AdminISTRATION and BusINESS Management
Progression Pathways
The diagram below shows the progression pathways in this subject area.
Course Expectations
Course materials are made available via Google Drive and Google Classroom throughout the course. Students will be expected to engage with regular home study and complete all homework tasks to achieve success in Business Education. Due to assessed practical work, good attendance is also essential.
Due to numeracy/literacy requirements in Business Education, students should be working at or recommended for a similar level in English/Maths as their Business Education course. For example, for Nat 5 Administration and IT, you should also be working towards or be recommended for National 5 English and Maths.
SCQF Level 5
SUBJECT: NPA Level 5 Business with Information Technology
Recommended Previous Experience: Students should have studied S3 Business Management and/or S3 Administration & IT and preferably be working towards SCQF level 5 or Nat 5 in Maths and English.
ABOUT THE COURSE
This course is for pupils who have an interest in both Business Management and Information Technology. Pupils will be able to develop their knowledge of business while developing practical skills in using information technology. Pupils will be able to develop a broad foundation to allow them to specialise in Business Management or Administration and IT in the future. This is an excellent course to study before moving into National 5 Admin and IT and/or National 5 Business Management.
The course has the following four units:
1. Understanding Business
2. Management of Marketing and Operations
3. Web Apps: Presentations
4. Web Apps: Word Processing
Understanding Business
Students will develop an understanding of the business environment while developing skills, knowledge and understanding by carrying out activities relating to the role of business organisations and entrepreneurship in society.
Management of Marketing and Operations
Students will learn about the procedures and processes organisations have to maintain competitiveness, and how marketing can be used to communicate effectively with consumers, maximising customer satisfaction.
Web Apps: Presentations
Students will learn to create routine presentations, including creating, editing, saving, sharing and collaborating on, presentation documents. Students will learn how to use the different features and how to make use of media elements in presentations.
Web Apps: Word Processing
Students will learn to use word processing features to format and present documents to a given brief. Students will also learn to store, share and collaborate on a document online.
Course Assessment
This course is assessed internally only via unit assessments which include practical assessments. There is no final SQA exam.
SUBJECT: National 5 Administration and IT
Recommended Previous Experience: Students should have studied S3 Administration and IT, N4 Administration and IT or Level 5 NPA in Business with IT and preferably be working towards SCQF level 5 or Nat 5 in Maths and English.
About the Course
This is a course for pupils who want to develop their administrative and IT skills while developing an understanding of related theory, allowing them to effectively contribute to and support organisations. It contains a significant practical component. This course builds a foundation towards studying a Higher qualification in future years.
The course has the following two units:
1. Theory (the responsibilities of organisations, skills/qualities and tasks of the administrative support function and the impact of these in the workplace)
2. IT applications (select IT applications to create and edit business documents, gather and share information and develop skills to communicate information)
Course Assessment
Internal Course Assessment
There is a unit assessment for each unit which can be used for a unit award. These are not required to sit the final exam, however, students can be given a credit for them as separate unit passes. A unit test and one practical task must be passed in order to be credited with each unit.
External Course Assessment
Practical assignment, worth 70 marks, which is 58% of the overall mark. This focuses on word processing, desktop publishing and presentations.
One practical examination paper of 2 hours, focusing on spreadsheets, databases and theory, worth 50 marks, which is 42% of the overall mark.
SUBJECT: National 5 Business Management
Recommended Previous Experience: Students should have studied S3 Business Management or N4 Business and preferably be working towards SCQF level 5 or Nat 5 in English.
About the Course
This is course is for pupils who have an interest entering the world of business and exploring the activities of different types of business beyond the Broad General Education. This course builds a foundation towards studying a Higher qualification in future years.
The course has the following five units:
1. Understanding Business
2. Management of Marketing
3. Management of Operations
4. Management of People
5. Management of Finance
Understanding Business
Students will develop an understanding of the business environment while developing skills, knowledge and understanding by carrying out activities relating to the role of business organisations and entrepreneurship in society.
