Business BTEC Extended Certificate Course Outline
Advanced Level 2
Awarding Body: Edexcel
Study Business
Have you got what it takes to be a manager of the future?
Whether you want to start your own company or be a CEO of a multinational corporation, we teach you the skills that are required.
Business is a dynamic, fast-moving subject based in the real world. You will learn about how businesses operate and discover that business is always in the news. There is always something going on directly related to what you will be studying, from mergers and takeovers to ethical concerns about supply chains or executive pay. You will discover how to market a product successfully depending on the target audience and you will learn to how to motivate staff, as well as gaining an understanding of how the wider business environment can impact on a company’s performance.
Business will equip you with the skills you need to progress into work, an apprenticeship or a Level 3 programme and upon successful completion of Level 3, then University.
The General entry requirements are 4 GCSE’s at Grade 3 or above with a minimum 3 in GCSE English Language or Maths or a MERIT in Foundation Learning.
Awarding body: Edexcel
Course Content: The BTEC level 2 course enables students to acquire a broad knowledge of Business related topics.
The range of topics which you will cover include finance and accounting, customer service, recruitment and selection, and marketing.
Many of the units are very practical and so you will get the opportunity to develop promotional campaigns as well as carry out roles plays, etc.
Further Information available in the link below to the Specification
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-firsts/business-2012-nqf.html#%2Ftab-2
Teaching and Learning Methods: Students have 12 hours per week of tuition and are expected to produce detailed assignments compiling their portfolio of evidence. This will require developing sound independent research skills, as well as participating in group work and presentations. Teachers will give feedback in reference to skills which need to be developed allowing students to develop their work to achieve their full potential.
Assessment: 9 units are internal and assessed via written coursework assignments which will provide the evidence for their business portfolio. It is imperative the all deadlines set for the internal units are met. Unit 2 and Unit 9 are external examinations, online and written, respectively.
Grading: Students can achieve one of three grades for each unit; pass, merit and distinction, each of which carries a number of points. Final grades range from Pass to Distinction* and are based on the total number of points gained from all units.
Studying Business will open your eyes to the wide range of job opportunities available, ranging from finance to marketing to management. Students who gain merit/distinction grades may progress onto a level 3 qualifications such as the Level 3 Diploma (with a merit) or L3 Extended Diploma (with a distinction). Students would also be able to gain entry to employment at an appropriate level within business
On average 80% of our Level 2 business students’ progress onto the Level 3 programme. Many of our students then progress onto University after leaving St Charles; 70% of BTEC Business students go onto study a business related degree. This ranges from generic courses such as Business Studies and International Business Management to more focused ones such as Accounting and Finance, Marketing and Human Resources Management.
The remaining students either go into employment or join an apprenticeship scheme.
"My success on the Level 2 course showed me that I can do well and gave me the confidence to progress onto Level 3. All the different units helped me get an idea of what I might want to do in the future."
"I liked the fact that I was able to do coursework instead of an exam and the ways the teachers taught the lesson by going over each task bit by bit, so I got a better understanding of what I had to do."
"I have mostly enjoyed learning about how I could start my own business, it made me aware of different things relating to business that I need to think about. This has created a desire to continue learning about business and hopefully in the near future to help me study Business at University."
"The teachers gave us a lot of support and really believed in us. They wanted us to succeed and gave us confidence that we could do it."
As well as learning the theory behind Business Studies you have the opportunity to put this into practice through our Enterprise enrichment.
As part of the Young Enterprise Programme, students have the chance to officially start-up and run their own company throughout the year. This includes designing websites, creating the product and selling it.
This gives students excellent practical experiences of what it would be like to set up and manage your own firm and the students get to keep the net profit! In recent years, St Charles students have won a range of awards including Best presentation, Best Report and Best Overall Company.
In the past two years, Business btec students have had the opportunity to visit a range of successful businesses and speak to leaders in industry, this has included; Mcvitties, Innocent and TFL as well as many other smaller, more dynamic organisations that have come in to speak to students about their work and the factors driving their success.
The business department shares a vision in creating a department that is engaging, skills driven and exam focused. All teachers within the department have extensive teaching experience and are committed to helping students reach their full potential in the subject area and to helping them with their next steps after College.
For more information contact Mr Smith, Head of Department (rsm@stcharles.ac.uk)