Sandwell College Wrapped 2023!

Excellent Results

Results have been outstanding in 2023 right across the College! Special mentions must go to our very first students achieving T Level qualifications, and Engineering, Computing and Automotive BTEC students who saw a surge in their grades this year too. Performing and Visual Arts, Business Studies, Travel and Hospitality are also among the top improvers celebrating excellent results.

New Developments

We opened our state-of-the-art skills lab for Health & Social Care. The upgraded facilities have been named in honour of Mary Seacole and feature a simulation ward with VR headsets, robotic cats for dementia care, a therapy room, and a modern IT suite.

We expanded our campus facilities for Animal Care and Dog Grooming and invested in a new training room to house bearded dragons, leopard geckos, a corn snake and a royal python + many more adorable species!

Students now have access to Esports gaming rooms, editing suites and enterprise pods where they study a wide range of topics including organising competitive esports events, enterprise and marketing, broadcasting and presentation, health, wellbeing and fitness, and responsible gaming.

Our Automotive Team pioneered a new course teaching aspiring mechanics the specialist skills needed to maintain electric and hybrid vehicles.

Perfect Partnerships

We started working with B:Music at Symphony Hall Birmingham on the B:Aspirational programme to perform our favourite covers and some of our own original music.

Our name was on the back of the Warwickshire Bears’ shirts at their Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign.

We are the first education provider to partner with a professional Esports team, and our partnership with Wolves Esports means that future students will benefit from stadium tours, interaction with professional teams, guest speaker talks and work experience opportunities in this rapidly growing industry, already worth over £1 billion.

Next-Level Events

• Freshers Fair: fun activities, refreshments and lots of super-useful information
• Festival of Arts: four weeks of live entertainment and exhibitions, motion graphics, film festival, songs and dance pieces from West End shows Oliver!, Chicago, Six, Matilda plus hit musicals Grease and School of Rock
• Hair and Beauty competition judged by the Association of Hairdressers and Therapists and World Skills UK. Winners were put forward to compete in regional finals.
• Big Coronation Street Celebration with the West Midlands Deputy Lieutenant representing the King
• International Women’s Day: talks from an anti-violence campaigner and a film director/scriptwriter
• Creative Careers: students talked to universities and potential employers about the next steps in their futures.
• One World: celebrating our college’s rich diversity
• Remembrance Day: Foundation Learning students raised over £800 selling poppies

Landmark Visits

T Level Construction learners toured a new build development with industry specialists Lovell.

Early Years students went on a long-awaited trip to The Rep to watch Nativity! The Musical.

Fashion students saw DIVA at the V&A South Kensington, celebrating the power and creativity of Billie Eilish, Beyonce and Lady Gaga, and REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion exhibition, sponsored by Alexander McQueen, featuring Harry Styles’ outfit from his video for ‘Golden’, and Sam Smith’s inflatable latex suit by HARRI from this year’s BRIT Awards.

Sandwell’s Student Union are rewarding students with excellent attendance with a visit to Winter Wonderland – the annual event in London’s Hyde Park – featuring the UK’s largest open air ice rink and a giant observation wheel.

Inspirational Projects

My Culture: What Defines Me – a worldwide project to create public art

Birdbox designed by Kaitlyn, David and Kajin to incorporate the enfinium company’s logo and provide a safe place for birds to nest and eat

The More Things Change – Young Artists’ Showcase on display at Wolverhampton Art Gallery

Stars of Tomorrow

• Davina was called for the first ever ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. Boubacar was selected for the U18 England Colleges squad
• Ellie and Keira were selected for the England Colleges female football squad
• Hamza spent two months in Mumbai learning from one of India’s greatest batters, Waseem Jaffer
• Apprentices Grace and Rebecca were Titan Award finalists for Further Education/Higher Education Student of the Year
• Maya, our ex Engineering student, passed her first set of pilot exams and is now studying for her second.

We’re looking forward to even more in 2024! Join us on our journey 😊