WILTSHIRE College & University Centre is celebrating continued growth in its students’ achievement with a 97 per cent pass rate in this year’s vocational technical Level 3 qualifications.
Many subjects saw a 100 per cent pass rate, including Beauty, Health, Performing Arts, Motorsport Engineering, Life Sciences and Sport and Equine, while in Visual Arts, Public Services and Travel and Tourism 99 per cent of students passed.
At T Level the college saw 100 per cent of students passing at the end of their two year course, which combines classroom and practical study with 315 hours of industry placement.
For students, results day was one of excitement as they peeled open their results envelopes to reveal the fruits of their hard work.
At the Chippenham campus Engineering and Manufacturing T Level student Harrison Coles from Trowbridge was delighted with a Distinction. “It’s been two years of a lot of hard work but the exam felt like it went well, so I’m very happy,” he said.
Harrison spent his placement at Knorr-Bremse in Melksham. “Taking on a T Level placement student exposes employers to the next level of engineers and it’s a great chance to get experience for the student,” he said.
“This course has given me the industry knowledge that I needed to apply for my engineering apprenticeship with Apetito and hopefully will benefit me throughout it.”
Ella Gould, 18, from Chippenham, also gained a Distinction in Engineering and Manufacturing. “I’m really happy and proud, as I worked hard,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting to do as well as I did.
“I really enjoyed the course and learnt a lot. The work placement with Penta ESP in Corsham was the best thing for me, and now I’m going to study a Level 4 Engineering Manufacturing Technician apprenticeship with them at Chippenham in September.”
Yet another Distinction went to 18-year-old Business student Ruby Martin from Calne, who is going on to Bournemouth University to study Marketing and Digital Strategy.
“I’m so happy, because now I get to go to university,” she said. “I felt confident that I would pass but I wasn’t expecting such a high result. It proves that the impossible is possible.
“The course has really helped because you need to understand a business as a whole and why they do what they do with marketing too.”
Health Science T Level students were all smiles as they discovered a clutch of Distinctions and Merits when they collected their results at the Trowbridge campus. Tiegan Painter, 18, from Melksham, was overjoyed with her Distinction.
“It’s insane,” she said. “I was very nervous this morning but I had high hopes, and now I am over the moon.”
She is heading to university to study Paramedic Science and believes the T Level’s hands-on experience will be a huge help in her next step. “The thing that stuck out to me about the course before I started was the practical side,” she said.
“I’ve not just been sat reading out of a book, I’ve been getting out into placements for over 300 hours and just being able to do, rather than sit and listen and almost guess what I’d be doing in the future. I got to see it for myself sooner rather than later.”
She spent her placements at a care home in Melksham and at Chippenham Hospital. “I’ve seen a lot of things, it’s not pretend and it’s not what you read out of a textbook – and I got all that through going to college and doing a T-Level,” she said.
“Employers should consider T Level placements more, it gives them an insight into what the younger generation has to offer. You don’t always have to go to university and get these high grades to do well in a job.”
Paige Jackson’s hard work was rewarded with a Merit. The 18-year-old, from Warminster, had wanted to follow in her doctor aunt’s footsteps since she was a little girl and thought the T Level was the best route.
“I did my placement at Royal United Hospital in Bath and I really, really enjoyed it, and it’s where I want to do my nursing apprenticeship, hopefully,” she said. “The course has really helped because without having that interaction with those type of people in the hospital, you’re never really going to know what it’s like until you’re physically there.
“I’m so happy with my result. I was very nervous and I didn’t really sleep last night. I only thought I was going to get a pass so I was very happy that I got a Merit.”
Izzy Wallis, 18, from Melksham, also earned a Merit and will be studying Midwifery at UWE in September as a result.
“I was absolutely terrified about the results and I was hoping I would get a Merit, so I’m happy,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed the course and Kathryn our lovely teacher has been amazing, it was just really helpful to have her there.”
She enjoyed her placements at Chippenham Hospital and a care home in Melksham. “It was really helpful and I learned a lot of skills there,” she said.
Chelsea Stephens, 19, from Westbury, said hospital staff at the RUH made her placement worthwhile. “They always made sure that you felt welcome and if you had any questions they’d happily sit down with you and talk to you about it,” said Chelsea, who earned a Merit.
“Because I was going in twice a week the nurses knew what you were capable of and what you needed help with. So at any point they could just step in and say ‘I can help you’. It was a really good experience.”
She will be taking a gap year before studying paediatric medicine at Oxford Brookes University.
Charliann Perry, 19, from Trowbridge, doesn’t yet know what she wants to do but she knows it will be in healthcare after enjoying her placements at a care home in Trowbridge and at Warminster Hospital.
“I learned quite a lot from the whole course and I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It really helped my confidence because before I didn’t have a lot, but doing all the practicals really helped.
“The staff I did the placements with were really nice and they helped me a lot because you had to be prepared for them. Now I’m going to be thinking about what I want to do and hopefully go to university next year.”
Jo Grenfell, Deputy Principal Curriculum & Quality, said the results reflect the hard work the college has seen from students over the past two years.
“It is really exciting to see pass rates improving and all of the staff here are absolutely delighted for the students because we have seen at first-hand how much effort they have put in,” she said. “Our aim here is to provide encouragement and support for our students, no matter what their career aims are, and one of the most satisfying things about results days are seeing their dedication pay off.
“It’s wonderful seeing them taking the next steps into higher education, apprenticeships, further learning or employment knowing that their time here has equipped them for that next step. What’s clear is that their qualifications have opened doors, and they are stepping through them with confidence.”
For more information about WCUC visit www.wiltshire.ac.uk.
Pictured: T Level Health students Charlie Stevens, left, Izzy Wallis, Paige Jackson, Charlieann Perry and Tiegan Painter celebrate at Trowbridge
Pictured: Engineering and Manufacturing T Level student Ella Gould, 18, from Chippenham, gained a Distinction
Pictured: Business T Level student Ruby Martin, 18, from Calne, gained a Distinction
Pictured: Business students at Chippenham with their results
Pictured: Engineering students at Chippenham with their results
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