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Making The Right Choice For You at Cadbury
Here at Cadbury we’re big believers in choice and think that students shouldn’t have to compromise on what they enjoy when deciding what to do after school. For that reason we have one of the largest course offers in the region with over 50 subject areas to choose from.
Applied Science BTEC with an Art A Level? No problem. Some university courses and careers will require you to study certain courses at Level 3 after you leave school but lots of them won’t. The most important thing to remember when selecting your courses is to concentrate on what you’re good at and what you enjoy.
In theory you are free to do any combination of courses you want here at Cadbury – you just need to do a combination which adds up to the equivalent of three A Levels. We do however have recommended combinations that provide pathways into careers and university courses.
Record University Applications Beat UCAS Deadline
Our tireless Careers Team have worked round the clock to process record numbers of university applications ahead of the cut off time.
Numbers of Cadbury Sixth Form College students applying for higher education places has now brought the total for all Sandwell College group sites to more than 1,300.
Careers Coordinator and Adviser, Andrew Farthing, said: “Ahead of the 6pm UCAS deadline on 31st January, the Careers Team worked tirelessly to advise students and tutors, check all student applications and send completed applications with references to UCAS.
“This huge task will help our students to secure offers for places at university. We are on track for record numbers of applications this year.”
Last year 1,035 students across the group were placed at university destinations. Russell Group Universities attracting our students included Oxford, Birmingham, Nottingham, Warwick, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton and York.
The top 5 most popular choices emerged as Birmingham City University, University of Wolverhampton, Aston University, Coventry University, plus De Montfort and Birmingham Newman University in joint fifth place for popularity.
Course sectors which attracted the most students were Criminology and Law, Business/Finance/Accounting/Economics, Nursing and Midwifery, Computing, Psychology and Engineering.
To be part of our next year of success at Cadbury, apply now!
Cadbury Design Graduate Wins Global KSI Competition
One of Cadbury’s successful alumni, Hamza Ali, has won a competition to create a new Reddit icon for social media superstar KSI. Hamza, who is set to graduate from Birmingham City University as a Graphic Designer in the summer, has been praised for his “passion, imagination and huge flair” by the famous YouTube influencer.
Hamza saw off thousands of rivals from around the world with his entry, which will now be viewed by KSI’s army of 2.9m followers. KSI, who also has more than 20 million subscribers on YouTube, added: “I’ve seen Hamza’s work all over Reddit. I love his passion, imagination and huge flair for artistic design. I know his work is in hot demand by other YouTube influencers. He is very talented. Hamza managed to whip up a madness of colours and energy, combining all the things I love in this icon. The design is super awesome and sick.”
Hamza, who goes by the name Ballpoint Papi on social media and has more than 40,000 followers across TikTok, X and Instagram, said: “It’s pretty amazing and it’s hard to put into words what this means. KSI rarely changes his icon for Reddit, so it’s really massive. It means the entire KSI community will know my work. KSI is very into Dragon Ball Z, so the icon was inspired by this and the Reddit logo.”
Hamza hopes this competition win will improve his chances of impressing leading design agencies in the USA when he heads to New York later this year with a group of fellow creatives from the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media at BCU. He also plans on travelling to Japan to publicise his work next summer with a series of exhibitions.
He added: “Apart from my academic pursuits, I have arranged studio visits in New York City. During my visit, I will be exploring ‘SlangInc’ and Design Bridge to broaden my knowledge and gain real-time exposure to the professional world of graphic design. This opportunity follows a similar experience I had last year when I met with esteemed designers such as Michael Beirut at Pentagram and Georgia Stout at 2×4. These visits have shaped my approach to design and have inspired me to continue pushing the boundaries of creativity.”
Hamza credited his experience and lecturers at Cadbury for paving the way to his growing success. “The A Levels I chose have played a significant role in shaping me into the designer I am today. Stuart, my former graphic design tutor at Cadbury, challenged me creatively, and I am incredibly grateful for him pushing me beyond the boundaries of what is considered ‘normal’ for a graphics designer. He encouraged me to pursue a career in graphic design, and I attribute my success in this field to his guidance and unwavering support.”
