LIKE thousands of youngsters across the country, Denis West is hoping that the white slip of paper he collects from school tomorrow will bring him good news.

The computer print-out will not only encapsulate the hard work of the past two years leading to his ten GCSEs, but also a map of his future. Denis, who also celebrates his 16th birthday tomorrow, is only too aware how much results matter.

"It is quite worrying," he admits. "I need to keep my grades high - I need at least five GCSE C grades or above to do the subjects that I want to do."

Denis, of Spennymoor, County Durham, has wanted to be a pilot since his first flying lesson aged 13. He is in the fortunate position of knowing what he wants to do with his life - go to Durham Sixth Form Centre before joining the Royal Air Force at 18. He has opted for the traditional three A-levels - maths, physics and geography - along with a sports qualification, the Higher Sports Leadership Award. But he admits he was left bewildered by the array of choices before him when he started thinking about his future education at the beginning of Year Ten.

"I always wanted to do sports studies. I like to keep active, I play football and do Thai Boxing, but I had to pick the other three A-levels because you need academic qualifications for what I want to do," says Denis, who is working in a warehouse at C&N Transport Services in Spennymoor over the summer.

"It was either that or go into the RAF at 16, probably as a mechanic. I saw the careers staff at school and people from the RAF and they told me if I got my A-levels I could go in at a higher level, so that's what I decided to do. I also talked to a couple of my friends and their older brothers and sisters and they gave me a bit of help. But I had an idea in my mind what I wanted to do. Some of my friends still don't know what they want to do and they're going to decide when they get their results tomorrow."

Since the Government decided to shake-up advanced level education under the Curriculum 2000 project, the range of subjects and qualifications on offer is vast. Advanced GNVQs have been replaced with AVCEs (Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education) which can be taken in subjects ranging from Health and Social Care to Travel and Tourism.

Grading ranges from the equivalent of one AS-level to two A-levels and all advanced level students study Key Skills in Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology. For students following the academic route, the form is to study up to five AS-levels for one year, before studying three or four A2s.

Maggi Hunt, chief executive of Connexions Tyne and Wear, a support service for young people, admits young people can be baffled by the options. "I do think there's quite a bewildering array of choices for young people now," she says.

"I think the big thing that young people are worried about is the extent to which, if they make a choice, then it's the end of the line and they can't change their minds. We're here to reassure them that you can always make changes."

It is where youngsters turn for advice which can affect the whole of their lives, and even parents are not always in the best position to dole out pearls of wisdom.

A new survey by the Learning and Skills Council found that while 80 per cent of parents thought their offspring should go to university, more than half were unaware of all the vocational options for students who are not very academic. Peer pressure can also steer youngsters away from making the right choices.

Says Maggi: "There's quite often a thing where young people will get themselves a job that, when they're 17, is relatively well paid and so they then say to their mates, who are still at school: 'I'm out every night drinking, I can buy all these clothes while you're stuck at school, having to stay in and revise.' I think it's a particular pressure for young lads because the swot aspect of staying in to revise is seen as a bit wimpish."

According to Maggi, Modern Apprenticeships offer the ideal opportunity for those who want to leave and earn a wage, but still want to go to college. Apprenticeships allow training for jobs at craft, technician and even management level with on-the-job assessment. Many youngsters attend colleges or training centres to study the theory of their chosen occupation.

"Some young people go into jobs without thinking 'What am I going to get out of this?'," says Maggi. "At least with Modern Apprenticeships it gives an opportunity to go to college as well as being in the workplace, so you're not giving up on getting qualifications."

At Connexions, which has offices throughout the region, young people have access to personal advisors they can talk to. It is essential to take advice, says Maggi, particularly when deciding between an academic path and a vocational one. Many who contemplate taking vocational subjects will fret that they will not get into the universities they want if they don't have the traditional A-level grades. Others worry that prospective employers may shun them if they have some of the "new" qualifications, envisaging nightmare scenarios explaining Curriculum 2000 to dinosaurs who have only just got used to GCSE results.

Says Maggi: "If you're looking to do a particularly academic subject at university then you will probably be better off doing academic A-levels.

'I think there is still a job to be done with employers, but what I find is that it's not the specific qualifications they're interested in. Often it's the general attributes of that young person. They look for people who are self-motivated, who can be relied upon and who can taken the initiative."

Students may also be concerned about taking on too much in the sixth form. The Curriculum 2000 shake-up has attracted a great deal of negative publicity, with stories of students being worked into the ground, struggling to cope with the amount of exams they now face at the expense of extra curricula activities.

"There have been quite a few teething problems," says Maggi. "I think it is fair to say that the AS-level system does place a lot more pressure on young people in the first year of sixth form. If you're not careful, you can find yourself doing nothing but work so I think you need to still find time for interests such as joining a drama group, and also for your social life. Having said that, I feel the system is going to settle down."

As Denis and 600,000 other students nervously collect their GCSE results tomorrow, Maggi urges them to remember it's not the end of the world if their grades are disappointing.

She says: "Talk to someone about it, either someone at the school or one of our personal advisors. Ask them what the options are - it's never the end of the line."

*Contact Connexions on 0808 0013219 or www.connexions-direct.com