Careers Brief - Public Services FdA

Overview

The Foundation degree in Public Services offers you the opportunity for progression onto an Honours degree programme and direct job entry.

This broad-based qualification provides you with both an understanding of how the public sector operates and relevant skill training which can lead to a wide variety of career areas.

On your course you will have demonstrated the key transferable skills and competencies in demand by employers, such as team working, written and verbal communication, problem-solving, IT, numeracy and time management. You can improve your prospects by gaining appropriate work experience (or industrial placement).

Use the website links below to find out more.

You should be aware that many graduate recruiters with training programmes have application closing dates in the Autumn Term of the final year. If you plan to continue onto a one-year Top-up Honours degree course, you should be prepared for job-hunting before you start your final year.

Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for more help and advice.

Further Study

You will be able to apply for a Top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as a direct progression from a Foundation degree to achieve an Ordinary or Honours degree.

Alternatively, you could transfer into a related Honours degree course. Year of entry would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be into the final year.

Progression onto the one-year BSc (Hons) Public Services Top-up degree at the University of Plymouth is a possibility, dependent on results.

Other institutions offering Top-ups include:

Anglia Ruskin University 'Public Service'; Blackburn College 'Public Service Management'; Bradford College 'Public Service Management'; The University of Kent 'Public Services Management'; Newcastle College 'Public Services Management'.

To search for degree courses go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the links to university/college sites for course details.

You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.

Find out how much this will cost you. Where is the funding coming from? Refer to the university/college website for course costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional information on student support.

With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you could progress onto an appropriate higher level Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.

For information on all postgraduate courses and research, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy/ .

Go to the main section Further Study of this Guide for more information and help.

Resources

www.prospects.ac.uk/

Graduate Prospects - online national careers service for HE students studying in the UK:

Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Use your qualification' for 'Your Foundation degree...what next?'
Drop down 'Sectors' and click on 'Public sector'
Drop down 'Jobs & work' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?'

http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/

Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/

Careers Advice Service

www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u/

Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles' or Advanced Search by typing in job title

www.get.hobsons.co.uk/advice/

Hobsons/GTI graduate careers publication - Careers advice section

http://targetjobs.co.uk/

GTI publication for graduate jobs and careers intelligence - go to sub-headings 'Career sectors' + 'Careers advice'

www.civilservice.gov.uk/

Civil Service Jobs online - go to sub-headings 'About the Civil Service' + 'Jobs'