Choices at 14+
Choices at 16+
Choices at 18+

Choices at 16+

Choices at 16+

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Web Linx

Discretionary Learner Support

Directgov

Money to help you study at college or school or go into work based learning as a trainee

Manchester - My Course My Future

MyCourse_Manchester

14-19 prospectus for all courses on offer in Manchester

Find an Apprenticeship

National Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service
Get on the job training with an apprenticeship. Study for a nationally recognised qualification whilst earning.

Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

Developing the curriculum, improving and delivering assessments.

You’ll finish your statutory education at the end of Year 11, but it shouldn’t mean the end of learning! There are lots of ways to carry on learning through education or work – it’s a great way to get your career off to a flying start!

The September Guarantee means that all 16 and 17 year olds have an offer of an appropriate post-16 course; your Personal Adviser will be able to give you information and advice on the options.

Here's what you can do at 16?

  • stay in education at school or college
  • go into work-based learning and employment.

You might also go into a job without training; in this case ask your Personal Adviser about getting some training.

Here is what happened to 2010 Year 11 school leavers in Manchester:  

Full time education
90%

Full time training
2%

Full time employment – Apprenticeships and NVQ2
1%

Jobs with locally recognised or no training
1%

Voluntary and part time activities 
1%

Not in education, employment or training  
3%

Others 
2%

Over 95% of Manchester youngsters were doing something that gave them the chance to get recognised qualifications, through further study or training.

Here’s what you can consider doing

Stay in education

There are plenty of colleges to choose from locally! What you’ll do there will depend on the qualifications you get in Year 11, it could include

  • Advanced Subsidiary (AS) leading to A Levels
  • BTEC or similar qualifications
  • A Diploma at Advanced Level
  • International Baccalaureate
  • GCSEs – usually this means re-sitting essential subjects like English or maths where you just missed getting a grade "C".

It’s possible to mix and match what you do by taking some subjects you might have studied previously at GCSE with new ones such as law, economics or philosophy.

To make sure you get it right you’ll need to:

Go for Learning at work

This includes:

  • Apprenticeships where you'll have the chance to train for a NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) in a particular job and learn key skills and
  • Any job where the company offers training that leads to recognised qualifications like NVQs.

Jobs without training

This isn’t a good choice, though at 16 it might appear different, especially if the pay’s good. Without training you might find your chances of getting on more difficult, ask your Personal Adviser about getting some training.

2 educationYou can use the library in your Connexions Centre too as it has information for you to read or take away. Visit Education Weblinx for more useful websites.