Management of Marketing
Students will learn about the procedures and processes organisations have to maintain competitiveness, and how marketing can be used to communicate effectively with consumers, maximising customer satisfaction.
Management of Operations
Students will learn about the processes and procedures used to maintain quality through the effective management of suppliers, inventory, and methods of production in an ethical manner.
Management of People
Students will learn about the theories, concepts and processes relating to human resource management, and how employees contribute to the success of organisations.
Management of Finance
Students will learn about the basic theories, concepts and processes relating to the financial aspect of business, when preparing and interpreting information to solve financial problems facing organisations.
Course Assessment
Internal Course Assessment
There is a unit assessment for each unit which can be used for a unit award. These are not required to sit the final exam, however, students can be given a credit for them as separate unit passes. A unit test and one practical task must be passed in order to be credited with each unit.
External Course Assessment
Practical assignment, worth 30 marks, which is 30% of the overall mark.
One examination paper of 2 hours, worth 90 marks, which is 70% of the overall mark.
SCQF Level 6
SUBJECT: Higher Administration & IT
Recommended Previous Experience: Students should have ideally already achieved a level A or level B pass at National 5 level in Administration and IT. Ideally a pass at National 5 Maths and English and preferably working towards Higher level would also be beneficial.
About the Course
This course is suitable for pupils interested in the management functions of administration and advanced uses of technology, and who want to develop these skills further.
The course has the following two units:
1. Administrative theory and practice
2. IT applications (word processing, spreadsheets, relational databases, presentations and communication)
Course Assessment
Internal Course Assessment
There is a unit assessment for each unit which can be used for a unit award. This is not required to sit the final exam, however, students can be given a credit for this as a separate unit pass. The unit test and one practical task must be passed in order to be credited with the unit.
External Course Assessment
Practical assignment worth 70 marks, which is 58% of the overall mark, focusing on spreadsheet, database, word processing and communication.
One examination paper of 90 minutes, worth 50 marks, which is 42% of the overall mark.
SUBJECT: Higher Business Management
Recommended Previous Experience: Students should have ideally already achieved a level A or level B pass at National 5 level in Business Management. Ideally a pass at National 5 English and preferably working towards Higher level English, History or Modern Studies would also be beneficial.
About the Course
This is a course for pupils who have an interest in entering the world of business, as a manager, employee or self-employed person, and exploring the activities of different types of business.
The course has the following five units:
1. Understanding Business
2. Management of Marketing
3. Management of Operations
4. Management of People
5. Management of Finance
Understanding Business
Students will develop an understanding of how large organisations in the private, public and third sectors operate, make decisions and pursue their strategic goals.
Management of Marketing
Students will develop their understanding of the importance of effective marketing systems to large organisations. Students will learn about relative theories, concepts and procedures used by organisations to improve competitiveness and customer satisfaction.
Management of Operations
Students will learn about the importance of effective operations systems to large organisations. Students will learn about relevant theories, concepts and procedures sued by organisations to improve and/or maintain quality.
Management of People
Students will learn about the issues that large organisations face when managing people. Students will learn how organisations deal with staff, including retention, training, leadership and motivation.
Management of Finance
Students will learn about the issues that large organisations face when managing finance.
Course Assessment
Internal Course Assessment
There is a unit assessment for each unit which can be used for a unit award. These are not required to sit the final exam, however, students can be given a credit for them as separate unit passes. A unit test and one practical task must be passed in order to be credited with each unit.
External Course Assessment
Practical assignment worth 30 marks, which is 25% of the overall mark.
One examination paper of 2 hours 45 minutes, worth 90 marks, which is 75% of the overall mark.
Foundation Apprenticeship: Business Skills
The Foundation Apprenticeship in Business Skills provides the opportunity to learn about, and understand, management and business priorities across the industry. This includes:
- Working with IT software
- Managing people and finance
- Contemporary business issues
This apprenticeship also aids young people in being able to plan, manage, and improve their own performance in the business sector. Pupils will gain the necessary skills and experiences to address the skill gaps within the business industry. Students will have developed a highly transferable set of knowledge, skills, and behaviours that can be applied to a variety of sectors, including the public, private, and charitable sector.
