Our innovative courses give students experiences within industry standard training settings, they support students in finding their personalised career pathways, they give quality careers advice through individualised and group careers talks. They give students an understanding of how, through education and qualifications, they can turn their interests and passions into a job.
The closing date for applications for full-time Foundation Studies is the 6th June (14-16 students).
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- Broader and more exciting range of 1 day a week vocational courses – School Link days
- Bespoke programmes only for ‘transitional’ 2 hour a week sessions with no qualification attached.
- Limited places for Foundation full time study (5 places per campus)
- Selection panel for full time study- no decision until June
- Brand new ‘Encounter days’ for higher achieving learners – 6 days per year
- From Sept 22/23 we will not be permitting external support from SEND Schools to support learners in meeting EHCP targets in College.
- If we feel we could meet the needs of a post-16 learner from a SEND school we will be recommending they apply directly to College.
We have expanded our School Link vocational courses to include a broad range of motivating subjects. These courses are aimed at students that have an interest in one or two subject areas and require motivation to complete their GCSEs at School. These courses may also be suitable for students who previously considered a full-time place as learners could study 2 days in a vocational School Link day to try out a few subjects before choosing a careers pathway post-16.
Courses are solely for students who are enrolled with a School, and days run from 9am-2pm. Students as young as Year 10 can apply for these courses. School Link Mentors build an individualised coaching package around each learner, offering pastoral support, careers guidance, 1:1 tutorials etc.
Courses are vocational in nature and come with a qualification at the end of year 11. Our broad offer includes:
- Vehicle Maintenance
- Hair and Beauty
- Construction
- Land-based including Animal Care and Agriculture
- Welding
- Tractor Mechanics (Agricultural Engineering)
- Catering
- Health and Social Care
- Sport and Public services
Please note: we will be interviewing each student for the course/s they are referred for. This is to ensure all students have an interest in the subjects they are undertaking, and they are ready to learn in a College environment.
Bespoke Courses
We have previously run bespoke courses for
Schools where a group comprises of students from only one School. We
will be continuing to offer this for short 2-hour sessions with no
qualifications attached with the purpose of giving students a taster of
one particular subject. We will not be offering this where there is a
qualification attached and an extended day/half day as we have done
previously. This is because we have been running these courses at a loss
due to the teaching hours, qualification costs, and resources needed.
We therefore encourage Schools to sign students up for School Link
courses. We will discount the rate per student if a School sends 6
students or more for one School Link group.
We are changing our full-time provision where students infill into Foundation studies for 3 days a week. We are limiting our Foundation provision to year 11 students only; this is for a range of reasons including year 10’s safety when infilling with older students. We are limiting places on each campus to 5 full time places in Foundation. These 5 places include the places held by current year 10s progressing to year 11. This is in order that post-16 study remains the main business of the Foundation department and School Link Mentors can ensure a quality coaching package for all School students.
Due to these changes, we will carefully consider all Full-time pre-16 applications to ensure we offer places to those that are ready to access Wiltshire College, achieve and progress. Students will be more likely to be successful in securing a place if they:
- Have been accessing School
- Have a mature attitude to learning
- Can be responsible for keeping themselves safe within an open and adult environment
- Are studying at low Level 1 currently
- Have an idea of their future career/are motivated to explore career options
We will be collecting referrals up until May 2022. From now until May we will have an informal chat with the learner’s School, and we will interview the learner. In June, our selection panel will consider each application. The selection panel will consist of the Head of Foundation studies and Learning support, the Head of Safeguarding and the Deputy Head of Foundation of the campus applied for. We will notify the School and the learner of a decision regarding your learner/s in June.
We will continue to cost up a support package for learners with EHCPs and agree this cost before offering to a student.
This is a brand new and innovative offer for students who are on track to pass 5 or more GCSEs at grade 4 and above. These are a series of 6 days across the academic year, roughly one per term, that introduce students to a range of interesting subjects. Students can encounter adult nursing within our purpose-built ward, Childcare in our Primary classroom, or Forensic Science in our Laboratories. These courses are designed to meet Gatsby Benchmark 7: Encounters with Further Education and Higher Education:
- Health and Social Care: Adult Nursing and Childcare
- Travel and Tourism
- Media makeup, Hair and Beauty
- Engineering and Motor Sport
- Laboratory Sciences
- Horticulture
These courses do not come with a qualification, and are designed to motivate, engaged and challenge learners to explore their options and realise their futures.
Please register your interest with Helen Dodds, a timetable with dates and encounters will follow.
Independent specialist Schools are welcome to apply for pre-16 or post-16 places when it would be beneficial for a student to attend College alongside attending School.
Schools will need to apply via the School Link Coordinator. Please encourage students to refrain from applying through the main College site. Once an application is received, we will request a copy of the learner’s EHCP to send to our learning support team. If we feel we can meet the needs of the learner without the support of the School; we will recommend that the learner reapplies as a purely Wiltshire College student. If there are elements of a learner’s plan that we cannot meet e.g. residential care, then we will continue with the application for the learner and cost up a support package.
From 2022/23 we will not be permitting external support from Schools to support learners in meeting their EHCP targets in College. This is so that we can be confident that we are providing an equal and quality experience for all Wiltshire College learners. As a result, we will cost up a support package and agree it with the School, using our own team to support learners. We will, of course, ensure Schools are fully informed of their learners’ achievement, progression, behaviour, and safeguarding, as is our standard practice.
