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The UK Department for education is planning a move that scraps the majority of BTec qualifications by the year 2025. It’s been criticised by a huge number of educators, industry professionals and students across the board as a move that will block hundreds of thousands of young people out of higher education- and with educational attainment suffering more than a little across the board as a result of the global Covid-19 situation, it’s a distressing idea to think that even more people could miss out on a university education.
So… what’s a BTec?
‘BTec’ stands for Business and Technology Education Council. A BTec is a specialist work-related qualification that combines practical learning with assessed theory content. There are over 2,000 BTec qualifications available across 16 sectors, and they’re available from entry level through to level 7 (equivalent to postgraduate study). From applied science and art and design to media, land management, performing arts and travel, there are a lot of different qualifications that provide direct routes into a number of careers. They’re designed to help students develop real-world knowledge, experience and skills that relate to their chosen sector, and give them a vocational headstart in their new career.
Who does a BTec?
Literally everybody. The travel agent you spoke to about swapping your flights last week? BTec. The personal trainer fella who’s responsible for the weekly torture session you sometimes call your spin class? BTec. The lady who designs everything from the car you drive to work to the fancy folding chairs in the break room? BTec. Historically, they’ve been seen as qualifications preferred by people whose strengths lie more in specific knowledge and technical skills as opposed to exams and academia - but realistically, everybody does them. There’s approximately 259,300 people in England enrolled on a BTec course this year – about 30% of people in 16-19 study. They’re sometimes seen as being more accessible for people from low income backgrounds as they can lead into apprenticeship routes that allow people to earn as they learn and train. Many people also choose a BTec route if they want to study further but move away from an entirely exam and coursework based system, and be assessed on practical skills as well as written ones.
Can you get into university with them? What about A-Levels?
BTec qualifications are accepted by most UK universities as an equal alternative to an A-Level, however many require applicants to have A-Levels too – it’s best to check with your uni’s admissions department when you’re starting your application if you’ve got any questions. A BTec is a route into university for thousands of people who feel that they wouldn’t excel at A-Level style study, or want to go in with skills as well as theoretical knowledge, and they’re very important gateway qualifications in the UK system.
So… why are they being scrapped?
The UK government want to try out a new system – under current proposals, they want to introduce a twin-track model of A-Levels and ‘T-Levels’, and between 2023 and 2025, de-fund and omit qualifications that they feel overlap or duplicate courses of study from the new T-Level system. That means BTecs – as well as a couple of other vocational systems too. It’s being explained by the Department for Education an attempt to ‘streamline’ post-16 education options, but many people have spoken out against the move.
Wait, wait. What’s a T-Level?!
A T-Level is a ‘Technical Level’ – they’re a new course that follows on from GCSE education. They’re equivalent to 3 A-Levels and take place over 2 years of study. They’ve been developed in collaboration with employers and businesses so that the content meets the needs of the industries that they feed into, and prepare students for working in those sectors. They’re similar in aspect to a BTec, but are updated and a little more tailored by the industries that they feed into. GOV.UK has a more in-depth run down of what they are, what you study, and who they’re designed for.
How do people feel about them?
At the moment… people are cautious. The plans have been criticised by senior figures at Ofqual, citing their inability to be mixed with A-Levels and other qualifications in the same way that BTec qualifications can, which could lead to many students missing out on university places. The same concerns are levied at the structure of the T-Level – they don’t have a final project, or a large coursework piece that allows students to display their skills in a demonstrable way that might be important for job applications or university admission systems.
People are also wary of how much of the course relies on a work placement, and the overall availability of high-level work placements that will allow people to develop the advanced skills they need to make a T-level translate post-education. There’s a geographic concern that well-connected colleges like those in London, Manchester and Birmingham will be able to offer a wide variety of placements, whereas ones in less economically diverse areas might only be able to offer them in the industries that predominate in that area – so somebody in a big city might be able to choose from any T-Level they want to pursue, whereas somebody who lives in a rural area might only be able to choose from a few. There have also been criticisms raised online about how the T-Level system represents an opportunity for unscrupulous business owners to take advantage of a subsidised training workforce, which might see students taking on a full job’s allocation of responsibility and labour in a role that’s actually designed to be training-based, and fitted around theoretical study.
Some groups have also raised the idea for colleges to offer high-quality, industry-relevant training, they need the correct workforce – which they might struggle to recruit, re-train and retain. As the Love Our Colleges campaign has shown, most colleges have seen a real-terms 30% funding cut, and many educators haven’t seen a pay rise in a long time.
What have educators said?
A group of eleven organisations in the sector have come together in opposition of the motion this week in the Protect Student Choice Campaign. These are groups representing students and staff in schools, colleges and universities, and they have written to the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, urging him to urgently reconsider the pruning of the BTec system.
Many industry professionals agree with their views. Speaking to the BBC, Geoff Barton, the general secretary for the Association of School and College Leaders said that it would be “reckless” of the government to deprive students of BTec options simply to clear a path for their new T-Level system, which is as of yet unproved and has been met with significant criticism. Speaking in terms of the BTec system’s impact on communities, he highlighted that the qualification often represents a route into careers and post-18 study for people who might ordinarily struggle to find a fulfilling role: “Applied general qualifications give many disadvantaged young people an established route to higher education, apprenticeships and future careers.”
Dr. Patrick Roach, the general secretary of NASUWT shares a similar point of view - “at a time when young people need more support than ever to realise and rebuild their futures, scrapping these qualifications is a retrograde step which will damage the prospects of the most disadvantaged students,” and that “we should be expanding the pathways for young people to succeed and flourish, not closing them off.”
It’s a hot topic at the moment, and many educators are unhappy about the prospect of losing the BTec from the post-16 options system. It’s one that many people in the industry will be following closely, and the criticisms levied at the move are serious and centre on issues at the heart of the new T-Level system.
We’ll keep you posted on any developments that take place – and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below too.
