Advice, Guidance & Learner Support
Studying at Kelvin
Studying at Glasgow Kelvin College is about you achieving your academic and personal potential.
Don’t worry too much about the barriers or challenges you may face along the way as that’s what the Advice, Guidance & Learner Support team are here to help with.
Guidance Options
Advice & Guidance
Additional support is available from our Advice & Guidance team who can offer a wide range of information on:
- Details of college programmes, applications and pre entry guidance
- Financial implications of being a student
- Pastoral care and support with welfare issues
- Ongoing support to help keep students on track, including 1:1 guidance
- Support with the UCAS application process
- Careers Guidance, progression, job seeking and employability support
- Links with external agencies who may also be able to support our learners
All enquiries are dealt with confidentially and individual interviews can be arranged at any college campus.
For more information please email.
Guidance Statement
Glasgow Colleges Regional Board (GCRB) is committed to offering free and impartial advice and guidance to enable you to have the best student and learning experience possible. The role of Glasgow Colleges is to help you achieve this.
City of Glasgow, Glasgow Clyde and Glasgow Kelvin Colleges each provide impartial, ethical, learner centred advice and careers guidance services for college students and prospective learners to enable them to make informed decisions. Each College can be contacted for advice and guidance and all enquiries are dealt with confidentially. Services are provided by professional and dedicated staff and individual guidance interviews can be arranged where required.
Learner Support
The aim of Learner Support is to provide appropriate learner centred support which will aid, develop and encourage all learners to fulfil their academic and personal potential, whilst benefiting from college life. The Learner Support team can offer a wide range of support measures and has specific resources available to assist learners with:
- Needs Assessments for learners requiring additional support
- Organising and implementing support for learners with disabilities, difficulties or barriers
- Assistive technology
- Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) applications
- Links with external agencies who may also be able to support our learners
All enquiries are dealt with appropriately and individual interviews can be arranged at any college campus.
Counselling
The college counselling service is run by a small team qualified counsellors and trainees. Counselling offers a confidential, safe and supportive space to explore whatever it is that is going on for you. Your counsellor will work with you at your pace to explore and reflect on your experiencing, thoughts and feelings. Your counsellor will not give you advice or tell you what to do but support you to develop your own awareness of the issues you're facing. You may develop tools and techniques to help you improve your wellbeing and perhaps explore your needs in relation support beyond your time in counselling.
The counselling team offer counselling sessions in-campus face-to-face as well as via video chat. Each session will last for roughly 50 minutes, you will usually meet with your counsellor weekly for up to 8 sessions.
To refer yourself for counselling please fill out the Student Support Referral Form or ask your lecturer to refer you on your behalf. Once we have received your referral the counselling team will be in touch to offer you an assessment appointment and discuss next steps. Please be aware that we sometimes operate a waiting list and referrals will not be seen immediately.
If you have any questions you can contact the counselling team on counselling@glasgowkelvin.ac.uk and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing support is available to help you with any issues you may be having with your mental health, thoughts and feelings, managing emotions and any others. These can include issues with college or within your personal life. The types of support offered will depend on your need and may include: a confidential chat and listening ear, tailored tips for increasing your wellbeing and/or signposting to external support services/resources to help you. Support will be provided one on one or within group sessions. You can let us know which type of support would suit you and please get in touch with any queries.
You can refer yourself to the college wellbeing officer by emailing:
Links to further support options:
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, it is very important that you contact your GP to discuss this. If you feel you are at immediate risk of harm to yourself, you can present at your local A&E or call 111.
To speak to someone confidentially, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 or Breathing Space 0800 838587 at any time.
You can also text SHOUT to 852 (UK wide).
Care Experienced
Glasgow Kelvin College is committed to supporting learners who are Care Experienced.
We work with Action for Children who offer tailored one to one support to care experienced students in each of the Glasgow Kelvin College campuses. The Action for Children STAY worker can provide support in many areas, including, assisting with any barriers to engagement, budgeting support, advice with time management issues and support with mental health. In addition, the STAY worker can help learners with ongoing issues out with college such as housing, employment, homelessness, family disputes and liaising with other professionals.
We want to make sure that learners feel supported and stay engaged with their college course. Finally, any learners who are at risk of dropping out of college will receive help to progress into a positive destination, whether that be employment or further study.
Please email and the STAY worker will get in touch:
Glasgow Kelvin College is also committed to supporting learners who are carers, for example, if you are caring for an unwell or disabled relative. We understand that this may have an impact on your studies, for example, you may struggle to be on time for classes at times. If you require support please contact the above email address.
Carers Trust Scotland defines a Carer as follows:
Anyone who cares, unpaid, for a family member or friend who due to illness, disability, frailty, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.