Most courses that are not GCSEs have different names such as BTEC National Certificates, National Awards and National Diplomas. They are sometimes known as 'stand-alone courses' and are offered by awarding bodies such as Edexcel, OCR, City and Guilds (C+G) and NCFE. These courses are usually more practical in nature and often involve learning work-related skills for instance you can take courses in ICT, Childcare, Food Preparation or Uniformed Services. Most people who take courses in this section have some idea of the kind of work they want to do in the future.

Not at all! As you can imagine there are thousands of different courses and putting them all into a simplified system of learning routes takes time. Many courses you can take now will still exist in the future but may have a different title. The important thing is that only those courses which really benefit the learner and will have clear progression routes into work or further learning will be offered. Most of these courses are taken post-16 (eg, 6th form, college or training), however more and more stand-alone courses are now being offered in Years 10 and 11.

Generally, you are assessed by your teacher or trainer in your place of study. This could be in school, at a college or with a work based learning provider. Depending on the qualification you choose, some assessment may also be done by external examiners. You will complete a range of assignments, case studies and practical activities, as well as a portfolio of evidence that shows the work you have completed.

Gradually all vocational qualifications are being changed to make them more flexible for learners. Instead of having to take a full qualification in one go which in some cases may be too much you will be able to take individual units and build up your qualification. This means if you can't manage the whole course you will still achieve parts of it. The type of qualification you achieve will depend on how many hours you complete: you receive a 'credit' for every ten hours completed. An Award is up to 12 credits (120 hrs), a Certificate up to 36 credits (360 hrs) and a Diploma over 37 credits (370 hrs).

Employers often recognise these courses more than the newer ones being offered, but this is because many of the qualifications in this section have been around for a long time and employers respect them. In fact, many of the courses in this section assess qualities and skills directly related to the area of work being studied so they are easily transferable to the world of work. This improves your employability skills.

The same rules still apply in that you should choose courses that are right for you. Every course you study that you find on ST19, either offered at school or elsewhere, will lead to a recognised qualification and enable you to progress to the next level should you succeed. As long as you are happy that you are choosing courses for the right reasons and they will take you where you want to go then you should have the best start.

BTEC qualifications are work-related awards that are designed for students who have a clear view of their future career or are seeking progression to higher education. There are over 250 BTEC subjects and most are based on the same standards used at work eg, if you are studying a BTEC National Award in Forestry and Arboriculture then what you will learn will be entirely relevant to that area of work so that you are fully prepared for it.

Check out ST19 and have a look at your school's own prospectus to see what you can do. You will find that many of the courses in the school prospectus will be GCSE subjects, however there will be a number of other courses (as well as 14-19 Diplomas and Foundation Learning) which are being offered each year to make sure that all courses meet different learners' needs. Some of these courses will be run by neighbouring schools or learning providers.

All qualifications are part of the qualifications table and are set at a certain level. For example, a BTEC First Diploma is a Level 1 qualification (equivalent to GCSEs grades D-G) whilst a CACHE Diploma in Childcare is a level 3 qualification and is equivalent to 2 A levels or an NVQ 3. This means you can be assured that every qualification offered by a learning provider reaches the required standard and will help you move on to the next level. You can find more information about Qualifications in the Help section.

As these courses are mostly vocational in nature they can lead you into further study in that area, or to a job. Further study will mean you become more highly qualified and could apply for higher level jobs, going into a job straight after would mean you have developed many of the skills employers are looking for through the work-related part of your course.