City & Guilds
Want to go somewhere in life? Getting a degree isn't the only way to do it. Look at celebrities like Jamie Oliver, Trevor Sorbie and Karen Millen. They've have built their careers on City & Guilds qualifications, and so could you.

What are vocational qualifications?
Vocational qualifications prepare you for work, or makes you better at the job that you do - so that you can go further in your career. At City & Guilds we design our qualifications with the help of employers and experts who know what people need to really do well in a vast range of professions, so you can be sure that you'll have the skills that employers are looking for.

Why choose City & Guilds?
City & Guilds qualifications have been around for 125 years, and we're recognised by employers all over the world because we're the UK's leading vocational awarding body. In a survey done in 2000, 1 in 5 households had a City & Guilds qualification. Last year alone, we awarded 1.2 million certificates worldwide.

What are City & Guilds qualifications?
City & Guilds qualifications prove that you have what it takes to do all sorts of jobs. You can progress all the way from entry to postgraduate level with City & Guilds - either by learning in work or by attending college.

We offer over 500 different qualifications in professional areas including plumbing, hairdressing, health and social care, IT, management, journalism, sport and recreation, construction, retail, engineering, manufacturing, motor vehicle, agriculture, hospitality and catering, beauty therapy, teaching, customer service and business studies.

What sort of qualifications could I do?
NVQs (or SVQs if you're in Scotland) are qualifications that you can do at work. City & Guilds awards around 50 per cent of all NVQs. They're made up of a number of core and optional units, which means that you can choose the best combination to suit you. And they're available at five levels, so no matter what stage of your career path you've reached, there'll probably be one to help you make the next step.

Certificates or diplomas are qualifications that you can do at college. They're flexible ways of learning - you don't have to go long haul and complete the whole award before you get recognition of your achievements. For many of these qualifications you can get certificates for completing individual units. Like NVQs they're available at all levels of study.

How can I choose a qualification?
You can visit our website - www.city-and-guilds.co.uk, look for the learners section and then the qualifications finder. If you find a qualification you're interested in, you can enter your postcode and find where your nearest City & Guilds centre is - this will probably be a college in your local area. If you contact the centre direct, they'll be able to give you more information, such as when they're running the course you want.

You can also look at your options by getting a free copy of our Guide to Qualifications, which gives you the whole picture in a pocket-sized booklet. Phone our Customer Relations Team on 020 7294 2800 for your copy or e-mail guide@city-and-guilds.co.uk with your postal address.