Business (Investment Finance and Accounting) Level 3


  • Start Date: 01/09/2025
  • Course is for: School Leaver
  • Course Length: 1 Year
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Do you enjoy working with numbers, have a good eye for spotting mistakes and want to invest on the stock exchange?

With Senior Finance Directors earning some of the biggest wages in the UK (£99,410 per year on average) it is no surprise that finance is one of the most popular options when studying business.

On this course you’ll learn how to record financial information, draw up financial accounts and learn about the different ways you can invest finance including new age cryptocrurrency. 

Alongside this you will take part in a challenge to invest in a virtual stock exchange with the London Institute of Banking and Finance! Who will grow the largest portfolio?

This course will give you the knowledge and skills you need to pursue a career in finance.

You will also have the opportunity to gain professionally recognised qualifications with Sage Bookkeeping.

Exploring business and finance

You will be exploring one of the big 5 financial companies in the world, gaining an insight into how they started and how they got to where they are now.

You will research into how they innovate to keep themselves in the top 5. You will also learn the fundamentals of personal and business finance as part of this project.

Employer Led Finance Project

You will plan, market and manage an event with one of our partners.

This project will push you to the limits, developing your communication, team working and project management skills.

As part of the project you will take charge of the finance – managing the budget, forecasting ticket sales and ensuring you meet projected revenue is all part of this project.

Following the event you will analyse and feedback the financial results to the client communicating lessons learned just like you would as a real life financial manager/auditor.

Recruitment Exercise

During this project you get to gain an insight from a Human Resource specialist working in the financial industry.

You will then use this knowledge to work as a team to recruit for a finance vacancy.

You will then be interviewed by a financial specialist giving you the opportunity to practice your interview skills to gain that dream job!

Start Up Pitch

The year will end on a high with you developing your very own business plan which you will pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs.

As part of this project you will get the chance to attend Newcastle Start Up week where you will hear from and meet successful entrepreneurs who will help you to shape your business plan.

Leadership and Management in Finance

In year 2 you will take it up a notch and start thinking from the perspective of a finance manager. You will study key principles in management in order to equip you to be able to make effective financial decisions.

You will learn how to analyse risk and ensure your decision making is valued in your future career.

Final Project

Your final year will end with a bang as you put everything you have learned into practice, moving you into a different level ready to be snapped up by universities and employers.

Your final project will see you developing, reviewing and interpreting financial accounts ensuring you comply to legal and ethical issues in relation to dealing with finance.

You will be presenting your findings to the board and making recommendations to improve financial performance just like you would in a real business. 

Assessment

The course has a different approach to it – you may not study a unit at a time – you work on employer-led projects.

These projects are run in conjunction with local employers who set actual briefs for you to work on and show you what it’s really like to work in the industry.

As well as this 33% of the course is externally assessed. You will learn industry standard techniques and skills to make you stand out from the crowd using state of the art equipment and gadgets in dedicated business classrooms.

When you have successfully completed the qualification you can then go on to further study at university.

The course carries the same UCAS points as studying 3 A levels. Alternatively, if you feel ready to go into employment this course will give you the skills and behaviours in finance to stand out in your application for an apprenticeship.

Five GCSEs at 4 or above including English and maths along with an informal interview with our team. You may also be considered if you have achieved a Level 2 qualification in Business.

The possibilities with this study programme are endless, students have been given real-life projects to work on, listened to guest speakers from PWC and KPMG and been given opportunities to showcase their work.

This course, along with our tutorial programme will help you become work ready as well as preparing you for the outside world with training on money management, help with job hunting, interviews and confidence building.

We want you to be job ready when you leave us and able to put what you have learnt into practice in the workplace.

Relevant and high quality work experience placements, employer mentoring, commercial and vocational projects will help you to do this and are an important part of your study programme.

Plus, make an impression on an employer and who knows where that could lead.

School Leaver Course Guide 2025/2026

View or download our course guide for 16-18 year olds.

Gateshead College School Leavers guide for 2025 - 2026