GONE are the days when the only qualifications available to young people were GCSEs and A-levels.

Today, teenagers have a vast array of courses open to them during school and post-16.

They include NVQs, BTECs and the new 14 to 19 diploma qualification introduced this year.

Recently, the Commons Public Accounts Committee said teenagers were facing “a complex system of qualifications”.

Now, to guide students through the maze of qualifications, universities in Greater Manchester, including the University of Bolton, have teamed up to provide a new online service to show students how to make the most of their qualifications.

For example, a widely held misconception is that people taking vocational qualifications cannot go on to take more academic degrees.

Nationally, less than half of the students completing these qualifications use them as a stepping stone to university, But GMSA Pathways is aiming to buck this trend and help those who wish to continue their education and gain a degree.

Students studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Sport, for example, can find 124 guaranteed pathways into subjects such as law, business, construction and performing arts, as well as sports-based qualifications.

Locally, the online service will help improve the degree level opportunities for 349 students on BTEC programmes at Bolton Community College. GMSA Director Cath Walsh said: “GMSA Pathways levels the playing field. It helps vocational learners access the range of qualifications often only offered to A-level students.

“The Government is pushing for more people, young and old, to go to university.

“This new initiative will help people, with a range of qualifications, to access degree level courses.”

Danny Wilson, aged 17, who lives in Little Hulton, is taking a BTEC National Diploma in public services and is one of the first to use the new online service.

He said GMSA Pathways has changed the way he thinks about the future.

Danny, a former pupil at Harrop Fold High School, said: “I had considered university, but I didn’t really know what my options were and was pretty sure I would go into the army instead.

“I like the fact that I can go to a local university or college after my BTEC.

I’d like to study in Bolton, it’ll be easier for me to get through university that way.

“It’s opened up a whole new career for me. I am still considering going into the Army, but studying more will give me more opportunities in life.”

For more information and to use GMSA Pathways, visit www.pathways.gmsa.ac.uk