All of the courses at Hartlepool College are tailored to two things; where you are coming from, and where you want to go. Below is a brief guide to the levels of our courses to help you decide which is best for you. Customer Services will be happy to help, and to discuss where each level could lead in terms of employment opportunities or progression to other courses.

ENTRY LEVEL COURSES

> are the first step for you if you have no formal qualifications or need a lot of support with literacy and numeracy. These courses are very practical and help you to develop basic skills in your chosen area of work; you are given lots of support to develop your personal skills and your maths and English.

FOUNDATION COURSES

> are designed to give you an introduction to your chosen career by developing routine skills that you will need to learn in order to progress. These qualifications involve practical work in the College and you will usually build a portfolio of evidence which shows what you have learnt; you will also study Key Skills. Students on Foundation or Level 1 courses will
usually have taken GCSEs at school or will have progressed from an Entry Level qualification.

INTERMEDIATE COURSES

> are designed to provide training at a level that is required by industry or commerce. Level 2 qualifications involve practical work in the College or on placement and the assessment process includes building a portfolio of evidence;
you will also study Key Skills. Students on Level 2 qualifications will have gained some A*-C grades in GCSEs at school or will have progressed from a Level 1 or Foundation Level qualification.

ADVANCED COURSES

> are designed to provide an in-depth study of a subject in a career area or single subject and they build on previous knowledge and experience. Vocationally based Level 3 qualifications can include work placement or be mainly work based leading to an NVQ. Academically based Level 3 qualifications include 'A2'/'AS' and BTEC National programmes; assessment can
include coursework, assignments and external exams; you will also study Key Skills. Students on Level 3 qualifications will have achieved at least 5 GCSEs at A*-C grades or will have progressed from a Level 2 qualification.

There are also a range of different qualifications for school leavers.  The main types of qualifications include:

GCSE

Predominantly offered in schools but they constitute a large part of a college’s offer, too.  These qualifications tend to be more academic in their focus and are assessed via coursework and examinations.  Grades D to G are at level 1 with A* to C at level 2.

Advanced Level (AS/A2)

These qualifications are academic in focus and are assessed via a combination of coursework and exams.  Students tend to follow a subject at the AS level first and then move onto A2 – both of which are at level 3.

National Vocational Qualification (NVQ)

As the name suggests, these qualifications are vocational in focus and are assessed via the generation of evidence which is usually presented in a portfolio.  Students following these qualifications tend to be in employment and the evidence for the portfolio is generated from workplace activities.  NVQs are offered from level 1 to level 5 in a wide range of vocational areas.

BTEC

These qualifications are predominantly vocational in nature but many combine an academic element.  Unlike NVQs, these qualifications are predominantly assessed via coursework and they are offered at levels 1, 2 and 3.