Blog

GCSE results are out and if you’re a school leaver, you need to make some important decisions. You can enrol at Bournville College from Tuesday 31st August, 9am.

Whether your future aspiration is to find a job and start a career, go to a university first or train while you work, Bournville College is the place to choose. A vast range of courses in subjects such as Art & Design, Hair & Beauty, Horticulture, Humanities, Sciences, Media, Music, Care and Childcare, Sport, Public Services or Construction to name just a few, will guarantee a successful start to a career path of any school leaver.  

A Levels will suit someone who aspires to go to a university, whereas NVQs and Apprenticeships to those who like to learn through practical training. BTEC Diplomas sit right in the middle of these courses and offer the best of both worlds – theory as well as practical work experience. Progression to a university is possible from any of these courses as long as your results meet a university’s entry criteria.  

Every year, Bournville College’s A Level results are going from strength to strength. This year’s pass rate of 95.8% across all subjects. 100% pass rate in Art, Business Studies, English Language & Literature, English Literature, Film Studies, Law, Maths, Media Studies, Psychology and Sociology is another proof of the quality education you can expect at Bournville College.  

Zviko Zvauya who collected three A grades in Maths, Chemistry and Physics was delighted with his achievement and a place on a degree in Actuarial Science and Mathematics at the University of Manchester. He said: ‘My results prove that if you work hard you can achieve your goal. Having said that, I don’t think I could have done it without Bournville College and its supportive tutors’.  

The future

Bournville College is relocating to a brand new £66 million state-of-the-art campus from September 2011. The new campus will be on the doorstep of Longbridge train station and feature modern learning and leisure facilities including a sports hall, learning resource centre, motor vehicle maintenance workshop, hair and beauty salons and a restaurant. School leavers joining Bournville College this September will study at the new build campus from the second year of their course.  

Here to support you

A range of financial support, such as Education Maintenance Allowance and Learning Support Fund is available to Bournville students. Financial support can help you with the cost of books, travel, equipment or anything useful to support your learning.  The Assessment and Support Team assesses, co-ordinates and monitors additional support needs for students with various support needs. Additional support can include extra support in individual or small group sessions, in-class support from student support assistants, specialist equipment and resources or exam concessions.

Freshers’ fair – Wednesday 22^nd September

The aim of the fair is to inform new students of services that are available to them while they are at Bournville College and also make them aware of opportunities in the wider community. The last year’s fair was attended by over 20 organisations and 1000 students!  

Going places

Students at Bournville College get a chance to explore a range of foreign countries during their studies. Home and international trips are a regular part of every course. They are designed to provide students with plenty of subject relevant experience and enrich your learning in a fun and sociable way. During the last academic year, students visited Madrid, Prague, Berlin, Bruges, Dublin, Cyprus and many more.

Lacey Hallifax, who just finished studying BTEC Extended Diploma in Art & Design and is now going to study fashion design at Manchester University summed up her experience at Bournville College: ‘During my time at Bournville, I have met loads of people, managed to work with some of the most amazing tutors, went on trips abroad and did volunteering with children. That’s why I’ll always remember my experience at Bournville College.’   

Enrolment for school leavers starts on Tuesday 31^st August at 9am. Don’t miss your chance. Visit www.bournville.ac.uk or call 0121 483 1111 to find out more.      

Bournville's careers advisors will be available in the Careers Resources Room (FG01) to discuss your university options on: 

Thursday 19th August - 10.00am - 3.30pm

Friday 19th August - 10.00am - 3.00pm

Monday 23rd August - 10.00am - 12.45pm

HAVE FUN, CHOOSE A CAREER 

Bournville College will be opening its doors to school leavers and adult learners, their family and friends at their Open Day on Saturday 12 June between 10:30am-2:30pm. This is an excellent opportunity to talk to Bournville’s dedicated team of tutors about your future options, find out more about the new campus taking shape in Longbridge or chat about college life with current students.  

NEW COURSES

There will be many new courses on offer, including Event Management, Coaching and Mentoring and Facilities Management for adults as well as BTEC First Diploma in Engineering (Electronics) and Edexcel Diploma Level 3 in Business, Administration and Finance, to name but a few.  

WORLD CUP THEME

To coincide with the World Cup taking place this summer, the Open Day will be themed around football. Visitors will have an opportunity to get involved in a penalty shootout, strike-speed test and tabletop football. Younger visitors can have their face painted and walk away with a balloon in their favourite team’s colours.  

