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Using qualifications


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

These case studies provide examples of how colleges are providing programmes that combine general and vocational qualifications.

Combining general and vocational qualifications – AS mathematics with a BTEC course
Combining general and vocational qualifications – a GCE & VCE package in retail

Combining general and vocational qualifications – AS Mathematics with a BTEC course

Peterborough Regional College has designed a programme to add AS Mathematics to a BTEC National Electronics and Computing course. Its aim is to give students the mathematical knowledge and understanding that they need to profit from the course and to progress to a related higher education course.

Students begin the BTEC course in September and AS Mathematics in January. This gives them a chance to settle in to the college and their main programme, and enables staff to assess their mathematical competence. Two versions of the provision were considered: a one-year AS course running from January to January, with a teaching allocation of five hours per week; and an 18-month course running from January to June, with three hours’ teaching per week. The latter option has been adopted to enable students to take advantage of several assessment opportunities.

Combining general and vocational qualifications - a GCE & VCE package in retail

Exeter College does not invite applicants to choose between traditional A levels and vocational study. Instead, it asks them what career path they want to follow and then offers them a package of qualifications tailored to those interests.

For example, the college believes that a combination of vocational and general study offers students the best preparation for modern retail management.

The combination of VCE and GCE also provides a strong basis for applications to degree courses in higher education.

Retail management in the 21st century

An example of Exeter’s career-related packages is its course entitled Retail management in the 21st century. The modern retail manager needs to know about retailing and e-commerce, and to have other skills and knowledge besides. The package of qualifications in this programme has been selected to provide the best preparation for this career path and a strong basis for application to HE courses.

Course content

All students take the single award VCE in retail and distributive services and add to it supporting studies in a related area, in the form of VCE or GCE programmes.

Single award VCE
Retail and distributive services

plus

Double award VCE
Chosen from the following list: business ICT travel and tourism leisure and recreation

Combinations of GCE AS and A level
Chosen from the following list: business psychology communications art and design a modern foreign language media

College perceptions

From the college’s point of view, the programme is proving very successful. The number of students has almost doubled from the first cohort of 14 to the expected cohort of 25 for September 2002. Some of this growth is directly attributable to students recommending the programme to other students. Some of it reflects the booming job opportunities in the retail sector. Student surveys have consistently shown that the students enjoy the course a great deal.

The college believes there are clear benefits to 'packaging' the retail and distributive services qualification with selected other qualifications. So far, students have tended to choose the vocational options within the package, but the college hopes to encourage more of them to choose the AS and A level options alongside their retailing studies.

The programme has been strongly supported by local retailers, including Arcadia, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer, who have sent staff to work with the students or offered work experience and store visits as part of the 'Adopt a group' scheme. The employers were very impressed with the level of retail knowledge displayed by the students.

Success for the students

The first cohort of students, who completed their course in summer 2002, viewed the programme as a great success. A success rate of 100 per cent was anticipated for the retail component, and almost all the students achieved at least one grade higher than their ALIS predictions. (ALIS is the A level Information Service Monitoring system which indicates students’ potential achievement.)

Thirty-seven per cent of the students are progressing to higher education to take either an HND in retail management or a degree in business international management.

Also see

> Using qualifications
> Curriculum design
> Individualising the curriculum