A Guide to your Options after your GCSEs

GCSE results day is coming up soon, and many will start thinking about different options for their future. There are increasingly more and more options for further education that maybe you might not have fully considered such as vocational qualifications or apprenticeships. We’ll discuss different paths you can take in this blog post to make sure you have made the best possible decision for you. 

Full time education:

There are various different qualifications you can do whilst studying full-time in a college or sixth form. 

• A-levels (or other similar, subject based qualifications like Advanced Highers or IB): This is especially useful if you want to go on to university to get a degree before you start working. Most people choose three or four subjects to do A-levels in and many schools offer a massive range of subjects.

• Work related courses (such as BTECs, NVQs and more): These also are studied full-time but are better if you want to study a specific trade or a more vocational course. Make sure that before you join a sixth form or college that you ensure they have the facilities to help you with whatever qualification you choose to do. Depending on the qualification, you can go into university after these or straight into a trade or a job

If you have a specific passion that may not be considered ‘academic’ such as art, dance, music or cooking to name a few, there are specialist colleges and schools around the globe that offer intensive training in those areas. This is a great option if you have a particular skill you want to carry on as a career. 

Part time education alongside a job, volunteering or self-employment:

You can combine studying at a college and working in a field by studying part-time. You can run your own business and be self employed, or work in a trade or even volunteer. Many colleges offer a wide variety of subject and work related courses that you can do part-time. This is especially useful if you want to gain some practical experience whilst completing your qualifications. 

Apprenticeships and internships:

Apprenticeships are a great way of getting experience in a trade. There are various levels of apprenticeships depending on how long you wish to do it for. The biggest upside of this type of education is that you earn the minimum wage as you learn. This is increasing in popularity with more and more companies offering apprenticeships and internships to produce students who are well-rounded and with experience in specific fields. After this, you could continue to train or even go to university, or even go on to do degree apprenticeships. 

There are also supported internships which are options for students with special needs or disabilities, where you study and work alongside an employer to give you the skills needed for a job in that field. 

This all may seem very overwhelming, but remember that there is no wrong option. Do what feels right for you and the kind of learning you want to do, and not simply what people around you are doing. Finally, congratulations on completing another chapter of your lives and good luck!