Choosing qualifications

Your passport to employment, further and higher learning

Qualifications are good for you because they:

• widen your choice of jobs
• give you a better chance of getting the job you want
• show employers what you can do.

There are nine levels of qualifications, known as the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Each one tells your next college, university or employer what level of skills and knowledge you have. The higher the level you get, the more options you will have.

An A* to C in maths and English is essential if you are going to get the most out of your post 16 learning. If you don’t have these qualifications, schools, training providers and colleges will offer you opportunities to do so.

Before you choose which qualification to take, consider how you like to learn. You may feel more comfortable with any of these:

• project-based activities
• hands-on learning
• a classroom environment
• the world of work

You should also choose a topic that you enjoy. You’re far more likely to do well if you choose a topic that you are interested in, combined with a way of learning that suits you. Balance studying a topic that you enjoy with the chance of getting a job in that field in a few years’ time.