Making the transition from Advanced Apprenticeship to Higher Education (HE) Are you considering where your current

Advanced Apprenticeship may take you and what you can do after you have successfully completed your current apprenticeship? Do you need advice on the apprentice progression routes available to you?

Upon completion of your Advanced Apprenticeship you in agreement with your employer can decide to use your current skills and knowledge to progress onto even higher level qualifications. There are part time and full time Higher Education qualification opportunities that you can progress onto and with the support from your employer. Such Higher Educational opportunities will also increase your chances of advancing your career within your current employment. Then this information guide booklet should help you decide at it is aimed at Advanced Apprentices about what qualification path to pursue next in your chosen career.

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Table of contents

Page 3 Where Am I Now - enables you to identify your current level of qualification that you are working at or have achieved.

Page 4 What Can I do next - this page outlines the Higher Education qualifications - from Level 4 upwards - currently available for you to study at St Helens College.

Page 5 What career prospects will Higher Education provide me?

Page 6 /7 What are the Higher Education Subject Areas available to study at St Helens College?

Page 8 What part time financial support is available to me if I undertake a Higher Education Programme?

Page 9 -15 Advanced Apprenticeship Progression Routes to Higher Education at St Helens College

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WHERE AM I NOW By examining the table below you should be able to identify the current level of qualification you are about to achieve or have just achieved. From this point you can then identify your next progression route for qualifications in the chart below Do note that

Any qualification graded at level 4 or above is classed as Higher Education

Level 1 Further Education (excluding GCSE) 2 Further Education (excluding GCSE) 3 Further Education 4 Higher Education 5 Higher Education Qualification Relating to Level Foundation certificates NVQ 1 GCSE grades D G (equivalent) Intermediate Apprenticeship NVQ 2 CGSE grades A C (equivalent) Advanced Apprenticeship NVQ 3 A Levels Higher National Certificates (HNC) Higher Apprenticeships Professional Qualifications Higher National Diplomas (HND) Higher Apprenticeships Foundation Degree NVQ 4 Professional Qualifications Degree Professional Qualifications NVQ 5 Post Graduate Qualification Professional Qualifications Doctorate

6 Higher Education 7 Higher Education 8 Higher Education

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What Can I do next? Qualifications on offer at St Helen College St Helens College offers an extensive range of Higher Education qualifications from Level 4 to Level 7 in the National Qualification framework and so includes Higher National Certificates, Higher National Diplomas, Foundation Degrees and Top Up Degrees. Higher National Certificate / Higher National Diploma Programmes St Helens College offers to students the Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Diploma (HND) programmes. The HNC and HND are vocationally orientated qualifications validated by EDEXCEL. The HNC is the entry qualification at Level 4 and where students then progress onto the HND at Level 5. The HNC and HND provide an excellent qualification to progress a students career in industry. Whilst the HND can also provide a student the opportunity to progress onto an appropriate Top Up Degree. Part time provision is available to allow people in employment or with commitments, to study towards a higher qualification. HNC is a highly regarded by employers as the first step to Higher Education. Foundation Degrees The Foundation Degree (FD) qualifications initiated by the Government as an alternative to HNDs and has been designed, developed and are supported by employers to ensure that graduating students have the required skills as well as knowledge required to work in industry. Like HNDs Foundation Degrees are available in a wide range of subject areas but differ in that they tend to be university validated. They too can be studied on either a full time or part time basis. When students successfully complete their Foundation Degree they can then choose to enter employment or alternatively progress onto a university validated Top Up Degree. Details can be found on the colleges website or by contacting student services 01744 733766 Top Up Honours Degrees Top Up Honours Degrees are offered to students who have achieved an HND or FD and allows the student to gain a Level six qualification. Students study at St Helens College but graduate at the partner university validating their degree. Details of the range of Top Up Degree programmes, can be found on the colleges website or by contacting student services 01744 733766. Postgraduate / Professional Programmes The College has a rapidly expanding portfolio of postgraduate and professional programmes delivered by highly qualified and industry experienced team and awarded by the professional bodies. Details of the range of Professional programmes, offered by St Helens College can be found on the colleges website or by contacting student services 01744 733766.

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What career prospects will Higher Education provide me? The qualifications you achieve have been proved to have a direct correlation to your earning power. Higher level skills are in high demand by employers and in todays competitive jobs market they set you apart from others and increase your earning potential. So yes the higher the level of qualification you achieve the more it affects your salary.
As employers pay more for skills that: Are specialised Are in short supply Have required training Are important to their business

Employers place a greater value on higher level qualifications and so are willing to pay people more as a result.

So what can you expect from investing in your own education & training?

A study commissioned by the Department for Education & Skills, shows that: Graduates are less likely to be unemployed than non graduates Graduates are more likely to gain promotion than non graduates

Remember Higher Education helps you build on your work experience and work related skills and helps you to progress up the career ladder quicker.

