Business BTEC National Diploma/Certificate

BUSINESS BTEC NATIONAL DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE
These courses give you the foundation for a career in business. You will study enterprise, marketing, people-management and e-business and analyse how businesses are influenced by society. They provide an excellent grounding for either further study or direct entry into employment. The BTEC National Diploma is equivalent to 3 GCE A levels while the BTEC National Certificate is equivalent to 2 A levels.

What and how will I be studying?
You will have a mixture of classroom-based lessons, group work, practical sessions, group and individual field visits and the chance for independent study. In a typical lesson you will be taught relevant business theory, which you will then apply to the real organisation you are researching. These courses give you the opportunity to focus upon specific areas that interest you.

How is the Course assessed?
Your work is assessed internally by your teachers and externally moderated by Edexcel.

What skills will I need and be developing during the course?
As the courses are coursework based you will need to enjoy this type of work. In addition to gaining Business knowledge you will develop your organisational skills as well as the ability to work to deadlines, and as part of a team. Practical application of your knowledge is an important factor on these courses and you will have the opportunity to conduct research within real business environments. You will also have lots of opportunities to develop the research, team working and presentational skills valued by universities and industry.

What units will I study?
For both the Certificate and Diploma, students must take the following four units:

• 
  Exploring Business Activity
  
• 
  Investigating Business Resources
  
• 
  Introduction to Marketing
  
• 
  Effective People, Communication and Information
  

For the Certificate students will then take eight specialist units. Diploma students will take fourteen specialist units. These will be selected from:

• 
  Introduction to Accounting
  
• 
  Exploring Creative Product Promotion
  
• 
  Investigating Internet Marketing
  
• 
  Investigating Recruitment and Selection
  
• 
  Human Resources Management in Business
  
• 
  Managing a Business Event
  
• 
  Supporting Projects
  
• 
  Introduction to e-Business
  
• 
  Website Design Strategies
  
• 
  Investigating Supply Chain Management
  
• 
  Organisational Systems Security
  
• 
  Website Production and Management
  
• 
  Digital Graphics and Computers
  
• 
  Starting a Small Business
  
• 
  Introduction to Marketing Research
  
• 
  Understanding Business Ethics
  
• 
  Investigating International Business
  
• 
  Understanding Retailing
  

What career opportunities are there?
The BTEC qualifications are recognised by most universities and therefore successful completion will enable students to continue their studies in higher education on a business related course. Alternatively students will find that BTEC qualifications are valued by employers and can lead to career opportunities in business specialisms such as Finance, Human Resources, Management or Marketing, as well as other Business-related careers.