March 2022
Student Newsletter
Opening Welcome
Hi Everyone, I know many of you are glad we have reached the Easter break! This is well deserved and the dedication and hard work of all our students has not gone unrecognised. We hope you have all had a great term and have a nice Easter break with lots of sunshine and chocolate eggs! Please could you fill in the mid year student survey. Your voices are crucial to us and our continuous development.
Ukraine
The situation is Ukraine is causing concern around the world – for those directly affected, perhaps due to being a Ukrainian national, having Ukrainian heritage or having family in Ukraine, this may be a time of particular stress.
For up to date information on what is happening in Ukraine, we suggest the BBC News website which is here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news Free calls: Tesco have allowed free calls and SMS to Ukraine for anyone just download the Tesco International Calling app (You don't have to be a Tesco mobile customer to use this) App info: https://www.tescointernationalcalling.com/ If you would like to speak to someone about how you are feeling, the college can offer a supportive ear – just email safeguarding@wlc.ac.uk and we will contact you directly.
Learning Resource Centre
Please note that the learning resources centres will be closed over the Easter holidays other than Hammersmith which will remain open from 10am-4pm everyday.
Social Media
Social Media Channels at West London College A great way to keep up to date with what’s happening at West London College is to follow us on our social media. Please see the channels we are on below and subscribe and follow as many as you like! Here are the accounts and the handles.
Instagram westlondoncollege Facebook @westlondoncol YouTube West London College LinkedIn West London College Twitter @westlondoncol
Covid Updates
In line with the new government announced guidelines it is no longer a requirement to wear masks around the college. We still strongly advise students to test twice a week. In the meantime please protect yourself and the community, get vaccinated! All students are now eligible to receive their Covid Vaccination, please use the link below to get yours booked in! Remember, some professions such as nursing and care work are moving towards compulsory vaccinations to work in their industry, so getting vaccinated will help stop the virus and keep those job options open to you NHS Covid Vaccination Booking You can also attend the following walk in centres local to your College site:
Hammersmith Campus Ealing Campus Southall Campus Park Royal Campus
Exams Please be aware 29 June 2022 has been set by Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) as the Exam Contingency Day. All GCSE, A Level and BTEC exam students must be available on this date should an exam or exams have to be rescheduled.
Start times All GCSE English and Maths exams are MORNING exams. You must arrive in College by 08:30 latest ready for a prompt 09:30 start. If you are late entry into the exam room is not guaranteed. All late arrivals will be reported to the awarding body and your exam paper may not be marked. Stationary Please be reminded that it is your responsibility to ensure that you bring all equipment required. Failure to do so may disadvantage you in the exam. Exam Rules and Regulations Possession of unauthorised items, such as a mobile phone or any watch is a serious offence and could result in disqualification from your examination and your overall qualification even if you do not intend to use it. You must not have any electronic devices or watches on you they should all be left with your personal belongings in the cloakroom or the area designated for belongings in the exam room. You must not talk to, attempt to communicate with or disturb other candidates once you have entered the examination room and you must follow the instructions of the invigilator at all times. Before your exams so that you know what is expected of you must take the time to read the Information for candidates – Written exams guidance and familiarise yourself with the Unauthorised Items Poster and the Warning to Candidates poster.
West London College
Exam Timetable
West London College
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is of utmost importance to us and we are focused on ensuring we do the best to protect all our learners as best we can. If you ever have any concerns about yourself, or any other student you can always pop into Student Services. We can offer support with a wide range of problems and if we can’t we will find someone who can. Email safeguarding@wlc.ac.uk or fill in the student services referral form.
West London College
Vacancies Visit our Careers and Employability Site for support with CVs, job vacancies, apprenticeship opportunities and the latest careers information and university application guidance. If you would like to book a Careers Advice appointment with our College Careers Advisor please contact Jemima j.wiredu@wlc.ac.uk Please click the images below for the latest job vacancies, apprenticeship opportunities.
