level Learner at Weston College</em></p>
<p>The student-organised Relationships Fayre at the Hans Price Conference Centre was a huge success, with over 200 students attending and engaging with highly important and thought-provoking topics. Information provided for the attendees included topics such as safe sex, period poverty, consent, relationships with others, and most importantly, safety.</p>
<p>The students displayed exemplar behaviour, showing sensitivity and a mature response to the personal subject matter.</p>
<p>Several external agencies joined the fayre, to ensure all information shared was appropriate and from a professional source.</p>
<p>Students felt this topic was important to bring light to learners with <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/cours…; in particular, as young people with learning difficulties or disabilities have as much of a right as anyone else to engage in both healthy sexual and non-sexual relationships, so providing the information to emphasise this is highly beneficial to them.</p>
<p>Research indicates that for young people with SEND, incidences of abuse are four times more likely, and yet less likely to be reported. This further emphasises the importance of providing support in enabling independence and preparing for adulthood.</p>
<p>The Healthy Relationships Fayre turned out to be highly successful, in terms of attendance and helpfulness to the learners, so the students would be keen to continue this as a yearly fayre for students to come.</p>
<p>Students with Autism studying with Weston College’s residential training facility "Weston Bay" have just completed the annual Community Project.</p>
<p>They organised an enterprise project to fundraise the budget needed to renovate and re-decorate Mead Vale Community Hall.</p>
<p paraeid="{ae4ec57d-ae3e-46dc-997f-65fb4d2a42cb}{161}" paraid="389159023">Two weeks were then spent onsite, painting, gardening, upcycling planters using old tyres and improving a well-used site within our local community. All students showed great determination, selflessness and community spirit, putting into practice all of the teamwork, independence and social skills they have learned throughout the year.</p>
<p paraeid="{ae4ec57d-ae3e-46dc-997f-65fb4d2a42cb}{185}" paraid="249625394">Weston College is one of three Centres for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). As a Centre of Excellence, the College will become a national leader in SEND learning. Weston Bay is a residential training centre for students on the autism spectrum, specialising in providing support to aid learners with independent living, employability and accessing the community.</p>
<p paraeid="{ae4ec57d-ae3e-46dc-997f-65fb4d2a42cb}{197}" paraid="334020076"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeadValeCommunityHall/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Mead Vale Community Hall</a> is a hub for local residents to come together for various clubs and activities, from Scout meetings and dance practice to Yoga and craft classes. A well-loved staple of the community, the hall was simply in need of some TLC, and that’s where our learners came in.</p>
<p paraeid="{ae4ec57d-ae3e-46dc-997f-65fb4d2a42cb}{220}" paraid="210177960">We caught up with learner, Chloe Turnbull-Yeo, who gave an expert and confidently delivered speech at the opening event.</p>
<p paraeid="{ae4ec57d-ae3e-46dc-997f-65fb4d2a42cb}{226}" paraid="2029654891">Chloe told us that, in order to start working on the hall in May, the students involved took part in various fundraising activities. She went on to explain how they all went about the huge task of beginning the restoration project, telling us that, together they truly developed their teamwork skills. </p>
<p paraeid="{ae4ec57d-ae3e-46dc-997f-65fb4d2a42cb}{246}" paraid="1116307232">The opening itself consisted of a grand tour, a buffet of food made by learners and, very excitingly, a visit from The Mayor of Weston-super-Mare, Councillor Sonia Russé to cut the ribbon and officiate the occasion.</p>
<p paraeid="{785e61f7-234b-4342-863e-297838318620}{26}" paraid="232645691">Just before cutting the ribbon, The Mayor of Weston-super-Mare, Councillor Sonia Russé had this to say: “It’s a real privilege for me to be here and open this facility, which is so needed. The work that has been done here is phenomenal. There is no ceiling to what any of you can achieve”.</p>
<p paraeid="{785e61f7-234b-4342-863e-297838318620}{60}" paraid="1494849352">Heidi, Lead Practitioner at Weston Bay from the faculty in Inclusive Practice, went on to say “the tenacity, problem-solving and teamwork has been absolutely incredible.”</p>
<p paraeid="{785e61f7-234b-4342-863e-297838318620}{60}" paraid="1494849352">Well done to all of the hard-working students for making the project such a great success.</p>
<p paraeid="{785e61f7-234b-4342-863e-297838318620}{98}" paraid="1260587566">To find out more about Weston Bay, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/why-choose-us/campuses-and-facilities/weston-b…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
<p paraeid="{785e61f7-234b-4342-863e-297838318620}{109}" paraid="893271989">To find out what’s on and follow Mead Vale Community Hall on Facebook, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/why-choose-us/campuses-and-facilities/weston-b…; rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
