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Vocational Courses

Vocational courses are designed to help you learn in a practical way about a specific job area.

Vocational courses prepares you to work in a trade, in a craft, as a technician, or in support roles in professions such as engineering, accountancy, nursing, medicine, architecture or law.

If you have a specific career in mind, prefer a practical way of learning, and assignments over exams, choose from our wide range of vocational courses from Levels 1 to 3.

Subject Areas

Your first step on the way to your dream job
Animal Care

Animal care is a diverse and expanding industry, worth £1 billion to the UK economy.

Art, Design & Photograpy

From fine art to fashion and graphic design, UK students are on the world stage.

Automotive

As a nation we love our cars, the industry desperately needs qualified, highly skilled people.

Business & Management

Business needs to be agile to thrive, with qualified, skilled people at its heart.

Childcare & Early Years

Childcare is forecast to be one of the top five occupations, opening up terrific job opportunities.

Computing

ICT is everywhere and it’s not going away. There is always a demand for skilled people.

Construction & Civil Engineering

Construction is one of the UK’s major industries, and a crucial part of Wakefield’s local economy.

Digital Industries

Digital industries are now the strongest performing sector of the UK’s economy.

Engineering

Modern engineering is as much about technical skills as it is about practical expertise.

Film, Media & Television

Some of the world’s most popular and best loved films, TV productions, animation and documentaries has been made here in the UK.

Hair & Beauty

An industry employing over 180,000 people, with a £4.8 billion a year turnover.

Health & Social Care

The Health & Social Care sector employs around four million people in the UK.

Horticulture

Work in partnership with Groundwork at the Thornes Park Nursery.

Hospitality & Catering

From boutique restaurants to global hotel chains, there is a worldwide shortage of qualified, skilled staff in the industry.

Music

British music continues to be a global export success story.

Performing Arts

Acting, dance and musical theatre.

Public Services

From uniformed services to running a public sector department, the range of careers is huge.

Science

Whatever your ambitions, the applied sciences will help to sharpen your skills for further study.

Sport

Sport is firmly on the UK’s agenda, with ever-increasing career opportunities.

Travel & Tourism

Employment opportunities on a global setting.

First-class facilities

College is different from school. Our social spaces are designed to give you space to take a break and meet with friends.

Our students gain experience in real working environments with excellent equipment. All of our campuses are fully-equipped to ensure you have the facilities you need to help you succeed.

Spend your time in dedicated teaching and social areas in our Harrison Building, part of the refurbished Wakefield City Campus, including a three-storey library for quiet study time and group work.

Our Castleford Campus houses excellent workshops providing realistic working environments for our motor vehicle, construction, and engineering students.

The LibraryPlus centre at the Wakefield City Campus spans over three floors.

We have Hair & Beauty salons which will give you the chance to provide services to paying clients and hone your customer-service skills.

Lightwaves offers extensive facilities for the study of construction, whilst sports students will have full use of a brand new gym, sports hall, fitness testing lab, therapy and massage suite, and sports pitches.

160-seat professional theatre, studios and workshops for production design and construction in our Mechanics’ Theatre close to Wakefield City Campus.

Our award-winning Gaskell’s Restaurant at the Wakefield City Campus is operated by our hospitality & catering students and is open to the public.

Top quality recording studios and social spaces have been refurbished for students on our popular music courses at Thornes Park Campus.

Giving you the edge

Leaving school and enrolling with us could be your first step on the way to your dream job! The labour market is fiercely competitive and employers can take their pick from a wide pool of candidates, so they’re looking for more than just qualifications on paper.

Studying with us can give you the real-world experience that employers are looking for.

Realistic Working Environments

Realistic working environments such as our hair and beauty salons and training restaurant, which will give you the chance to provide services to paying clients and hone your customer-service skills.

Facilites & Equipment

Purpose-built workshops for practical studies in construction, motor vehicle and engineering. Excellent equipment including the latest computer hardware and software, similar to what you’re likely to use when you start work.

Industry Links

Links with industry and local businesses such as Wakefield Theatre Royal, Haribo and Coca-Cola mean that we keep the content of our courses relevant and in line with the needs of employers.

Projects & Live briefs

Project work which reflects the sort of activities you might be involved in when you start your career and live briefs on some courses mean you can work on genuine briefs from real businesses.

Industry Experts

Lecturers from industry and commerce who are not only great teachers but also have a wealth of professional experience in their fields which they will pass onto you.

Support Staff

Support staff who are highly trained and possess vast experience in supporting students with a range of disabilities and dificulties and are dedicated to your achievement.

Get a Prospectus

School Leaver Prospectus 2024/25

The School Leaver Prospectus contains all the options available at Castleford College & Wakefield College for those about to leave school, including A Levels, T Levels, vocational courses, Apprenticeships and Foundation Learning courses.

Open Prospectus PDF Download [5MB]

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What next?

Choose your path...

A Levels T Levels Vocational Courses Apprenticeships Foundation Learning