Year 11 Careers Advice and Guidance – For Students and Parents/Carers
Year 11 is a very important time in high school and as well as GCSE examinations there are key decisions to be made in regard to post-16 education or training.
There are a range of assemblies, base group time sessions as well as careers focused lessons in the curriculum that are aimed at building self-esteem, confidence and aspirations for the future. Students and parents/carers have access to apprenticeship, training, further and higher education providers via our bespoke assemblies, post-16 pathways evening and open events which are hosted by the providers. In addition to this, there is a careers fair in the summer term which provides students with the opportunity to talk to employers and training providers about prospective career pathways.
Options After Year 11
Students can go onto study theory based qualifications such as A levels or vocational qualifications (practical) such as BTECs.
You can study these at:
- College
- Sixth form
- Training provider
Or students can complete work based learning qualifications – apprenticeships.
When deciding which post-16 route to apply for, consider the following:
- Career pathways of interest
- Preferred way of learning
- Readiness to enter the world of work
Year 11 students will get support and advice from various people in their life about what to do after high school. This can range from teachers and careers leaders to family members but it is important to remember that it is your future and only you can make that decision.
Post GCSE Qualifications
Below is a summary of the different types of qualifications available to students should they wish to study at a sixth form or college after year 11.
A Levels
BTEC
T Levels
Apprenticeships
An apprenticeship is where you work as an employed member of a company as an ‘apprentice’ as part of your job and you will do a qualification alongside usually at college. Apprenticeships can be done after GCSEs or after college/sixth form.
Apprenticeships are offered in a wide range of sectors from hair and beauty to aerospace engineering. It is paid work and apprentices will be paid at least the minimum wage for their age range and holiday pay.
You can get a full time job from an apprenticeship or go onto university to study for a degree (this may be part time whilst you still work as a higher level apprentice).
Apprenticeships are a great option for when students leave school, however, we strongly recommend that young people apply for college or sixth form as well so that all options remain open to them.
Below are some useful online resources to help you find out more about apprenticeships and current vacancies in the local area.
Post 18 Options
Once students have completed education or training and are 18 years old, they can go onto study at a higher level or get a job.
Higher Education
Higher Education covers all types of higher-level education (Level 4 qualifications and above) that you can study, following post-16 education. This includes Higher Education at university, and at FE Colleges (studying qualifications ranging from HNCs, HNDs, and full degrees).
Apprenticeships
A range of apprenticeships can be studied following post-18 education. This can range from Level 2 apprenticeships, all the way through to degree level apprenticeships (Level 6).
Employment
Students who are considering entering the world of work after their post-18 education/training may also consider the apprenticeship pathway, as that combines further training with real-work. Students should look to job vacancy websites to explore live opportunities, such as Indeed, Reed, and LinkedIn. There are lots of local job opportunities available to students, so you should consider looking at local labour market information (please refer to our website), to see which sectors may be more likely to have job vacancies and opportunities.
