Course description
If you live in England, you might be able to do this course for FREE, see ‘Additional Information' tab for more details.
Apply today and our team will confirm if you could qualify for free place, with no obligation.
An Access to Higher Education course is for students (19+) who have been out of full-time education for one or more years and would like to go on to higher education but do not have the formal qualifications needed. It is appropriate for those returning to education after a number of years, for example in employment, bringing up a family or having a career break. A high level of motivation is required to complete the course.
The Access to HE: Social Work and Counselling Level 3 Diploma pathway will offer a range of relevant, progressive and stimulating subjects including sociological perspectives, international relations and communication studies.
The subjects will give insight into the social life of human groups and individuals, and examine the causes and consequences of social change in the modern world.
On successful completion of this course you will be awarded the following qualification certificate: Access to HE Diploma (Social Science).
Benefits of studying with Activate Learning:
- Designed exclusively for adults (19+)
- Supportive environment provided through tutors with subject expertise and includes guidance webinars for every module.
- One year programme equivalent to three A Levels, allowing you to achieve the qualification you need to progress to university.
- Widely recognised and accepted qualification by UK universities. This is validated and moderated by Ascentis under licence from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
- Help and guidance on writing your personal statement and completing your UCAS application
- Flexible learning enabling you to study whilst working and around personal commitments
- Funding with the Advanced Learner Loan available.
Each year, around 95% of our Access to HE students progress to university on completion of their programme, going on to over 100 different universities across many different degrees and disciplines.
Course Fees £3022
Remember:if you go to university and complete a degree, the loan for your Access course is written off by the Government.
.
Upcoming start dates
Suitability - Who should attend?
To be eligible for a place on this programme, you do not need any formal qualifications.
For university however, you will need to have a GCSE at grade 4 (C) or above in both English and maths, or a Functional Skills Level 2 qualification. It is advisable that you have these qualifications prior to starting your Access level 3 course as the skills you will have gained from studying these qualifications will really help you on this programme.
Please note: If you wish to go on to study a medicine degree, most universities require five GCSEs, including English, maths, and science at grades 7–9 (A–A* equivalent).
- Applicants are advised to contact their university of choice to confirm the criteria.
- Some degrees require that you have some relevant paid or voluntary work experience, and this will also be checked at interview.
- Applicants must be aged over 19 and have been out of full-time education for a year.
- You will have a numeracy and literacy assessment to check your suitability to study at Level 3 and may have the opportunity to re-take either a maths or English GCSE alongside this course.
If you don't meet the entry criteria, don't worry! We have a range of one-year, Pre-Access courses available to help you get started.
Some degrees require that you have some relevant paid or voluntary work experience, and this will also be checked at the interview. Applicants are strongly advised to check degree entry requirements with prospective universities before applying.
A wide range of support is available at the college for students, including financial support.
Training Course Content
You will study sociology and social policy plus communication studies (for the day group) or psychology (for the evening group).
Sociology will provide you with a firm understanding of society and how it operates. In Social Policy, we shall look at the Government policies which guide the work of social workers. One of the most important aspects of a social worker is the ability to understand clients and communicate with them and for them and students will find either communication studies or psychology helps with their clients.
As well as developing subject knowledge you will improve your communication, personal and study skills through a common core programme that also provides one-to-one tutorial support.
There will be the opportunity to gain GCSE maths and English as part of your programme, which is a requirement for a Social Work degree.
You will be assigned a personal tutor who will agree performance targets with you and support you to achieve these targets. Your tutor is also the first port of call for any pastoral issues.
Our committed team of staff and careers specialists will also guide and support you with your higher education choices and applications. Almost all our Access students progress to higher education. You will benefit from socialising in an educational environment and working collaboratively on projects. All of this is excellent preparation for higher education.
Course delivery details
You will learn through a variety of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. Credits are gained for a variety of tasks such as essays, reports, oral presentations and timed assessments.
In this pathway there is a very strong emphasis on working with others and developing effective communication skills.
You will regularly participate in a variety of group activities including group assessments. If you do not already have relevant work experience you will be encouraged and expected to seek a voluntary placement to support your higher education application.
Assessment on this programme is through a combination of exams (approximately 30%) and coursework (approximately 70%).
Assessments are a mixture of:
- essays
- structured questions
- projects
- presentations
- examinations
Expenses
Funding Options:
To be eligible for funding, you will need to live in England. Anyone in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will need to self-fund the course.
Level 3 Entitlement fee remission: If you are aged 19-23 and do not hold a prior full Level 3 qualification, you may be eligible to study the course for free. This would also depend on your location within the UK, but we would check this for you during your application process.
19+ Advanced Learner Loan:If you are aged over 23, or you are 19-23 with a full Level 3 qualification, you can fund the course with the Advanced Learner Loan supplied by Student Finance England. This loan will be wiped from your records if you progress to university and complete your studies! If you do not progress to university or a higher education course, you will not need to start paying back the loan until you earn over £25,725.00.
Remember: If you go on to study at university and complete a degree, the loan for your Access course is written off by the government.
Activate Learning
Activate Learning is a forward-thinking education group that aims for far-reaching, progressive change and impact through learning. We work with learners as individuals, helping them make the choice of course and career pathway that’s right for them. Our mission is to provide work-ready talent for business, and...