Attempting to get into University without any A levels.

Hey guys, I'm currently 19 years old and looking at the idea of potentially attempting to obtain a degree somehow. Right now I haven't really done much research into the subject, however I will just give you a brief background of myself just to provide you with a bit of insight into my current situation.

I have 10 GCSE's. 3 A's, Biology, ICT and Business studies. 5 B's English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry and 2 C's, Religious Studies and Media Studies.
I literally put zero effort into getting these GCSE's and didn't really revise at all, I was pretty lazy and didn't really realise the significance that qualifications would have when I apply for jobs in the future. To put it into perspective I went into my English exam (Lit or Language, I don't recall which is which) without even reading the book. I was next level lazy.

I went to do my A levels straight after school when I was 16 and took Chemistry, Biology, Applied ICT and Applied Business Studies. I did alright in these classes, and got good grades in the coursework for the applied subjects, however my lack of revision started to show towards the end of the year in all of my classes when we began to take mock tests. Previously I had gotten A's and B's in most of my mocks that covered the module we had just covered, but now when it came to repeating the whole test, my lack of revision showed and I frequently was getting U's, E's and D's. Clearly being the idiot I was, I ignored these warning signs, thinking I had two more months of classes to improve my grades. As you can expect, I failed my first year of AS levels miserably. I only got 2 C's in the applied subjects, and that was probably only because I scored top marks in the course work. The other two subjects were U's.

After that train wreck of a year, it occurred to me that I need to try harder and revise this time around, good idea right? This year round I took Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry, and repeated the whole process from scratch again. I thought that with my head in the game, I would be able to get somewhat decent grades in the subjects this year. I did end up revising that year, however unfortunately I found out that my granddad fell terminally ill with lung cancer, and as his condition deteriorated, my revision and concentration also did. My exam results for that year turned out as a C in Biology, a C in Chemistry and a U in Mathematics. I gave up on continuing college after those results as at the time I wasn't very pleased with myself, I knew I could do better but I had failed.

I dropped out of college with the intentions to get a job, however it seemed near impossible as most employers either want work experience in their field or qualifications at the very least. I had neither in their eyes. I had applied for multiple apprenticeships and job positions anywhere and everywhere over that year and got nowhere. Half the time I never even got a reply from the companies. I just slumped into a bit of a depression at my lack of future opportunities and gave up on everything I guess after a while. Being rejected from even the most basic of jobs hit me pretty hard, and I spent the most part of a year ignoring my current situation.

This September that has just gone provided me with the opportunity to get a Christmas job as they require no experience at all. So I got a job working in Argos for three months and then was let off with the rest of the Christmas staff at New Years.
I'm now a new month into job hunting, and to be honest, I'm in the same situation as last time where none of the companies will even bat an eye in my direction. So now I am looking into the idea of attempting to get into university after my friend told me it is possible to get onto a course without A-levels. Although I will most likely have to do an extra year.

I don't really have any amazing feats of achievement, or amazing hobbies which will completely blow university recruiters off their feet, so is it possible for someone like myself to get onto one of these courses? I just want to know a bit more about them, where I could apply for them and when I should apply for them if anyone has any knowledge about the topic. I'm not particularly sure which subject I would like to study, but right now I'm considering something business or IT related. Tips for deciding which course is right for me would be extremely helpful too.

I would rather not attend a college again as I'm not really sure that I would enjoy the company of 16 year olds again for the most part. However I would be willing to if that is the only option available to me.

Sorry for the enormous life story, I'm not sure if it's relevant or not, I just thought it is best to give an overview that led me to my current situation. Thank you in advance for any helpful replies you have to offer.

You genuinely seem like a very nice person. I'm sorry to hear that things haven't gone your way. I will pm you tomorrow and share some of my misery and maybe it'll make you feel slightly better

I'm not sure what I did to give you that impression but thank you. I appreciate the compliment. You seem pretty awesome yourself, I look forward to it.

you seem like a capable dude, you should be able to get an apprenticeship if you keep trying. some areas are in desperate need for apprentices and beg for anyone no matter their background. or like you say there could be a foundation year at uni that will take you. failing that maybe you could take a night class or something to give you a bit of an edge. it is demoralising as hell to get rejected so much, but I try to see it as a test - success is usually one step beyond failure, and only those who keep going will find it. most give up, but you won't, and that is what makes you successful. if it was easy to obtain then employers wouldn't care if you had it or not.