Employability Statement
Introduction:
Newbury College is committed to enhancing the employability skills of its learners irrespective of ability, race, gender or ethnicity to enable the learners to progress into successful professional or further/higher academic careers.
Promoting employability skills:
Newbury Colleges approach to promoting employability skills is to integrate activities into the learning experience using a diverse range of events such as work placements , talks by employers, career planning, Safety at Work on-line assessments, Work Skills accredited unites, etc which also promote wider employability skills such as communication, literacy, numeracy, personal and social, team work and leadership skills.
Newbury Colleges priorities when promoting employability skills:
1. Career planning and employment
Newbury College offers all applicants a comprehensive range of printed and electronic materials outlining services that inform choice of educational and career pathways. Open days, schools liaison and recruitment fairs also ensure that information is up to date and available to all.
IAG interviews are provided to advice on academic progression, career planning and support needs. Individual Action Plans are then produced with tutors/support staff/advisers monitoring the learner/applicants progress and needs. Learners are advised on the best course of action for them and support sessions are followed up as required.
During induction and via tutorial, full time and part time learners are made aware of the College Intranet system Moodle which incorporates the Virtual Careers Library and links to careers advisory organisations. There is also a Careers and Higher Education Library in the Learner Services and Information area. Drop in personal statement writing sessions are also offered in conjunction with Aim Higher.
2. Opportunities and support for work experience and placements
Most College full-time courses have input from employers equipping learners with the knowledge and skills set to engage with industry. All full time and part time courses have assessments that require learners to demonstrate key generic employability skills and many courses use live projects generated by employers.
The tutorial scheme facilitates the development of employability skills through the use of the on-line resources, accredited Work Skills units, termly external speakers and industry visits. Young learners have mandatory accredited placements within industry, while adult learners participation in optional workskills programmes.
In addition, a range of events inform learners of progression opportunities, these include: Where2Now? progression week, HE Conferences, group sessions delivered by Connexions, Aim Higher and the Colleges Higher Education Adviser.
3. Signposting information endorsed by professional bodies, employers or Sector Skills Councils
All courses are aligned to professional standards to ensure they reflect sector needs. Where there is a need to comply with licence to practice, the learners are advised on what is required and this is built into their study programme.
The College also offers courses such as a Foundation degrees in Teacher, CACHE and HNCs/HNDs which provide entrance to relevant professional bodies and industry related qualifications.
4. Support for development of employability within courses
Newbury College works with over 2,000 employers and has well established relationships which inform curriculum design and delivery. Learners gain from projects commissioned by employers or employed learners, projects making a contribution to the workplace, employer involvement and contribution to the design and delivery of the curriculum and assessment process, employers as guest lectures, and industry visits.
Newbury College promotes enterprise and entrepreneurship skills within the learners programmes as part of the learner wider enrichments activities; for example, through sessions on setting up your own business.