A COLLEGE is offering a helping hand to youngsters dismayed at exam results.

As hundreds of Wyre Forest students expect to see the dreaded envelope containing A-level and GCSE results drop on the mat today, Kidderminster College is opening its doors to all casualties.

Career guidance experts, senior tutors and counsellors will be on standby all day today and tomorrow, the college has promised.

Free A-level and GCSE "clinics" from 9.30am to 4pm are being offered for the second year running to give students fast-track advice and help if they need to find an alternative university or college place.

This follows last year's successful trial when the college saw about 50 young people through its doors in addition to its own students.

College marketing and PR officer Carly Brookfield said the clinics would also help students surprised by much better results than they expected.

There were always a few with a pleasant surprise in store who may want to upgrade the placement offers previously accepted on lower predictions.

However, she added: "The majority will be students who have failed to reach the grades they need.

"We feel we can help in a practical way finding places through the clearing system or giving advice on re-sitting exams.

"The college is somewhere to go for those who can't bear going back to their old school or teacher feeling a failure.

"Lots of students came up last time just because they wanted to open their envelopes in company with friends and other students.

"There were whoops of joy and cries of anguish all over the place. It's an exciting time for us."

The college will have Internet access to the university and further education clearing listings and copies of the newspaper-advertised lists.

Students looking for alternative places could also use computers to trawl university websites.

There is also a Teletext service and comprehensively stocked career guidance library with prospectuses available from colleges and universities all over the country.