'We give students the chance to achieve regardless of background': We visited Halesowen College to see what is on offer for the students of tomorrow
Prospective students have rushed to Halesowen College for their open day event.
Halesowen College, on Whittington Road, has hosted hundreds of prospective students and their families as young learners from across the region as part of their open day event.
The open day event, held on Saturday, saw young people from across the West Midlands rush to the college to discover the range of courses on offer and take a look around the extensive learning facility.
The college offers a range of specialist courses and career pathways for students to pursue, with performance arts, sports, construction skills and digital technologies only being a few.
'Learn, flourish, succeed'
Guided by Jacquie Carman, principal and chief executive of Halesowen College, we took a tour around the college and had a look at the courses on offer for students this year.
Ms Carman said: "At Halesowen College, we give everyone the opportunity to learn, flourish and succeed regardless of their age, background or ability.
"We can assure you that learners at Halesowen College will be supported by our team of qualified, dedicated and inspirational staff.
"On behalf of all the staff at Halesowen College, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our Halesowen College community."
'A hub of innovation'
Walking around the college, it was easy to see why students enjoy learning at the Halesowen campus.
Instead of grey scale buildings were vibrant artist hubs of learning.
Slogans and positive phrases adorned every building, and its clean 'red brick street' felt more akin to a university than a college.
But more than that, the classrooms and learning centres felt professional and almost seamless to the real-world industries that students will find themselves in later in life.
'I love learning here'
Talking to current students at the college, they loved that many of its courses are primarily practical learning based.
To the students, getting hands-on experience means an easier transition when they move into their careers post-education.
Lucy, who studies animal management at the college, said: "I love learning here. I currently study animal management here at Halesowen College.
"It's great here. Animal management contains a lot of practical elements, but it's also theory-based. But it's all assignments, which is amazing. It's a great college."
A centre to achieve
During the tour, we took the chance to have a look at a number of classrooms, where students and lecturers were showcasing what their courses entail.
Among the rooms and classrooms we visited was the catering classroom.
It was pristine, and as a fellow cook who worked in a kitchen during university, it felt like the real deal and not unlike what you would find in the real world.
We also visited one of the college's performance rooms, where the drama students were taking part in a pantomime, and the art studio where music students were performing live music.
During our visit, it was easy to see that students were passionate learners with a love for their chosen fields, but also that joining students would be taken care of and encouraged to go on to be the very best in their fields.
For more information on Halesowen College, and to look at the range of courses that are on offer, visit their website.
