You’ve collected your A-Levels, now what?

Sometimes our plans go exactly as we would like, and it is all systems go with your next steps on to University, an apprenticeship, an internship or employment. But, sometimes things don’t work out as we would have liked. So, better, worse or just as expected, take a read of some of the options available to you now that you have collected you’re a-Levels.

Work and study, yes, you can have the best of both worlds!

Continue learning whilst also getting some job experience and often making some money as well. The options below all offer various degrees of balance between ‘study’ and ‘work’ so pick whichever one offers the best balance for you personally.

Supported internships

A supported internship is for those aged between 16 and 24, and offers time with employer to learn the skill of whatever job you are interning for. They also come with support from a tutor, a job coach, or a specialist provider to help you decide on your next steps at the end.

Apprenticeships

A combination of learning on the job and off the job, apprenticeships offer salaries whilst teaching you the relevant skills for the job. Expect to spend roughly one hour learning in a collage or other educational institute for every four hours spent in the workplace and earn anything from the National Apprentice Wage for you age upwards. Companies of all sizes in all sectors offer apprenticeships, so if you have an idea of what sector you may want to work in, this could be the route for you.

H2: Take the full-time academic route

Some career pathways require you to develop more specialist knowledge in your chosen field to support your career planning.

Higher technical skills courses

Also known at HTQs, these offer an alternative to apprenticeships or degrees. You can choose to study the likes of a foundation degree or higher national diploma through this route and like apprenticeships, the range of subjects that are available has increased dramatically. You could opt to study construction (from September 2023), software developer or network engineering to name just a few. Find out more about how they work here.

University

From lectures to seminars, group projects to independent study, University courses offer a blended learning approach across a wide range of subjects. Most undergraduate courses last 3 years, and grant you access to higher level qualifications such as Masters or Post Graduate qualifications, as well as giving you the solid knowledge base required for many careers. University routes offer a flexible study route as most are delivered on a part-time basis with the need for independent study around your lectures/seminars.

Head over to the UCAS website to find out more about clearing (clearing is how universities and colleges fill any places they still have on their courses, normally over the Summer months so is a great route for those who do better, or worse, than expected with their grades but still want to pursue this option) and check out which Unis have places available.

H2: Get Straight into Work

For those seeking employment, whether that be with an established business, or even attempting to start your own self-employment, take a read of the options available to help you get started.

Internships

The entry point into many industries, internships offer a chance to familiarise yourself with a particular job and career while also earning a wage. A lot of Universities have links with businesses who offer internships, but you could also approach a business yourself and ask if they have any opportunities – businesses love proactivity in potential recruits!

Start your own business

The self-start-up option. It is recommended to do large amounts of research and planning before pursuing this option. Pursue as much material on how to run a business as possible before committing, but if you have a great or novel business idea, this could be the way to go.

Get a job

Write up your CV and cover letter (or update it if you have one already) and put yourself out on the job market. While many other options exist for working towards your career, if the job that you’re looking for opens up there’s nothing wrong with applying for it, provided that you’ve done your research first.

Of course, with how muddled life can get sometimes, you might want to consider taking a gap year out between your current arrangements and whatever you plan to do, whether that be job searching, further education or something in-between. Whatever the case may be, we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours and don’t forget, if you or your parent/carer wishes to speak to one of our team about your results, we’re here for you.