Careers Appointments The Careers team offers a range of services and career resources accessible from the Careers and Employability website via the Student Portal. Please email us careers-team@wlc.ac.uk if you have a query and/or to book a 1-1 Information, Advice and Guidance session.
West London College
Catering Trip
On Tuesday 29th March our amazing Catering students went on a trip to The Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Students visited The Reubens at the Palace Hotel, The Milestone Hotels and Residences and The Montague at the Gardens Hotel.
Students had the opportunity to work in the Hotels kitchens deboning Dover Sole which they then got to taste after! The students had a tour of the Hotel and met the Vice President, Head Chefs, Head of HR and General Managers to explore different career paths within the industry. After the tours students got to meet Sarah Houghting from Bake Off: The professionals, who had made them lots of tasty desserts to try. The Heads Chefs and General Managers were so impressed with our students that they have started to reach out with employment offers already, they are keen to continue our partnership and will be hosting more trips moving forward as well as visiting West London College to try our students' dishes! A massive thank you and well done to Louise Scully for building this partnership and creating fantastic employer links for our students. Students had a fantastic day and have been dropping in all morning to say how impressed they were.
West London College
Catering Trip
West London College
Work Experience
A huge well done to all of our learners who completed their Work Experience Placement with Heathrow last week. Please remember to submit your work by Friday 1st April in order to receive your certificate.
Work Experience Start Date
Group
Monday 25th April
ELEL311002, ICTL311118 A, ICTL311118 B, SPOL211002, TRAL111008
Monday 2nd May
ESOE311169, PLUL311005, ICTL211032, SPOL111041
Monday 9th May
BUSL211081, ICTL211030
Monday 16th May
ICTL322049, TRAL111022, All students who have not yet completed WEX
West London College
Work Experience Start Date
Group
Monday 25th April
ELEL311002, ICTL311118 A, ICTL311118 B, SPOL211002, TRAL111008
Monday 2nd May
ESOE311169, PLUL311005, ICTL211032, SPOL111041
Monday 9th May
BUSL211081, ICTL211030
Monday 16th May
ICTL322049, TRAL111022, All students who have not yet completed WEX
West London College
Enrichment
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is considered by Muslims worldwide as a sacred month for fasting, prayer, reflection and community. This year Ramadan starts on Saturday 2nd April and ends on Sunday 1st May. It is a way of remembering Prophet Muhammad's first revelation and it’s annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Ramadan lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one sighting of the crescent moon to the next. During this time all Muslims who are able, will be fasting from sunrise to sunset (meaning they will not be eating or drinking anything between those hours), refraining from tobacco products, sexual relations, and sinful behaviour; instead many will be devoting themselves prayer and the study of the Quran as they go about their day to day lives. After sunset on each day of Ramadan, families and friends will get together to break their fast with a special meal referred to as Iftar.
West London College
Enrichment
Autism Awareness Week runs from the 28th March- 3rd of April. It is an opportunity to celebrate, educate and encourage awareness around Autism and the impact it has on the lives of people affected by it. Autism is a lifelong disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world around them. There are approximately 700,000 autistic people in the UK and 1 in every 100 children in the UK have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. This week aims to improve people's understanding of autism and help make the world friendlier to those who are affected by it. What is Autism For more information on Autism Awareness Week please visit www.autism.org.uk
West London College
Enrichment
For: 16-19-year-old females Date: 12th April 2022 Time: 10.30am-3pm Venue Address: ICMP, 1B Dyne Road, NW6 7XG Book here
West London College
Enrichment
’Mentoring Matters’ is a Global mentoring scheme that aims to redress the balance of equality and opportunity within the creative industries. Set up specifically for candidates from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds by industry creatives. They currently have 155 Candidates being Mentored across the Globe and have been featured in Vogue Italia, Vogue Business, Business of Fashion, Dazed and Confused and Elle Magazine. Each mentor will take on between 1-4 candidates for a period of 6 months at a time. Video sessions will last between 30-45 minutes and will take place every two weeks, culminating in 12 sessions total. How to apply – Applicants must be 18-27 years old and interested in pursuing a career in the creative industries. Please send an email to info@mentoringmatters.co.uk with your age, a bit about yourself, why you feel you would be a good match for the scheme and what you would like to gain from the programme. Feel free to send examples of work or anything that might catch our eye and set you apart from others. For more details on how to maximise your application head to @mentoring.matters on instagram and check out the INFO and ABOUT pinned highlights.
