Did you know the law now says that from 2013 all young people will have to stay on in education, training or employment with training until they are 17 years old? And from 2015 you will need to stay on until you are 18 years old.

These changes will open up a lot of new opportunities for you and will help ensure that you gain the right skills and experience for your future.

There are lots of courses and training opportunities to choose from so there’s bound to be something out there to suit you. You can choose to do:

• AS and A-levels at school, a sixth form or further education college
• a vocational qualification which will prepare you for a specific career, like a chef or an engineer.

If you think you’d rather get a job or do some work-based training, you can choose to do:

• an apprenticeship
• a job where you train while you work
• a job with time off for study towards a qualification
• a training programme to prepare you for work.

Don’t panic, help is at hand. The ‘September Guarantee’ means that if you are 16 or 17 and about to leave school or a one-year college course, you are guaranteed to get help with what to do next, plus the offer of a place on a course to suit you. You can also talk to:

• your teachers – have a chat to the teachers of your favourite subjects
• older friends or family who also had to make choices at 16
• your parents or carers – they know you best, but bear in mind that they may not know much about the subject or career you want to take
• If you're aged 13 to 18 you can contact a Careers Adviser at the National Careers Service for free information, advice and support on a range of issues. If you're aged 19 or over you can also contact the service.
• Or check out our local guide that takes you through all your options at 16 and helps you decide what to do. You can download What next? Your options at 16 (Adobe PDF, 3.4MB) here.

Are you in Year 11 and choosing your options? Or have you been there and done that - what advice would you give? Leave a comment and let us know.