All courses are for one day a week from 9am -2pm, not all courses are available on all campuses so please check the timetable below to know where courses are taking place and on which days. All courses come with a qualification ranging from Entry Level 3 to Level 2. The level achieved on each course is currently to be certified.
Agricultural Engineering (Tractor Mechanics)
On this one-year course, you will learn and become confident in how engines and machinery work. You’ll learn the difference between petrol and diesel engines, electrics and electronics, transmissions, hydraulics and much more. You’ll be shown by our lecturers how to operate a wide range of farm machinery, from a gator to more general equipment such as fertilisers, spreaders and sprayers. Your time at college will give you a real idea of how the agriculture and land-based engineering industries operate. You’ll be immersed in an industry standard environment from day one, and will achieve a qualification which will give you a head start that will be useful to you whether you want to study further, progress onto an apprenticeship or seek employment post 16.
Welding
Welding is a fabrication process whereby two or more parts are fused together by means of heat, pressure or both forming a join as the parts cool. Welding is usually used on metals and thermoplastics but can also be used on wood. This is a one-year course which will give you an introduction into manual metal arc welding, MIG/MAG welding (electronic welding), thermal cutting and welding techniques. You will also have the opportunity to make a fabrication piece of artwork if you wish. This course will give you the skills to progress to subjects such as Engineering, Mechanics, Construction to name a few! The qualification you achieve will teach you key skills useful in day-to-day life, and will look great on any CV.
Land based studies
This is year one of a two-year programme. You will get a taster of a range of land-based activities. In Animal Care. You will experience life caring for small animals ranging from reptiles, rodents, goats, donkeys, guinea pigs, rabbits and aviaries. You will work behind the scenes of our purpose-built wildlife park at Lackham college, learning about animal habitats and how to provide the best enrichment for the animals in your care. In Agriculture you will learn about the farming environment, including about growing crops, looking after the land, caring for the Lackham college farm animals (Cows, pigs, sheep and ever Deer!) and working with the most up-to-date farming technology. At the end of this year, you will need to choose between Agriculture or Animal care to complete your qualification.
Agriculture
This is year two of the Land based studies course. In this you will achieve a qualification in Agriculture. You will take a more in depth look at the farming environment, learning about farming legislation and the broader aspects of farming. You will complete units throughout the year that will contribute to your final qualification in agriculture. This could lead on to a career within the animal care industries or an apprenticeship.
Animal Care
This is year two of the Land based studies course. In this you will achieve a qualification in Animal Care. You will take a more in depth look at how to care for and enrich the life of each individual animal within the Animal Care centre. You will complete units throughout the year that will contribute to your final qualification in Animal Care. This could lead on to a career within the animal care industries or an apprenticeship.
Vehicle Maintenance
This is a two-year course in which students complete a certificate in year one and a diploma in year two. You learn the basics of engines, brakes, steering and suspension and it will prepare you to apply for a full-time programme in Vehicle Maintenance and/or an apprenticeship within the industry. Sessions are taught by lecturers with a host of industry experience within our purpose-built garages.
Construction
Within this two-year course you will get a flavour of the different areas of the Construction department. You will spend time in the brick workshops, painting and decorating areas and carpentry workshops learning basic skills of the Construction trades. Over the two years you will complete units towards a building and crafts operative qualification at Level 1. From this, you could progress to a full-time qualification within the Construction department, or on to an apprenticeship.
Health and Social Care
Within this one-year course, you will get a taster of the different sectors with social care. You will explore different visitor attractions and how those attractions meet the needs of those visiting them. You will get an insight into planning and making healthy snacks to meet individual needs and will explore the hygiene health and safety when preparing food. In addition to this, another unit involved advising others about health lifestyles looking at drugs, smoking, drinking and healthy lifestyles and how we can advise others about promoting this. At the end of these units, you will achieve a qualification which will support an application to Health and Social care full time post-16.
Catering
This is an exciting opportunity to learn catering skills within our industry standard purpose-built kitchens. You will learn basic health and safety skills alongside learning how to follow a basic recipe to prepare a delicious menu. You will need to be dressed appropriately, with our Wiltshire College Catering Jackets embroidered with your name, safety shoes and a chef’s hat and apron. This will be at an additional cost of £50. This will enhance your experience and will help you to feel the part within the industry. The qualification gained at the end of this course could lead on to any Catering course post-16 or an apprenticeship.
Hair and Beauty
Over this two year course you will spend a year in the Hair department creating your own innovative styles and designs and learning techniques essential to the industry. You will also spend a year within the Beauty department. Here you will learn techniques in manicuring and pedicuring alongside skills such as eyebrow shaping, learning how to apply make-up, and skills in basic massage. Throughout the two years you will learn important legislation alongside chemistry, maths, and biology relevant to Hair and Beauty studies. Following this course you could apply for a Hair course, Beauty course, Media Makeup course or Barbering - to name a few.
Sport and Public services
This is a combined course that provides you with a taster of the Sport and the Public Services Industries. The Units you will cover include coaching skills and training for fitness; these are skills you will need to work within Sport and Public service sectors. Alongside this you will study how Exercise effects the body, you will play sports (such as Badminton, Football, Rugby and Hockey) and you will assist in planning and taking part in an Inter-College sports day in the summer term. You will also learn how to develop a personal progressive plan to improve your own fitness. This could lead on to a Level 1 or Level 2 course Public Services and Sport course Post-16.
The curriculum areas we offer vary per campus:
Applications for both of these programmes can only be made through a school. For more information about the separate application processes, please see below:
School Liaison & Admissions Manager: Jo Lennon, Jo.Lennon@wiltshire.ac.uk
