Lewis Secretarial and Computer College
NEWSLETTER
NEW START DATES!
You may be looking to start a course with us in 2012 – and just to confirm you are not too late to enrol!
At the present time we still have places available on the following start dates:
7 March 2012
2 May 2012
29 August 2012
These start dates apply to all courses we offer. Single module courses can be started at any time.
If you would like to enrol on a course – then just please email penny@lewiscollege.co.uk (Course and Careers Adviser) who will then send you the relevant Enrolment Form.
Penny can also provide further advice and guidance concerning choosing the right course for you as well as job and career ideas.
You can “talk” through ideas, ask questions and find out more information either on the telephone or through email – whichever you prefer - helping you to make an informed decision if you would like to study one of our courses.
NEW COURSES!
During 2012 we shall be launching several new courses following on from extensive research we are carrying out over the coming months.
We are looking into the current job market, in different parts of the UK and abroad to see what employers are looking for and identifying the range of skills required for different types of jobs and different level of jobs.
From this research we shall be creating and updating our current range of courses to ensure our set courses target specific jobs more effectively.
One new course idea will be our “Build your own Diploma” where students can select from 9 different Diplomas and select different modules to suit their specific needs – very tailor made!
This will cover Level 1, 2 and 3 in Secretarial, IT and Administration Diploma.
We shall also be looking at widening the range of qualifications we offer – to give our students more choice. At present we provide qualifications from three recognised exam boards – OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA), who are part of the University of Cambridge, AMSPAR/City & Guilds covering Medical Terminology and NCTJ (National Council for Training of Journalists).
Other exam boards such us the LCCI (London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EDI) Exam Board provide international qualifications in Secretarial, IT and Administration skills and Microsoft also provide their own qualifications – Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certificates which are widely recognised in the business world.
We shall in particular be looking to launch our Book keeping and Accounts suite of courses in 2012 covering computerised accounts as well using Sage.
New courses recently added include our Secretarial Single Skills courses, PA Intensive Course as well as the Administrator Certificate Course.
ITQ EXAM RESULTS! 100% SUCCESS RATE AND HOLDING!
During 2011 the long established CLAIT qualification came to an end after nearly a decade – being the hallmark of OCR’s IT qualifications and well known in the business world.
OCR have now replaced the CLAIT qualifications with ITQ Diplomas at Level 1, 2 and 3, which provide a much wider range of different modules compared to CLAIT.
To gain the CLAIT Diploma, for example you had to pass 5 modules, but to gain the ITQ Diploma students need to pass at least 8 single modules.
Since September we have had over 120 exam assessment entries in ITQ – with a fantastic 100% success rate! Students have covered the full range of Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook and Publisher as well as Internet Explorer to develop their IT skills.
Those who have achieved the full Diplomas will have qualifications equivalent to 3-4 GCSEs at Level 2, or 2-3 A Levels at Level 3.
Andy Miller, Head of IT at Lewis College is extremely pleased with the transition from CLAIT to the new ITQ suite of exams – which involved a lot of midnight oil being burnt to roll out the new course material for students to cover the new OCR syllabus.
Andy and his IT team are now busy working on developing a new suite of Assessments especially suited for our students to enable them to complete the Assessments quickly and effectively – and so enhancing their learning experience with Lewis College.
“As many of our students are working, plus have a busy family life, we are always looking at ways to enable students to cope with their studying and gain their OCR qualifications as easily as possible”, Andy commented. “By making the course easy to follow and the Assessment easy to complete, students will find they are gaining qualifications at least one per month – with some students gaining qualifications nearly every week if they are able to study more hours – so this is very rewarding to see our students doing so well.”
OUR STUDENTS ARE GOOD ENOUGH FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW!
OCR have been re-designing their suite of Administration qualifications as well, which are part of the QCF (Qualification Credit Framework), meaning that students can build Diplomas by passing individual exams, each one having a certain credit value.
Once someone has reached 37 credits, they are then awarded the full Diploma – so students have a single certificate for each single exam/assessment they have passed, plus the Diploma once they have gained enough credits. A lot of certificates!
As part of their modifications, OCR are providing sample examples of how the assessments could be completed to help tutors and students complete the assessment which forms part of the OCR support service to tutors.
In October this year, OCR made contact with us to ask permission to use one of our student’s past entries as a sample example for one of the modules – which will then be referred to by all OCR centres throughout the UK.
So good to know we have a following now!
COULD THIS BE YOU?
It is always great to hear of real success stories! Many people study with us to develop their qualification portfolio to enable them to
change careers, move on up the career ladder to a job they would find more interesting and more financially rewarding or to help them cope with their current job. Here are just a few case studies to show the story so far of many of our students and how their lives have been changed after gaining qualifications with us:
Trina from Devon…..
I became unemployed earlier in the year after working in Insurance Sales/Banking/Finance for 20 years. After some thought I decided I really wanted to change careers, I had been stuck in the same field of work for years but never able to get out of. I disliked my
job intently and did not want to re-apply for jobs back in the same field, so after much thought, chats with the careers service and trawling the internet for advice I decided i would like to become a secretary/PA. This type of job matched my skills and strengths and when I found the website for Lewis College and perused the modules I really liked what i saw and decided to enrol on the course.
