Student voice
Winter 2021 Your student magazine
contents Your student magazine
Winter 2021
Contents Welcome
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Hello from City of Bristol College Students’ Union
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School visits
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News
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Apprenticeship news
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Higher Education news
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New centre opens in south Bristol
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We’ve been in the news!
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Applications are now open for 2022
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We’re here to support you
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Safeguarding Q&A
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What our students say!
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Welcome
Welcome
Welcome to the inaugural edition of our new
Student Voice magazine! We hope this one-stop-shop for all student news and goings-on at City of Bristol College will keep our current students in the loop and highlight to prospective students everything our College has to offer. Whether you’re studying A Levels, a vocational course, an apprenticeship or higher education, there is something for everyone in this magazine. It has been a turbulent time for our students over the past two academic years, but we’re excited to be able to share with you all the return of events, class trips and in-class learning.
That being said, we are aware that Covid-19 is still around and with cases reported to be on the rise, are encouraging all of our staff and students to do regular lateral flow tests and to wear face masks in communal areas such as the food halls and corridors. But that’s enough pandemic talk for now. I urge you to have a flick through our magazine for stories from students, pictures from events and even a competition - good luck to those who enter!
Hello from City of Bristol College Students’ Union Welcome all new and returning students to the Students’ Union, and hello to those considering CoBC! We hope you have all settled in well and are looking forward to the academic year. You may have spotted the SU at events like our Getting Ready Days, the 25th Jubilee celebrations and in your tutorials have you seen us yet? If not, we will continue to have a presence around the College and are here for you all year round, so feel free to come and talk to us whenever you like. Through the SU, you can join clubs like the Creative Community or My World My Home.
If you’d like to get involved with our clubs, events and campaigns, make sure you’re signed up to the SU website. Don’t forget to get your TOTUM card for the best student discounts at your favourite retailers: totum.com
And as always, if you have any questions, want to set up a new club or need support, you can email us: student.experience@cityofbristol.ac.uk
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Hello from Students’ Union
School visits 6
Where have we been this term?
School Visits
Our team have been visiting
schools in and around Bristol this term, promoting our College and spreading the word amongst students. From careers fairs and lunchtime pop-ups to parents’ evenings and assembly talks, we’ve been busy helping the next group of school leavers to decide their learning path. Trying to picture what your future might look like after school is a daunting thing, and we’re really passionate about helping school leavers make the right choices for them. We’re looking for City of Bristol College student ambassadors to do school visits and share their experiences of life at College. Find out more about becoming a student ambassador here.
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School Visits
News
News
Competition
Fancy winning a £50 Amazon voucher? Email marketing@cityofbristol.ac.uk telling us what you love about City of Bristol College and why you chose to study with us/are considering studying with us to be in with a chance! Get your responses in by noon on Monday 31 January.
It’s been a busy term at City of Bristol College! Students have been rushed off their feet with activities across the Centres including pop-up stalls and course competitions.
Love our Colleges Week From 18 to 22 October the nation celebrated Colleges Week, where we shouted about our love for our College. Students enjoyed games tables and sweet pong, and shared what they love most about City of Bristol College.
Drop-in vaccination clinic for 16 to 17-year-olds
Taste of Game Competition for Catering students If you didn’t know, the City Restaurant in both College Green and SBSA are back in full swing, with Catering and Hospitality students learning the ropes of the dining world. Eight of our students took part in the Taste of Game venison canape competition, where they were tasked to use venison to create finger food for a black tie event.
Whilst we’re back to enjoying the College experience we know and love, the threat of COVID-19 is still very real and we must all do what we can to reduce the spread. In the first week of term, we held a drop-in vaccination clinic at College Green and SBSA for all of our students aged 16 to 17-years-old to get their first jab. This was a really successful clinic and we want to thank all of the students who took this simple step to protect themselves and others against COVID-19. If you haven’t yet had yours, we recommend you do so to get the best protection. You can find out more detail here.
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News
Apprenticeship news
Apprenticeship news
Higher Education news
Our apprentices have seen a great deal of success in just three months!
It was an exciting day for our higher education students on Saturday 20 November as we welcomed graduates from the past two academic years to celebrate their achievements at our Higher Education Graduation Ceremony.
