STUDENTS nearing the end of their Business T Level at Wiltshire College & University Centre say the course has given them the skills, confidence and real-world experience they need for their next step.

The Level 3 Management and Administration students say they have enjoyed their time at the business school, which opened at Lackham campus a year ago this month.

In addition to coaching on how to run meetings, conduct research, write reports, come up with problem solving solutions and deliver employer-set projects within a modern, hi tech environment, they are spending 315 hours out in industry placements doing real jobs.

Real industry experience

“The placement has given us an opportunity to work in a real business environment so you take a lot from it,” said Jalem Scott, 19, who has been working at the Wiltshire FA’s headquarters in Devizes.

“I’ve gained a lot of transferable skills as well, and I feel like I’ve grown. My communication is better and some weeks I’ve had customer facing roles, so I’m better at speaking with people. My overall general confidence is better to be honest.”

Finlay Davies, 18, said his placement within the waste team at Wiltshire Council in Trowbridge and Chippenham has given him a taste for logistics.

“It’s been really interesting going through spreadsheets and people’s contacts to get rid of duplicates, raising cases and reporting it to the waste operations team,” he said.

“The projects we’ve done on the course align with the work I do at the council, like trying to solve problems and mitigate issues.”

Luay Ziadi, 17, said staff at M Highways in Melksham, a contractor maintaining and improving the road network across the county, helped him settle in. “I’ve got involved with finance, street lighting, quantity surveying and corporate social responsibility and the staff have been really friendly,” said Luay, who is considering an apprenticeship in quantity surveying. “They’ve helped me a lot and taken the time to explain what they do.”

Amalee Burgess, 17, said her placement at Wiltshire Council’s Traded Services, a non-profit branch offering HR and Organisational Development services, is quite unlike work experience.

“It’s a real job and you have responsibilities,” she said. “I have learned so much and I’ve really enjoyed it. Lately I’ve been working on social media, which has been great because I want to go to university to study marketing.”

Preparing for university and careers

Finlay wants to go to university after the course to study business management and feels the course will give him an advantage when he gets there. “The university courses are mostly project work and coursework, just like we’ve been doing here, the methodology is the same,” he said. “I’ll be a step ahead because I’ve had the work placement and all this project work.”

Joe Reynolds, 17, also did a placement at the Wiltshire FA and was so successful he was offered a part time job there. “I think what we’ve all taken away from the course is the importance of communication and teamwork,” he said. “I want to study sport and business management so the course and the placement have really helped me, I feel so much more confident now.”

Andrew Blundell, the college’s Deputy Head of Faculty Business, IT & Service Industries, says confidence is one of the key areas of growth he sees in students as they go through the T Level course.

“Self-confidence, maturity, communication skills, a willingness to stand up in front of people and talk and pride in what they’ve achieved are just some of the things we see,” he said.

“The course is designed to give them an understanding of what the world of work is all about, what is expected of them, how to behave and how to get on.

“What we give them is more practical and much more in-depth than they get at school – how to work as a team, how to present to teams, how to lead teams, how to coach people. It’s got so much in it because it was designed by employers and the students leave here with the hard and the soft skills they need to succeed.”

Want to find out more about Business?

Whether you are just starting out in the world of business or are looking to progress your career towards a management position, our Business, Finance and Management courses are tailored to help you achieve your ambitions.