Choose BTEC to help your students achieve their potential
In recent years, the popularity of BTECs has really taken off. We received close to 1.7 million BTEC registrations between 2005/06 and 2007/08, and in schools, BTEC uptake grew by 260% over the same period.
In the last year alone, more than a million students enrolled on a BTEC course to help them along the way to achieving their goals and their dreams.
What explains this dramatic rise in popularity of BTECs? We believe it’s because teachers, parents and students have come to recognise and appreciate these three main factors:
- Exams work well for some students, but others find them rather daunting. BTEC students don’t take exams. BTECs provide a more practical, real-world approach to learning, alongside a key theoretical background. If you think a student may be put off by exams and might not realise their full potential by taking GCSEs, then BTECs or a mix of the two would make an excellent alternative for them.
- BTECs are ideal for students who have a good idea of their career path and want to make an early start, gaining relevant and practical experience. Yet they are also wide enough in content to suit students who are still not sure what they want to do.
- BTECs are proven, well-established, work-related qualifications that are recognised by universities and employers. Recent government figures showed that those who had gained a Level 2 BTEC enjoyed one of the highest average wage returns (salary improvements post-qualification) of any Level 2 vocational qualifications – which reflects just how highly employers value BTECs. And of course, BTECs are equivalent to GCSEs and A levels and are valued by higher education as well as employers, so students can progress as far as university if they choose.
Inspiring more learners
Many students, of all abilities, sometimes struggle to see how study is relevant to the real world of work. BTECs change that. The vocational learning style of BTECs is completely different from the more traditional routes. These work-related qualifications are highly engaging and a great way to improve the performance of A*-capable students as well as disengaged learners.
Rewarding hard work and effort
Students who are prepared to work hard will be successful on a BTEC course. Students’ success is measured throughout their course based on practical exercises. Assessment is ongoing, allowing the student to analyse and improve their own performance through their course, just like in a real workplace. As a result, students are more engaged and motivated, as they can see their own progress through the course rather than waiting until the end to sit their exam.
Flexible to fit in to and around your curriculum
Each BTEC qualification is made up of units, the number depending on the level and size of BTEC being studied. A student can take a BTEC First independently alongside their GCSEs, or work towards them both in the same subject area, mixing traditional academic qualifications with more vocational ones. Currently, over 2,500 schools are running BTECs alongside other qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels.