Surrey school launches forward-thinking business course as post-16 alternative

ACS International School Egham has this year launched a business focused 16 – 18 pathway as an alternative to the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) Diploma Programme (DP), which is also offered at the school, to give its students a competitive advantage in the workplace, by developing the knowledge and interpersonal skills most desired by employers.

ACS Egham students will study the IB Career-related Programme (CP) with a focus on Business, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, which combines career-related and academic studies to maximise students’ future potential. The further education course will enable students to learn about business directly from industry professionals from the likes of management consultancies and accountancy firms to big names including Coca Cola.

CP Coordinator at ACS Egham, Ian Kaul, commented: “Our new business-focused offering is an exciting addition to the study options available to our Grade 11 and 12 students at ACS Egham. We aim to create authentic learning experiences that enable our students to become the next global thinkers and doers, which is exactly the impact that studying the CP has on learners. The CP keeps students’ future options open – after completing the course, students have the option to not only continue their studies at university, but to also apply for a high level apprenticeship or even start their own business after school.”

As part of the wide-ranging course, students will work towards a BTEC Level 3 certificate alongside two IB Diploma Programme academic subjects and complete a course in British Sign Language to enable them to communicate with a wider range of people. Alongside ensuring students gain the necessary academic and theoretical knowledge, the programme focuses on students developing the personal professional skills required for the workplace, from writing a CV to attending interviews, and covers the ethical aspects of business, including body language and cultural differences in communication. Students also have the opportunity to gain real-life work experience by completing an internship.

Besides the many advantages that the CP brings for preparing students for the future workforce, many world-leading universities, such as Russell Group institutions, recently including the University of Cambridge, acknowledge the benefits of the CP in their application process.

Grade 11 student, Tia, said: “I have really enjoyed meeting entrepreneurs while studying the CP, as most of them have reassured us that making mistakes in business is very normal. I have also found the Sign Language course interesting as it enables me to communicate with people in different ways. I now understand the real importance of communication which is embedded into our IB learner profile and the way that we learn in the CP.”