City of Westminster College is a further education college in the City of Westminster, England, founded originally as Paddington Technical Institute.
Located in Central London and minutes away from Edgeware Road, Paddington, Marylebone and Maida Vale underground stations, City of Westminster College is currently the top college for apprenticeships and also offers over 200 courses across a wide range of both vocational and academic subjects.
City of Westminster College has specialist facilities including, science labs, motor vehicle workshops, photography studios, a theatre and TV and Radio studios.
The institution places a large amount of focus on preparing students for "employability", by teaching specific skills that employers value and are looking for.
These skills include Research, Memory Re-call, Time Management, Action Planning, Creative Thinking, Team Work and Resilience, among others.
With over 200 courses to choose from, City of Westminster College can help you find one that is most suited for you. Here are a few of the courses on offer:
Art, Design and Photography
There are four main specialist areas within Art and Design:
- Fashion and Textiles
- Photography
- Fine Art
- Graphic and 3D Design
In each of these areas, you will be taught by an experienced team with professional experience, who will push you to reach exciting, imaginative and challenging solutions, where aesthetics and function are balanced and ideas are thought provoking and visually stimulating.
The College has a range of dedicated art studios, photography studios, a professional dark room and Apple Mac suites. These computers have a full range of professionally relevant software including Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. The institution also has industry-standard equipment including professional cameras.
You will study through hands-on, practical experiences in specially designed studios.
Engineering
The College's full-time Level 3 programme focuses on the specialist areas of electrical/electronic engineering and mechanical engineering with a choice of pathways in year 2.
You’ll be taught by teachers who are specialist engineers in electrical/electronic engineering and mechanical engineering, and learn in dedicated engineering and computer labs.
Work experience is important, so students in full-time study programme take part in work experience, workplace visits and employability related project work in partnership with engineering and construction businesses. In addition to the vocational and employability opportunities on offer, students are able to develop their English and Maths skills to match the requirements needed by industry and higher education.
Science
The City of Westminster College's science courses ensure you gain the theory, skills and practical techniques for a career in science. The curriculum includes physics, chemistry, biology and maths, giving you the chance to progress into a wide range of science degrees and careers.
You will learn from tutors that combine biology, chemistry and physics and aim to get you to the highest standards possible so that you can progress into work or Higher Education.
Courses at BTEC Levels 1-3 are aimed at students moving from secondary to further education. For adult learners who may not have been in education for some time, daytime access into university, diplomas or GCSE biology in the evening is on offer.
Media and Music
The College's media courses mainly focus on television and video and covers topics like moving image, single camera, production, multi-camera studio production, digital editing, factual programming, single-camera drama and critical approaches. Additional units for study include audio, radio, animation and photography.
Facilities include dedicated TV and radio studios and Mac editing suites. You will learn from experienced teachers, who continue to work in the creative industries or further their knowledge through advanced research.
The College is in partnership with a range of companies, to provide work experience opportunities and work-related projects. Over the past six years, students get the opportunity to work with professional journalists to produce corporate videos for the Council.
Travel and Tourism
Students will learn from teachers with industry experience, high professional standards and the skills required by the travel and leisure sector.
You could also travel within the UK and Europe on the institution's residential exchange programme. For those looking for direct entry to employment, an Introduction to Cabin Crew short course is provided.
You’ll study practical work-related projects with teachers who have years of real-industry experience, and be supported to develop skills for job applications, interviews and visit real employers.
The institution benefits from strong working relationships with its partners, which include working with inner London secondary schools, London universities and the local community of north Westminster.
Close work is also done with the Westminster City Council to plan courses that meet the current and future needs of students.
