College prepares students for the world of work

A number of local employers and alumni Business students attended the ‘Future Options’ event on Monday 3 February to provide current students studying the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business with an insight into working for their organisations, as well as talking about their personal education experiences which helped them to get to where they are today.

Visitors from the local employers and Newcastle College alumni included Nathan Mountford, Sales Partner Executive at Siemens, Anna Lear and Ruby Bansal, both Digital Technology Apprentices at Barclays, Brad Finn from Michelin and Jazmin Vernon from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

At the event, each visitor presented to over 100 students and gave an overview of their own education and career pathway to highlight the various routes into employment, whether that is through university or an Apprenticeship.

Kamaal Shah, who is currently studying the BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business at Newcastle College attended the ‘Future Options’ event. Commenting on the day, Kamaal, said: “The day provided lots of information about the variety of Apprenticeships that are available and how to apply. It was really inspiring to hear from students that have been successful in finding great Apprenticeships and I now feel far more confident in applying myself.”

Representatives from Staffordshire University also attended to provide students with an overview of the university’s Higher and Degree Apprenticeship programmes and discussed the process of applying, provided job interview hints and tips and gave an overview of the employers they work with.

Commenting on the event, Barclays apprentice Anna Lear, said: “The day was a great success – we were really impressed by the student’s level of engagement during the sessions. We were especially pleased by their overall attitude towards wanting to learn more about ‘the outside world’ and the opportunities they could take towards their future aspirations. It was a valuable learning opportunity and we would just like to say thank you for inviting us to partake in this experience.”

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, NSCG is the first further education provider in England to achieve the top grades in every area of Ofsted’s recently reformed Education Inspection Framework (EIF). The inspection report, published on 14 November 2019, highlights the way in which NSCG prepares learners for progression, noting that ‘all learners make very good sustained progress from their starting points’ and that ‘learner’s feel that all staff care about their futures and provide them with the support and motivation to succeed’.

NSCG offers a wide-range of post-16 qualification pathways including vocational courses, A Levels and Apprenticeships. For more information about studying at Newcastle College, visit nscg.ac.uk, call 01782 254254 or email info.newcastle@nscg.ac.uk