City of Bristol College was named a finalist in the AAC Award for Construction Apprenticeship Provider of the Year back in August, and more recently, five of our apprentices with the South West Apprenticeship Company have been shortlisted for various categories at the BristolLive and BathLive Apprenticeship Awards. Among those shortlisted is accounting apprentice Oliver Loveridge, who has been named in the final three for the Outstanding Apprentice of the Year in Business and Professional Services. Oliver was also named as a finalist in the Rising Star of the Year category at the National Apprenticeship Service Awards - South West Region.
“Being nominated for not just one but two awards is a huge honour. I have loved completing my apprenticeship with City of Bristol College both as a student and as an apprentice in the finance team. My apprenticeship has allowed me to gain real-world industry experience while earning some extra money.”
We had a chat with Oliver to find out what he thought about the nominations and he said:
Are you a practical learner and would you love to earn while you learn? An apprenticeship could be for you! You can find out more about apprenticeships here.
Hundreds of proud parents, partners, friends and families filled the pews of Bristol Cathedral as more than 300 higher education students were invited to dress in their caps and gowns for the illustrious ceremony marking the end of their studies at the College. We are also excited to announce the recent addition to the college HE provision of three HN Flex modules! These bite-size Level 4 modules allow students to study individual units and gain a Certificate of Unit Credit in photography, graphic design or business.
Completing one of these modules also gives students the opportunity to progress onto a Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND). The units are accredited by Pearson. For more information about our University Centre, visit our website.
Let’s Get Social Social media is a great way to get live updates on news, events and announcements coming from the College. It is also a great way to get in touch with us with any questions you may have about your course.
We are also excited to announce we have recently launched our TikTok (@cobcollege) where you can enjoy a variety of content from centre tours, student information about finance options and application processes, and of course we have roped in some volunteers to help us hop on a few trends!
Keep in touch with us on our social media platforms and check out what we have been up to:
Share the news! @cityofbristolcollege @COBCollege @cityofbristolcollege
@COBCollege City of Bristol College
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Higher Education news
New centre opens
We’ve been in the news!
New centre opens in south Bristol We are very excited to have officially opened our brand-new Advanced Construction Skills Centre in September to our first cohort of students! The Centre was opened by Metro Mayor Dan Norris, Bristol South MP Karin Smith, UWE Vice-Chancellor Steve West and employer partners from Midas Construction and Vistry Partnerships.
Students studying our construction courses will learn at the inspiring, modern Centre, developing the skills they need for a successful career. We’re also pleased to announce that all of our construction courses include modules on sustainability to reflect the emphasis being placed on ecofriendly practices in the construction sector, meaning students will leave us with the skills employers are looking for as initiatives get underway to create a greener future. Want to find out more about ACSC? You can visit our website.
We’ve introduced two new courses! If you study with us, or are looking to study with us, you’ll know that we offer hundreds of courses in a variety of pathways. With us, you can study to become a carpenter, media expert or tech guru, there are so many options and opportunities for you to reach your full potential. If you’re interested in working in logistics or construction management, then you’re in luck as we’ve introduced two new courses to our curriculum.
International Supply Chain Management Diploma Level 3 Designed to introduce you to the world of logistics, this course will teach you everything you need to know about supply chain management, coordination, administration and planning.
Construction, Management and the Built Environment BTEC Level 3
If you’re keen to develop your knowledge and skills in the professional construction sector, then this course will help you to do exactly that. You’ll focus on the principles of design, technologies, surveying, project management and so much more.
We have had some fantastic news coverage over the past few months with reporters and their camera crews joining us from the BBC and ITV. We first welcomed ITV News West Country, who were working on a piece with a former The Apprentice contestant on attracting women into the construction industry. Our Chief Executive and Principal Rich Harris was interviewed at our brand-new Advanced Construction Skills Centre alongside Charlotte Olver from Vistry Partnerships. Rich’s interview appeared on the 6pm news as part of a wider story. It was then over to BBC News Points West on GCSE results day, where we took one of our careers specialists Study Coach Jane Edwards to be interviewed live on air. But it didn’t stop there! She was also interviewed first thing in the morning on BBC Radio Bristol before heading to the Points West headquarters in Clifton. Jane spoke about career routes both at the College and beyond and gave reassurance to students who didn’t get the grades they expected and their parents.
It was then back to ITV again where journalist Richard Payne spent a whole day at the South Bristol Skills Academy and at the Motor Vehicle Centre at Parkway, interviewing two apprentices (including a DAF apprentice), the College’s Director of Business and Commercial Partnerships, Simon Arnold, and our employer partners Alex Stroud from DAF. The piece featured as the lead story on the news and spanned across almost four minutes.
