How can I progress?

• All vocational qualifications allow students to progress through the various levels either within the same qualification structure (for example, a BTEC National Diploma to a BTEC Higher National Diploma) or by mixing and matching with other vocational or academic qualifications

• Often it isn’t necessary to go through each level before being allowed to take the qualification you are interested in (for example, you don’t necessarily have to do an NVQ level 2 before entering an NVQ level 3 course)

• Each course has different entry requirements so if you are interested in a particular course you should find out what specific qualifications you will need to gain entry. You can do this by speaking to the course provider (see our HE and training provider contact details on this website). It is much better to do this as soon as possible rather than find out too late that you haven’t got the right qualifications for your chosen HE course or career

Examples of professional progression pathways

There are so many different progression pathways to choose from that it would be impossible to show them all here let alone be accurate about it!

This information is intended as a guide only and remember, if you have a specific career or qualification in mind make sure you do some research into how you are going to get there by speaking to careers advisers, Sector Skills Councils, colleges, universities and training providers.

Although it is often the case that you can progress straight from one level to the next by mixing and matching qualifications, don’t just assume you can without checking with the right people first!