Where You Can Prospectus 2020/21
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WHERE YOU CAN PROSPECTUS #CHOOSECOLLEGE 2020/21 OPEN INFORMATION EVENTS 16 JANUARY 2020 3PM - 7PM 14 MARCH 2020 10AM - 2PM CAN’T MAKE OUR OPEN EVENTS? Email us at [email protected] and we can arrange a suitable time for you to visit us and find out more about how we can support your career. OUR VALUES WELCOMING TO ALL STUDENTS AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO ALWAYS STRIVING FOR BETTER WHERE YOU CAN change your life 2 CONTENTS 5. Progress to University 24. Motor Vehicle 6. Find A Career 26. Hairdressing 7. Welcome to West Lothian 28. Beauty Therapy College 30. Childhood Practice 8. Student Association 32. Sport and Fitness 9. How to Apply 34. Health and Social Care 10. Learning to Suit You 36. Science 11. Qualifications Explained 38. Social Science 12. Information for Parents and Carers 40. Professional Cookery 14. Business and Accounting 42. Travel and Tourism 16. Art, Creative and Digital 44. ESOL (English for Speakers Media of Other Languages) 18. Engineering and Electrical 44. Languages, Maths and Engineering English 20. Computing and Cyber 46. Assisted Programmes Security 47. Admissions Procedure 22. Construction, Civil Engineering and Built Environment 2020/21 PROSPECTUS 3 I think I can now approach my studies with a determination and drive that may not have been there when I left school. Matthew Clark HNC Childhood Practice 4 WHERE YOU CAN PROGRESS TO UNIVERSITY YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO DIRECTLY TO UNIVERSITY, WITH COLLEGE OFFERING AN EXCELLENT STEPPING STONE TO A DEGREE. WHETHER YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOUR NEXT STEPS AFTER SCHOOL OR ARE CONSIDERING YOUR BEST ROUTE BACK INTO EDUCATION, MAKE WEST LOTHIAN COLLEGE PART OF YOUR JOURNEY. WHY CHOOSE TO GO TO COLLEGE DID YOU KNOW? BEFORE UNIVERSITY? Over 20 of our HN courses offer SAVE MONEY SMALLER CLASS SIZES direct entry to 2nd or 3rd year of Studying closer to home can save you You’ll get more support and the money on travel or accommodation. smaller class sizes mean it is less of a a degree at university, with all full- jump than going straight to university. time courses providing a pathway ADD TO YOUR QUALIFICATIONS to university – meaning YOU CAN It may be that you don’t quite have BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE COME TO COLLEGE FIRST AND what you need to get into university. Build up your confidence in a STILL GRADUATE FROM YOUR College can help you get the welcoming and supportive environment qualifications needed to progress to before making the move to university. UNIVERSITY OF CHOICE WITHIN university, often into 2nd or 3rd year. 4 YEARS, the same time as going directly to university! HOW DOES IT WORK? Courses at Scottish schools, colleges and universities are WHICH LEVEL OF all given an SCQF level. The table below shows how you can COURSE SHOULD progress up the levels and when a college course might be suitable to go on to university. YOU CHOOSE? Deciding which level of course you should study depends on a few factors. SCQF COLLEGE UNIVERSITY You should read up on the courses and LEVEL decide what level you feel ready for, but mainly, the level you choose will DEGREE YEAR 4 depend on what level of qualifications LEVEL 10 HONOURS DEGREE you already have. DEGREE YEAR 3 LEVEL 9 BA DEGREE* ORDINARY DEGREE WHICH UNIVERSITIES DEGREE LEVEL 8 HND DO THE COLLEGE HAVE YEAR 2 DIRECT PROGRESSION ROUTES TO? DEGREE LEVEL 7 HNC YEAR 1 NC/HIGHER/FOUNDATION LEVEL 6 APPRENTICESHIP/MODERN APPRENTICESHIP 2 OUT OF 3 of our HN students progress to further LEVEL 5 NC/NATIONAL 5 study at a HIGHER LEVEL after *The college offers a locally delivered BA Degree in Business. studying with us 2020/21 PROSPECTUS 5 WHERE YOU CAN FIND A CAREER HOW CAN WE PREPARE YOU FOR A REWARDING CAREER? WORK PLACEMENTS INDUSTRY SPEAKERS Many of our students complete a placement whilst We have excellent links with local and national studying with us to help them build the skills and employers, and we use these relationships experience needed to excel in their future career. to benefit our students by bringing in Previous students have had the opportunity for work knowledgeable speakers from the industry. Our placements within companies such as Tax Assist, previous students have received sessions from Barclays Bank, Quality Scotland, West Lothian Council, industry experts from companies such as Lareine The Sheraton and Sky. Placements help you to gain Engineering, Mitsubishi Electric, Microsoft and valuable experience in the workplace and show the NHS. This gives you access to specialists potential employers what you have to offer, helping you in your chosen field so you can get a first-hand to progress into your chosen industry after graduating account of what it is like to work in the industry. from West Lothian College. INDUSTRY