Curriculum
The Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma in IT has been developed with universities, employers and industry specialists so that students of IT experience the right combination of knowledge and skills required to work with IT in the 21st century. We investigate the pace of technological change, how this affects business, developments in IT infrastructure and the importance of legal and security considerations. Topics covered in Year 12 help students understand how data is stored and processed by organisations. We examine how data can be transformed into information and how this gives the modern organisation insights into customer and market behaviour and gives them an edge over the competition. We also gain an up to date understanding of the laws and regulations which govern the use of data and how it flows in and out of an organisation. This is assessed in two exams taken at the end of Year 12: Fundamentals of IT and Global Information Systems.
As we move into Year 13, we follow the Application Developer pathway. Students will study Application Design, Product Development and Social Media and Digital Marketing. The world is increasingly reliant on applications that help individuals, businesses and organisations achieve specific activities or purposes. In this unit we will explore potential ideas for a new application and develop the fundamental design for it. We will also undertake product development activities. We will learn about different product design methodologies and the role of the product development life cycle. In addition, we will discover the factors that influence product developments. In social media and digital marketing, we will explore how the use of social media has increased massively over recent years and is now a worldwide phenomenon. We will look at digital marketing as a concept and then explore the possible impacts, both positive and negative, that may be generated using social media as a digital marketing tool.
Progression
Level 3 Cambridge Technicals qualifications provide a strong base for progression to university, apprenticeships or work and are recognised for UCAS tariff points.
Careers
This qualification pathway prepares students for a wide variety of roles in the IT industry; Networking, Support or even Cyber Security. It establishes the knowledge to allow progression onto higher level apprenticeships or Higher Education.
Entry Requirements
Students must achieve five GCSEs at Grade 5 or equivalent including Grade 4 or equivalent in English and Maths and an interest in IT.
Assessment
The Exam Board is OCR.
2 x Exams in Year 12
3 x Coursework units in Year 13
Opportunities for work related activities
A fundamental part of the assessment in Year 13 engages with local businesses in identifying and understanding how they use social media and digital marketing to support their business activities.
