Author: Open College

When you make the decision to carry on with your learning, you will quickly find that some of the courses can prove to be quite expensive. As a general rule, the higher the level of study you wish to do, the higher the price of the course, due to the amount of work and interactions with tutors needed to complete them. There are many options for finding ways to afford your course fees, some are straight forward and simple and others can be a bit more complicated. In some cases, students can apply for grants or loans from the Government to help them to afford their courses, however, this process… Read More

When looking at continuing your educational journey, you will soon begin to realise there are almost endless options, from whether to study A-Levels or Diplomas, through to the subjects and fields of courses available. All these options are available for you to choose from before you even begin to consider the other aspects of returning to education. Once you have decided what you want you to study and in what format, the next thing you need to look at and consider is whether you want to study the course online or in a classroom. Both options of study, whether online or in a classroom, carry their own benefits and will… Read More

Regardless of the level of your job currently, the option of upskilling yourself to make you more confident and capable within your role is always a good idea. But you may be wondering exactly what is upskilling and how to do it. Upskilling is the process of undertaking training in areas that relate to day to day skills that you use within your job. So for example, if you work daily with a team of people, then you may feel you need more effective leadership and management skills or better communication skills to help you better work with your team. The choice of courses you opt to study when upskilling… Read More

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year and half, it’s safe to say you know all about the changes in examinations and education for A-Levels and GCSEs in 2021 brought on by the pandemic. Whether you’re a results waiting student or worried parent, you will be wondering exactly when is A-Level and GCSE Results Day in 2021. This year, due to the needed changes in examination methods and the experience of 2020, the awarding bodies and Department of Education set the assessment period for both A-Levels and GCSEs earlier. Unlike in previous years where students would now be sitting their examinations, deadlines for work submission… Read More

Functional Skills are Level 2 qualifications (the same level of difficulty as GCSEs), unlike GCSEs, the courses are more modular in style and offer students the chance to learn the more practical and applicable side of the subject. So for example, if you were studying Functional Skills in Maths, you would be learning how to use a calculator to perform certain operations, rather than learning how to do algebra. If you’re currently looking for work or a change of career, you may have noticed a lot of the job adverts you keep seeing make mention of candidates needing to hold either GCSEs or Functional Skills qualifications in English, Maths or… Read More

Whether you are studying A-Levels, GCSEs or Functional Skills, the use of past papers when studying really is invaluable. In fact, using past papers as part of your studying is invaluable for any course that has examinations at the end. Although you may think that using past papers when studying might be a form of cheating, it’s actually not. Each year the exam boards create and form new examinations for student to sit, these papers are a combination of old questions used previously and also new ones which relate to any syllabus changes. The thing that a lot of students don’t know (or realise), is that the same exam boards… Read More

Professional Development courses (also known as Continuing Professional Development) are a great way for a professionals to keep fully up to date with their industry and sector. Often delivered as short courses in various areas such as Business or Healthcare, Professional Development courses are widely available both online and in person. Many jobs require employees to take part in Professional Development on a regular basis and often have a budget set aside for exactly this. For example, Doctors and Nurses are required to frequently partake in CPD to ensure their skills and knowledge is up to date. If you work within an industry with a Professional Development requirement, then more… Read More

A question we are often asked by potential students is ‘will universities know if I have studied A-Levels online?’. Even with the acceptance of online learning and the acknowledgement that the quality of learning and education achieved by students learning online, is just as good if not (in some cases) better than traditional school or college, people still worry that universities will not regard the qualifications in the same light. The simple answer to the question is no, universities will not know if you have studied A-Levels online, unless you decide to tell them as much. When you actually go to sit your examinations and achieve the qualification, your certificate… Read More

Whether you are looking to re-sit your A-Levels or GCSEs or you need to fast track your learning, you will be relieved to know that you can study A-Levels or GCSEs in the summer as well as in term time. Thanks to online learning, it’s possible for you to make the best use of that six week break and cram in your learning to help you achieve the best grades possible. Unlike traditional schools or colleges, online colleges like Open College, don’t use term times. So it’s possible for students to enrol at any time of year and start their studies without having to wait for the next term. If… Read More

Functional Skills are Level 2 qualifications that are now available to students who don’t hold the more traditional GCSEs in English or Mathematics. Used as a way to fill the gap of the missing qualifications, Functional Skills are great courses to provide students with the ability to confidently use either English or Mathematics in their day to day lives. Widely accepted by universities as a replacement qualification for GCSEs, Functional Skills courses are rapidly becoming the more popular option for mature students looking to further their education on a higher level course. How are Online Functional Skills Courses Studied? With online Functional Skills courses now available, students are free to… Read More