BUSINESS & FINANCE

Welcome to Business & Finance

The skills learnt on our Business and Finance courses will provide you with the knowledge and experience needed to succeed in the multi-faceted world of business and industry. As well as receiving first-class knowledge from our experienced lecturers (who have relevant and wide-ranging industry knowledge), you will also have the amazing opportunity of hearing from, and speaking with, guest speakers and local entrepreneurs who come in to mentor and support our students.

Our regular Breakfast Networking Events and Enterprise Challenges will also give you the unique opportunity to interact with local business owners to understand the intricacies of the business world.

The varied elements of these courses will help you to develop in this diverse and competitive industry and reach your ultimate career goal which may include a marketing manager, mortgage advisor, human resources consultant, or entrepreneur. Or you may wish to further develop your skills and take up a business-related degree. You will also get the opportunity to apply your studies and learn more from quality work placements.

Watch this video from our Head of Business, Marie Gould and Business lecturers, Geeta Finn, Nicola Haswell and Ali Newcombe to hear all about the courses on offer at Petroc.

Join us LIVE for our Vocational Study Programmes Q&A - CLICK HERE

Before you hear from our lecturers and take a look through the course content, why not hear what our students say!

"I first started Petroc back in 2015 doing Carpentry, after a couple of months I realised that carpentry was not the course for me. After realising this, Petroc went above and beyond to find me a course that they felt would be a perfect fit. That’s when I made the transfer onto the Business Level 2 course. After I completed the year, I then progressed on to the level 3 Extended Diploma in Business Studies. After my two years on the Level 3 business course I then went on to the Foundation Degree in Business which Petroc offers."

Owen, Level 2 and Level 3 Business

"In my time at Petroc I have had many opportunities given to me such as taking part in NCS and field trips including visiting London and attending UCAS events. I also went to Amsterdam with Petroc, this was a great trip and was filled with amazing activities!

Through Petroc I was able to work in Barcelona For two weeks through their Erasmus work placement, all accommodation and travel was paid for. We worked in Monlau college, doing a variety of administrative jobs and visiting school fetes. Petroc organised plenty of tourist attractions for us to visit, including going up La Sagrada Familia. We also had lots of free time allowing us to explore Barcelona fully."

Larriska, Level 3 Business

“Last year I was on a Level 1 business course at Petroc, and then progressed onto this course, which is new. I really enjoyed my first year, so was pleased to be able to continue in business this year.

This course teaches you how to communicate in a work situation, as well as about office policies and ICT.

As part of the course, I am carrying out a work placement with North Devon Homes, in their Income Team. I am responsible for sorting the mail and distributing it, plus other office tasks.

This is the first time I’ve ever done work experience, so I was a bit nervous to start with. However, everyone I work with is really friendly and always offers to help me if I am stuck with anything.

The work placement has really improved my confidence when talking to people and has increased my independence.”

Chloe, Level 2 Technical in Business Administration

"I chose the course because of the coursework side of it. If you don’t feel like exams are right for you, the coursework allows you to show just as much but it takes the pressure off in the exam season. You know that you can chart your progress throughout the year. It’s a broad subject and allows you to go in many directions.

"Petroc has the academies like the Applegate Academy, which I did. It was a good experience that gave me something to put in my CV. If you ever need help, the lecturers are always there.

"After the course I’m thinking of going to uni or doing a degree apprenticeship. I like the the fact you do not have the debt with a degree apprenticeship.

"Being at college gives you a bit more flexibility compared to school. You can manage your time a little bit better and you get treated more like an adult. Petroc is a nice community. It’s your responsibility to do well or not do well. It’s up to you to get the grades."

Dan, Level 3 Business

LEVEL 3 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION LEARNERS LEANNE FORBES & TARA CATLIN

We are extremely proud of our Level 3 Business Administration learners, Leanne Forbes and Tara Catlin, who have both secured jobs with the NHS.

They have been key workers throughout lockdown, and Leanne also has four young children to home school so has really had to balance learning with home-life.

