Education for 16+

Your qualifications in the UK / Careers Advice / Funding for Education / Further and Higher Education / Useful links

Understanding Your Qualifications in the UK:

NARIC

UK NARIC compares qualifications from over 180 countries. It helps you understand how your (overseas) qualification compares to a UK one – if you would like to start studying or working here. This is important if you have a professional qualification such as a teacher or an accountant. Vocational qualifications such as a joiner or an electrician can be compared too.

You can ask for the comparison by post or on-line at UK NARIC For enquiries phone: 0871 330 7033

You will need to send in the following if you chose to apply to UK NARIC

• Photocopies of your certificates
• Certified translations of your certificates if they are in a language other than English language.

Certificates in the following languages do not need translations. Just send photocopies of your original qualifications.

Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Danish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Russian

If you are applying by post, please check on the website you have all the necessary documents and payments included:

UK NARIC
Oriel House
Oriel Road
Cheltenham
Glos, GL50 1XP

You can get information about your qualification FREE of charge by contacting your local Skills Development Scotland office (previously called Careers Scotland). Ask for a Statement of Compatibility of your qualification. You will either need to fill in a paper form or an electronic one and give the following details:

• Country of qualification
• Qualification title and year awarded
• Length of study
• Main subjects

Careers Advice

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) can give you free advice on many things related to your career or studying such as:

• General career guidance – how to start / develop your chosen career path
• Writing a CV or an application form
• Redundancy Advice
• Learning Advice
• National Training Programmes
• Funding for education and training
• Improving core skills

If you would like to get advice about any of these contact your local SDS centre to make an appointment. Alternatively, you can go to see an SDS advisor at:

Inverness College
Midmills Building (Room B4),
Crown Avenue,
Inverness
IV2 3NG

The opening hours are: Monday to Friday 1.30 to 4.30pm.

or visit

My world of Work the My World of Work website Here you can get help to create a CV and with your jobsearch.

Funding

Individual Learning Account

(ILA)

ILA Scotland is a Scottish Government scheme that helps you pay for learning that you can do at a time, place, pace and in a way to suit you. It’s for people who have an income of £22,000 a year or less, or who are on benefits. (Rules may change)

If you are 16 or over and living in Scotland, you could get £200 towards the cost of learning with a learner account from ILA Scotland. T he ILA website also has a Course Search facility where you can look for the right course for you.

To register and apply for an ILA account, go to www.ilascotland.org.uk or phone 0808 100 1090.

If you have other questions e mail enquiries @ ilascotland . org . uk

Student Award Agency Scotland

You can also get up to £500 towards the cost of learning from Students Award Agency Scotland (SAAS). This grant (money you do not have to give back) is usually awarded for a part time study that is at a Higher National Certificate (HNC) level and above (such as graduate and postgraduate level). For more information visit the SAAS website www.student-support-saas.gov.uk

IMPORTANT NOTICE

If you want to use the ILA or SAAS grants to pay for a course at a college, university or a different learning provider always ask (it is usually the finance department that has this information) if the course you want to study is registered with ILA or SAAS. This is not always advertised and you could miss out financially!

Higher and Further Education

Most study at degree level in the United Kingdom takes place at Colleges of Further Education and at Universities. Details of how to apply can be found on the UCAS website.

It is also possible to study at home to degree level by taking courses provided by The Open University, and details can be found at http://www.openuniversity.org

Scottish Qualifications

There are many different kinds of Scottish qualifications offered at school, college, university and at work - Highers, SVQs, HNDs, Degrees and many more. The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework website provides information on the various types of qualifications and how they compare.

Further and Higher Education

The following Colleges and local learning centres for further details of courses starting soon near you:

Argyll College UHI
West Bay
Dunoon
Argyll
PA23 7HP
Tel: 0845 230 9969
Fax: 01369 707185
http://www.argyllcollege.uhi.ac.uk

Inverness College UHI
3 Longman Road
Longman South
Inverness
IV1 1SA

Tel: 01463 273000
Fax: 01463 711977

http://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/

Highland Theological College UHI
High Street
Dingwall
Ross-shire
IV15 9HA

Tel: 01349 780000
Fax: 01349 780001

http://www.htc.uhi.ac.uk/

West Highland College
An Aird
Fort William
Inverness-shire
PH33 6AN

Tel: 01397 874000
Fax: 01397 874001

http://www.whc.uhi.ac.uk/

Moray College UHI
Moray Street
Elgin
Morayshire
IV30 1JJ

Tel: 01343 576000
Fax: 01343 576001

www.moray.ac.uk

North Highland College UHI
Ormlie Road
Thurso
Caithness
KW14 7EE

Tel: 01847 889000
Fax: 01847 889001

www.northhighland.uhi.ac.uk/

Through our campuses in Thurso, Wick, Alness and Dornoch, North Highland College aims to serve all the communities of the North.

Lews Castle College UHI
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS2 0XR

Tel: 01851 770000
Fax: 01851 770001

http://www.lews.uhi.ac.uk/

NAFC Marine Centre UHI

Port Arthur
Scalloway
Shetland
ZE1 0UN
Telephone: 01595 772000
Fax: 01595 772001
www.nafc.ac.uk

Orkney College UHI
Kirkwall
Orkney
KW15 1LX

Tel: 01856 569000
Fax: 01856 569001
www.orkney.uhi.ac.uk

Perth College
Crieff Road
Perth
PH1 2NX

Tel: 0845 270 1177
Fax: 01738 877001

www.perth.ac.uk

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI
An Teanga
Slèite
Isle of Skye
IV44 8RQ

Tel: 01471 888000
Fax: 01471 888001

www.smo.uhi.ac.uk

Shetland College UHI
Gremista
Lerwick
Shetland
ZE1 0PX

Tel: 01595 771000
Fax: 01595 771001

www.shetland.uhi.ac.uk

Learning Centres

Visit the UHI Millennium Institute website for details of the learning centre closest to where you live. Alternatively, call Margaret Cameron on 01397 874204.

Useful URLs

NARIC https://www.naric.org.uk/

Skills Development Scotland http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/

ILA http://www.ilascotland.org.uk/ILA+Homepage.htm

SAAS http://www.saas.gov.uk/

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework

UCAS website http://www.ucas.ac.uk

Open University http://www.openuniversity.org

http://www.scqf.org.uk/features/Framework.htm

Inverness College http://www.inverness.uhi.ac.uk/

UHI Millennium Institute http://www.uhi.ac.uk/

Argyll College UHI http://www.argyllcollege.uhi.ac.uk

Highland Theological College UHI http://www.htc.uhi.ac.uk/

West Highland College http://www.whc.uhi.ac.uk/

Moray College UHI www.moray.ac.uk

North Highland CollegeUHI http://www.northhighland.uhi.ac.uk/

Lews Castle College UHI http://www.lews.uhi.ac.uk/

NAFC Marine Centre UHI www.nafc.ac.uk

Orkney College UHI http://www.orkney.uhi.ac.uk

Perth College www.perth.ac.uk

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig UHI www.smo.uhi.ac.uk

Shetland College UHI www.shetland.uhi.ac.uk

Highland Library Services http://www.highland.gov.uk/leisureandtourism/libraries/

Local history http://www.ambaile.org.uk/index.jsp

Books and reading http://www.hi-read.org.uk/