Social Care Professions

Course Content

Award:
Access to Higher Education

What's it all about?:
Are you interested in people? Do you want to help those who struggle, to overcome their problems and rebuild their lives? Do you have a lot of patience? Are you resilient? In the rewarding social care professions, you will find all your skills tested to the limit. Our course helps you prepare for further study towards your career and gain valuable confidence by learning, and in some cases reviewing, the core subjects you will need.

Progression:
This qualification satisfies the minimum entry requirements for higher education institutions but many will also require evidence of working in a relevant field. Students will be able to study degree level social science course and/or social work qualification.

From September 2009 access courses will be graded and higehr education institutions may offer place conditional on achieving merits or distinctions in some subjects. Successful completion of the course will enhance employment opportunities within the field of social care.

Entry Requirements:
Access courses are principally aimed at:

• mature students who have been out of education for some time and need to provide evidence of recent study
• those with experience of working in a relevant occupation and requiring evidence of academic ability
• mature students who do not have traditional academic qualifications but have life experience
• mature students who are wishing to have a change of career.

There are no formal entry requirements, however evidence of recent study is preferable and experience of, or a good understanding of work in social care is advisable. You will be invited to attend an interview and diagnostic assessments to assess your suitability for the course, with a minimum level 2 literacy being considered appropriate.

From September 2009 Access Courses will be graded and higher education instutions may offer places conditional on achieving higher grades of merits and distinctions. Potential applicants will therefore need to be well prepared for working toward a level 3 qualification.

You may also be asked to attend a pre-access course or show some evidence of your ability.

Duration: One year

Business Benefits:
Updating of skills in written English and mathematics are invaluable for improving employability opportunities, particularly for those who do not already have a formal qualification.

The course provides students with the opportunity to develop skills in oral presentation, interviews and information technology. Past students have identified these as particularly useful for enhancing employment opportunities.

Course Overview
What does the course involve?:

There are some common elements shared with theAccess to Nursing Professions courses but there will be a focus on future training or employment within the social care field. The principle aim is to prepare mature students for application to diploma or degree level education. Successful completion of this course satisfies the minimum statutory entry requirements for higher education.

The course covers:
• sociology
• psychology
• social care
• information technology
• GCSE English equivalent
• GCSE Maths equivalent • study skills.

When can I study?:
Tuesday - Thursday, 9.15am - 3.00pm

Are there any exams?:
The course provides you with a foundation of knowledge in the subject areas required by many health-related higher education courses. You are assessed through portfolio activities, essays, oral presentations, discussions and examinations. Many of the students have had a break from education and at the beginning of the course there is a focus on developing study skills in relation to those required to be successful in higher education. Whilst many of the assessment activities are completed in the classroom you should be prepared to carry out a significant of amount of home study. Group tutorials and one-to-one tutorials are an important part of the programme.

You will be awarded a number of credits at either level 2 or 3, with a minimum of 20 credits including 15 credits at level 3 being required for progression to higher education. Assessment includes essays, coursework, investigations, examinations and portfolio work. From September 2009, the course will also be graded with merits and distinction level achievement available.
Course Facts

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Start Date:
10 September 2010

End Date:
28 June 2011

Course Type:

Full-time

Location:
Goschen Centre

Course Fees:
£470 If you are receiving certain benefits, you may only have to pay a material fee.

Instalments:
Instalments are available for course fees. A deposit of £117.50 per year is payable before enrolment followed by three monthly payments of £117.50 per year

Material Fees:
£25

Level:
Advanced

Course Code:
BEL

Certain "part-time" courses may become "full-time" courses if additional courses are taken.

If you are aged 16-18, due to Government funding, tuition fees are not applicable for your course (Please note: this does not apply to foundation degrees).

Please note that fees quoted apply to courses starting in the academic year 2009/10 (August 2009 - July 2010). There may be a slight increase in fees for courses starting 2010/11.