England

From 2015, all young people in England have to stay on in education or training at least part-time, until they are 18-years-old.

This means that your child is required to participate in education or training through either:

• full-time education or training, including at sixth-form or college
• work-based learning, such as an Apprenticeship
• part-time education or training or volunteering more than 20 hours a week

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The 16-19 Study Programme:

Students at college currently study the 16-19 Study Programme. The programme brings together the skills and qualifications they need to have the best opportunity to progress, whether it be in further study or employment. What route they choose to take will be tailored to their past achievements and future goals. However all study programmes include three key elements:

• substantial qualifications such as BTEC Level 3 or A Levels
• maths and English for students who have not achieved grade A*-C GCSE in these subjects by age 16
• work experience or other work-preparation programme

At the same time, the study programme will be based around one of three learning styles:

• Work-Based Learning - which takes place in a work environment. It is a practical way of learning that offers real life work experience whilst working towards relevant qualifications in the industry. 16-19 work-based learning takes the form of traineeships and apprenticeships.
• Vocational Learning - which involves more practical activities and is commonly used to prepare for a particular trade or industry.
• Academic Learning - which is more formal and usually based on theory rather than practical activities.

Additionally, if your child is unsure of whether they want to continue studying or look for a job after Sixth Form they can combine vocational and academic qualifications to keep their options open.

Once your child has decided their learning style route, their college, training provider or employer will sit down with them and put together a tailored work programme. Depending on the course they choose, as well as their English and Maths needs, their programme may include work experience, an extended project, online courses and workshops.  Study programmes are all 540 hours and all parts of their programme are compulsory.

Education Providers:

The learning style your child chooses affects where they might study and how to apply.

The places that let offer the 16-19 Study Programme are:

• Training providers - a smaller group environment offering vocational subjects and often specialising in a small number of industries
• Further Education College - a large college environment offering a wide range of vocational subjects as well as some academic subjects
• Sixth Form College - a large college environment offering a wide range of academic subjects as well as some vocational options
• School/Academy Sixth Form - attached to a secondary school/academy and is a smaller learning environment