Our vocational courses give you the knowledge, skills, work experience and qualifications to progress to higher education, an apprenticeship, or into full-time employment. They also provide employability skills that will give you a head start in your chosen career.
Our vocational courses are almost all taught at our London Road Campus, except art vocational courses, which are taught at the English Bridge Campus.
Depending on your GCSE achievement and equivalent qualifications, you will start your course at Levels 1, 2 or 3. However in some trades, everyone starts at Level 1 or 2 regardless of their qualifications as you need to build up your industry-specific skills before progressing to an advanced level.
Extended Diplomas are two-year courses that allow you to progress to higher education or employment. They are worth three A Levels and are highly valued by both universities and employers. It may be possible, in some cases, to study an A Level alongside an Extended Diploma. You will need to have achieved the entry requirements for the course, typically four GCSEs at grades 9 to 4, though individual subjects have different specific requirements.
Vocational courses in hair, beauty, construction trades, fabrication & welding, engineering, motor vehicle, and hospitality & catering require specific manual skills so you will start studying at either Level 1 or Level 2 regardless of your grades at GCSE.