After Year 11, you have a lot more choice about what you want to do. Whichever route you choose, it pays to keep learning. More and more, employers are looking for people with higher level skills and qualifications. Although qualifications cannot guarantee you a job, people with the right skills and qualifications have a better chance of finding a job with good prospects and more money. They may also have more job security.

There are lots of different ways of gaining further qualifications, skills or work experience - and the range of options is growing.

You could:

• continue in full-time education, either at school or college
• continue your learning through work-based training

If you’re aged 16 or 17 and coming towards the end of a school or college course, the ‘September Guarantee’ means that you’ll definitely be able to continue learning.

Everyone in this age group due to leave education is guaranteed an offer of a place on an appropriate course - and information, advice and guidance to help weigh up their options.

Higher education is about taking your education to the next level: learning new things and getting to where you want to be.

A higher education qualification could help you take charge of your future by building skills and confidence and opening up new opportunities - whatever stage of life you're at. Even if no one else you know is thinking about going into higher education, it could still be the right choice for you.

There are currently over two million higher education students in the UK. Higher education courses are offered at around 130 universities and higher education colleges, and many further education colleges.

With more than 50,000 courses in a variety of academic and work-related subjects - including many that let you combine more than one subject - there's bound to be one that suits you.

For more information on both Further and Higher Education, please visit Direct.gov.uk