The Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) is a provider of secondary school leaving qualifications and further education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. While the T in BTEC stood for Technical, according to the DfE (2016) it now stands for Technology.[1] BTECs originated in 1984 and were awarded by Edexcel from 1996.[2] Their origins lie in the Business Education Council, formed in 1974 to "rationalise and improve the relevance of sub-degree vocational education".[3] They are the responsibility of the Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education in the Department for Education.
BTEC qualifications, especially Level 3, are accepted by all UK universities (in many instances combined with other qualifications such as A Levels) when assessing the suitability of applicants for admission, and many such universities base their conditional admissions offers on a student's predicted BTEC grades.
A report by the Social Market Foundation in January 2018 found that more than a quarter (26%) of university applicants in England entered HE with at least one BTEC qualification.[4] The research found that BTECs provide a particularly significant route to higher education for specific groups, with almost half students entering university with a BTEC, alongside large numbers of students in specific regions, including the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, North East and West Midlands.[4] This followed a separate report published by HEPI in 2017 on BTECs and higher education.
Examples of qualifications include:
The BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma dates back to the 1930s as a full-time three-year course. After the Haselgrave Report, the Business Education Council (BEC) and Technician Education Council (TEC) took over the accrediting of this qualification (called the "Ordinary National Diploma") and others in the stable, such as the National Certificate, Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma. The portfolio of courses was integrated when the BEC and TEC merged to form BTEC.
The BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) was formed by the merger of the Business Education Council (BEC) and the Technical Education Council (TEC). The University of London Examinations & Assessment Council (ULEAC) and BTEC merged to form Edexcel.[5] [6]
The following Level 6,7 or 8 courses are known as BTEC Strategic Awards. The qualification names for Level 6+ courses changed dependent on whether they were awarded through the forthcoming National Qualification Framework (NQF) or the predecessor Qualification Credit Framework (QCF) and represent University level awards:
| RQF (2016) | QCF (2010) | A level size equivalence | Grading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTEC Level 6 Extended Diploma | BTEC Level 6 Extended Diploma | Bachelors | PPP to D*D*D* | |
| BTEC Level 6 Diploma | BTEC Level 6 Diploma | Bachelors | PP to D*D* | |
| BTEC Level 7 Foundation Diploma | BTEC Level 7 90-Credit Diploma | Masters | Pass to Distinction* | |
| BTEC Level 7 Extended Certificate | BTEC Level 7 Extended Certificate | Masters | Pass to Distinction* | |
| BTEC Level 8 Certificate | BTEC Level 8 Certificate | PhD | Pass to Distinction* |
The following Level 3 courses, known as BTEC National Diplomas, are intended for those with five or more GCSE grades A*-C including English, mathematics and science. The qualification names for Level 3 courses changed dependent on whether they were awarded through the forthcoming National Qualification Framework (NQF) or the predecessor Qualification Credit Framework (QCF):
| RQF (2016) | QCF (2010) | A level size equivalence | Grading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma | BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma | PPP to D*D*D* | ||
| BTEC Level 3 Diploma | BTEC Level 3 Diploma | PP to D*D* | ||
| BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma | BTEC Level 3 90-Credit Diploma | Pass to Distinction* | ||
| BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate | BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma | Pass to Distinction* | ||
| BTEC Level 3 Certificate | BTEC Level 3 Certificate | Pass to Distinction* |
The following Level 2 courses, known as BTEC Firsts, are intended for students at GCSE level as a vocational equivalent. There are no BTEC courses for English, or mathematics. Students who do not achieve the minimum Level 2 Pass grade will receive a Level 1 Pass in the given qualification equivalent to GCSE grades D-E and therefore does not count to the A*-C measurement system. The qualification names for Level 2 courses changed dependent on whether they were awarded though the current National Qualification Framework (NQF) or the predecessor Qualification Credit Framework (QCF):
| NQF (2012) | QCF (2010) | GCSE size equivalence | Grading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTEC Level 2 Diploma | No equivalent | 4 x GCSEs | PPP to D*D*D* | |
| BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate | BTEC Level 2 Diploma | 3 x GCSEs | PPP to D*D*D* | |
| BTEC Level 2 Certificate | BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate | 2 x GCSEs | PP to D*D* | |
| BTEC Level 2 Award | BTEC Level 2 Certificate | Pass to Distinction* |