About the college

Neath Port Talbot College is the only Further Education provider in the Neath Port Talbot County Borough area. The College has seven sites in total and is the largest provider of Further Education in South West Wales. The College offers a varied programme of courses to suit most needs either on a Part – Time or Full – Time basis

Staff delivering the WBQ

The WBQ Advanced Diploma is currently offered on the Afan campus while the WBQ Foundation Diploma is currently being piloted on the Neath campus.

Students

Students studying AS/A levels and Level 3 qualifications in Business and Travel and Tourism are able to take the Advanced Diploma core alongside their studies. In September 2006 the College was successful in its application to pilot the WBQ at Foundation level.  Currently, students on Health, Catering and Sport courses are involved in the pilot.

Of the 22 students registered in summer 2005, fifteen achieved the WBQ Advanced Diploma. In 2006, of the 36 students registered, 31 achieved the Advanced Diploma and five students were awarded the Advanced Certificate. There are 85 students currently registered for the Advanced Diploma in 2007 and 53 students registered for the Foundation Diploma.

The college has strong WBQ delivery team in place. A coordinator has been appointed for both the Advanced Diploma and the Foundation Diploma.  For the Foundation Diploma students the WBQ is integrated into their timetable as part of their vocational course.

For the Advanced Diploma the structure is outlined below:

The curriculum is delivered by members of the WBQ team. One member of staff has ownership for the WBQ for their particular groups although on some occasions staff specialists are called upon. The WBQ is delivered on a Wednesday with a detailed timetable produced at the start of each academic year.

PSE is delivered as part of the programme of group tutorials. This year packs were developed so that all College students could have access to the topics of Homelessness, Citizenship, Sustainability and Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle. These packs are available on the VLE for all to use.

Students take part in team enterprise activities and members of staff from Careers Wales West often visit the college to run enterprise activities such as the wine bar game and the pizza company game. The students really enjoy these experiences.

Students incorporate Community Participation with enterprise activities and have organised some exciting events to raise money for charity. These have included a Red Nose Day Party, a “Stars in their Eyes” competition and a “Bush-tucker trial” amongst other things.

Key Skills portfolio building sessions are built into the WBQ programme and provides essential support for students. All students on the Advanced Diploma complete Application of Number,  IT and Problem Solving at level 2 and Communication, Working with Others and Improving Own Learning at Level 3. All Key skills assignments are integrated into the WBQ core and Key Skills qualifications are awarded by OCR.  

Individual tutors are responsible for tracking students’ completion of diaries/records. The WBQ coordinator monitors that entries are of appropriate depth and detail and include evaluation of activities and experiences. Although the coordinator is responsible for interviewing all students on a regular basis, all students also have a personal tutor with whom they meet on a regular basis for progress reviews and target setting.

To enrich the experiences of the students they are taken on visits to St Fagans and the National Assembly Building. Guest speakers are also invited into College at various points throughout the year.