What to do?
When you are in your final year at school, you'll need to make some big decisions. There are three basic options to choose from
-
stay in education at school or college
-
go into work-based learning and employment
-
go into a job without training
Whether it is at school, college or at work, the main thing to do is to keep on learning! Constantly challenging yourself and gaining qualifications will mean that you build your skills and knowledge and have the certificates to prove it!
Stay in education
There are lots of colleges or sixth-form colleges (a college within a school) to choose from in Bolton. What you can study depends on the qualifications you get in year 11 as well as what each college has to offer.
You can expand on the subjects you did at GCSE level like english, history and maths or you can learn new subjects like economics or new languages. Here is a brief list of the type of qualifications you can choose from
- A Levels
- BTECs or similar qualifications
- An Advanced Level Diploma
- Resit GCSEs – usually this means re-sitting essential subjects like English or maths, or where you just missed getting a grade "C"
To make sure you get it right you’ll need to:
- Talk to your Personal Adviser
- Visit the places that interest you to check out their courses Colleges Open Days tells you about open days
- Get the exam grades you need
Learn while you work
This is great if you would like to earn money and carry on learning at the same time. You get the best of both worlds, gaining valuable knowledge and experience at work, while learning and gaining qualifications at the same time.
- Apprenticeships. As an apprentice you will work (and earn) as well as receive training. Training will be held at a college or other local training provider, where you will gain an NVQ in your chosen field as well other qualifications like technical certificates.
- Other jobs offer training with recognised qualification attached to them
- Education Maintenance Allowance is money to help you continue in education. It can also support you if you go into work as a trainee.
Jobs without training
Although it may seem very tempting to go straight into work - especially when you have spent such a large part of your life already in education - in the long term it is likely to stop you from moving on and getting better paid or more challenging work. If you feel like this is the option for you or you are currently in a job with limited opportunities, please contact one of our personal advisors to discuss your options.