Pre-Access: Business and Employability Skills is designed for people who would like to progress to higher levels of study and/or employment, who have no formal qualifications.
The course content focuses on the core knowledge and skills you need to successfully progress to study at Level 3. The teaching and learning methods will give you opportunities to develop transferable skills including:
- Teamwork
- Study skills
- Reflective practice
- Independent study skills
The course is 1 year and scheduled over 1 day per week and will be a mixture of theory and practical lessons.
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Sector Overview
The Business Sector is incredibly broad, meaning graduates with the right qualifications have huge scope when choosing a career. Specialist routes may include but are not limited to:
- Marketing
- Administration
- Human Resources
- Operations
- Customer Service
- Telecommunications
- Financial
There were 5.5 million private sector businesses in the UK at the start of 2022. Most of these businesses are small, with less than 50 employees, 35,900 are medium sized, and 7,700 are large organisations.
Small businesses employ nearly 48% of the population, while large organisations employ 39%.
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Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for this course are:
- GCSE maths and English at Grade 3 (D) or above, or Functional Skills Level 1 in both English and maths. The ideal candidate will, however, have already achieved a minimum of Level 2 in one of these subjects
- Interview and assessment
In addition to your main Pre-Access programme, you will be required to enrol onto an adult English or maths course in order to obtain a minimum of one Level 2 qualification in English or maths. This will support your progression onto an Access course.
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What will I study?
This course consists of the following modules:
Modules for Business include:
- Communication skills for work
- Understanding business organisations
- Business documentation
- Working with customers
- Promoting products and services
Modules for Employability include:
- Self-management skills for work
- Setting and meeting work-related targets
- Exploring and presenting enterprise ideas
- Career planning
- Interview skills
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How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed via:
- Presentations
- Essays and reports
- Leaflets and posters
- Tutor observations
- Discussions
- Case studies
- Role plays
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Enrichment
You will be invited to take part in many study trips and visits throughout the year. Examples include:
- Bank of England Museum
- RPC Law Firm Taster Day
- Snaresbrook Crown Court
- London Metropolitan University and Coventry University taster days.
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Work Experience
You will be offered opportunities to actively engage with industry related employers and take part in experiential events to improve your personal development.
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Progression opportunities
The completion of this course will allow you to progress onto:
- Access to Law and Business
- Access to Computing and ICT
- Employment or apprenticeships
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Alumni
Waltham Forest College is a vibrant and aspirational college and will support you to reach your career aspirations. Last year 96% of learners progressed onto a positive destination either to higher levels of study, employment, or an Apprenticeship.
