Quick facts
| Qualification type | Level 3 Diploma |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Study times | You will be expected to be in college for a minimum of 3 days per week, from 9:15 to 4:00. Your timetable will be confirmed at induction. |
| Entry requirements | Four GCSEs Grade 4 or above, including maths or English. You will be invited to an interview and if you show aptitude, enthusiasm, and commitment, you may be considered with lower grades. |
| Campus | West Suffolk College Sixth Form Campus, Bury St Edmunds |
| Work placements | Yes |
Is it for me?
The Level 3 in Business will provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge, understanding and skills surrounding Business with specialist pathways of study in Business, Law, Marketing or Accounting and Finance
You will receive advice and guidance about the many careers in business, hearing from speakers about the ever-evolving industry, its new technologies and future challenges, and have the chance to visit a range of business of all shapes and sizes to gain valuable insight. To further develop your skills, you will work on real life project-based scenarios involving industry 'clients', national competitions and challenges.
You will be given the opportunity to gain valuable work-related experience to give you further connections within the business and professional industries. In addition, you will have the opportunity to undertake further short courses alongside the main qualification which evolve with industry demand such as WorldHost Principles in Customer Service, Introduction to Barista and QNUK Emergency First Aid at Work.
Whatever your long-term goals may be, this course will equip you with the fundamental skills that underpin businesses across a range of sectors, providing a solid foundation for your next steps into employment, higher education, apprenticeship, self-employment in a trade or a steppingstone to starting your own business.
The Level 3 Business courses are sponsored by Trident Marketing, The Lively Crew and Scrutton Bland.
What you'll learn
- Exploring business
- Personal and business finance
- Principles of management
- International business
- Investigating customer service
- Employment law
- The English legal system
- Managing an event
- Recruitment and selection
- Acts of criminal liability.
Work experience placements
Work experience is a big part of this course - you'll need to undertake 50 hours mandatory work experience where you can enhance existing skills, as well as further developing transferable skills in a business context. In addition, you can take part in an industry work placement one day a week. These are yearlong placements which work around the course timetable, giving learners the opportunity to gain a more in-depth experience which can be linked to existing part-time employment.
Assessment
A range of assessment strategies are used to up skill learners and prepare them for their next steps upon competition of the course. Examples include:
- Written reports
- Vlogs, blogs, logbooks, production diaries
- Role play
- Articles for journals, press releases, web pages
- Production of visual or audio materials
- Presentations
- Exams and controlled assessments
Further study
- Business Accountancy and Finance Diploma Level 3
- Business Extended Diploma Level 3
- T Level Business Management and Administration
- BA (Hons) Business and Management
Example careers
- Marketing
- Finance, Accountancy and Banking
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Business Management
- Business Consultancy
- Sales
- Operations
- Public Relations
- Communications
- Business Analyst
- Insurance
- Project Management
- Office Management
- Economics
- Market Research
Days & times
Starting September 2025