BTECs have been designed with employers to provide career-related learning

  • BTECs promote employability skills identified by 2017 research2 undertaken by Pearson, Nesta and Oxford Martin, including communication, teamwork and application of technical knowledge
  • As with previous years, around 100,000 BTEC students confirmed places at university this Autumn – approximately one in four students starting at university will have a BTEC
  • 90% of BTEC students are employed full-time after university graduation
  • 62% of large companies have recruited graduates with a BTEC
  • BTEC qualifications support higher employment rates and higher wage returns

Students’ subject choices increasingly match the future needs of the economy

  • At Level 3, the five most popular subjects on the new BTEC Nationals are Business, Health & Social Care, Applied Science, Information Technology/Computing and Sport
  • At Level 2, the five most popular subjects are Sport, Health & Social Care, Business, Performing Arts and ICT

Girls are leading the way into growth careers, and outperform boys overall

  • More female students than males are taking Applied Science, positioning them for careers such as medical research, and health & social care, in a context of significant demand across medical professions
  • Girls outperform boys in almost all subjects. 3.8% of female students achieved the top grade compared to 2.4% of male learners on the new Extended Diploma, and at level 2 on the First Award, 15% of females achieved the top-grade D*, compared with 9% of male learners

See also:
Universities now admitting twice as many BTEC students as they did a decade ago, figures show
Half of white working-class and black British students in England get into university with vocational qualifications such as BTECs