A-levels, pathway or apprenticeship

[BlueRaspberry7]

We’re feeling lost with our Dd (16). She’s predicted mostly 7-8 in her GCSEs and has studied hard while also taking on a once a month cleaning job for extra money (her choice, would not be talked out of it).

She has ASD and an EHCP and has done incredibly well with her schools support to get these predictions after years of school refusal and home education.

She’s saying she wants to be a baker and study catering at sixth form college. She enjoys baking and has worked hard at food tech GCSE and says she wants to do a vocational pathway. I can’t help thinking she’s wasting her academic ability if she doesn’t take a more academic option, but I don’t know if that’s just my own conditioning.

any guidance on how to support her to make the best choices at this stage without limiting her future options? Is there an potential option to study baking alongside A-levels, or would that be pointless?

There pretty much is no such thing as food tech A level unfortunately (well IMO it's unfortunate). Catering or hospitality quals post 16 IME tend to be the full offer, rather than done alongside A levels.

It's great that your DD has done so well. I presume she is in school now? Could she stay there for A levels? What subjects might she take? Tbh tho A levels are tough and a lot of work is needed; if you are not engaged, are doing them bc someone else thinks you should, and really want to do something else, then it’s probably not going to go well.

Does she have a place at college? She could always do a year of it and if it's not for her, restart taking A levels if she felt that was better. You are allowed to study till you are 19 after GCSEs.

Are there jobs out there for bakers? I wouldn't know but does she mean she wants to work baking bread in a small bakery? or is she thinking more of cake and patisserie work in a cafe/restaurant/bespoke?

I agree with @clary, I think it is a travesty that food A-level was discontinued.

Aside from full catering quals there are two qualifications that away be relevant:

• The WJEC level 3 diploma in food and nutrition (equivalent to 1 A-level) but to be honest it looks rather dry and theoretical to me, though I don't know how it pans out in practice - hopefully there is a lot of cooking? Do check with school / college.
• The Leiths / CTH Extended Certificate in Professional Cookery (equivalent to a bit less than one A-level in terms of UCAS points) - I think this one looks really good, very practical, but I think it is only offered at private schools because it is offered in collaboration with Leiths cookery school. However, I would check if this is offered anywhere near you. Maybe some sixth form colleges offer it, too.

I think (not sure!) I read that there is actually a shortage of food scientists, so this could be a good area to go into. There are degree apprenticeships offered by e.g. Nestlé, e.g. a degree apprenticeship in food technology and a degree apprenticeship in confectionery (not joking, just saw this on their website, but there was no link to a description). Would she be interested in something like that? If so, she should choose science subjects at A-level (biology, chemistry + food?) or perhaps a BTEC/CTEC level 3 diploma in applied science (there is a food science pathway through this one though it will not involve cooking or baking).

With level 3 apprenticeships I would check if progression is possible, i.e. is there a level 4 / level 6 apprenticeship in the same field that she could progress to, possibly with the same employer? If so, a level 3 apprenticeship would be a really good option as well. I think this may be more likely though in something like food science / technology than in something like baking (not sure).

This is all incredibly helpful info, thanks so much. I’ll look into all these courses and apprenticeships and relay to my DD.

It might also be worth looking at the School of Artisan Food, I know of some artisan bread bakers who did diplomas etc there. It might be more post 18 though. Hope your DD finds her path.

Some great advice above and just wanted to add - I think it's fantastic that she knows what she enjoys and that it translates into a training for a very viable career that will make her and a lot of people happy. Academia isn't relevant for every role in life and intelligent people enjoy all kinds of successes without need for A-levels. I'm only saying this as you start out saying how lost you're feeling with her and yet at 16 she's already cracked the very thing that many kids - and adults - spend years (and £££) trying to figure out, what they want to do in life. Hope the suggestions from the other posts help her and reassure you.

Definitely let her do it her way. My daughter is also predicted top grades at GCSE but wants to pursue drama. One college asked her ‘with grades like yours why do you want to do this?’ Needless to say she isn’t going there!

If she does two years at college and then decides to do an apprenticeship or a levels and pursue something else there’s loads of time. I’d let her try her passion while she’s young enough to be able to.

Love all these messages, thank you!

It’s brilliant she has an idea what she wants to do. If my DC had a clear passion and plan I’d get behind it, especially given abysmal grad jobs market. One of my DBs is v successful having not done A levels despite good GCSEs. Best of luck!

Just to say that it is great she is planning. My oldest didn't know, did some A levels (badly) but is now doing a chef apprenticeship and really enjoying it.

This is really encouraging. I need to get out of my head and let go of this out of date conditioning that A levels are the only path.

My DD did the WJEC food and nutrition diploma mentioned above. She enjoyed it, it was a lot of work, overall she thinks it was the heaviest workload of the subjects she took. Some terms she did loads of cooking, some none at all as there were several different sections to the course. DD was predicted mainly 5s and 6s for GCSEs and was worried if she would manage 3 A levels well. She went for the WJEC partly because there was a lot of NEA and all the exams were over before A level exams started, letting her concentrate on the 2 A levels she took. She’s at uni now, no one asked why she didn’t take 3 A levels, one admissions person did comment that it was good to see candidates doing different types of course.

Would an NVQ in Hospitality and Catering at a good local college with strong links to London restaurants be just as useful a more “reputable” course such as Leith’s, or would it limit future career options?

My parents ran a restaurant and one of my nephews is now head baker at a very bougie bakery business. He initially did not do any catering qualifications and did a business degree he got the job via starting at the lowest level working for a catering company when a student and they liked him. The guy owned a very expensive upmarket catering company and also this bakery. But it was about a decade ago and times have changed. He has taken food hygiene courses obviously now but paid for by this company. He can handle the 4 am starts, his ex couldn’t. There is this aspect to consider when you work in catering of any type. A few family members have worked in catering when students, I did it was fun but stressful and split shifts, uuggh no way could I do that forever.

It's great that she knows what she wants to do and I'd suggest that more practical options are less likely to be impacted by AI than many more academic careers.

My DD loved food tech at GCSE, especially baking and patisserie, but we couldn’t find anything at Level 3 that would keep her options open both academically and vocationally. She started an Extended Diploma Btec in science, but on work experience week she went to a food science laboratory and absolutely loved it, so much that she persuaded them to create a level 3 apprenticeship for her and didn’t go back to sixth form in September! She the went on to do the level 6 apprenticeship, and is now a qualified food technologist and registered scientist, working in research and development. It’s definitely worth looking at, as PP said it’s an industry that’s in demand.

I’ve told my DC to look at practical subjects where there will be jobs as opposed to being done by AI. Both could be academic but I think their world is changing

We visited our good local sixth form college’s open evening. We spoke to the A-level staff (fairly uninspiring) and then the Hospitality and Catering NVQ team. The difference in my DD was very noticeable, she lit up hearing about the work experience, working abroad and immediate career paths on offer with the NVQ. I’m encouraging her to look into the WJEC food and science diploma, but she’s now set on the NVQ and working part time throughout it.

Her great exam results will come in handy if she changes her mind about baking or if she decides to career change in the future.

I would follow her passions right now. It’s a perfect age to go for it and see what happens unlike when she’s older and has considerations like having to earn enough to pay a mortgage. Her reward for her had woe is having more options available to her and it’s great that she knows what she’d like to study.