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Christmas Closure Information

Our campuses close on Friday 20th December and re-open on Thursday 2nd January 2025 for the Christmas Break.

Students will return to timetabled lessons on Monday 6th January 2025.

For information on term dates and enquiries please visit our information page using the button below.

Start of term information

Parents / Carers – Late Application Information

It is not too late for learners in year 11 or 12 to apply for and then start a full-time course or apprenticeship programme with us in September.

Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for learners to secure their place on their ideal programme. Before submitting an online application, make sure they have got an email address which they / you will check frequently and which is professional and appropriate for this purpose. We recommend that you read our handy application tips, watch our video and then make an application.

Remember, they cannot study more than one core subject. Their subject will be their primary qualification and will form the bulk of their programme of study.

For example, they would not be able to study two full-time programmes in different subjects simultaneously. They would take Plumbing or Music, not Plumbing and Music.

Applicants can only apply for one full-time programme and one apprenticeship. They can do this together within the same application form, in what is known as a joint application.

Although they can apply for both options, they will eventually need to choose between a full-time programme or apprenticeship – they cannot do both at the same time.

In order to study an apprenticeship applicants must have an employer willing to take them on as an apprentice and have an offer of employment in place by September, ready for enrolment.

If they are interested in an Apprenticeship but do not yet have a contract of employment from an employer, we strongly advise them to apply for a full-time programme as well so that they have a back-up. We will process both but prioritise the full-time application until they inform us that they have secured an employer and have an Apprenticeship contract in place, at which point the apprenticeship application will take priority.

If they do have an employer with an Apprenticeship contract of employment in place, we still strongly advise that they apply for a full-time programme as well, in case the offer falls through or the employer is unable to meet the criteria for the apprenticeship.

Application Dos
  • Apply as early as possible. We want to make sure you have the best chance of securing a place with us. All full-time applications received by the 31st of January 2023 will be guaranteed a place at Colchester Institute, subject to you satisfying the published entry requirements. We still accept applications after this date but may not be able to guarantee you a place on your chosen programme.
  • Think carefully about your course choice before you apply. Talk to your head of year or careers adviser at school to make sure you have explored all your options and have found a course that suits you best. You may wish to attend one of our open days to find out more before applying.
  • Make sure you attend any interviews or assessments we invite you to. These are a mandatory part of our process. They give you the opportunity to find out more about our courses, as well as allowing us to make sure you are on the most appropriate course for you. Some courses may invite you to attend a second interview or audition to demonstrate your skills and to ensure you are on the most appropriate level for you.
  • Please let us know if your contact details or address change. We will use a variety of letters, emails and texts to communicate with you throughout the process, and the information we provide is both confidential and vital to your application. If you move home or change your phone number and don’t inform us of any changes, you could miss some vital information.
Application Don'ts
  • Do not make multiple applications. If you are unsure, for example, of which construction/trade subject you would like to study, please only make an application for one of them. Likewise, if you later wish you had applied for a different course, please don’t worry – we can change your application. Whatever the reason for wanting to change, there is no need to make another application.
  • Do not use a school email address when you create your account. Remember, you will need to access this account later in the summer after you have left school.
  • Do not create another account if you have previously applied. If you have applied in previous years, please do not create a new account. If you are unsure, contact us to check which username and password to use.

We have also prepared a step-by-step video guide – please view this video which will guide you through the application process.

Applying for a Full-Time course

The application window for full-time courses and joint apprenticeship applications opened on Monday 3rd October 2022 at 12pm and is still open.

Applicants will receive an acknowledgement within one week of the application being received by our Admissions team, if they do not receive this you should contact the team on 01206 712777 to check that your application has been received.

In order to apply for a full-time course applicants will need to follow the below steps:

  • 1 – Once you are on the page of your chosen course and you are certain that you would like to apply for this course, click the ‘Apply Online’ button for the campus that you would like to study at
  • 2 – First select the course you wish to apply for using the course finder button located after step 3
  • 3 – You will be taken to our online application login page and you will need to set up an account. Click ‘create an account’ to begin the application process
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Once they have chosen the study programme they would like to apply for then they are almost there.

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