Student Services

These courses are for those students who may need life skills support or who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and who wish to study a varied and interesting course at entry level. You can develop your confidence and progress towards further education, training or employment. The course work is based around real life situations and you are encouraged to develop your ability to work independently, to share experiences and to build on your existing skills and knowledge.

Bath College offers the following programmes within its Foundation Learning department:

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Step-up Programme

For people who want to find out what they are good at and what they would like to do and then progress to higher study.

Life and Independent Living Skills

Caters for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities wishing to improve their independent living skills

Project Search

A year-long internship for young people aged 18-24 with learning difficulties or disabilities with a large local employer. This is made up of three 10-week internships in different departments over the year.

What you will need:

There are no formal entry requirements. You just need enthusiasm, commitment and a desire to succeed. A course tutor will interview you when you apply for these courses.

A BTEC is a qualification that brings together practical and academic skills at Level 2 and 3 taking a hands-on approach to learning, without missing any of the important theory on the subject.

BTECs are assessed through practical, controlled assessments and written work. BTECs are designed for young people interested in a particular sector or industry. They are designed in partnership with industry representatives, so all employer and student needs are met.

They are highly valued by a large number of companies, as they like the fact that students have mandatory work experience and there is a strong focus on employability skills and attitudes.

One BTEC will usually count as a full-time programme, e.g. BTEC Extended Diploma in Computing.

Diplomas are similar to BTECs, but are offered by different professional bodies. This ensures the standard of teaching and learning meets the demands of the sector. For example, a Diploma in Art is awarded by the University of Arts London (UAL).

Diplomas are delivered at Level 1, 2 and 3 and both BTECs and Diplomas at Level 3 are the equivalent to three A Levels and therefore carry UCAS points, which can be used to gain entry onto a degree programme at university.

BTECs and Diplomas are graded by Pass, Merit, Distinction and Distinction. Some Colleges will require certain grades in order to progress through the levels. For example, at Bath College, you will require a Merit grade on a level 2 to progress on to a level 3 Diploma/BTEC.

NVQs are competence-based qualifications and provide you with the specific skills to do a particular job.

They focus on the skills you will need in the workplace and assessment is usually by practical tasks and assignments. They are usually studied alongside a work placement and can be taken as a stand-alone qualification, or as part of an apprenticeship.

At Bath College lots of students study NVQs as part of their study programme. One particular course area that takes NVQs are Hair and Beauty students. This is because a large part of their programme is working in the public salons, which complements their classroom-based learning.

An apprenticeship is a real job with real pay, combining all the benefits of a regular position with worthwhile training.

They often suit students who have a clear idea of their career path and who no longer want to study full-time in a classroom environment.

Apprenticeships are taught at three levels, each of which usually takes 12-18 months to complete. Of these three levels, you can study two types from age 16 (depending on grades and experience) – Intermediate (level 2) or Advanced (level 3).

Key benefits:‍

• An opportunity to learn job-specific skills
• On-the-job training
• Paid holidays
• Qualifications Salary
• Find the sector most suited to you and your career goals
• Experience multiple work placements
• Develop your employability skills

A traineeship is an individualised programme for young people, aged 16-24, who aren’t quite ready for the world of work or require a little help securing an apprenticeship. Traineeships can last from 6 weeks to 6 months with the content tailored to your individual needs, including:

• Work Preparation Training, which ensures you are ready and confident to take the first step in your career, such as an Apprenticeship. Maths and English support to help give you the literacy and numeracy skills needed for the workplace.
• Work Placements, which provide insight and experience of the world of work and make you more attractive to potential employers.

• Use your full name, not a shortened version
• If possible, do not use your school email as when we send emails with important information on the course and how & when to enrol, you may not be able to access them from your school email
• Provide your predicted grades – this enables the Admissions Team to assess your application to make sure you have applied for the correct level and you will receive a quicker response from the team
• Provide us with a parent/guardian contact with telephone number and email

When you submit your application, you will receive an automatic email confirming that your application is submitted. You will receive a further automatic email when the Admissions Team process your application.

Our helpful Admissions Team will review your application and may email you or text you if more information is required. The email will be sent from AdmissionsFT@bathcollege.ac.uk so look out for this email address as the emails may go into your junk/spam folders. Please reply to any email as soon as possible, as your application will not progress to the next stage until we hear from you.

If you are predicted to achieve the GCSE grades for your chosen course, you will be offered a conditional place – we will also start to send information out in the post to keep you updated on activities or updates from the College – we know you do not want to receive too many emails.

If you change your mind about the course you have been offered, please contact the Admissions Team and we can either withdraw your application completely or change the application to a different course – you can speak to one of our Careers Advisors who can help you if you are not quite sure of your next steps.

Keep checking your emails for information from AdmissionsFT@bathcollege.ac.uk about your chosen course which may include information on uniforms, books etc (we would recommend that you do not purchase any course specific items until after you have your GCSE results and have your place confirmed). We will also email you about how and when to enrol onto the course.

You will receive information on what to do when you receive your GCSE results – this will be to attend an enrolment session at college around July/August. If you did not achieve the required GCSE results to do your course, don’t worry we can usually find a different course for you – this may be the same subject but at a lower level or a different subject. If your GCSE grades are better than predicted, we may offer you a course at a higher level.

You will usually receive your course timetable on the first day of the course, unfortunately timetables are not available until this time, as they can’t be finalised until the student numbers on each course are confirmed.

If you have any questions about your specific application or the application process in general, please contact the Admissions Team by email AdmissionsFT@bathcollege.ac.uk‍

‍‍If you have any questions about Transport and Bursaries please email studentfunding@bathcollege.ac.uk