Business

The College offers BTEC Level 3 Business National Extended Certificate as a Sixth Form option. 

All Business students should leave school with the skills to ‘make it’ in an ever changing business environment. We are passionate about educating students about the world around them and believe that these skills will become increasingly more important with the changing global landscape.

The BTEC Level 3 National Business course offers a qualification that you can study alongside any other 3 A Levels. The Extended Certificate 360 GLH consists of four units. Of these four units, three are mandatory (83%) and the fourth unit (17%) is selected from a range of units that mirror the more traditional A Level in Business but allows for more practical experience and extension.

The internal assessments (42%) are:  
- Exploring Business  
- Recruitment and Selection 

The externally assessed modules (58%) are:  
- Marketing Campaign   
- Personal and Business Finance.

This qualification ensures that students develop essential skills necessary for success in higher education and the world of employment. The specification uses contemporary contexts, allowing learners to understand the strategic, complex and inter-related nature of business from a local to global perspective.

The course enables students to:
• Develop a holistic understanding of business and enterprise by investigating different types and sizes of organisations in various business sectors and environments
• Analyse and evaluate business issues whilst increasing their knowledge and understanding of contemporary business opportunities and problems in a wide range of contexts
• Investigate and interpret how businesses adapt to operate in dynamic markets from a range of perspectives
• Appreciate the range of ethical dilemmas and responsibilities faced by organisations and individuals
• Apply a number of analytical techniques, including decision-making models, investment appraisal tools and ratio analysis, to investigate business strategies in different situations
• Expand and use a range of generic skills including decision making and problem solving, critical analysis and numerical skills in order to make justifiable decisions using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

The Business Department also runs the Lancing Enterprise for the Lower Sixth. The aim of this initiative to give students the opportunity to start and run their own business and see it grow over a two year period. The students themselves will be responsible for finance, marketing and planning of their business and its activities. Throughout the Lancing Enterprise programme we have visits from business experts to advise and guide our students and share their knowledge and experience.

Each year there is an intra-departmental trip. Recently we visited Brussels with the Politics and Economics Departments to explore the vast array of culture and business experiences there. Highlights included visiting the Coca-Cola visitors’ centre, one of the many chocolate factories, and also the European Parliament.

The BTEC Level 3 National Business qualification ensures that students are equipped with the right skills to leap into a new career in the world of business thanks to the perfect balance of practical and academic skills.