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What are the Higher Education Subject Areas available to study at St Helens College?
Below are listed some of the part time/full time Higher Education subject qualifications available to study at St Helens College. Please note: that the subjects and qualifications listed below can be subject to change so please check out the Colleges website for the most up to date information. www.sthelens.ac.uk/higher education Please remember that as an employed Apprentice you will need a programme that fits around your work commitments so first check out that your chosen programmes timetable arrangements meet with your work commitments. You can check this information out with the programme leader of your chosen qualification and discuss such arrangements with your employer. Be prepared that the study may involve you studying in some of your own time. Higher Education requires learners to be dedicated and requires much research as such you will need to develop good time management skills to combine the qualification you choose with your work responsibilities as well as your personal commitments. That said Higher Educational qualifications can be a very rewarding experience and greatly helps to support your career progression. Part time HE courses available to study at St Helens College

Higher National Certificates (HNC) and Higher National Diplomas (HND)

HNC Business HNC Construction & the Built Environment HNC/HND Electrical Engineering HNC/HND Operations Engineering HNC/HND Mechanical Engineering HNC/HND Manufacturing Engineering HNC/HND Construction

Foundation Degrees
FD FD Working with Children & Young People Complementary Therapy

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Foundation Degrees (FD) with BA Top Up

FD FD Social Policy, Health & Housing with BA Top Up Criminal Justice with BA Top Up

BA Honours Degree
BA Hons in Youth & Community Work BA Hons Business Administration & Management BA Hons Culture, Mind & Modernity

Professional Qualifications
(Please note that Professional Qualifications do not attract Student Finance England Funding) Purchasing (CIPS) Accounting (AAT) Personnel (CIPD) Levels 4, 5 and 6 (Level 3 also available) Level 4 Levels 5 and 7 (Levels 2 & 3 also available) (Level 3 also available)

Please note courses are subject to change and Apprentices may also require further qualifications to meet criteria set within the entry requirements.
KEY

HNC HND FD BA

Higher National Certificate Higher National Diploma Foundation Degree Degree (Bachelor of Arts)

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What part time financial support is available to me if I undertake a Higher Education Programme? Financing your Higher Education Study
For the first time from September 2012 part-time students from England will not have to pay their tuition fees upfront. If you are studying for your first higher education course which is at least 25% intensity of an equivalent full-time course you can get a Government loan. How loan repayments are expected to work You will begin to repay your loan in the April which falls three years after the anniversa ry of the start date of your course, even if you are still studying. But you will only make repayments if you are earning over 21,000 a year. If your course is shorter than three years, you will start to repay your loan from the April after you finish your course. You repay 9% of your income above 21,000. The amount you repay depends on how much you earn, for example, if your salary was 25,000, the 9% would only apply to 4,000, meaning you would repay 30 a month. Salary 25000 30000 35000 40000 Amount of salary from which 9% will be deducted 4000 9000 14000 19000 Monthly Repayment 30.00 67.50 105.00 142.50

Repayments will be deducted from your regular salary normally through the tax system. Any outstanding balance is written off after 30 years.

Source: The Department for Business Innovation & Skills For further information:

www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/Student Finance/index.htm

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Advanced Apprenticeship Progression Routes to Higher Education at St Helens College

Advanced Apprenticeship Accountancy Intermediate Apprenticeship Accountacy

Level 4 Diploma in Accounting Association of Accounting Technicians

Intermediate Apprenticeship Business & Administration

Advanced Apprenticeship Business and Administration or other equivalent Level 3 qualification

Higher National Certificate Business Further Qualifications HND Business BA Business Administration and Management

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HNC Business Advanced Apprenticeship Management Intermediate Apprenticeship Team Leading

Further Qualification HND Business BA Hons Business Admin & Management

Foundation Degree Complementary Therapy

Advanced Apprenticeship Hairdressing

Intermediate Apprenticeship Barbering Intermediate Apprenticeship Hairdressing

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Advanced Apprenticeship Beauty Therapy Intermediate Apprenticeship Beauty Therapy

Foundation Degree Complementary Therapy

Adult Advanced Apprenticeship Health & Social Care Adult Advanced Apprenticeship Health Clinical Health care Adult Intemediate Apprenticeship Health & Social Care Adult Intermediate Apprenticeship Health Clinical Health Care

Diploma (Level 5) in Leadership Health & Social Care, Children & Young Peoples Services

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Diploma (Level 5) in Leadership Health & Social Care, Children & Young Peoples Services Advanced Apprenticeship Children & Young people's Workforce Advanced Apprenticeship Specialist Support for Teaching & Learning in Schools Foundation Degree Early Years Practice (2yrs work experience from the end of the Advanced Apprenticeship is required)

Intermediate Apprenticeship Children & Young People's Workforce Intermeediate Apprenticeship Playwork

Advanced Apprenticeship IT Application Specialist Intermediate Apprenticeship IT Application Specialist

Foundation Degree Internet and Business Technologies

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Advanced Apprenticeship Sport Intermediate Apprenticeship Sport

HND Coaching & Development Foundation Degree Exercise, Health & Fitness (Fulltime only))

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Intermediate Apprenticeship Electrical Installation

Electronics Fabrication & welding Manufacture Control Motor Vehicle Process Control Mechanical Advanced Apprenticeship Electrical Installation Electronics Fabrication & welding Motor Vehicle Mechanical

HNC Operations Management

HNC Mechanical Engineering

HNC Manufacturing Engineering HNC Electric/Electronic Engineering Further Programmes

HND Operations Management

HND Mechanical Engineering HND Manufacturing Engineering HND Electric/Electronic Engineering

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Intermediate Apprenticeship

Brickwork Carpentry & Joinery

Flooring Painting & Decorating Platering
Advanced Apprenticeship Brickwork Carpentry & Joinery Flooring Painting & Decorating

Level 3 Diploma Construction Level 3 Diploma Built Environment

Plumbing Tiling

Further Programmes
HNC Construction

Plastering
Plumbing Tiling Site Supervision & management in Construction

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