There will be a combination of theory based learning, skills based learning and employer work placement. Students should be prepared to take part in a work placement during the February or October holiday. Please note that this may be virtual or an in person experience and may or may not last for the entire week. East Lothian Works tries to minimise the level of work experience required to take place during school holidays. Throughout the course students are expected to pass a range of internal assessments relevant to the course subject.
Employers currently involved with the programme include:
- FES Group
- Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce
- Scottish Seabird Centre
For further information about this framework please visit:
Foundation Apprenticeship: Accountancy
The Foundation Apprenticeship in Accountancy aids young people in gaining hands-on experience in a fast-paced, dynamic industry. Students will be provided with the opportunity to gain a holistic overview of the Accountancy sector, including areas such as
Preparing management accounting information
Indirect Tax
Recording data in ledger
Bookkeeping
Analysing account information
Students will develop skills and knowledge across a range of topics alongside a work placement, allowing them to gain a competitive advantage over others when it comes to entering the world of work in Accounting. Pupils will also take part in professional Accountancy exams with a worldwide recognised professional body of Accounting (AAT).
Most of the theory based learning will take place in year 1 of the qualification and the professional exams and employer work placement will take place in year 2 of the programme. Students should be prepared to take part in a work placement during the February or October holiday on top of their Tuesday and Thursday classes. Please note that this may be virtual or an in person experience and may or may not last for the entire week. East Lothian Works tries to minimise the level of work experience required to take place during school holidays. Throughout the two year course students are expected to pass a range of internal assessments relevant to the course subject as well as their professional exams in year 2. As the course follows a two year programme, there is no partial award or credit at the end of year 1. For this reason, students must be committed to completing the course in its entirety.
Current employers involve in this programme include:
- East Lothian Council Accountancy Department
- Enjoy Leisure
- Trainline
For further information about this framework please visit:
SQA Course Code: GR6D 46
Entry Requirements: Students who have achieved/on track to achieve a National 5 in a Business related subject, a pass in Higher Maths, and a Higher in one other subject. Each pupil will be required to attend an interview. We are happy to consider students who do not meet the entry requirements but are interested in the course.
Location: North Berwick High School / Community facility / Employer work place
Dates and Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, approximately 1.30pm-5.00pm (not inclusive of travel time). Please note that this course takes 2 years to complete.
If you have any further questions about the opportunities on offer, please contact elworks@eastlothian.gov.uk
SCQF Level 7
SUBJECT: Advanced Higher Business Management
Recommended Previous Experience: Students should have ideally already achieved a level A or level B pass at Higher level in Business Management. Ideally a pass at Higher English, History or Modern Studies would also be beneficial.
About the Course
This is a course for pupils who have an interest in entering the world of business, as a manager, employee or self-employed person, and exploring the activities of different types of business. It offers excellent preparation for higher education.
The course has the following three units:
1. The external business environment
2. The internal business environment
3. Evaluating business information
The external business environment
Students will develop a detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the effects of external influences on organisations operating at a multinational and global level. Students will learn about current issues affecting organisations in an economic, social and environmental context.
The internal business environment
Students will expand their knowledge of traditional and contemporary management theories used by organisations to maximise efficiency, and evaluate theories relating to internal factors that influence the success of teams.
Evaluating business information
Students will develop skills in evaluating a range of business information used by organisations to reach conclusions.
Course Assessment
Internal Course Assessment
There is a unit assessment for each unit which can be used for a unit award. These are not required to sit the final exam, however, students can be given a credit for them as separate unit passes. A unit test and one practical task must be passed in order to be credited with each unit.
External Course Assessment
Project worth 40 marks, which is 33% of the overall mark.
One examination paper of 2 hours 45 minutes, worth 80 marks, which is 66% of the overall mark.