Business Enterprise

The Award gives learners the opportunity to develop sector-specific knowledge and skills in a practical learning environment. The main focus is on the knowledge, understanding and skills required to research, plan, pitch and review an enterprise idea that includes:

• development of key skills that prove aptitude in planning an enterprise activity, including market research, planning, carrying out financial transactions, communication and problem solving
• knowledge that underpins effective use of skills, such as the features and characteristics of enterprises and entrepreneurs, and the internal and external factors that can affect the performance of an enterprise
• attitudes and ways of working that are considered most important for enterprise, including monitoring and reflecting on performance of an enterprise idea and own use of skills.

This Award complements the learning in other GCSE programmes such as GCSE Business. It requires learners to apply their knowledge in practical ways, through activities that will enable them to develop their ideas, for example researching an idea for a small enterprise

The qualification has three components that focus on the assessment of knowledge, skills and practices. These are all essential to developing a basis for progression and therefore learners need to demonstrate attainment across all components in order to achieve the qualification.

The components are strongly interrelated and they are best seen as part of an integrated whole rather than totally distinct study areas. Learners will take this qualification over a two-year period or longer. This means that they must be given the opportunity to build their confidence in understanding the sector, vocational contexts and vocational attributes over a long period during the course of study before they are assessed.

Component 1: Exploring Enterprises

Component 2: Planning for and Pitching an Enterprise Activity

Component 3: Promotion and Finance for Enterprise

All businesses need enterprising employees to drive their organisations forward, to have ideas and initiatives to instigate growth, and to ensure that businesses survive in this fast-changing world. Enterprise is a key government focus and is set to form an important part of the UK’s global economic status, both now and in the future. Enterprise skills provide a fantastic progression pathway into a number of roles in an organisation and are transferable into all businesses. Study of this sector at Key Stage 4 will complement GCSE study through providing an opportunity for practical application alongside conceptual study. There are also strong opportunities for post-16 progression in this sector.

Components 1 and 2 are assessed through internal assessment, assessed by the Pearson-trained staff at DLD. Internal assessment for these components has been designed to relate to achievement of application of the conceptual underpinning for the sector through realistic tasks and activities. This style of assessment promotes deep learning through ensuring the connection between knowledge and practice. The components focus on:

• the development of core knowledge and understanding, including the range of enterprises and the key features and factors that contribute to an enterprise’s level of success
• the development and application of skills such as analysing research, information, planning and financial forecasting, communicating and problem solving
• reflective practice through pitching an idea for an enterprise activity that allows learners to reflect on their own communication skills and the viability of their enterprise activity following feedback

There is one external assessment, Component 3, which provides the main synoptic assessment for the qualification. Component 3 builds directly on Components 1 and 2, and enables learning to be brought together and applied to realistic contexts.

Component 3: Promotion and Finance for Enterprise requires learners to analyse and interpret information in relation to an enterprise and to make recommendations on strategies to use to improve the performance of the enterprise.

The external assessment is based on a context that requires learners to demonstrate that they can identify and use effectively an appropriate selection of skills, techniques, concepts, theories and knowledge from across the whole qualification in an integrated way.

Tech Awards have been developed by Pearson to give learners at Key Stage 4 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales the opportunity to study one or more vocational areas as part of their curriculum. We have developed the qualifications in consultation with secondary school and further education representatives, and subject specialists to ensure that they engage and prepare learners for either academic or vocational progression post-16.

As part of a Key Stage 4 programme, learners will be studying a broad range of GCSEs, including English, mathematics and science. The BTEC Tech Award suite has been designed to allow learners to draw on the knowledge and skills acquired from these subjects where relevant. When studying for a ‘BTEC’, learners can use the knowledge and skills from GCSEs generally, giving them the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to everyday and work contexts.

The BTEC Tech Award suite is an introduction to vocational learning. The Awards give learners the opportunity to build skills that show an aptitude for further learning both in the sector and more widely. The approach to the suite is based on well-established BTEC assessment approaches that are proven to be successful in building skills and motivating learners to engage fully with challenging study. It does not limit progression options because the skills acquired are applicable to a range of post-16 study options.

The BTEC Tech Award suite differs from BTECs designed to be taken post-16 as it offers a basis for further study rather than meeting all the vocational requirements needed to progress directly to a job role in a defined occupational area. The focus is on building skills to show aptitude and improving understanding of progression options so that learners who achieve one or more of the qualifications are equipped to go on to become work ready for an occupation post-16.

Study of the qualification as part of Key Stage 4 learning will help learners to make more informed choices for further learning, either generally or in this sector. The choices that a learner makes post-16 will depend on their overall level of attainment and their performance in the qualification.

Learners who generally achieve at Level 2 across their Key Stage 4 learning might consider progression to:

• A Levels as preparation for entry into higher education in a range of subjects
• study of a vocational qualification at Level 3, such as a BTEC National in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, which prepares them to enter employment or apprenticeships, or to move on to higher education by studying a degree in the business sector.

Learners who generally achieve at Level 1 across their Key Stage 4 learning might consider progression to:

• study at Level 2, post-16 in a range of technical routes designed to lead to work, to progression to employment, apprenticeships or to further study at Level 3. For these learners, the attitudes and communication skills covered in the qualification will help them to achieve
• study of enterprise post-16 through the study of a Technical Certificate. Learners who perform well in this qualification compared to their overall performance should strongly consider this progression route as it can lead to employment in the business sector.

Study of Enterprise can lead students to many business-related roles.  The thorough knowledge and skills that will be gained from the course would be useful in any career.  Roles that would be very applicable to students of Enterprise include:

• Accountant
• Business Adviser
• Consultant
• Corporate Investment Banker
• Data Scientist
• Stock Market Analyst

DLD offers a wealth of co-curricular activities, and study of Enterprise will allow students to engage better with any of the activities offered.  This being said, Enterprise would be particularly applicable to several co-curricular activities, such as Business Enterprise Society, Stocks & Finance Society, and Esports Club.