Careers Brief - Public Services FdA
Overview
The Foundation degree in Public Services offers you the opportunity for progression onto an Honours degree programmes and direct job entry.
This broad-based qualification will provide you with both an understanding of how the public sector operates and relevant skill training and can lead on to a wide variety of career areas. Use the live links below for information on careers and recruitment. Use the Graduate Prospects and Connexions websites for additional careers contacts and links.
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 an industrial placement).
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 one-year top-up honours degree courses, you should be prepared for job-hunting before you start your final year. Go to the Job Applications and Job Search sections of this Careers Guide.
Further Study
Top-up degrees are designed as progression from a Foundation degree to qualify with an Honours degree.
With success on your course, progression could lead directly onto the one-year honours degree in Public Services at the University of Plymouth .
Other institutions offering related one-year top-up honours degrees:
Anglia Ruskin University; Bradford College (Associate of Leeds Metropolitan University); East Lancashire Institute of HE at Blackburn College; The University of Kent; Middlesex University; Newcastle College; University of Plymouth; University of Worcester.
You can progress into the final year of a degree course with similar content or a third year industrial placement, if relevant. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses.
Use www.ucas.com/search (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK ) to search for other courses and 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? Use the website www.aimhigher.ac.uk for information on student support.
Go to the main section on Further Study of this Guide for more information and help.
Resources
www.prospects.ac.uk
Graduate Prospects is the national careers and employment site for higher education students in the UK:
- Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Use your qualification' for 'Your Foundation degree...what next?'
- Drop down 'Communities' and click on 'Public and voluntary sector'
- Drop down 'My Prospects' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?'
jobseekers.direct.gov.uk
Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on 'careers' and 'choosing a category' or typing in job title.
www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles
Learn Direct - national learning advice
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on 'Job Families & Articles' or Quick Search by typing in job title
www.get.hobsons.co.uk
Hobsons (publisher) Graduate Employment and Training
GTI (publisher) graduate jobs and careers
www.careers.civil-service.gov.uk
Civil Service Recruitment Gateway and career opportunities
www.faststream.gov.uk
Civil Service Fast Stream recruitment scheme
www.lgcareers.com
Local Government careers website
www.ngdp.co.uk
The National Graduate Development Programme for Local Government
www.LGjobs.com
Job vacancies site for local councils
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
Working in the NHS
www.futureleaders.nhs.uk
NHS Graduate Schemes
www.jobs.nhs.uk
NHS jobs
www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk
HM Prison Service - Careers and Jobs
www.probation.homeoffice.gov.uk
'Join us' for 'Careers in the National Probation Service'
www.policecouldyou.co.uk
Could You Police? - Careers and recruitment site including support staff roles
www.metpolicecareers.co.uk
Metropolitan Police Service, London
www.btp.police.uk
British Transport Police
www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment
Careers in the Fire Service and links for recruitment
www.armyjobs.mod.uk
Roles and Careers from Combat to Logistics, IT/Communications and Management
www.raf.mod.uk/careers
RAF Careers
www.royal-navy.mod.uk
Royal Navy Careers Opportunities
