Business Access to Higher Education Diploma

On the Business Access pathway you will study business management law and IT. You will develop an understanding of business decision-making and study areas such as marketing. You will gain knowledge of IT systems and terminologies and an in-depth understanding of law fundamentals and areas such as Contract Law and Employment Law. Your studies will include court visits debates and case studies.

The course is made up of three subjects: business studies, information technology and law. You will learn why and how business decisions are made e.g. the interaction between government policies, business and consumers. You will also learn about marketing, production process and human resource management. In information technology you will gain knowledge of networking, HTML, Excel, systems development and more. In law you will learn legal system essentials and have an in-depth knowledge of contract law, law employment and company law. There will also be the opportunity to gain nationally recognised Level 2 qualifications in Adult Numeracy and Literacy.

You will learn through various teaching methods such as court visits, group discussions and debates, and case studies will be undertaken. Credits are gained for a variety of tasks such as quizzes, case studies, essays, reports, presentations and timed assignments. Assessment is via a combination of exams (approximately 30%) and coursework (approximately 70%).

As well as developing subject knowledge you will improve your communication, personal and study skills through a common core programme that also provides one-to-one tutorial support. There will also be the opportunity to gain nationally recognised Level 2 qualifications in Adult Numeracy and Literacy.There is a wide range of support available at the college for students including financial support. You will be assigned a personal tutor who will agree performance targets with you and support you to achieve these targets. Your tutor is also the first port of call for any pastoral issues. Our committed team of staff and careers specialists will also guide and support you with your higher education choices and applications. Almost all our Access students progress to higher education. You will benefit from socialising in an educational environment and working collaboratively on projects. All of this is excellent preparation for higher education.

Students must be aged 19 and over. No specific qualifications are required, however a GCSE grade C in English or maths would be beneficial. You will be interviewed and have a numeracy and literacy assessment to check your suitability to study at Level 3. At your interview you will need to demonstrate that you have a realistic career goal in mind and the motivation to achieve. Some degrees require that you have some relevant paid or voluntary work experience. Applicants are strongly advised to check degree entry requirements with prospective universities.

Students have progressed on to higher education to study: Business Studies, Travel and Tourism, Business Analysis, Business Management, Business Administration, Fashion Marketing, Business Management with Marketing and Economics.