Boarding schools provide educational opportunities for young people from the ages of seven to eighteen, usually leading to GCSEs, AS-levels, A-levels or the International Baccalaureate.
Career-based training in the UK (often known as vocational training) is about teaching you the things you need to know to pursue the career you want to follow. It offers practical courses taught in a college environment; some lead to university degree courses while others lead to professional qualifications in their own right. These courses are usually studied in further education (FE) institutions.
A UK degree course is a passport to brighter career prospects and higher earnings. Of all the qualifications available today, a degree from the UK says you’ve acquired the kind of proactive, problem solving skills sought after by today’s top companies. UK HE institutions offer internationally recognised qualifications acknowledged to be of the highest academic standard. If you do not have the entrance requirements for undergraduate study, access and foundation courses will help you get there. (You can study degree courses at the further education (FE) and higher education (HE) institutions).
You can also choose to study many UK qualifications through distance and supported open learning. This approach can be ideal if you can’t afford to take time out for full-time study. On distance and supported open learning programmes, you work through the course at home in your own time, with the help of printed study materials. Videos, CD-ROMs, audio tapes and web based resources are also used to help you study. You communicate with your tutor and sometimes with other students – by mail, email, web chatroom and/or fax. On some courses, you may also need to attend some classes at a local educational institution or even study in the UK for a brief period.
A postgraduate degree is awarded after the successful completion of either a taught course or period of research. A small but growing number of universities now offer access/foundation programmes for aimed at international students who did their first degree outside the UK and now wish to pursue a postgraduate course in the UK; these are useful if you need to improve your English language skills or want to refresh your study/research skills. (You can study postgraduate courses at higher education (HE) institutions and some further education (FE) institutions).
Choosing to study for an MBA in the UK is a giant step towards investing in your future since it improves your range of management skills. The MBA is designed for well-qualified managers who wish to add to their practical experience by gaining an in-depth understanding of up-to-date approaches to management and its development. (You can study for an MBA at higher education (HE) institutions).
Many UK institutions offer courses lasting from three or nine months. These are usually specific career-based programmes that allow you to develop particular knowledge or skill in a short period of time (for example, marketing, financial management, public policy, photography, social work, medicine or tourism). They are also a good way of getting a taste of UK education and living in the UK as a student. Short courses are offered at spring and summer schools as recreational courses.
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