You may have heard of them,you may know someone who has done one. They're called BTECs and in 2007 more than one million learners registered to do one. But how does a BTEC work and does it really lead to career progression?

If you’re contemplating a career in engineering, health and social care, IT, graphic design, business, construction or any other profession, university isn’t the only option available to them.

Vocational qualifications can often deliver the same career outcomes as the more traditional academic qualifications.

BTECs are vocational qualifications suitable for a wide range of learners, built to accommodate a broad spectrum of learner ambitions. They provide a more practical, real-world approach to learning alongside a key theoretical background .They can be taken as well as or in place of GCSEs and A-levels in schools and colleges.

Some vocational qualifications have the reputation of being second best to academic routes, but BTEC qualifications are studied internationally and widely recognised by industry and employers in this country and around the world. They offer natural progression, whether it be directly into the workforce, into anacademic environment (university) or into a more specialist vocational area.

BTECs are also a great alternative for getting straight to higher education – completing a BTEC National is the equivalent of three A-levels.

BTECs are offered for an extensive range of industries and services including Arts and Media, Business, Computing and IT, Construction and Engineering, Health and Care, Hospitality, Land and Environment, Science, Sport and Leisure and Travel and Tourism.

Each BTEC is made up of a number of units. The number of units is dependent on the level ofqualification. In order to obtain a BTEC, learners achieve units by submitting assessments,often based on case studies and real-life work undertaken individually but also in teams, and they can incorporate work placements.

BTECs continued to be developed and updated in response to the need and skills required by employers. This ensures that learners gain maximum benefit from their work whilst qualifying; and the qualifications stay up to date and relevant.

Many learners complete BTEC qualifications through colleges or schools, whilst others will be introduced to BTECs through apprenticeship programs and workplace training programmes run by UK and international organisations.

Over the last 20 years, millions of people have achieved BTECs across a range of industries.

BTECs are delivered in local colleges so learners do not have to travel far to gain a qualification. Since it’s usually possible to study near home,students can often also make financial savings.

Parents play a major role in guiding teenagers’ choices when they leave school. According to a survey undertaken by Edge, an educational charity which promotes vocational learning, 57 per cent of parents urge their child to pursue A-levels and go to university. Yet, nearly a quarter of graduates are doing a job that didn’t require a degree at all.

Fewer than 25 per cent of parents know anything about many of the other options available, like further education, apprenticeships and jobs that offer workplace learning and vocational degrees.

Edexcel has developed the BTEC Guide for Parents to assist parents and students who want to learn more about BTECs. The guide includes information about how the courses are structured and the types of careers that these qualifications can lend themselves to.

If you would like a copy of this guide, please visit www.edexcel.org.uk/btecparentsguide
or call Megan Fitzgerald on 020 7190 5191
or email megan.fitzgerald@edexcel.org.uk