You can view Hamza’s winning icon here
Older News & Event Articles
Performing Arts and T Level Media students from Cadbury Sixth Form College took part in an IGNITE workshop with the National Youth Theatre, sponsored by Netflix—opening doors to amazing opportunities.
Faye Campbell, a former student with a thriving stage and screen career, shared her expertise with the next generation of creatives who explored arts careers, mastered camera techniques, and even pitched their own TV and theatre shows.
This crucial hands-on experience has equipped our students with the skills and confidence they need as they take their next steps into the creative industries, with many students now getting the chance to attend a week-long workshop at Birmingham’s new film studios.
Cadbury Sixth Form College students took part in a powerful workshop with West Midlands Police – gaining real-world insights into the impact of crime and the importance of making positive choices.
For Cadbury – part of The Sandwell Colleges – safety, like always, remains a top priority. Today’s theme, ‘Taking Back Our Streets’, highlights the vital role colleges play in ensuring students feel safe, supported, and empowered every day.
Meanwhile, our Student Support Officers led the inspiring ‘Hear Our Voices’ brick mural, a lasting symbol of unity, strength, and student voice, reinforcing our commitment to creating safe and supportive spaces.
Joined by Councillor Carmel Corrigan, we are proud to be working with our community partners to build a safer, stronger future for our students.
So why choose STEM as a career path?
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is one of the fastest-growing areas with an-ever increasing demand for graduates.
The UK is currently short of STEM graduates, so if you have a STEM background, you’ll be in a great position to start a successful career which is personally and financially rewarding.
With STEM qualifications you’ll increase your employment prospects and make a difference to society. You’ll be valued by employers and governments as you’ll be helping to drive economic prosperity in diverse industries such as information technology, robotics, cybersecurity, biotechnology and engineering.
Due to our greater use of technology and the complex challenges of today’s world including climate change, healthcare, and energy sustainability, STEM careers are some of the most exciting that you can imagine. As a college student, it’s entirely possible that by the time you come to graduate from university, there will be new jobs that don’t even exist at the moment.
STEM related job sectors cover artificial intelligence, software development and data analysis, and example STEM careers could include:
Science
Chemist/Astrophysicist/Environmental Scientist
Technology
Software Developer/Network Administrator/Systems Analyst/IT Manager
Engineering
Civil Engineer/Mechanical Engineer/Electrical Engineer/Aerospace Engineer
Mathematics
Mathematician/Actuary/Data Scientist
STEM Success
Shannon is one of Cadbury’s committed and driven alumni with a keen interest in the environment and passion for physical geography. After studying BSc Geography at Sheffield Hallam University Shannon graduated in 2019 with a First Class Honours Degree, and she is now a Hydraulic Modeller at RES Environmental Ltd.
Winning prizes for graduating top of her class and for her outstanding contribution, Shannon continued her study with an MSc (Res) in Polar and Alpine Change at the University of Sheffield where she was awarded a Distinction. Shannon is comfortable using a range of different GIS software including ArcPro, Mapinfo and QGIS.
On her recent return to Cadbury as a guest speaker, Shannon reflected: “Being the first in my family to go to university, I know how important it is for students to have role models from similar backgrounds and it meant a lot that I can be that for students at Cadbury.”
Which STEM subjects can I study with you?
Cadbury Sixth Form College offers you any of these subjects that fall within the STEM categories:
Applied Science │ Physics A Level │ Chemistry A Level │ Biology A Level │ Mathematics A Level │ IT Data Analytics │ Engineering │ Further Maths A Level │ 3D Design A Level │ Computer Science A Level │ Electronics A Level │ Economics A Level │ Applied Human Biology │ Psychology A Level │ Applied Psychology │ Environmental Science A Level │ Core Maths │ Laboratory Sciences T Level
Next STEM Steps
Research all our entry requirements or ask our knowledgeable STEM careers team at one of our next open days.