CONSTRUCTION CENTRE

The Construction Centre will also be open on the day. If you are interested in courses in construction, plumbing, electrics, painting and decorating, you can head to the specialist centre in Longbridge.   

To find out more, call Bournville College now on 0121 483 1111 or visit www.bournville.ac.uk.

‘College, Course, Career’ returns for its second instalment this week, giving you an insight into life after studying at Bournville College.

This week’s video features Bournville College graduate Gideon who is now studying Accounts for Management at Aston University, one of the country’s top business schools.

If you’re interested in discovering what courses are available at Bournville College and what careers these can lead onto, why not come along to our Careers Evening on Wednesday 21^st April at 4:30pm? You’ll have to be quick though as places are filling fast. Click here to book onto the event.

Our mini series “Through the looking glass” returns this week for its second instalment, giving you an insight into what actually happens behind the classroom doors.

This week’s video comes from Bournville College’s Hair and Beauty Department, featuring talks from Francis Patterson – Curriculum Leader for Hairdressing and Mareen Kelly – a qualified hairdresser studying to be a teacher.

If you are interested in discovering a career in hair and beauty or any other subject, come along to our Careers Evening on Wednesday 21^st April at 4:30pm. Click here to register for the event.

As part of the Careers Evening, an industry professional Graham Robinson will be speaking about his experiences in the hairdressing industry as well as answering questions from the audience.

With 32 years experience in the hairdressing industry, Graham is now owner of Synergy Hair Design Ltd in Aldridge. In addition, he's been passing on his techniques to budding stylists for the past 10 years, most recently to those at Bournville College.

With application deadlines drawing ever closer, we’ve been swamped with questions about what courses Bournville College has on offer.

We decided to put some of your questions to Jenny Clarke, Careers Co-Coordinator here at the College who has recorded a series of short videos which will hopefully give you an idea about some courses and what career they can lead to.

To check out more of Jenny’s Q&A sessions, you can click here.

Jenny will be attending our Careers Evening on Wednesday 21^st April at 4:30pm where you will be able quiz her about the College and careers.

Click here to book onto the event.

Ever wondered what happens to students once they’ve got their qualifications? Our latest series of videos entitled ‘College -> Courses -> Career’ will give you an insight into the doors that open having studied at Bournville College. 

The first video features Bournville graduate, Beckie who studied a number of A levels however decided to stay on at the College and complete an Apprenticeship in Admin. She now works as an Admin Assistant for Business Development Team at Bournville College.   

If you’re interested in discovering what courses are available at Bournville College and what careers these can lead onto, why not come along to our Careers Evening on Wednesday 21^st April at 4:30pm. Click here to book onto the event.

It’s one thing listening to lecturers talking to you about the subjects that they teach but it could be very different to what happens in the classroom. 

Our mini series “Through the looking glass” will give you an insight into what actually happens in the classroom and what students get up to when left to their own devices. 

The first video in the series comes from Bournville College’s Art Department - courtesy of James Hepburn, lecturer at the College. James’s class is currently designing a front cover for the “New Scientist” magazine as part of their A Level portfolio work.

Check out the video below. 

If you’re interested in discovering a career in art or any other subject, come along to our Careers Evening on Wednesday 21^st April at 4.30pm. Click here to register for the event.

Your teenage years make up some of the most important time in your life with many big decisions to be made about your future career. It’s important that you receive the right support during this crucial time. 

Bournville College is hosting a Careers Evening on Wednesday 21 April at 4.30pm where school leavers (Years 9, 10 and 11) can speak to tutors, industry professionals and students about a range of careers available in various industries. So, if you’re interested in finding out more about a career in administration, art & design, beauty, business, catering, childcare, floristry, horticulture, hairdressing, health & social care, IT, law, media, music, public services, sciences, sport or travel & tourism, then come along to the Careers Evening.  

Are you in Year 11 and leaving school this year? You might want to start thinking about your future now and this is where we can help. Bournville College is holding an Open Day for school leavers - this Saturday, 10.30am - 2.30pm on the Main Campus and the Construction Centre. 

Come and speak to our tutors about different courses, visit our student facilities and view a 3D model of our new state-of-the-art campus for September 2011. Visit http://tinyurl.com/yj9pjy3 for more information.

See you on Saturday!