Marketable skills and vital experience

'Hands on' courses are giving students an insight into the world of work.

Kirsty Johnson is not sure what she wants to do with her life. But she's determined to find something that suits her, and thinks management is a possibility. "I'm not a person to just take orders," she says. "And I work in retail already – I've had a job in New Look for nearly two years."

Eighteen-year-old Kirsty is taking a vocational A-level (AVCE) in business at The Sixth Form College, Farnborough. It's a good place to do it: the centre's recently been awarded Beacon status by the Government for the quality of its teaching. Sue Phillip, who leads the business course, is clear about the sort of students that vocational A-levels are for. "Vocational courses should always be an alternative route for the less academic. But people don't want to say that. I used to teach a range of courses, but went all vocational as I feel very strongly about the importance of this provision."

Of course, less academic doesn't necessarily mean less bright. Many very able children simply don't get on well with exams. Jamie Bailey switched information and communications technology (ICT) courses at Farnborough from AS-level to AVCE and is now thoroughly enjoying his classes, where he doesn't mind being outnumbered by girls. He's taking the single award, which means completing 6 units, four assessed by coursework and two by exam (see pages 2-3 for more details on the content and structure of AVCE courses). "I'm not very good at exams," says Jamie, who found the greater theoretical nature of AS-level quite a chore. "But the coursework I'm doing now is very 'hands on'."

It certainly is. Jamie and his classmates have been mapping out plans for creating their own websites. One student, Amy Scaife, 17, is designing a site to complement a cat and dog hotel business she's planned. "I want to be an RSPCA inspector," she says, "but the hotel might be a good idea for when I'm a lot older." Amy chose ICT at advanced level because she got an A* at GCSE.

It's striking that these teenagers have clear ideas about the sorts of jobs they see themselves doing. But are vocational A-levels designed to prepare them for their working lives? Jamie Bailey certainly feels he's getting to grips with IT in a way that will help him in the real world, and was even happy with the design of his first-year exam. "It was based on a case study on the use of IT in a sports centre. We got to have a look at the case study before the exam."

To finish the paper, they had to suggest ways of improving the centre's ICT systems. Jamie and his classmates must also master advanced manipulation of software, such as linking data between different spreadsheets. But the teaching style of the course allows students to make progress with the technology at their own pace. "The atmosphere is a lot more relaxed than the ICT AS-level," Jamie says. "The teacher helps you a lot if you need it, but you're not taught from the front so much."

As well as giving him marketable skills, an advanced course which suits Jamie's abilities should theoretically stand him in good stead for going on to higher education. "I'd like to do a degree in special effects and animation at Lincoln," he says.

At least 40 per cent of students taking vocational A-levels at Farnborough will be applying to higher education. But the course tutors are unhappy with the current method of assessment and worried about the first batch of final results due this summer. According to Sue Phillip, who runs the business course: "As soon as students start the course they need to be at second year A-level standard, which is crazy."

A Qualifications and Curriculum Authority consultancy is looking into this, and Farnborough's principal, Dr John Guy, hopes that the system will be changed promptly. "We celebrated the philosophy behind the AVCE of building parity of esteem with traditional A-levels. But this academic assessment regime is not appropriate for youngsters who can excel in a different way."

Jamie Bailey's teacher, Christine Eustace, thinks ICT is an ideal subject for vocational teaching. "It really does lend itself to empowering the student. There's lots of emphasis in the course on the students finding things out for themselves."

Farnborough didn't offer an advanced GNVQ (the vocational A-level's precursor) in ICT, and Jamie's course was launched at the college last September, a year after the introduction of the AVCE. Christine Eustace is aware that the right speaker or an inspiring trip can make all the difference in encouraging students to pursue a particular career, and she's working hard to build up these elements in her course. "We've got the director of e-commerce specialists Click Commerce coming in to talk to the students, and we've taken them to Guildford Spectrum, one of the biggest leisure centres in the UK, to see how IT manages everything from party organising to the temperature of the pool." She's got a trip to Disneyland, Paris planned, too.

The college's travel and tourism AVCE offers trips even further afield. Seventeen-year-old Holly Trotman, a first-year on the course, is excited about going to America next year. The students will be visiting either New York or Florida. "I've always wanted to work in the travel industry," she says, "and thought this course looked fun."

Holly's class had a training day on holiday repping and working in a cabin crew, which she found inspiring. Her dream would be to jet around the world on long-haul flights. "I'd love to go to the Caribbean," she says.

But the course isn't filling students' heads with unrealistic ideas. "I know it could take years to get a top cabin crew job or that I might never get one, and that there are risks associated with flying," Holly adds.

Holly's course leader, Sally McClelland, says: "Students taking the single award may or may not take the subject further and might be mixing it with a wide range of different subjects, such as dance, graphics or languages. Those doing the double tend to be focused on the subject as a career." Her students are looking at hospitality at the moment. "We're going to a deluxe country club, Pennyhill Park in Surrey, next week as part of this unit." The students may pick up some useful contacts. "The staff at Pennyhill were so impressed with our students last year that they asked them to come back and do some work there."

In class, Sally McClelland introduces ideas that are hot in the media, such as loutish behaviour by Britons in Faliraki, to stimulate debate. "I might photocopy a newspaper article and use it as a trigger for work on our tourism development unit."

Karen Foan, Farnborough's leisure and recreation AVCE tutor, can be found using similar techniques to fire the enthusiasm of her students. The leisure and recreation course is closer to business studies than physical education, she explains.

The travel and tourism and ICT AVCEs also have a business focus. "There's a strong business core," says Sue McClelland, "including the marketing and finance of travel and tourism." This is true for all her students; those taking single awards study units compulsory for everyone, which for travel and tourism include tourism development, worldwide travel destinations, marketing, and customer services.

On the business AVCE, students are asked to investigate real businesses, and Sue Phillip is concerned that the level of analysis demanded by this coursework is far too advanced. "For the 'business at work' unit, students are asked to talk about the culture of a business, which is a level of thinking more appropriate for a business school."

Dr Guy is keeping his fingers crossed for the AVCE students with results due this August, but has little doubt that the current assessment scheme won't do his staff and students justice. Farnborough's health and social care AVCE students have reason to be cheerful, however. Their course leader, Dr Susie Nyman, has been told by Southampton University's School of Nursing and Midwifery that the AVCE's integration of theory and practice is producing students better suited to their courses than those with traditional A-levels.