All six Public Service HND students at New College Swindon University Centre who applied to continue to obtain their full degree have been successful! Students cover important modules such as; mental health and wellbeing, equality, diversity and fair treatment, crime, justice, rehabilitation, law and the legal system. The diversity of this subject, taught by specialist lecturers allows students to pursue careers in the police, fire services, criminal justice system and armed forces.

Most students who have applied to the top-up course are considering Criminal Justice studies, with another planning a career in the fire service. One student, who is going to complete the degree online with the University of Gloucestershire, said “I joined the police at the same time that I started the degree-level course at New College Swindon University Centre as my job and work complement each other. It was a complete career change for me. Getting back into education can be intimidating, but after one phone call with New College Swindon University Centre I immediately felt welcomed.”

Russ Williams, Public Services lecturer says “I am incredibly proud of this year’s cohort and those who have chosen to continue to do a full degree at their preferred universities. All my students are working alongside their studies at New College Swindon University Centre, allowing them to continue earning, maintain local connections and relationships, and stay home to raise their families.” Russ continues, “Some of my students have been with me from the very start of their college life. This means they’re very comfortable with asking for support and advice. Those who decide to move away for university get to sit in a large lecturer hall, at best, if they’re not studying online and don’t get a personable experience.”

Students who stay at New College Swindon University Centre have the benefit of saving money on their fees, accommodation, and travel. One of the key benefits of the centre is that parents can balance enjoying family life and working as they are only required to attend college twice a week.

Invest in your future

New College Swindon University Centre has run the Media Makeup BA since 2018. Students on this course develop the skills and techniques needed to work as a make-up artist in film, fashion, theatre and television. Due to the course’s success, the New College Swindon University Centre Media Makeup department welcomes students from further afield for the top-up degree-level course, from areas such as Bristol, Northampton and Somerset.

Molly McGowan, a technician for the department, has worked on various film sets since completing the Media Makeup BA at New College Swindon University Centre. Her specialism was focused on film & TV. All students complete a portfolio that is printed and given to them at the end of their degree to showcase their work to future employers. Molly says “I do lots of music videos, shot a film a couple of months ago and I just went and did a premiere for it, which was boujie. I also do weddings as well.”

The Media Makeup BA is one year long, meaning students are close to achieving their dreams. As many of 80% of New College Swindon Media Makeup BA students have gone into the industry they have decided to specialise in, despite it being a tough industry to get into. Some of their work you might recognise in TV, film and theatre, such as Aladdin, The Lion King and All About Casey.

Media Makeup Lecturer Elouisa Baskerville says The BA is an opportunity for students to specialise in an area of the industry in which they want to pursue a career. The makeup industry directly informs this course and it has been rewarding to see so many of our students pursue their ambitions.”

Applications for our degree-level Media Makeup courses are open

A Level politics students hosted a Q&A with local MP Sir Robert Buckland recently as part of the 2024 Colleges Week celebrations.

Colleges Week aims to raise the profile of colleges across the country by engaging with local MPS’s and other stakeholders to celebrate the successes of colleges and the vital work they do in the local community and to support the local economy.

As well as celebrating individual student success stories, the week was focussed on shaping conversations expected election in the autumn and highlighting the importance of registering to vote.

Colleges week culminated in the Q&A with Sir Robert hosted by A Level politics and GCSE Citizenship students. A wide range of topics were covered; the crisis in Gaza, university funding, and how to make politics more interesting to young voters.

When asked about university funding, Sir Robert was keen to highlight that the traditional model of studying away for 3 years is evolving. “It’s important to tailor degree-level courses to the needs of the student and make them more accessible to students needing to stay locally such as people doing a degree later in life whist working to support a family”.  He continues, “You [New College Swindon] now have the Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology and the New College Swindon University Centre that can offer that tailored course for local people”.

Constance Roach, Politics Lecturer at the College was delighted that Colleges Week was such a success. “We always aim to offer an engaging experience for all our students and this week has been brilliant.  The students organised voting registration desks throughout the week at our Queens Drive Campus, and really put a lot of thought into the types of questions they were asking Sir Robert.”

New College Swindon hosted a launch for the brand-new Animal Management Centre in October 2023. Level 3 Animal Management students, alongside experts at Zoofab have been building more outside enclosures. These include a lorikeet aviary, raccoon haven and prairie dog den. The new additions to the animal family open up opportunities for degree-level students to have experience with both farm and zoo animals, conservation and wildlife.

Kim Monahan, Animal Management Lecturer says “We have worked tirelessly over the past two years to bring a professional animal facility to Swindon students. After discussions with local employers, we found that there was a deficit in the provision of zoo-style animal education locally. Our new enclosures will be completed in the spring and our outside facility will be ready for teaching our new T Level qualification and our new HND.”

New College Swindon University Centre is launching its first Animal Management HND this year, allowing students who have already been studying Animal Management at Level 3 to progress to the next level, with little disruption to their routine or high fees. This new degree-level course also opens doors for any local people who have an interest in working with animals and have previously studied a science or humanities subject. This new facility will open up many new higher-paid job opportunities for the local area.

