From placement to paid work: Hard work leads to Saria’s success
Saria Dance is in her second year of the Health and Social Care Level 3 programme at Newbury College. When she first started thinking about what to study, she did not have one fixed plan. Instead, she worked it out carefully and honestly.
“If I’m honest, at first I wasn’t sure what I wanted to decide,” she says. “I drew up a list of different college courses that I might be interested in. I think my list was health and social care, art and business.”
From there, she narrowed it down by looking at what she already enjoyed and felt confident in.
“I broke down which areas I felt most confident in, which I had studied previously and enjoyed. And from there I decided health and social care was for me.”
Newbury College also felt like the right fit for practical reasons.
“I also chose this college because it’s closest to me and it suited my needs.”
Saria’s experience reflects the College’s purpose of creating opportunities to transform lives, not through one big moment, but through consistent support, inclusive teaching, and placements that lead to real progression.
Learning with more independence, and a safer space to speak up
One of the first differences Saria noticed compared to school was the way the course encourages independence and real-life skills.
“I have more independence in my learning and have learned life skills in health and social care,” she explains. “We are able to do work experience, which then influences our work ethic and takes away our skills for when we’re working.”
Just as important for Saria was feeling safe to contribute. She describes how school could feel intimidating socially, which made it harder to learn confidently.
“With school, I always felt that the idea of being picked on was a bit too scary,” she says. “Personally, I would rather be able to have group discussions and communicate in a safe environment with no judgement about my ideas on a certain subject.”
That inclusive culture is not accidental. Saria feels the course is delivered in a way that makes room for different strengths and learning styles.
“In Health and Social Care, we are more based upon what the students want to decide rather than just the teacher,” she says. “Michelle (Saria’s Course Leader) asks us what we’d prefer to do, and from there we decide as a class.”
That can look different week to week, depending on what students need.
“Sometimes it is more study sessions depending on assignment work. It can be activities, class debates. It’s more designed for what students would want rather than sticking solely to the curriculum. And it’s working around our abilities.”
Confidence built through community and inclusive teaching
When Saria talks about the highlight of the course, she does not start with a unit or an assignment. She starts with the people around her.
“The key highlight has been the sense of community within my class,” she says. “No stress or anxiety is around sharing.”
That sense of belonging has changed the way she sees herself in the classroom.
“At first I was more anxious than I am now, and I struggled to talk up and speak my ideas,” she explains. “But as I got to know my classmates, we learned how non judgemental it is.”
She has also learned that contributing is part of learning, not a risk.
“If you said something, it’s never incorrect. It’s more of a topic of conversation about opinions and things.”
Over time, that combination of supportive classmates and inclusive teaching has helped her confidence grow beyond the classroom.
“Going into work experience and things has definitely helped me grow my confidence around talking to people, around work, around everything in life,” she says. “I used to barely put myself out there, and now I’m trying new things.”
She also carries a message she has heard throughout the course, one that captures how confidence is built through action.
“Push and strive to challenge yourself and do something you may not want to do or be afraid to do, but still go for it,” Saria says. “To make those progressions and improve yourself.”
Work placement that turned into paid work
Work placement is a major part of Health and Social Care at Newbury College, designed to help students connect what they learn in class with what care looks like in real settings. Placements also help students build professional behaviours and employability, from communication and teamwork to responsibility and reliability.
For Saria, placement has been more than a requirement. It has become something she genuinely enjoys.
“I absolutely love work experience,” she says. “I started work experience last year.”
And then she chose to do more than was expected.
“I ended up deciding I wanted to continue my work experience through the holidays, just personally for myself.”
That extra effort paid off. It helped her build confidence, deepen her experience, and it opened a door to employment.
“I ended up going to a recruitment day and ended up getting a job there as well.”
Now, alongside her studies, she works part-time in a care home, gaining regular experience in the sector while she continues to train.
She is clear about what placement has given her on a personal level too.
“It gives you strength around your personal abilities and you get to learn something new.”
Learning in class, and learning on the job, working together
Saria’s placement is not separate from her studies. It actively feeds into her learning.
“I’m working and did my work experience in a care home, so I’ve learned a lot about people’s abilities, dementia things, through more so the work aspect than in class,” she says.
That real-world exposure then strengthens what she does back at College.
“They go hand in hand, especially if you do your chosen subjects on dementia.”
This is where the programme’s work placement focus makes a difference. It is not just about having something to add to your CV. It is about becoming comfortable, capable, and informed in real care environments.
Next steps, with support and time to decide
Like many students on Health and Social Care Level 3, Saria is thinking about what comes next, but she is also allowing herself time to explore.
“We always go through our UCAS points and talk about whether we want to go to uni, or whether we’re more for an apprenticeship,” she says.
Support comes from tutors and wider college teams, helping students understand options and plan realistically.
“Karen (Lead IAG Officer) has come in and she’s talked to us about it too,” Saria adds.
For her next step, she is considering going full-time or exploring different types of care work.
“As I’m working part-time in a care home, I might look to do full time,” she says. “Or I might see what other things I’m interested in within care.”
She is already looking at possible directions.
“I’ve looked briefly into domiciliary care and end-of-life care as well.”
What matters is that she feels supported to explore, not pressured into a single route.
“It’s just the college, and Michelle has helped gather the information of what we can do and how many jobs there are, and what areas we might like to go down through our work experience,” she says.
Why she would recommend the college route
If she was speaking to a Year 11 student weighing up A Levels versus college, Saria would encourage them to explore their options properly and not rule college out.
“Definitely go forward and strive for college,” she says.
Her advice is practical and reassuring.
“Even if you’re not sure, go into the open days, or just have a phone call with a member of staff. It will definitely help with the decision making and broaden the horizon of what they might like to do in the future.”
A course that changed how she feels about learning
Saria sums up her experience in a way that speaks directly to belonging, inclusion, and confidence.
“I’ve enjoyed this course because of the sense of belonging, and the sense that the teaching suits everyone’s needs,” she says.
Perhaps the clearest sign of transformation is how she feels day to day.
“When I wake up, I’m like, oh yeah, I’ve got college. I’m excited for this. I’m not nervous,” she says. “And the fact that I get to comfortably learn about something new every day, I enjoy the aspect of learning.”
For Saria, Health and Social Care Level 3 at Newbury College has been about building a future through real placements, real responsibility, and a learning environment that helps you grow into yourself. That is what creating opportunities to transform lives looks like in practice.