DO YOU NEED HELP FINDING THE RIGHT COURSE OR COLLEGE?
As part of your transition you might be looking to go to college but do not know what you would like to study. Your Fairway facilitator would help you through this process as well as introducing you to the college environment. Your facilitator will support you for the first few days making sure you know your way around and where to get help when you need it.
Your Fairway facilitator would keep close contact with the college identifying in partnership what potential you have and further seek opportunities that will compliment your studies. Getting into mainstream further education really depends on whether your local college is able to meet your individual needs. However, having said that, the variety of courses available at colleges today is amazing, so you should be able to find one that suits you. Bear in mind that not all courses are recognised by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) or ASDAN, but all have learning outcomes and assessments. Colleges always recognise student learning and effort.
Colleges take an individualised approach to matching the correct course for the student. In general, students with additional support needs will join classes that meet their educational needs rather than being placed in a supported learning or any other class in the college. However, some colleges do have supported learning classes for people with additional support needs.
It is important that you pick a course you’ll enjoy or that will be useful to you. Before you sign up make sure you
understand:
- What it’s about
- How it will be run
- How long it will last
- If there’s an exam or continuous assessment
- What accreditation or qualification you will get at the end of it
Choosing a subject and course to study can seem a daunting task. There are so many choices to make that you may feel overwhelmed by it all.
Deciding upon a course that will suit you requires plenty of research. You may be lucky enough to know which subject you would like to study, but there are thousands of students who ask the same question: what should I study? Below are some points to consider before making that all-important decision.
There is no one course which suits everyone but it is best to find a course that matches your interests, career aspirations, and talents.
The best way to decide what you would like to study is to ask yourself the following questions:
- Which subjects interest me?
- What are my talents?
- What job would I like to do after leaving college
- Which academic skills would I like to improve?
Your Fairway Facilitator will help you to find a college course or other training courses that interest you ensuring that the course is beneficial as well as right for you, and upon completion, will provide you with a certificate you can show to future employers.
Facilitator will also assist you in completing your application forms, bursary/benefit/funding forms and any other paperwork you need to fill out.
Please note that you are not required to claim a bursary if you are in a supported education course. You can still claim benefits even on a full-time course. Fairway will help you to find out if you would be better off doing this.
Below, please find links to local colleges and other useful websites:
Colleges
www.ayrcoll.ac.uk
www.kilmarnock.ac.uk
www.jameswatt.ac.uk
Careers Advice and Funding
www.careers-scotland.org.uk
www.careers-scotland.org.uk/Education/Funding
If you are applying for a course outwith Scotland or for a performing arts course run by an institution other than a recognised Scottish Further Education College, then please contact your local council's education department, bursaries section for information.