We welcomed ITV back again to film during our vaccine clinics which ran for a week in late September, offering the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to 16- and 17-year-olds. And finally, the College made national television! BBC Morning Live travelled to Bristol to film in our brilliant science labs at our College Green Centre for a segment on coronavirus, the vaccine and curbing rumours around the vaccination roll-out. You can watch all of these news stories on our YouTube channel. Cobcollege
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We’ve been in the news
Applications are now open
Applications are now open for 2022
If you’re a school leaver and you’re interested in joining us, good news applications are open for 2022 entry! Whether you’re hoping to join us for a technical/vocational course, start your career with an apprenticeship or get your A-Levels, you can find the Apply Now button on the course webpage and begin your application from there.
Entry Requirements
We know that you will work as hard as you can to achieve the best possible GCSE results! But just as a reminder, we have a general entry requirement standard as a College:
Levels
Entry Requirements
Level 1 Vocational pathways, Skills for employment
Four GCSEs at grade 2 or above, including English and Maths.
Level 2 Technical/Vocational qualifications or Intermediate apprenticeships
Three GCSEs at grade 3 or above, including English and Maths OR a Level 1 qualification at Merit grade or above.
Level 3 A Levels, Advanced Apprenticeships Technical/ Vocational qualifications
Five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths OR a full Level 2 qualification at Merit grade or above.
What happens after I apply? If you’ve submitted an application, congratulations! You’re one step closer to College life. To guide you through what happens next, this is what the process looks like after you apply.
Step 1
Submit your application and receive an email of acknowledgement.
Step 2
Invitation to a course meeting to speak with curriculum staff and to find out more about the course.
Step 3
Accept your offer of a place at City of Bristol College.
Step 4
Receive your GCSE results in August and inform the College of your grades.
Step 5
Once your place has been confirmed, you will be invited in to enrol on the course and receive your student ID.
Step 6
Start your course and get stuck into College life!
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Applications are now open
We’re here to support you
Mental health support Safeguarding and Welfare Advisors can help with feelings of sadness and depression, stress or anxiety, problems at home or with friends and relationships and bullying or harassment. ONTRACK Commitment Our promise to students that we will be honest and provide support if we feel you’re not on track to make expected progress. We will work with you to create a plan to help you reach your potential!
We’re here to support you... Adjusting to college life can be hard and everyone settles into new things at a different pace. Some will happily jump on a bus and start their new course with no worries at all, while others may find working out a bus timetable and getting used to college life a little harder and some may be entirely overwhelmed by the experience. It’s important for you to know that we’re here to support you, whatever you’re going through. Whether it’s getting support with mental health and wellbeing, or speaking with someone about your academic progress and keeping on track with your course, we want to help you through the tricky times and offer you all of the support you need.
Additional learning support We support students with dyslexia, dyspraxia and other specific learning difficulties. We can provide you with specialist assessment and tuition and make access arrangements for your exams and assignments. Chaplaincy The welcoming and inclusive chaplaincy offers students and staff pastoral and spiritual support. We have multi-faith prayer rooms and the service is non-judgemental, reliable and open-minded.
You can find out more, including the contact details for each service on our website.
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We’re here to support you
Safeguarding Q&A
Can a student just drop by the office and speak with the team?
Safeguarding
Q&A
What advice would you give a student who notices a change in their friend’s behaviour?
In a nutshell, what do your team do?
Jonny: “We look out for student welfare and our aim is to make the College as safe as possible for everyone. As a team, we provide support for anyone with needs relating to safeguarding and welfare which can include mental health, bullying or issues going on at home or in the community. We may refer them to external organisations and charities if we need to as well.” Where can students find your offices?
J: “The best thing to do is to visit reception at each of our centres, there they can either contact the Safeguarding lead on site, or arrange a private space for someone to give you a call. My main base is at College Green in Student Services.”
J: “The best way to get the right support is by reaching out to us first and then we can arrange a time and date to see you. A student can get hold of the Safeguarding Advisor via teams or phone the general safeguarding number or email safeguarding@cityofbristol.ac.uk which goes through to the whole team. We do get some people who come directly to the office and if it’s urgent, we will see them straight away. However, to handle our cases well and to make sure everyone who comes to us gets the right amount of time and support, we arrange a time and date for a student to come and see us so we can give them all of the time they need and don’t try to squeeze them in around other things.”
