This year around:

• 25,000 learners will have completed a Level 3 BTEC in Applied Science
• 25,000 in Health and Social Care
• 34,000 in Business
• 17,000 in IT and Computing
• 9,000 in Engineering
• 2,500 in Construction

As with A levels, vocational qualifications returned to the pre-pandemic assessment and grading process this year. Adaptations were made under guidance from the DfE and Ofqual, to reflect the challenges and disruption to education since 2020 and provide a safety net for this cohort.

BTECs are rigorous, future-focussed, and globally recognised qualifications that equip learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, behaviours, and confidence to succeed in a modern, skills-based economy. One in five UK working age adults have one or more BTECs, and 6 million learners have achieved a BTEC in the last decade.

The courses are developed hand-in-glove with employers. This approach ensures that not only are the learners set up for a successful transition into the workplace, but they will go into jobs that will help satisfy the UK economy’s widening skills gaps. For example:

• Providers across NHS England are reporting a shortage of over 100,000 staff - 25,000 BTEC students are qualifying in Health and Social Care this year.
• The majority of jobs on the Home Office Immigration Rules Shortage Occupation List (2022) are in either STEM-related roles or industries – over 50,000 BTEC students are graduating in STEM-related subjects this year.
• Meanwhile the Construction Industry Training Board estimated in 2021 that 230,000 new skilled workers are required to meet the demand for new infrastructure and housing projects in the UK - a subject in which around 2,500 students are graduating with BTECs in this year.

Freya Thomas Monk, Senior Vice President for Vocational Qualifications and Training at Pearson, said: “Vocational students across the country can be enormously proud of their results. I would like to congratulate them, and those who have supported them, on their achievements today. Whatever their next step entails – be it an apprenticeship, full-time employment or university – they are set up for success and should feel tremendously deserving of the recognition they are receiving today.”

BTEC Esports students to receive results for the first time

This is the first year that 750 students will receive results for the Level 3 BTEC in Esports, launched in 2020 to support demand for skilled employees in this growing industry. The sport is expected to generate global revenues of over $1.5bn by the end of next year. The BTEC in Esports, the first of its kind worldwide, includes units in transferable skills such as entrepreneurialism and event management as well as more sector specific subjects like esports strategy and ‘shoutcasting’. The learners who complete it will be uniquely positioned to satisfy the inevitable demand for a talented, knowledgeable workforce in this major industry of the future.

T Level students receive results for the first time

This year was also the first in which around 1,000 students have completed T Levels, new technical qualifications broadly equivalent in size to three A levels, which have been developed in collaboration with employers to allow students to specialise more deeply in a specific occupation after GCSEs. The courses last two years, and T Level students spend 80% of the course in their learning environment, gaining the skills that employers need. The other 20% is an industry placement, where they put these skills into action.

Pearson delivered the Technical Qualification element of the T Level for two of the subject pathways in the first wave of the qualification roll out – supporting 400 students to complete their Technical Qualification in ‘Digital Production, Design and Development’ and over 250 students in ‘Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction'.

Employers from across multiple industries are congratulating BTEC students today

“Congratulations to everyone getting their BTEC results today who is working towards a career in the early childhood education and care. You’ll be joining a dedicated professional community of early years educators who have an amazing impact on children’s lives. Good luck with your next steps!”
Beatrice Merrick, CEO, Early Education

"Congratulations to all BTEC learners in Construction receiving their results today. BTECs give a solid foundation to start your career in the Construction industry. Not only are they a great route to surveying degrees and degree apprenticeships but they also help meet the growing need for more surveyors. The next gen is passionate about solving the world’s biggest problems and a BTEC will strengthen the likelihood of accessing careers such as surveying that will put them in a position to lead on this. The RICS wishes all BTEC learners the best on this exciting day!"
Sarah Noble, Head of Early Engagement and Enrolment, RICS

"Congratulations to all learners receiving their BTEC results today! Employers are always looking for new talent with right knowledge and skills and BTEC learners inherently bring the combination of soft skills and the technical and practical skills needed to build a successful career in the engineering industry."
Chris Lewis, Business Partnership Manager, EngineeringUK

“I’d like to say a huge congratulations to all certificating students who have received their results for the 2021-2022 academic year. The last few years have been difficult, especially in education. Your perseverance, resilience and dedication to your academic studies and personal development should not be underestimated. You should be extremely proud of the knowledge, skills, behaviours and experiences that you have developed through your esports studies. Wishing you the best of luck as you take your next steps into the variety of emerging careers within esports and the associated industries. I look forward to seeing your success stories as you pave the way for future generations.”
Kalam Neale, Head of Education, British Esports

ENDS

To find out more information on Pearson, BTECs, or T Levels, visit: https://www.pearson.com/uk/educators/fe-college-educators/about-btec/btec-news/btec-results.html

Notes to Editors

The assessment and grading process for BTECs this year
BTEC courses have a different structure and design to academic qualifications – BTECs are modular qualifications (with assessments taking place throughout the course) compared to GCSEs and A levels which are linear (assessed and awarded at the same time at the end of the year).

The aim of all awarding bodies has been to ensure fairness for learners by neither advantaging or disadvantaging any one group of students compared to their peers. Further information can be found here.

As the structure and assessment for BTEC and GCSE/A Levels are different, different mitigations had to be used to reduce the impact of the pandemic. For BTECs the safety nets in place for learners were:

• UTAGs for assessments due to be taken in 2020/21.
• Streamlined assessment for up to 2 internal units, depending on size of BTEC qualification taken in 2021/2022.
• Reviewing where grade boundaries are set for BTEC external assessments, after marking was undertaken and in consideration of a variety of factors (including level of demand of the assessments, context in which they were undertaken).
• Special considerations for those who miss external assessments and cannot sit them later, or for those eligible whose exam performance was affected.