Training and Learning - Different Routes

Although your secondary school education will be completed with us at the end of Year 11, when you are 16, you must then choose one of the following until you are 18:

• stay in full-time education, for example at a college

• start an apprenticeship or traineeship

• spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training

This infographic provides a basic overview of the available pathways through education to employment:

The routes you could take post 16 are outlined below.

16 – 18

Remember there are different routes you can take after year 11.

• You can continue to study academic courses at sixth form or further education colleges. Examples would be Maths, Spanish, Music A Levels.

• You can choose more vocational courses, which are directly related to the world of work, such as a hairdressing diploma.

• You can also do an apprenticeship in different types of work in anything from the arts, education, and engineering to retail, leisure, IT and more. This means you are paid to study at a college or training provider while working with an employer to gain specific skills. Have a look at www.apprenticeships.org.uk to find out more.

• T Levels are new courses which follow GCSEs and are equivalent to 3 A levels. These 2-year courses, which launched September 2020, have been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of industry and prepares students for work, further training or study. T Levels offer students a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience during an industry placement of at least 315 hours (approximately 45 days).

Although we as a school only run up to the age of 16 in Year 11, it is important too to consider what future options are available beyond your post 16 options.

18+

• For careers that require university degrees check www.ucas.com. Here you can check the A Levels or equivalent needed to get into different university courses. You can then make sure your choices at 16 will keep the options that interest you open.

• You can also take apprenticeships to a higher level see www.apprenticeships.org.uk

• You could at this point enter your chosen career by gaining employment.

Work and Voluntary Experience

Within school we provide opportunities to experience work but for certain areas of work, such as medicine, experience in that field is essential. Experiencing the workplace can also help:

• You reality check – is it what you thought it would be? Is it right for you?

• Provide evidence of your interest and motivation to demonstrate to universities and employees.

• A chance to meet potential employers and contacts who could help you in your career progression.

• You to learn new skills, gain knowledge and experience.

https://doit.life/discover has lots of opportunities you can explore in this area.

Our advice, if you are doing some additional volunteering, is to ask lots of questions of colleagues, how much you enjoy the day-to-day experience of the work and what skills you are developing whilst in the position. Many of these could be transferable and would certainly be beneficial to include when applying for a job or university. 

Maintaining Contact with Alumni

Here at Blatchington Mill School, we love to hear about the great things that our alumni are up to. If you think that your story can be of help to others at school then please email careers@blatchingtonmill.org.uk so that we can celebrate your successes.

Labour Market Information from the Education Development Trust