Jonny Elphinstone
Head of Student Services and Safeguarding
J: “I would say the best thing they can do is be honest with their friend. Maybe the friend is less engaged with things and not being their usual self, perhaps they’re sitting by themselves in the canteen. Speak to the friend and express your worry that they aren’t being their usual self and ask if there is anything they’d like to talk about. It might be worth saying to them “did you know there is a safeguarding and welfare team at the college?”. For reference, we have posters in all of the toilets which have the contact details on and lots of information. It’s always good to remind your friend of the support which is available at the college.”
What is the process of the support you offer? If a student comes to you with a concern, how does that move forward?
J: “If students would like to reach out to the Safeguarding and Welfare team, they can speak to any member of staff who will log it on the MyConcern system and the team will pick this up. Or, they can email or phone the team directly. Once a student has contacted the team, they will meet with the safeguarding advisor who is based at the same site as the students. An advisor will speak to them about their concerns and what support they may need and work out what is the best option for the student – this might be referring them to our in-house counselling service or referring them to a relevant external organisation such as Bristol Drugs Project or a family and focus referral.”
Will you ever share who came to you for what reason?
J: “Sometimes we may need to share it. I wouldn’t say to a student that we 100% will not share their worries or concerns, but we will only share information on a need to know basis and only when it is the best thing for the student. If they are talking about potentially harming themselves or someone else, then we would need to share that. Or, if they are talking about something that is going on at home, perhaps we would need to share it with the Head of Department so they would not get marked as absent during a challenging time, such as bereavement. The team will speak to the student about what they will need to share with others.”
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Safeguarding Q&A
Should a student ever refer their friend without speaking to them first?
J: “It depends on the situation. Ideally, speak with your friend first. You can let Safeguarding know that you have concerns or worries for a friend, but it’s easier if they let the friend know or speak to a member of the team with the friend because otherwise the team will call up out of the blue and it can put people on the backfoot and get their defences up. Some may brush it off and tell the team they’re fine and it may cause them to avoid speaking to anyone. If they are aware that safeguarding may call to check up on them, it can give them time to think about what they’d like to say and it can help the conversation to go a lot smoother.”
Safeguarding Q&A
Is there anything else you’d like the students to know?
J: “The key thing for all of our students is to look out for each other and to know that the Safeguarding and Welfare team are here to help students if they need any support, or are worried about a friend. If they think something is not quite right about a friend and they can feel it in their gut, they’re probably right. Ask your friends how they are doing, start the conversation and come to Safeguarding so the team can start the support process.”
Open Events
City of Bristol College Open Events are your chance to come to College, see our fantastic facilities for yourself and find out more about our courses.
Saturday 22 January 2022 Wednesday 30 March 2022 Saturday 25 June 2022
10am - 1pm 4:30 - 7:30pm 10am - 1pm
Visit our events page to register for our Open Events and to find out what else is going on at the College.
0117 312 5000
events@cityofbristol.ac.uk
cityofbristol.ac.uk/events
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Open Events
What Our Students Say
What our
students say! Rita de Campos e Sequeira
Sheyanne Stephens
“I really enjoyed my time at City of Bristol College. This was mainly due to the unbelievable teachers I had. These were people who greatly enjoyed their jobs and always tried to make sure their students were successful.”
“On this course, I was given opportunities and experiences to help me build my confidence, make me look closely at my strengths and limitations and reignited my passion for the subject and career opportunities.”
“Whenever I had any sort of issue, they were there to help me. Considering English is not my native language and I had just moved to the UK when I started studying at the College, their input assured me I could actually do it and they never made me feel out of place.”
“I grew up with a profound respect for firefighters and always dreamed of becoming one. A dream I did not actually think could become a reality until recently. But now, as I look to the future, I can truly say I am so grateful for the opportunity I have been given.”
A Levels in Business, English Language and Film Studies
Public Services Level 1 and 2
Kieran Hawes
FdA Graphic Design and Digital Arts “I wanted to get hands-on and continue to develop my skills as thoroughly as I could and the traditional approach felt like a step backwards for me. I was familiar with the GDIM course at the College and its vocations, ‘down and dirty’ approach which better aligned with my way of learning.” “Three years later and here I am, a year in at my dream agency, working across brand and digital for some truly awesome clients around the world. It is crazy! I owe that to this course alongside many an all-nighter and some serious LinkedIn lurking.”
James Gardner
FdA Film and TV “The lecturers were all amazing and the small class sizes meant it was very personal and intimate.”
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Student voice cityofbristol.ac.uk
0117 312 5000
enquiries@cityofbristol.ac.uk
