Studying GNVQ, going on to an HND

Age: 20

Living: Ystalyfera.

College:
At Neath Port Talbot College having studied Advanced GNVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care. Now studying HND in Health and Social Care with the possibility of doing an extra year to turn it into a degree.

Also, working part-time as a support worker for disabled people and people with learning difficulties.

Why college:
I decided to do my GNVQ in college because I didn’t like my old school, and I needed a change of scenery. GNVQ was the best course for me because it was quite general in nature and that suited me, rather than studying three specific subjects at A Level.

Why go on to HND:
I decided to go on from a GNVQ to an HND because even though you can get good jobs with a GNVQ, if I decided to change direction in a few years time, I’d need more qualifications. I knew I wouldn’t have the patience to go back to college to get them, so I thought I’d do everything now, and educate myself in full. HND is two thirds of a degree. People who get an HND tend to go on to reasonably good jobs, and are also guaranteed a place for the final year of the 3 year BA Degree in Cardiff University if they want it.

The course:
The course has assignments, presentations, a journal as a personal profile of your own development, case studies, essays and research. Doing GNVQ, I was writing lots of assignments all the time, but with HND there are fewer of them, but the subjects are harder.

Good points:
I don’t think the HND is as hard as the GNVQ, it’s just that the standard of work expected is higher, and you have to describe things more clearly. It’s 2 days a week, but it’s a lot of work as it’s a full-time course. It means I can hold down a job too, which makes it financially possible. It’d be much more difficult for me if it were 5 days a week, because I live 30 miles away, and I’d use a lot more petrol. Also, I wouldn’t be able to work, and so I’d lose the experience of working with people, which is so important to this course. This two day system is much more convenient for people with families.

Bad points:
The only thing I don’t like about the course are the presentations. We have to talk, in a group of four, about a topic such as Equal Opportunities. We find a policy, go through it, and then everyone speaks for 7½ minutes each. The trouble is, we have to do this down a video line to Cardiff, so that the examiners can see us! It’s very nerve-racking!

College versus university:
I don’t think it would make a difference if I were doing this course in university, because the work is the same. However, college is more convenient for people with children, as the holidays are more or less the same.