IT'S the worst part of the summer holidays for this year's school leavers as the long awaited GCSE results are finally out.

This year there is cause for celebration for pupils since they delivered a record 98 per cent pass rate, with over 55 per cent gaining grades from A to C.

So where do you go from here?

Do you fancy yourself as a doctor, lawyer or a vet and are ready for another six years of study, or do you feel ready to enter the "real world".

Colleges and Sixth Forms in the North West offer a number of further education options, ranging from traditional A Levels to BTECs and vocational GNVQ courses as well as foundation courses and apprenticeships.

Either way, whether you're planning to enter the workforce or further education it's make your mind up time, and advice and counselling is available from Cheshire Careers Guidance Service.

Sarah Mitchell-Hill is a career advice manager and is part of a team who are on hand to help.

She offers the following advice: "What we always say at this time of year is - don't panic. What you need is help and advice from the various careers centres.

"There are various routes you can take at this time. The first is full-time education where you can do A-levels, BT ECs and GNVQs.

"The other option is workbased training, such as modern apprenticeships and national traineeships, and also training in a job which isn't following a formal route.

"Modern Apprenticeships train people to NVQ Level 3 and national traineeships to NVQ level 2. They cover a range of occupations from hair dressing to engineering.

"What we always stress is the importance of training no matter which path you decide to take, to make sure that people are working towards future goals.

"We tell people to work towards a life career plan which is about life long learning, training and learning doesn't stop at 16, it can continue throughout peoples careers.

"The main thing to stress when people are disappointed is that they can always go back and re-evaluate their plans. In this case, a lot of young people choose to look for vacancies so they can come to see us, and we also send out information to the Jobcentre regarding vacancies."

f you feel you could benefit from advice on finding a job, or your next step in education, call the Careers Service 01928 704303.

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