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 data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">Creative Sixth Form learners from <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/level…; and <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/level… and Textiles Design</a> A Levels recently visited the city of Bath to elevate their industry-based skills.</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">Fashion students were able to access the variety of design history to current garments in small groups analyzing the work of Christian Dior, Alexander Mcqueen and the current exhibition, <em>'Shoephoria' </em>featuring shoes belonging to Queen Mary and Queen Victoria to designer shoes by world renown names such as Vivienne Westwood, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo.</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">The young artists were given the opportunity to visit local galleries, photograph and sketch within the beautiful Georgian architecture whilst the Photography learners were exposed to an industrial 'live' photoshoot with two professional models in the city centre.</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">Fashion lecturer Nicola Stent was so proud of all of the learners during the trip. "They were engaged, inquisitive and pro-active reading the contextual history within the museum, asking me questions of how garment were constructed and discussed within their pairs how techniques were made.</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">"They represented the college in such a positive manner and I was thrilled to witness them enjoy an educational trip after such limited access to visual culture".</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">Elinor John, lecturer in A Level Photography, added: "It was a wonderful experience to witness our learners work alongside professional models allowing them to elevate their photographic and industry-based skills"</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)">Amazing experiences all round! We look forward to seeing more trips in the future.</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)"> </p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)"><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/alevels">Click here to discover what A Levels are available for School Leavers at our Sixth Form.</a><br />
</p>
<p data-ogsb="rgb(233, 234, 246)" data-ogsc="rgb(36, 36, 36)"><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/career-excellence-hubs">Click here to learn more about the career-boosting benefits if our Sixth Form Career Excellence Hub.</a></p>
<p>Our learners have had the unique opportunity to be a part of our Business Career Excellence Hub. This exciting development gets learners closer to the world of work and build their employability skills. Business is an incredibly diverse area of work with specialisms in Marketing, Human Resources, Finance and Operations management among many more.</p>
<p>With a skill shortage currently in the UK, it is vital that our learners are gaining the employability skills needed to enter the job market. Our students will learn key life skills which they can then apply to their College work, creating a win-win situation. Work experience is a fantastic way to meet a potential future employer for the first time and increase your career prospects with them or other businesses that you are interested in.</p>
<p>Within the Business Career Excellence Hub, learners will get to see how a business really works from the inside out and sample some of the career paths that they could follow in the Business sector. Some careers in this area include marketing executives, project managers and business analysts with hundreds more out there to be found.</p>
<p>Learners are always supported during their work experience, with pastoral support to help guide you and mental health and wellbeing support for anyone who needs it.</p>
<p>One of our partners for Business, Victoria Barvenova, Head of Economy at North Somerset Council said “As an employer we are keen to create different pathways for young people and grow our own talent. Our partnership with Weston College enabled us to make some visible changes in how we approach our succession planning and created some great success stories with more to come in the future.”</p>
<p>Katie Dominy, Head of HR for the Soil Association said “The world of work is changing, future citizens of our world are coming out of mainstream education every year looking to build sustainable, meaningful career paths that will not only enable them to reach their full potential in the workplace, but their contrition to the communities they live in and work for. The earlier industry understands this and makes these connections, helps to influence content and opportunities, the better it will build a workforce infrastructure fit for purpose and the future, and find those individuals who are its future.”</p>
<p>For more information on how to apply to Weston College and join our amazing Business Career Excellence Hub, <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/busin… here</a>.</p>
<p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Growing at more x4 the rate the rate of the UK economy as a whole, the Creative Arts Industry is currently worth £115.9 billion in the UK - It's huge! </p>
<p>With 2.1 million jobs currently in the UK, the range of roles related to creative arts have exploded, meaning that qualifications in areas such as Art and Design are more relative than ever! What courses are under art? You may just think of art, brushing it all with the same stroke of a paintbrush, but it actually can expand into numerous other industries and subject s you can study such as Fashion, Graphic Design and Game and Animation.</p>
<p>But what are the careers in art? Which course is best for art students? Here's seven creative careers to inspire you...</p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>1. Interior Designer</strong></h1>
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<p>What do interior designers do? Art is all around us! Every piece of decoration and furniture has been designed by an artist and knowing how to match pieces, making it work cohesively and create an experience in a room (sounds like a tour of a certain Swedish furniture showroom!) is what interior designers do best. </p>
<p>If you think, interior design is all about colours, arrangement, lighting and function. As well as working with mood boards, both physical and digital, an art and design qualification can equip you with the necessary transferable skills to make an interior your canvas.</p>