Both students have been very well supported by their lecturer Marie Gould, who finished their last couple of theory units with them using Screencastify and Google Classroom. Neither learners had previously used this technology, but picked it up very quickly due to their skills as business administrators.

Leanne was very grateful and full of praise about Marie's teaching and said "I had been very nervous about learning remotely with no face to face support, but learning remotely works for me. I can repeat the videos, pause, and learn in my own time. Knowing Marie is on Google Hangouts during our timetabled sessions to answer any questions is also really helpful."

Business & Finance at Petroc

We offer the following study programmes in Business & Finance:

  • Vocational study programmes

  • Apprenticeships

Please look through the below presentations to find out more information.

Vocational study programmes

Level 2

Level 3

BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Business

Traineeships and BTEC Technicals in Business Admin and Enterprise

Traineeships are for anyone aged 16-24 who are focused on finding employment but lack the skills and experience that employers are looking for. Traineeships will offer young people the opportunity to undertake a substantial work placement and work skills training, alongside support to improve their English and Maths. Traineeships have various starting points throughout the year.

To find out more information and to APPLY visit our website:

Traineeships

Apprenticeships

Open Event Customer Service Level 2

Accounts - Finance Assistant

The Accounts/Finance Assistant is responsible for assisting the team of accountants with junior accounting duties. Work could include basic bookkeeping activities, working with sales and purchase ledgers, running calculations to ensure that records and payments are correct and recording of cash and data entry.

Assistant Accountant

As an Assistant Accountant apprentice you will learn how to assisting in financial activities such as data entry, month end management accounts and year-end financial statements.

Business Administrator

During this apprenticeship you will learn a highly transferable set of knowledge, skills and behaviours that can be applied in all sectors.You will cover a range of skills to help you develop, implement, maintain and improve administrative services. This sort of work requires a strong sense of responsibility, accuracy and attention to detail.

Digital Marketer

The primary role of a digital marketer is to define, design, build and implement digital campaigns across a variety of online and social media platforms to drive customer acquisition, customer engagement and customer retention. The marketer will work to marketing briefs and instructions and will normally report to a digital marketing manager, a marketing manager or an IT Manager.

HR Support

HR Professionals in this role are typically either working in a medium to large organisation as part of the HR function delivering front line support to managers and employees, or are a HR Manager in a small organisation.

Team Leader

This apprenticeship has been designed to develop your skills into the role of a team leader or supervisor. As a team leader, you will develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours to give guidance and leadership to your team to achieve outcomes. Your job role must allow sufficient opportunities to undertake activities and tasks related to the standard.


To find out more information and to APPLY visit our website:

Accounts - Finance Assistant - Apprenticeship (Standard)

Assistant Accountant - Apprenticeship (Standard)

Business Administrator - Advanced Apprenticeship (Standard)

Customer Service Practitioner - Apprenticeship (Standard)

Digital Marketer - Apprenticeship (Standard)

HR Support - Apprenticeship (Standard)

Team Leader - Supervisor - Apprenticeship (Standard)

What do students get up to on the course?

Have a look at what students get up to, both in and outside the classroom!

We host an annual ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition, where we have local business owners come in and have a series of speed networking meetings with our students. The information learners gather from these discussions is used to create a pitch for an original business idea to present to a panel of ‘Dragons’.

James won the Enterprise ‘Dragon’s Den’ Challenge with his 'DECI Bike Cycling Safety Products' pitch. He beat competing learners on his course to reach the final, where eight prestigious Local Business Dragons chose him as their winner.

“I’ve always wanted to become an entrepreneur with my own products, and the variety of different areas that Business Level 3 covers made my decision easier. It will give me the knowledge and qualification to start off my business.

“I have enjoyed how the course covers a wide range of business skills. I have benefited from the support and subject knowledge of the lectures. Winning the Enterprise Challenge has given me the opportunity to be in contact with one of the dragons that attended, to help start up my business.”