TOURS AND VISITS We know that not all learning takes place in a classroom. We take our students out to different DID YOU KNOW? organisations and settings, with previous The college uses its links students visiting the Sheriff Court, Diageo, Ikea, with local, national and international Glasgow Science Centre and Torness Nuclear businesses to give full-time and foundation Power Station. These visits and tours allow you apprenticeship students the opportunity to meet lots of different employers and see how different organisations work, helping to prepare for a work placement. you for when you leave college. WHY WE DO IT We want to give you the best possible start in the world of work and, by working with local businesses, we are able to make sure what you learn in college will set you up well for your career. By bringing potential employers in to the college, and taking students out to them, you get to directly work with them, meaning you can make some amazing connections. HOW WE DO IT A course with us will allow you to develop and enhance skills essential to the world of work, such as communications, teamwork, multitasking, leadership and problem-solving, ultimately ensuring you become successful in whatever career you pursue. We do this by offering high quality learning alongside opportunities to develop skills through interactions with employers, workplace experiences and the opportunity to work abroad. 6 Principal’s welcome Welcome to West Lothian College am delighted that you are thinking Our students go out on industrial about coming to college we will visits, host events, put on exhibitions I be proud to support you with your and often showcase their work to the goal, whether that is to develop new public and employers. On campus skills, improve existing skills, study our facilities help you to develop further with your qualifications or your practical skills, we have a start on an entirely new pathway. professionally run training restaurant, commercially focussed hair and We are pleased to offer you a choice beauty salon, and motor vehicle, of around 80 different National or carpentry and joinery, electrical, Higher National Certificate and engineering and science workshops. Diploma programmes with over In addition, we have a gym and 2,000 full-time places and over 6,000 large sports hall, an outdoor forest part-time opportunities. Our vision classroom and excellent business is to deliver a highly skilled and and computing facilities including a enterprising workforce. cyber security lab. We aim to achieve this through high West Lothian College is ambitious quality courses and qualifications, for you! We want you to be able to workplace experiences, make a difference. We want you to apprenticeships, or by supporting progress directly in to a good job or your progression to university. We on to university. We want you want to help you secure a positive to succeed and we will do and rewarding career. everything we can to help you do just that. I look forward to As well as to your chosen course we your application have a range of volunteering, sports and to or international opportunities to take welcoming you Jackie Galbraith advantage of. Last year 250 of our to West Lothian Principal of West students received recognition for College in 2020. their volunteering and 125 students Lothian College went on overseas study visits to enhance their skills. Our college football, rugby and basketball teams took park in university and college leagues. 2020/21 PROSPECTUS 7 Student Association welcome Student Association West Lothian College Student making changes that benefit everyone Association represents and amplifies the who studies with us. voices of over 8,000 students each year. Furthermore, we hold membership with We arrange campaigns, social events the National Union of Students, where and evaluate your overall college we work closely with other college and experience, as well as offering support university student unions across the for you whilst you are at West Lothian country to ensure that we are continually College. enhancing the student experience. As a student, you will also be able to access We have student representatives national support as well as local support sitting on college committees and as from our Student Association. student board members on the Board of Governors; helping the board to Our Student Association is maintained make strategic decisions that benefit and operated by our full-time sabbatical the students and constantly improve the Student President and Vice President, overall student experience. Executive Officers and Centre Ambassadors. In addition to this, we are here to listen and work with you, our students, which We look forward to welcoming your is why we continually carry out self- application to study at West Lothian evaluation and speak to students about College in 2020, and working with their experiences.