West London College
Platinum Jubilee Art Competition West London College students are invited to take part in the Chiswick High Exhibition in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Winning Artworks will be displayed as A1 Stamps and Posters in the windows of 70 Chiswick High Street Businesses. The Brief.... We would like students to work in groups to produce an image that represents their unique interpretations of what the Platinum Jubilee means to them. Helpful watchwords may include UK, Britain, Monarchy, Nationalism, Tradition, Inclusivity, Commonwealth, Empire. Disciplines... •Collage •Drawing •Painting •Photography Printing •Digital Art •Mixed Media And Textiles The competition… A team of judges at WLC will select 3 winners to be put forward for the Art Exhibition, all other entries will be displayed around the college for our own celebrations. There will be prizes available for the winners. Deadlines… All artwork must be submitted to a.littlejohn@wlc.ac.uk by Thursday 24th April ready, winners will be announced on Friday 6th May. Exhibition Dates… 28th May – 11th June 2022 If you have any questions please contact: Ayaka Littlejohn a.littlejohn@wlc.ac.uk
West London College
Apprenticeships 26th April – Go Live date for Cognassist We are excited to confirm that Cognassist will be used after the Easter break to help our apprentices identify any hidden learning needs they may have and to personalise support programmes, with a view to achieving apprenticeship programmes more effectively. Apprentices will be assessed in eight key domains to build a picture of how best you can be supported:
All apprentices need to look out for an assessment invitation via email (including checking your ‘junk’ and ‘spam’ folders) – you will have a deadline of seven days for completion of the assessment. You will then discuss your individual results with your tutor/skills trainer, and plan how to use Cognassist to best effect for the duration of your apprenticeship programme. You will need to access the software on a weekly basis, and your tutor/skills trainer will work with you to track and monitor progress
Just some of the comments from existing Cognassist users: ‘Cognassist’s strategies help in both my work and in my everyday life. I like that it’s easy and simple to use and has everything I need to succeed. I’d recommend the platform to anyone who wants to improve their learning.’ ‘Cognassist has really helped me develop my organising and timing skills’. ‘My answers to questions got better and stronger and I’m a lot more confident in my knowledge through the different skills I’ve learnt through Cognassist’.
We’ll look forward to working with you on this. Don’t forget – Go Live Date for Cognassist – 26th April.
Pastoral & Wellbeing
April is Stress Awareness Month. Stress can really affect our wellbeing – both physical and mental.
Here are some top tips for managing stress: 1.
Exercise
2.
Relax your muscles
3.
Deep Breathing
4.
Eat Well
5.
Slow Down
6.
Take a break
7.
Make time for hobbies
8.
Talk about your problems
9.
Go easy on your problems
10. Eliminate your triggers.
West London College
Bursary
You may qualify for some additional support to help contribute to the costs associated with your courses. It’s not too late to apply!! Please check out the Student Finance and Bursary page under Student Services on the Student Portal for eligibility criteria and further information on bursary. Click here The final deadline date to apply for Bursary this academic year is Wednesday 18th May 2022 in order to qualify for support for the summer term. For further information regarding support available please speak to a member of the Student Services team Discounted Travelcards For information regarding discount travel cards please click on the following link. Transport for London National Rail Services Letters For those of you who require a letter to confirm you are studying at the college these can be requested via the Student Services centre or by completing the Letter request form. Click here
Student Newsletter March 2022