Research! Speak to your mentor, pathways coordinator, careers advisor and teachers for advice on what route you want to take after school. There are a lot of benefits to each route to your chosen career. Attend open days, jobs fairs and research online so you feel well informed in the option you decide upon.

Read more at Thinking About What’s Next

Universities and colleges set their own entry requirements for higher education courses, and these vary widely depending on the subject, the specific course, and the course provider. If it is for an apprenticeship they might not list entry requirements as such but outline a minimum standard of qualification they are looking for on the job description. They set the entry requirements for each course to ensure you have the right skills and knowledge to successfully complete the course. These include:

• qualifications, subjects, and exam grades
• your suitability – course descriptions often mention skills, interests, or experience it’s good to have, so look out for these details because applications can be quite competitive
• an admissions test – this can be quite common in some apprenticeships they will ask that you sit an aptitude test
• an interview – if you’re invited to an interview, we’ll let you know via Track after you’ve applied, but it might be worth doing some early preparation or putting together a portfolio if required
• further requirements – it’s possible there may be health, financial, or Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks, which check if you have a criminal record.

Funding can be very difficult to get your head around, who you apply to for funding depends on which level you are studying. If you are studying anything below an HNC/Level 7 you will have to apply for a college bursary. If you are studying below HNC/Level 7 your college will contact you directly usually by email link with instructions on how to apply for funding. There is also a dedicated funding service based within your college’s student services if you should need further advice. For anything HNC/Level 7 and above you should apply directly to SAAS.

For more info check out: www.saas.gov.uk

Check out our Funding category.

Regardless of what you choose to go on to do we advise that you check out the leavers checklist! This details the information and documents you need to complete your application, start your course or employment. To make sure the transition is as smooth as possible we recommend having everything in your leavers checklist completed before you leave school.

For more info check out: www.saas.gov.uk

Check out our “Applying” category.

Interviews are nerve wracking but very important! This could be the final decider on you being accepted to your chosen course or job. It is a great opportunity for you to show you personality and also speak about any relevant skills, hobbies or interests you have mentioned in your application.

Check our our “Interview” category.

Yes, yes and yes! 

We can’t stress enough how important it is for you to have a back-up plan. For various different reasons your plan could not take shape how you thought it might. It is always important to have a back up plan in place so that you are always leaving school to go and do something positive! 

There is nothing stopping you considering different routes to your chosen career, you might change your mind later on. Apprenticeships and college courses both have their advantages, it may be worthwhile applying to courses or apprenticeships which are similar.

If you are applying to University it may be a good idea to apply to a HN course at college that is relevant to your chosen course. If you are applying to college apply to as many different colleges as you can and take advantage that you can apply to 2 courses.

Also, make sure you are familiar with clearing processes as this is a great opportunity to snap up some last minute places at University or college. 

Check out our Back Up Plan category.

If you would like some extra money while you are studying or during the summer, a part-time job is a great way to build up your skills and experience. A lot of companies advertise directly on their own website have a look for the careers/jobs section of their website. Alternatively, you could hand copies of your CV directly into the company you would like to apply for. You can also use job search sites to apply for vacancies, we have listed some of the most popular ones below. Also, be sure to check out the CV section on the Hub for tips and hints on making a CV.

www.s1jobs.com
www.indeed.co.uk
www.totaljobs.com
www.monster.co.uk

Check out our jobs category.

On the YST hub we have loads of hints and tips for you to write a personal statement. 

Check out our Personal Statement category.

For University applications you will have to apply via UCAS and you are limited to 5 university courses.

For college applications you can apply to each college directly with a limit of usually 2 courses per college but there is no limit to how many different colleges you can apply to.

For job/apprenticeships there are no limits to how many different applications you can submit.

Read more on our applying category.

Yes! You have to apply to SAAS for every year that you want to study through the SAAS website. To guarantee your funding is in place for you starting your course make sure you get your funding application in before the deadline.