Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance
Diploma champions
Brad
"I like my Diploma course because you work in a business environment and I know that the experience that I will gain at Sunderland Futures will lead me into my future business career."
Thomas
"The Diploma is fantastic! I really enjoy the way we learn, it's different - it's a more direct and more of a hands-on approach."
Wing-Sze
"The Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance is very interesting and I know that it could lead to a good career in business."
Daniel
"I enjoy my Diploma course in Business, Administration and Finance. The Diploma has given me the opportunity to meet new friends and to work alongside them.
The Industry
Business makes the world go round. It creates wealth. Economies depend on it. And the profits that businesses make finance the public services.
The UK, in particular, has a strong enterprise culture - and young people play a key role in this. In the last year, around 70,000 young people started new businesses in England and Wales. To do that successfully, you need essential business skills and understanding.
All employers value individuals who understand what business is all about and how it works, who have qualities like self-motivation and flexibility and who can work well in a team and communicate effectively.
In return, there are exciting global opportunities, rewarding careers and high salaries for the most successful young people.
Build essential skills and experience
The Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance has been developed to provide a solid grounding in business skills for young people who are interested in any kind of business career or hope to run their own business.
You will get the opportunity to set up and run your own business, selling a product that you have created. You will learn to cope with change, how to remain competitive, and discover how outside factors such as new technologies, consumer trends, environmental issues or globalisation can affect a business.
What will I learn?
The Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance is built around three main themes:-
How is the Diploma made up?
Principal learning (subject learning you have to do)
At the heart of the Diploma are your core business, administration and finance subjects. These will teach you the main things you need to know about the sectors. You will learn about the issues that are affecting business today, how it works and what skills you need to have.
Additional and specialist learning (choices you can make)
-----Specialist Learning: At each level, you can develop your particular business, administration and finance interests further by taking specialist courses relating to your chosen subject and career ambitions. You could, for example, learn more about ICT if you are interested in business systems, or consider human resources modules if you are more interested in people management. Or you could choose subjects that will help you get into university, like Law and Statistics. Studying a foreign language can be particularly beneficial in a sector with so many international opportunities.
-----Additional Learning: You can also broaden your course by taking an additional subject that reflects another of your interests and career ambitions - like a science, or a creative subject like Music.
Functional skills in English, Maths and ICT
Like all Diploma students, you will develop a good standard of English, Maths and ICT. These subjects are essential to succeed in any business or learning environment, whether you decide to continue in the sector or not.
Personal, learning and thinking skills
All Diploma students will develop personal, learning and thinking skills, such as team-working, creative thinking and self-management. These are vital skills in both life and work, and will be useful to you in the future, no matter which path you take.
Work experience
Your Diploma will give you the opportunity to do at least 10 days' work experience. This is a great way to use the skills you have learnt in the classroom, and experience what work is like from the inside.
Student projects
During your Diploma, you will complete a student project to demonstrate the skills and knowledge that you have learnt. You might, for example, want to look at levels of customer satisfaction in companies with call centres in the Far East compared to those with call centres in the UK.
What a Diploma will lead to
A Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance will give you the skills you need for either university or work, and is a first step towards a career in the sector.
It could lead you to a university degree in business administration, marketing or management or a career in human resources, sales and marketing, financial services, learning and development or any one of the vast range of different businesses operating across the globe.
However, the Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance doesn't mean you have to opt for a career in administration or finance. Because a Diploma teaches a mix of subjects, it will give you the skills that will be welcomed by colleges, universities and employers, no matter what you choose to do.
"I am confident that the Diploma will serve students wishing to embark on a university career in the fields of business, management, finance and business-related areas, with a strong foundation to successfully study at higher level."
Dr Jane Harrington, Associate Dean Undergraduate Studies and Academic Development, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Want to find out more?
To find out more about the Diploma in Business, Administration and Finance, speak to your teacher or careers adviser. You can also find more information about Diplomas on these websites:
www.direct.gov.uk
www.connexions-direct.com
www.baf-diploma.org.uk