Returning to education as an adult can be daunting. Employment, new hobbies, and the desire to grow their circle can be motivators for mature students to take the plunge to do an A Level or equivalent. You could argue that those who get back into education after a break are more dedicated to their studies as they have a clear focus on their outcomes.

Family and work commitments can be a barrier to those who want to fill gaps in education, however, the online and flexible learning options at New College Swindon combat this. Sioux Baker-Hughes, who studies A Level Art alongside 16-18-year-olds during the day said “I am an adult learner, but because of my family commitments, evening courses weren’t an option for me.” She continues “I was a little nervous to come back, but I’ve had a great experience and have found the teachers to be so encouraging and accommodating.”

New College Swindon offers a wide variety of courses for adults, from cake decorating to courses for carers at varying levels. You could study with New College Swindon from the age of 16, right to degree level and pursue a hobby in the evening. Matthew Butcher, Vice Principal of Commercial, Skills and Partnerships says “Studying gives you a sense of purpose and something to work toward. Whether you’re keen to advance in your career or have a desire for personal growth, many new life skills can be uncovered from the variety of courses we offer at New College Swindon.”

Since the pandemic, rates of involvement in neighbourhood and local community support networks have decreased. Many of our students find a sense of belonging at the New College Swindon adult courses. Kirsty Barron, who is a regular at New College Swindon’s Pottery classes says “It gets me out of the house for an evening a week and I really enjoy the interaction with new people. We all have a common interest and are willing to help each other, be creative and have fun. I have always had an interest in ceramics, so I’m thankful I can now explore it.” Kirsty continues “The lecturer pushes me to experiment and I now have some lovely pieces I have made.”

With so many funding and study options available, it’s never been easier to start your journey to success at New College Swindon.

New College Swindon (NCS) has been awarded a slice of a £40 million grant designed to expand their degree-level apprenticeship provision, in partnership with the Swindon and Wiltshire Institute of Technology.

The Office for Students (OfS) announced the result of the second wave of funding and of 66 bids submitted, New College Swindon was one of only 13 successful colleges. The funding will be used to offer Level 6 apprenticeships in Digital & Technology Solutions and Manufacturing Engineering.

Matt Butcher, Vice Principal at New College Swindon says, “In the interest of reducing the skills gap across Swindon, an important strategic goal is to ensure apprenticeships are more accessible to the local community.”  Matt continues, “We have previously secured funding from the Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) to support Level 3 apprenticeships and we can now expand our range of Level 6 progression routes even further.”

Not only will the funding ensure that apprentices have a clear understanding of the progression routes available to them, NCS will also be working closely with existing and new employer partners to recruit new talent, with the right skills into the workforce.  Many students choose to study at New College Swindon due to family commitments or simply because it is less expensive to study at home rather than away and offering clear progression routes to Level 6 ensures retention of students whilst addressing the skills gap and driving economic growth in the local community.

We are pleased to confirm that the complaints of unfair dismissal and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief have been dismissed. 

New College Swindon has a duty of care to all its students, that we take very seriously. It is our responsibility to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone, free from harassment or judgement. 

This is a sensitive issue, and individuals are entitled to their personal beliefs. However, in any situation where a member of staff repeatedly fails to exercise their duty of care, the College must take measures to safeguard all students, as it did in this case. 

A thorough investigation resulted in Mr Lister being dismissed for actions that were deemed discriminatory, causing significant upset and potential harm to a student, amounting to gross misconduct, and not simply for holding gender critical beliefs.  

We work closely with the parents of our 16–18-year-olds and a mother’s complaint regarding Mr Lister’s treatment of her child and her support for her child’s situation, refutes any claims that the College was acting without the knowledge or support of the parents. 

We are grateful for the care and professionalism our staff have shown throughout this process. In contrast, the behaviour demonstrated by Mr Lister in this case is not representative of the inclusive culture we work hard to foster at New College Swindon.

View the Press Summary from the Courts and tribunals Judiciary here.

New College Swindon, particularly the Animal Management lecturers, are extremely proud of their level 2 students for passing their biology exam. The exam, taken in March, contributes to their final grades for their Level 3 course. 67% achieved a Merit, 22% achieved a Pass and 6% achieved a Distinction.
Animal Management Lecturer, Corinne Turner-Hill said “I am thrilled with the exam results. The 100% pass rate shows the hard work and revision that the students put in. Those who achieved a Merit or above will be able to progress onto the Level 3 T level in Animal Management, and this will help them succeed in progressing onto an Animal Industry job.”

Level 2 Animal Management student, Mckenzie said “I am very proud of our class. It’s a big accomplishment for us all to pass. Fingers crossed for the rest of our results.”

Students who complete the Level 3 Animal Management course will be able to gain employment in areas such as kennels, catteries, veterinary surgeries, wildlife centres, and become dog trainers.

The Animal Management Centre at New College Swindon will soon be welcoming new species, such as rainbow lorikeets, prairie dogs and raccoons. These new friends will open up even more employment opportunities for our students as they will be able to practice new training techniques, enrichment, feeding and enclosure maintenance. Keep an eye out for exciting updates this year! At present, New College Swindon houses sheep, reptiles and several small mammals such as tenrecs, raccoons and insects.

If you love the idea of working with animals your future starts here at New College Swindon!

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.