UCAS Entrepreneurship Points

The North East of England is pioneering a scheme to give the region’s entrepreneurs of tomorrow the opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the battle for university places.

Young Enterprise North East (YENE) is working with UK examining body OCR to give young people the opportunity to gain up to 40 extra UCAS points through an extra-curricular entrepreneurship programme.

For the first time this year, 15-19 year-olds taking part in the YENE Company Programme will have the option to take one unit that could be worth up to 40 UCAS points, in a brand new Level 3 qualification from OCR.

The Company Programme allows students to set up and run their own real company with the support and guidance of a business mentor. Points come into effect for entry to higher education from 2011 onwards.

The qualification has been awarded 40 points for a distinction, 30 for a merit and 20 for a pass.

Higher Education admissions is an increasingly competitive field so young people can now gain extra credit for their efforts.

The allocation of UCAS points to this new OCR qualification recognises the quality of what is achieved on the Programme and considering the Government’s plans to increase the number of business start ups, students who go to university with enterprise and entrepreneurship as a viable alternative to employment after their studies, the scheme is a step in the right direction.

For more information on the scheme visit: http://yenortheast.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html