At New College Lanarkshire we pride ourselves on having strong relationships with schools, local authorities and employers.
For many years, our School-College Partnership Team has worked hard to build and sustain an exciting and innovative vocational education programme aimed at S4 to S6 pupils, to complement the Senior Phase of Curriculum for Excellence.
As part of their options choices, pupils from S4 and above at partnership schools are given the opportunity to study a college programme as part of their weekly timetable. With a wide range of courses to choose from at NCL, pupils can gain invaluable practical experience in a subject area of their choice, which can ultimately lead to exciting new career opportunities.
Our comprehensive programme sees more than 2,000 school pupils either visiting the College or being taught by College lecturers every week and our aim is to help all pupils reach their full potential.
You can contact our schools team by emailing schools@nclan.ac.uk.
The School-College Partnership programme offers a wide range of practical and theoretical courses for you to choose from which can widen your opportunities for progression into further learning, training or employment.
At NCL we also deliver a large portfolio of Foundation Apprenticeship programmes for pupils across Lanarkshire in S5 and S6. Developed by Skills Development Scotland, these programmes help young people gain valuable, real-world work experience, helping them kick-start a successful career in their chosen field. Search our Foundation Apprenticeship programmes today.
Completing a college course while still at school has many benefits. Not only will you have the chance to explore a subject of your choice in more depth, which could lead to career opportunities, but you will also get the chance to develop your own personal skills.
Studying at college can be challenging at times but having the opportunity to get a taste of college life can help you with communication skills, time management, confidence building, problem solving, study techniques and taking you a step closer to a future career.
Further Education is education you have at college after you leave secondary school, that’s usually a way of learning a skill for employment, or progressing into Higher Education. Some examples are a National Certificate or a National Qualification.
Higher Education is the next stage after you complete Highers or Advanced Highers at school, or a Further Education qualification at college. This can be an HNC, HND or Degree.
There are a whole range of progression routes that you can take after completing your course.
Many pupils who take part in the School Partnership Programme can progress onto full-time courses, further vocational programmes, further FE and HE courses and often some can move straight into employment.
The programme is delivered in two different ways: college staff can teach the subject on school premises in custom built classrooms or workshops or the courses can be taught within the college campus. Transport to and from campus can be organised with your school.
The programme will be taught, in most cases, within the school day either in school or in college.
As your course will be classed as a vocational qualification, you will not be required to sit a final exam.
Instead, your course lecturer will assess your knowledge and skills throughout the course in a variety of ways including gathering folios of evidence, personal record, activity checklists and short tests.
When you receive you certificate from SQA, your college course will appear on the certificate in the same way as any other course – course title and level passed.
To apply for a course, you will need to discuss your options with your Guidance Teacher or Skills Development Scotland Adviser. They will be able to help you find the right course for you and help with the application process.
Places on the programme are limited and there is a selection process which is done within your school. Schools will nominate suitable pupils and the college will welcome them at the start of the school year.
Some courses will require you to operate equipment, under supervision and use tools of work in certain specialised areas.
Equipment known as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be issued to you if you choose one of these courses. You must bring the PPE on each college day and must wear as instructed.
Your lecturer is your first point of contact at the College. The School-College Partnership Team are also available to help you and work closely with your school to ensure everything is running smoothly on your course.
At school, your Guidance Teacher and Skills Development Scotland Adviser are available to help as normal
If you need any more details about our Schools' Programme or would like to arrange a tour, our team are on hand to help.
