IB Career-related Programme

- Business Pathway -

AT BCG we want our students to gain a competitive advantage for the future to face a job-market that is becoming more demanding by the minute. The International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) prepares students for the future of work, while they continue to deepen their academic knowledge, develop personal skills and core values.

An IB Career-related Programme with a Business Pathway is a great opportunity for students to acquire the knowledge and skills they need to embark on a business-related career while developing lifelong skills in applied knowledge, critical thinking, communication, and cross-cultural engagement. Students take three IB subject courses, complete the IBCP core and study seven modules with the EU Business School, both online and at their campus in Barcelona.

Upon successful completion, students are automatically admitted into the first year of EU Business School Bachelor's Programmes at any of their campuses in Barcelona, Munich or Geneva.

What is the IB Career-related Programme?

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Career-related Programme (CP) is a framework of international education that incorporates the values of the IB into a unique programme addressing the needs of students who wish to engage in career-orientated learning while gaining transferable and lifelong skills in applied knowledge, critical thinking, communication, and cross-cultural engagement. The programme leads to further/higher education, apprenticeships or employment.

The IBCP is a groundbreaking vision of education responding to a changing world

“The IBCP with a Business Pathway at BCG is the perfect opportunity for those students who are considering Business as their top career choice while continuing with the discipline, rigour and international mindedness of the IB. This pathway will allow students to explore, understand and engage in real world business applications that will be of great use to them in the future as professionals but it will also provide them with the academic knowledge needed for their bachelor’s degree.”

- Ms. Fenton, IBDP Coordinator

The IBCP at The British College of Gavà

The British College of Gavà collaborates with EU Business School, an international and professionally accredited business school with campuses in Barcelona, Geneva, Montreux and Munich, to deliver this IBCP with a pathway in Business.

The pathway covers fundamental areas of knowledge of business with an outline carefully adjusted to IB student learning goals:

  1. Management 
  2. Economics
  3. Law
  4. Communication
  5. Marketing
  6. Business & Society

The objective?

The Diploma Programme courses provide the theoretical underpinning and academic rigor of the programme; while the career-related study further supports the programme’s academic strength and provides practical, real-world approaches to learning; and the IBCP core helps them to develop skills and competencies required for lifelong learning.

Upon completion of the CP programme, students will gain direct access to EU Business school bachelor’s degrees

Student Profile

Both the IB Diploma Programme and IB Career-related Programme are offered to students at BCG. This is an important decision for young people and the school offers support and guidance to ensure that each student finds the best pathway for them.

In a nutshell, this Business Pathway is most suitable for: 

  1. Students wishing to stay in Barcelona (alternatively Munich or Geneva) and gaining direct entry to EU Business School on completion of the CP.
  2. Students who wish to engage in career-related learning while gaining transferable and lifelong skills.
  3. Those that want to participate in practical work placements at local companies to give an insight into a ‘real-life’ working environment.
  4. Students willing to gain competitive advantage and knowledge before enrolling in a business bachelor’s degree.
  5. Independent learners with a more practical mindset interested in a more hands-on approach.
  6. Students that might benefit from a less rigorous academic curriculum.

"EU Business School stands out for their pragmatic teaching approach based on real cases, visits to companies and conferences with top-level speakers, such as Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever (2009-2019), Zev Siegl, co-founder of Starbucks and Omar Berrada, alumnus of EU Business School and current Chief Football Operations Officer of Manchester City FC. In addition, lessons are taught exclusively in English, which allows students of The British College of Gavà to continue with their higher education in English in Spain."

- Source: EU Business School

Career Opportunities

Earning a business degree will offer you a wide range of career opportunities and span multiple industries, depending on the area of knowledge you enjoy the most. Some of the most common paths are:

1)    Accounting and finance

2)    Leadership and management

3)    Consultancy

4)    Retail and sales

5)    Marketing

6)    Operations

 

Educational Framework 

IBCP Core

The personal and professional skills course aims to develop responsibility, practical problem-solving, good intellectual habits, ethical understanding, perseverance, resilience, an appreciation of identity and perspective and an understanding of the complexity of the modern world. This is a focal component of the IBCP that effectively draws all other strands together to foster connections between knowledge, skills and ethical decision-making.

Through service learning, students develop and apply personal and social skills in real-life situations involving decision-making, problem-solving, initiative, responsibility and accountability for their actions. This component of the course encourages students to identify and address needs within the school, local and global community using the skills and knowledge acquired in other areas of study.

Through the reflective project, students identify, analyse, discuss and evaluate an ethical dilemma in Business. Their research and findings are presented in essay or portfolio format paying close attention to academic integrity.

Language development ensures that all students have access and are exposed to an additional language, which is a central tenet of an IB education, increasing their understanding of the world and promoting international-mindedness and intercultural understanding. At BCG, all IBCP students take a IBDP Language B course as part of their language development and will produce an additional portfolio of their learning process with the help of their language mentor.

Diploma Programme subjects

The IBDP business management course is designed to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of business management theories, as well as their ability to apply a range of tools and techniques. Students learn to analyse, discuss and evaluate business activities at local, national and international levels. The course covers a range of organizations from all sectors, as well as the socio-cultural and economic contexts in which those organizations operate.

The IBDP Maths Analysis and Interpretations course recognises the increasing role that mathematics and technology play in a diverse range of fields in a data rich world. Students are encouraged to solve real-world problems, construct and communicate this mathematically and interpret the conclusions or generalisations.

Students develop the ability to communicate in the target language through the study of language, themes and texts, developing conceptual understandings of how language works. Communication is evidenced through receptive, productive and interactive skills across a range of contexts and purposes.

The IBCP with a Business Pathway as a bridge to the first year of EU Business School bachelor's programs. Students will strengthen their academic, communication and business skills while studying management and economics.

Students will study 8 subjects which improve core business skills and provide the necessary basis for advanced study.

Careers related study: EU Business School

The course will focus on a variety of essential topics: time-management, group-learning, managing stress, examination techniques, research skills, confident academic writing and planning next steps.

This course focuses on the importance of communication skills, both active and passive, and provides tools for improving written and oral skills. 

Students explore their own informal encounters with business and organizations in order to develop an awareness of what business is and what constitutes good business practice. 

Students will learn about concepts of social responsibility and enrich their understanding of what it means to manage an ethical business. Students are encouraged to examine different incidents critically in order to gain further insight into more specialist areas of management. 

Students will learn basic legal terminology and how to approach and read legal documents and legal texts.

The course gives a general understanding of the impact of economics all aspects of life, focusing particularly on how choices are made. Students reflect on their personal choices as well as organizational decision-making.

The course aims at using students to enrich their understanding of the various forms of how the various functional areas of marketing interface within the company.

In this course, students will learn about the array of software generally used in contemporary business environments, including new trends in data management and emerging future developments in IT software.