A GUIDE TO YOUR POST-16 OPTIONS 2019 Get Organised Welcome to Get Organised C&K Careers has produced this booklet to provide you with information about all your options after Year 11. In Get Organised you will find information about… The courses offered by schools and colleges in Calderdale and Kirklees School and college open evening dates and times How to write a CV and cover letter How to get an apprenticeship Going for an interview and sitting selection tests Different types of qualifications Volunteering and self-employment But not... Information about different careers - there are just too many (However, great websites are listed where you can find this information) The specific grades you will need to get on specific courses (Schools and colleges set their own entry requirements - you need to check out individual school and college websites) Detailed information about options below level 2 (GCSE level) (Ask your school for a copy of our Get Ahead booklet) You might not need all this information now but you will need some of it during Year 11. For more information look at our website www.ckcareersonline.org.uk. If you would prefer to speak to someone, you can ask for an interview with your careers adviser in school. If you would like a copy of Get Organised in a different format email [email protected] 2 Your options after Year 11 4 Qualifications 6 How do I know what’s right for me? 8 Careers calendar 10 Full-time education 11 How to apply 13 What will it cost? 14 Where are the courses? 17 Open evenings - Calderdale 25 Open evenings - Kirklees 33 Studying outside Calderdale and Kirklees 36 Apprenticeships and traineeships 39 Apprenticeships 40 How to get an apprenticeship 42 Writing a CV 44 Selection tests 47 Interviews 49 Traineeships 51 Training provider contact information 56 Getting a job, self-employment and voluntary work 61 Where to get help 65 How C&K Careers can help you 66 Useful websites 70 Index 74 C&K Careers centres 75 Disclaimer C&K Careers is not responsible for the content of external websites. The information contained in this booklet was correct at the time of writing, please be aware that the information may change. Copyright This information must not be reproduced without prior permission from C & K Careers Ltd. 3 After Year 11 you have three main options Under Raising the Participation Age (RPA) legislation you have to stay in learning until you are 18. This doesn’t mean you have to stay at school. You can choose from any of the options below. Full-time education Apprenticeship or traineeship What? What? One or two year courses in a wide range An apprenticeship combines practical training of subjects. in a job with study. You get paid to do a job, whilst learning at the same time. Courses to suit all ability levels - from entry level to level 3. A traineeship is a course with work experience that gets you ready for work or an Courses could be academic, apprenticeship. work-related or job-specific. ______________________________________ ________________________________ Where? Where? An apprenticeship is carried out with an You could study at: employer that has vacancies - and with a • your current school if it has a sixth training provider, usually, one day a week. form A traineeship is carried out with a training • a sixth form at another school provider or at college and then with an • a college or sixth form college employer for your work experience. • a training provider. ______________________________________ ________________________________ What next? What next? After an apprenticeship you could move to You could progress to the next level the next level of apprenticeship, get a job or go of course or go to university or get an onto a course. apprenticeship, traineeship or job. After a you could get an ________________________________ traineeship apprenticeship, a job or go onto a course. ______________________________________ i See pages 12-38 for more information about full-time i See pages 40-60 for more information education. about apprenticeships and traineeships. 4 YOUR OPTIONS AFTER YEAR 11 Full-time work, self-employment or volunteering combined with part-time education or training What? Working or volunteering full-time is defined as being more than 20 hours per week, for more than 8 weeks. Part-time education or training must be at least 280 planned qualification hours per year and lead to accredited qualifications. _____________________________________ Where? Part-time education or training may be provided directly by your employer or by another organisation. _____________________________________ If you don’t feel as if you are ready for any of these options, What next? see your careers adviser for You could progress to a higher level job, help. full-time education or an apprenticeship. Have a back-up plan and apply for more than one option. i See pages 62-65 for more information about getting a job, self-employment and voluntary work. If you need help see your careers adviser! 5 Qualifications After Year 11 you can study different levels and types of qualifications - and almost any subject! Use your predicted grades to check out which level of qualification is right for you. Make sure you read about the changes to qualifications on page 7. A levels are offered in a range of subjects similar to those you studied at GCSE such as chemistry, French, maths and geography. They are Predicted to get studied over two years and you have GCSE grades 9-4 exams at the end of the course. or equivalent? Look at Level 3 qualifications such BTECs, City & Guilds, Cambridge as A levels, BTECs, City & Nationals and Cambridge Guilds, Cambridge Technicals Technicals are examples Predicted to get and NVQs/VQs of vocational or work-based GCSE grades 3 qualifications - there are others. They or equivalent? are offered in practical subjects such Look at Level 2 qualifications such as IT, health and social care and light as BTECs, City & Guilds, vehicle maintenance. Level 1 and 2 Cambridge Technicals and qualifications usually take one year Predicted to get NVQs/VQs and level 3 qualifications two years. GCSE grades 2 or equivalent? You have to do coursework and Look at Level 1 qualifications such there are no exams at the end of the as BTECs, City & Guilds, course. Cambridge Nationals and NVQs/VQs NVQs or VQs are sometimes studied as part of an apprenticeship, you have to do some written work and are Entry level qualifications observed by an assessor to show you can do a specific job. These entry requirements are only intended as a guide. Specific qualifications and their entry requirements can be found in sixth form and college prospectuses and on their websites. 6 More about qualifications YOUR OPTIONS AFTER YEAR 11 - QUALIFICATIONS GCSE grade changes GCSE grades are changing from letters (A*-G), to numbers (9-1), for those young people leaving Year 11 from 2017 onwards. If you are leaving Year 11 in June 2019 you will get numbers for all of your grades (unless you are taking some ancient or modern foreign languages). Grade 9 is the highest grade and grades 4 and 5 are equivalent to an old grade C. It is really important that you check entry requirements before applying so you apply for the right level of course. Vocational qualifications These qualifications are available in different sizes - depending on how many hours they take to study. If you are taking a BTEC, Cambridge Technical or other qualification at level 3 check its size, as you may need to take other qualifications alongside it, especially if you are thinking about higher education. BTECs At level 2 you may see these terms used At level 3 you may see these terms used • Certificate • Extended Certificate - equivalent to 1 A level • Extended Certificate • Foundation Diploma - equivalent to 1.5 A levels • Technical Certificate • Diploma - equivalent to 2 A levels • Diploma - equivalent to 4 GCSEs (9-4) • Extended Diploma - equivalent to at least 3 A levels • Technical Diploma - equivalent to 4 GCSEs (9-4) These qualifications are mainly assessed through coursework, but you may have to sit an exam for some units or undertake an assessed task or performance. Vocational qualifications at levels 2 and 3 can be ‘technical’ - that is aimed at helping you get a specific technical job. Or they can be ‘applied general’, which cover a broad area of work. For example, a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Photography is called a ‘tech level’ - whereas a BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Art and Design is called ‘applied general’. You need to think about whether you want to specialise or study a broader range of subjects within your vocational qualification. A levels Over the past few years A levels have been changing. • Exams are taken at the end of the two year course - rather than as you go along, as was the case in the past. • Most schools and colleges will encourage you to take three A levels and not four as may have happened before. • AS levels used to form the first year of an A level. However, AS levels and A levels are now separate qualifications. 7 How do I know what’s right for me? When deciding which option is best for you, think about...YOU! What grades are you going to get? It is important to What do you like doing - at school and base your decision on in your spare time? What don’t you like doing? your interests What careers ideas have you got? How do you prefer to learn - do you your prefer exams or coursework? skills and what What’s available and where you Does the school, college or training provider you like doing.