Kim continues “The addition of these animals will allow our students to have real-world experience of animal behaviour through our prairie dog cams and they can also train our Raccoons to complete husbandry practices, such as showing their arm to help administer injections, or crate train them safely. Alongside these exotic animals, we are working with Cats Protection on an exciting new project that will benefit Swindon and our students immensely”.

Abigail Giles, who has applied for the new Animal Management HND at New College Swindon says “I have chosen to study here because they have the best animal facilities in the local area. This new course means I can continue living at home whilst pursuing my dream of working with animals long-term.”

New College Swindon University Centre offers local degree-level courses for anyone from the age of 18+. Our state-of-the-art facilities set us apart from any other local provider; offering mature students the opportunity to focus on their studies 2 days a week, whilst maintaining a work/life balance. For those who aren’t yet ready to complete a full degree-level course, there are many other routes through our adult provision to help you reach your goal of a better-paying job, changing careers or personal development.

New College Swindon (NCS) is collaborating with local charity Shine, offering support sessions run by Early Years T Level students.

The T Level students will be planning all of the activities with the early years lecturers on hand to oversee the sessions. The first session planned is a Mother’s Day special where the mums and children will have an afternoon tea alongside themed activities. Clare Ashley, Photography Lecturer at the college and her photography students will be offering a free Mother’s Day photo shoot.

Lynette Buebird, Lecturer in HE Early Years and HND Public Services at New College Swindon has been a volunteer at Shine since her friend, Sarah, founded the Swindon branch 6 years ago. She says, “we have been trying to set up stay and play sessions over the past few years at our Little Stars Nursery, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to support the local community and also give our learners the chance to show off the amazing skills they have learned through the Early Years T Level course and work experience in nursery/school settings”.

Shine is a local charity offering a vast range of support to mothers dealing with anxiety and post-natal depression. Currently overseen by Project Manager Rachael Stone, Shine has recently lost its local funding and has had to cut the number of venues in which it hosts drop-in sessions.

Rachael says, “We were so sad to have to cut the number of drop ins we offer a week, due to our funding being pulled. We are always hopeful and working towards gaining funding again so we can reopen the other venues”. She continues, “Offering a safe space for mums to connect with other mums going through similar experiences and working with them to feel like themselves again is so important”.
Whilst these specialist sessions are for existing visitors to Shine drop ins, there is a weekly drop in in Abbey Meads.

About Early Years courses at New College Swindon:
Childcare, Early Years and Teaching subjects are taught by highly qualified lecturers with industry experience and strong links to nurseries and schools allowing students to put theory in to practice via work placements. The facilities on site at the Queens Drive campus include the state-of the-art Little Stars Nursery and sensory room.

About Shine:
Shine Drop-in sessions are informal, welcoming and supportive stay and play sessions for mother’s wanting to reach out, to find and give support to others experiencing similar emotional feelings such as anxiety, postnatal and antenatal depression (with or without a formal diagnosis), feelings of isolation and loneliness, and those hoping to make some supportive and meaningful connections and/or build a support network.

Level 2 and 3 Finance students participated in workshops by Debbie Harvey from My Bnk for two days in January. The workshops were very interactive and focussed on the key things young people need to know, not only for their careers but for day-to-day life. Time was spent exploring budgeting, income, borrowing, and the risks of making certain financial decisions. Compounding interest was also part of some of the discussions and how certain borrowing products, if not managed well, could negatively impact an individual’s credit score.

Debbie who delivered the workshops said: “It has been such a pleasure working with the learners at New College Swindon. I was impressed with their attitudes towards money and their awareness of the current financial climate. It’s great to see such value placed on financial education – an essential life skill.”

My Bnk works with young people aged 5-25 to build their money knowledge, skills, mindsets and habits. In one of their recent evaluations, My Bnk found that “money lessons” aren’t compulsory in UK primary schools, with only 52% of 7–16-year-olds recalling learning about money and pensions.

Lancia Marques, Level 3 Finance Student, said: “I found the session very useful, especially when I learned about credit scores, way to budget and the importance of budgeting.”

New College Swindon offers a variety of Finance courses, from Level 1 to 3. These courses teach students about decision-making, business and general life skills.

In December, a team of A Level Maths students from New College Swindon successfully completed the final stage of the national Ritangle Mathematics competition, led by Mathematics Education Innovation (MEI). The team spent 10 hard weeks answering questions and problem-solving. When registration for the Ritangle competition opened in October 2023, five teams of A Level Maths students from New College Swindon entered, going up against 1,200 other teams, with one team making it all the way to the final.

The New College Swindon team, captained by Tom Kowalik, submitted correct answers to all the questions in the competition, leading them to their success in the final. Their solution to the challenging final question, on Jamboree Pairings, earned them a Commendable Team title and a mention on the competition website.

A Level Maths Programme Lead, Cristina Pontet said: “This was a great opportunity for our A Level Maths students to showcase their passion for the subject, demonstrate excellent problem-solving skills as well as an ability to communicate effectively and to maintain focus under pressure.  We are thrilled with the news and very proud of their achievement!”

Link to Ritangle champions page: https://mei.org.uk/ritangle-2023-champions/