I was sure that I needed to put in as many hours as possible to finish the course as quickly as possible so that once finished I could start applying for jobs.
However, after working on the course for 6 months I decided to apply for a job as a secretary at the local hospital, not really that confident in succeeding as I was only part way through the course, but, i got an interview and got the job!! And I am loving it...
Emily from Devon….
I chose to study the Graduate Fast Track Diploma – OCR Level 3 Text Processing and OCR Level 2 ITQ as I wanted to work in a secretarial or PA position but wasn’t sure which sector. I felt this combined course would give me the knowledge and skills necessary to work in a range of positions. I was working in a fixed term administrative position when I started the course and decided to work as a temp following the end of my contract.
I registered with several agencies some of which required me to take skills tests in copy and audio typing. I had reached a typing speed of 50 wpm as a result of the Level 3 Text Processing Diploma which meant I was much more employable. The ITQ element involved learning to use the Microsoft Office applications to proficiency level. I secured temporary work quickly in a range of offices including an architects, an accountancy firm, a dancewear supplier and an electricity supplier. I was recently offered a position as a temp secretary in a local law firm. As I have good secretarial and IT skills they were willing to offer me work even though I don’t have legal knowledge. After two months of temping I was offered a permanent contract as a legal secretary to one of the Partners of the firm. It was a great feeling to have got a permanent job after a year of temping. Without doing the course I don’t think I would have been offered my current job so I would definitely recommend it.
Lynne from Scotland…..
Before I begun the Executive PA course, I had studied Secretarial Studies at School. I have worked in the office industry for 7 years, and over the years, I have picked up things myself, or through asking my work colleagues. I have also worked my way up, from being a: Receptionist, Admin Assistant, Secretary, and PA. I enjoy the Secretarial/PA type roles, and decided that this was the type of role I would like to work in, because it is very varied, which is also very suitable for me. I then felt that it was time for me to update and get some new qualifications, so I could improve my chances of getting a better job. I wanted to study the Executive PA course, the 3 Diplomas, because I felt that this would give me a better chance of hopefully getting a job. This course also covers a wide variety of different modules, which I thought would be very interesting to learn.
The Executive PA course has definitely helped me to get my new PA/Project Secretary job. There are so many different things, that I have learned, in my course, that has helped me immensely. Every day, it feels like I am doing course work, at my work!! For example: Typing up minutes of the meetings, letters, reports, emails I also feel more confident, now, in using Word. Before I began the course, my knowledge of word, was good, but now, it is exceptional. I have learned easier ways to do simple tasks, for example using headers and footers. I never managed to get this correctly before, and now, I know exactly how to use then. Also, using: Mail merge, columns, tables, page breaks, spacing of paragraphs, text boxes, document presentation and leaflets. I now know how to use them without hesitation. I also get asked lots of questions, at my work, about, for example, Word problems, and I am able to answer them, without hesitation now.
The Admin Diploma has been a great help to me too. I have to type up lots of letters, in my work, and this course, has refreshed my memory, and helped me to do this too. Also, I did know how to type up Reports, before, but this course has improved my knowledge, and I now have the best of skills, to type up Reports, effortlessly. Learning how to type up: Questionnaires and Articles correctly have also been improved.
The IT Diploma has also helped me tremendously, because my knowledge of using the Internet/Emails, I though was already very good. But, now I have been shown new ways to do certain things, and this is also a great refresher for anyone.
Studying the Executive PA course, I have learned new skills, such as: Audio Typing and Shorthand. The audio typing was one of the skills that I was keen to learn, because I had never done this before. I was quite nervous about doing this, because I was not sure what to expect. But, I found, with great help from Sandra, that I was able to complete this module confidently. Another new skill I have learned is Shorthand, which I have also never used before. This module is extremely enjoyable, and a great break away from the computer from the other modules. I found it quite therapeutic, drawing the shorthand outlines! Learning to write the shorthand, from the dictations, at first, it takes you a while, to be able, to write the shorthand in one go, which can be very frustrating! But, with lots of practice, my shorthand has come on enormously. I am hoping to use this skill, for taking the minutes of my work meetings that I will have to attend. By doing this, will also help me to improve and speed up my shorthand.
I am looking forward to completing the rest of the, Executive PA, course, and learning lots more new skills, so I can use these skills in my new job. Without a doubt, I would definitely not have gotten my new job, without studying the Executive PA course, which I am forever grateful for. Thank you.
PARTNER WITH LEADING UK RECRUITMENT AGENCY!
We are currently in the early stages of developing a partnership relationship with a leading UK Recruitment Agency who not only cover most of the UK but also Brussels and Paris.
Not only does the Agency provide a range of quality jobs – with an excellent client bank – they also provide advice and guidance, internships and on-going support to those looking for work. This was one of the key reasons Lewis College wanted to develop relationships with the Agency – because of their level of dedication in helping people.
More news to follow in our next Newsletter!