<p>Starting salary: £18,000 - £23,000<br />
Experienced: £25,000 - £40,000<br />
Senior: £45,000 +</p>
<p>Relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 1 Art, Design and Media, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 2 Art and Design, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Art, Design and Communication, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>2. Community Arts Worker</strong></h1>
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<p>If your main goal is to help people and get more people into arts, this is the role for you. Often focusing on social, cultural or environmental issues, community art workers raise the profile and increase engagement in the arts by organising events, promoting local opportunities, gaining funding and more.</p>
<p>These roles often work with a lot of different members of the community including, but not limited to school children, people with disabilities and homeless people.</p>
<p>Starting salary: £16,000<br />
Experienced: £20,000 - £30,000<br />
Senior: £30,000</p>
<p>Relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 1 Art, Design and Media, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 2 Art and Design, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Art, Design and Communication, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>3. Graphic Designer</strong></h1>
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<p>From logos and branding to illustrations and signage, graphic designers help to bring visions to life and tell a brand's story.</p>
<p>Using digital software, such as the Adobe Creative Suite, graphic designers often work with clients to develop concepts and communicate information and messages through a huge range of media.</p>
<p>These roles are perfect for creatives who are organised, adaptable, have a keen eye for attention for detail and can work to deadlines.</p>
<p>Starting salary: £15,000 - £19,000<br />
Experienced: £25,000 - £35,000<br />
Senior: £35,000 - £50,000</p>
<p>"Can't I just learn graphic design on my own?" Whilst you can self teach, a course in Graphic Design will teach you the essential underpinning knowledge organisations look for such as alignment and brand guidelines, all whilst having access to industry experts, industry standard software and getting experience through project briefs from real employers.</p>
<p>Relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/graphic-d… Design and Digital Arts, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>4. Animator</strong></h1>
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<p>Animators bring stories to life. Working in 2D, 3D and CGI, animators can bring characters from the page to the screen with a heavy reliance or artistic ability and technical knowledge. </p>
<p>Operating mainly out of production stuidios, animators can get to work with a whole host of genres, styles and projects.</p>
<p>Animation isn't just drawing cartoon frames either, you can go into working on special effects for TV and film and also translate those skills into the gaming and music industries.</p>
<p>Starting salary: £12,000 - £15,000<br />
Experienced: £23,000 - £36,000<br />
Senior: £36,000 +</p>
<p>Relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Game and Animation Production, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>5. Fashion Designer</strong></h1>
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<p>Clothing, an industry that will always be thriving! </p>
<p>Work with fabrics, textiles and colour to bring together designs that people will love.</p>
<p>Designers often specialise in a specific area such as footwear, sportswear, childswear.</p>
<p>As a designer, communication, teamwork and identifying trends are key aspects of the role.</p>
<p>Starting salary: £16,000 - £18,000<br />
Experienced: £25,000<br />
Senior: £42,000 +</p>
<p>What subjects are needed to become a fashion designer? With transferable skills in a lot of our art and design courses, our Level 3 Fashion diploma is the perfect course for those looking to get into the industry.</p>
<p>Relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Fashion, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>6. Game Artist</strong></h1>
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<p>Artists are some of the most important roles in the ever-growing gaming industry. You'll play a pivotal role in the game production process, either focusing on 2D design for concept or 3D for finalising creations. Depending on the size of the developer roles can also vary, either creating multiple assets or specialising in individual elements such as characters, textures, environments, lighting and so much more.</p>
<p>Starting salary: £18,000 - £25,000<br />
Experienced: £30,000 - £40,000<br />
Senior: £40,000 +</p>
<p>What is the course for game designing? Take a look at these relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Game and Animation Production, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p><a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 1 Art, Design and Media, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 2 Art and Design, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Art, Design and Communication, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1><strong>7. Exhibition Designer</strong></h1>
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<p>Art and design involves a lot of practical work, bringing ideas to life and designing an experience - All of these skills are frequently used by exhibition designers.</p>
<p>As well as the expected art installation/public exhibition, designers also work with external companies to create temporary displays, cultural galleries, display stands, and more - all with the aim of communicating the client's message in order to appeal customers.</p>
<p><br />
What is the salary of an exhibition designer? Although salaries can vary, here's an idea of the kind of salaries you can expect:<br />
Starting salary: £18,000 - £25,000<br />
Experienced: £25,000 - £35,000<br />
Senior: £35,000 - £50,000</p>
<p>Relevant courses:<br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 1 Art, Design and Media, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 2 Art and Design, UAL Diploma</a><br />
<a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… 3 Art, Design and Communication, UAL Extended Diploma</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/art-and-d… here to learn more about all of the different courses taught at our Loxton Campus</a></p>
