Careers Advice

At West London College we have a dedicated team of advisers, who can give the advice, information and support you need to achieve your career goals. Careers advice and guidance is impartial and provided by professionally qualified careers advisers who can support you with your career planning from before you start your course until you leave us.

Our service is accredited to the Matrix Standard Award for information, advice and guidance. We are working towards achieving all eight Gatsby Benchmarks of high-quality careers guidance. Our staff and services have been successfully assessed and awarded a nationally recognised quality kitemark for impartial information, advice and guidance.

Careers Education and Programme

All students at WLC have the right to access Careers Education in line with Gatsby Benchmarks. Throughout your course, you will work closely with our Careers and Employability Teams who will support you in making informed decisions about your next steps. 

Our careers programme includes:

• Impartial information and guidance on progression and taking the next steps in your career journey
• Bespoke one-to-one guidance for all students who need support with their career planning
• Opportunities to learn about the world of work and labour market information during their course
• The chance to meet employers and employees, visit workplaces and experience the world of work
• Opportunities to develop enterprise, employability and entrepreneurial skills
• Support with applications for university, apprenticeship and job opportunities
• Change of career discussions
• Support with application, assessment and interview processes
• Progression onto another level or a new course
• Help with CV and job interview skills
• Signposting to relevant student services within the College or to reliable and appropriate providers

Work Experience

All students aged 16-18 are required to complete mandatory Work Experience placements whilst studying with us. Work Experience helps you to develop your employability skills and looks great on your CV when applying for jobs or University. We have a dedicated team of Employability Advisors who use our huge employer network to support you in discovering your future career opportunities.

We work with over 300 employers across all industries to ensure you are given the opportunity to help develop and enhance your employability skills in the sector of your choice, preparing you for your future career. 

Some of the employers we worked with in 2021-22 include Marks and Spencer, Heathrow Airport, The Red Carnation Hotel Group, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, British Heart Foundation, Berkeley Homes, MIND, Little Kickers, the Metropolitan Police, and the NHS. Over 88% of our students felt that their work experience placement strongly enhanced their employability skills.

Employer Engagement

Here at WLC, we have an amazing employer network to help nurture and prepare you for your next steps. Our employers support students by delivering Careers Talks, Job Fairs, Work Experience Placements, Industry Placements and much more. Whilst on your course you will take part in a minimum of two employer engagements with some of the UK’s top employers. 

Progression – What Next?

As you come close to completing your course at West London College, we will meet with you to look at your career goals and aspirations – and find out what’s next for you.

Higher Education
If you want to apply for a higher-level course after you have finished your current studies, our dedicated Careers Team can support you the whole way through your application. Once you have an offer we will help prepare you for the selection test and interview. We work closely with universities across the UK and hold Higher Education fairs to help you to find the best fit for you.

Apprenticeships
If you are looking to apply for an Apprenticeship as your next step, our Careers Team will support you the whole way through the process. We hold Apprenticeship Information Sessions with both our Careers Advisors and invite employers to discuss their opportunities with you. We also have a dedicated Apprenticeship Team at college who are on hand to support you with any queries.

Employment
Our Careers Team is on hand throughout your course to help support you into employment. We hold CV and Interview Sessions and also work with employers to advertise job vacancies to students. 

Careers and Employability Team Contacts

Useful Links

• West London College Careers and Employability Site
  If you are a current student please visit our internal Careers and Employability site for Career and Labour Market Information, Progression Support and to view our latest Work Experience and Employer Engagement Opportunities
• National Careers Service
  Provides help with your career, learning and training choices
• iCould
  Features videos of real people talking about their careers – explaining their job role, career path and how different factors have shaped their choices
• UCAS
  Find Higher Education courses at Universities and Colleges
• Apprenticeship Website
  Apprenticeship information, advice and vacancies
• Prospects
  Graduate careers website with 1,000’s of jobs and courses
• Target Careers
  Information and advice on the range of career possibilities available and the best routes into them
• T-Levels
  Find out more about a new qualification choice after GCSEs