Options Post 16

In 2013, the participation age was raised to 18 years of age. This means all young people are required to continue to participate in education, employment with training or training until at least their 18th birthday.

There are lots of things you should think about when deciding your next steps after school:

What career do you want to do?

Remember some jobs you choose may require certain qualifications to get into them. National Careers Service may be of help. Take a note of your predicted grades as certain courses require certain grades.

The chart below may assist with understanding the varying qualifications and how they compare:

Think about how YOU prefer to learn.

If you are more ‘hands-on’ then you might want to think about vocational qualifications, a Traineeship or an Apprenticeship.

Your Post 16 Choices

Students have to stay in education or training until they are 18. The good news is, there is more choice than ever about where you do your study or training.

The range of places you can study / train are:

• At 16, you could go onto sixth form at AMVC or another school / college, in order to study A Levels or other vocational qualifications.

• Further Education Colleges such as Peterborough, Cambridge and Stamford Colleges offer a huge range of courses that can help at every stage of life from Level 1 courses through to degrees and professional qualifications. Colleges also offer short and part-time courses.

• University Technical Colleges such as Peterborough UTC are government-funded schools that offer 14–18 year olds both academic and technical education related to specific job sectors.

• Apprenticeships offer a way to learn on the job while working for an employer, building up knowledge and skills, gaining qualifications and earning money at the same time.

• Work or voluntary work with training towards a qualification.

Click through the below buttons to find the top 5 reasons for choosing A Levels, Apprenticeships, T Levels and Vocational Qualifications.