Vocational and Occupational Qualifications...

These courses are designed to teach students practically about a particular job area, they can lead to employment and higher education. The grades achieved from level 3 qualifications can be converted into UCAS tariff points, needed for entry to higher education. Use the Level 3 Course Comparison Table & UCAS Tariff table located at the bottom of this page to work out your points: Level 3 Qualifications

Vocational qualifications include...

• BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council) are specialist work-related qualifications. They combine practical learning with subject and theory content. The qualification is modular it is broken into individual or a group of units that students work through to eventually be awarded an overall grade.  Assessment is via internal and external assessments.  Students study specific topics to gain skills and knowledge in their subject area, then put those skills into practice in real-life scenarios. A BTEC at levels 1 and 2 are equivalent to GCSEs. The BTEC level 3 equivalent is A-Level. You study a BTEC alongside A-levels, or you can do a standalone BTEC at college or sixth form.

• CTECs (Cambridge Technical Certificates) are equivalent to BTECs in almost every way except that they are released by a different exam board. BTECs are run by Pearson, whereas OCR opted to create their own version of the qualification called a CTEC, short for Cambridge Technicals. These are not as common as BTECs, but some schools and colleges find the information provided by OCR easier to understand and teach than Pearson.

• UAL (University of the Arts London) - offers qualifications in Art and Design, Fashion Business and Retail, Creative Media Production and Technology, Music Performance and Production, and Performing and Production Arts.  UAL qualifications are vocational qualifications designed with education and industry partners, to provide students with the latest knowledge and skills.

• WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) are equivalent level 3 qualifications, the most common WJEC in the local area is Criminology which is equivalent to one full A level.

The characteristics of vocational qualifications are usually group projects, unit based assignments, ongoing assessments, coursework and possibly work experience.

Industry (sector specific) qualifications include...

• AQA Technical (Reformed) - these are for people aged 16+, they are sector specific qualifications, they are equivalent to A levels and recognised by employers.

• City & Guilds - offers industry specific qualifications at all levels and across 25+ industries.  City & Guilds qualifications are designed to be undertaken both in the workplace or in the classroom or as a combination of the two.

• NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) - is work-based learning, this means students gain knowledge and experience in a workplace but also study in a school, college, training centre or university depending on the level of qualification. NVQs are available from entry level through to level 7. NVQs involve developing work-based competencies and the achievement of standards, from a range of job-related tasks and activities that are designed to test students ability to do a job effectively. Culminating in an end-point assessment to determine if students have the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to pass the NVQ.

Useful Websites & Resources... 

UCAS

If you have a degree subject in mind, you can check out the entry requirements on UCAS.

Level 3 Course Comparison Table & UCAS Tariff

Level 3 Course Comparison Table.