Higher Nationals Newsletter December 2022
Your bumper December newsletter.
2022 BTEC Award Winners
A few weeks ago we held the 2022 BTEC Awards in London where we welcomed award winners from across the globe!
We would like to give a special shout out to our Higher National award winners Lise-Mari Van Wyk (Adult Learner of the Year and Performing Arts Learner of the Year), Rebekah Woodend (Construction Learner of the Year), and Elizabeth Willis (Engineering Learner of the Year).
You can read all about the 2022 winners on our website.
New Higher Nationals in Space Technologies
Quality Assurance Update
Deletions for Higher Nationals
From 1 January 2023, deletions for all HNs, regardless of whether your programme follows an academic year, must be made within 49 days of the student starting the programme of study (not from the date of registration). From 1 January 2023 any deletions made 50 days or more after the student’s start date will not be eligible for a full refund. Read more about making deletions for HNs on our website.
Annual Programme Monitoring Review
The Annual Programme Monitoring Review (APMR) was released to Quality Nominees last week. This year the APMR is shorter and simpler, with less duplication and less written narrative required. The emphasis of the report has a centre level focus to reduce duplication, and time needed to complete. The deadline to complete the APMR is 25 February 2023. Read our Annual Quality Declaration FAQs on our support portal, for guidance on accessing and completing the AQD. For further assistance regarding the APMR please contact hnqa@pearson.com.
UK Higher National External Examiner Allocations
External Examiner allocations were released this week. Quality Nominees will receive contact from their External Examiners shortly where active students are registered on the programme.
Flexible delivery for Higher Nationals
HN Flex offers students the chance to study stackable skills from our full range of over 40 BTEC Higher National subjects. Learners can select up to 4 units from the range of HN qualifications that the centre has programme approval to deliver. This brings benefits such as:
- Enabling students the flexibility to gain knowledge, skills and behaviours in a more efficient and bite-sized way, without having to enrol on a full qualification.
- Giving your centre the chance to build relationships with local employers and attract more students, including mature learners looking to return to education.
- Possibilities for employers to build relationships with local centres to target specific skills and knowledge to rapidly upskill and reskill employees.
Find out more about HN Flex and how to start the approval process by heading over to our website.
We’re looking for employers to help design our qualifications
Industry input is crucial to us, which is why we are looking for employers and industry leaders to contribute to the development of our BTEC Level 1-5 qualifications, and T Levels.
If you work with, or know any employers that may be interested in collaborating with us to help shape new qualifications, please ask them to register their interest.
New Creative Media and Art and Design HNs
The following new qualifications have now been validated and will be published by the end of January 2023:
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Fine Art
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Photography
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Interior Design
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Product Design
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in The Animation Industry
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Visual Effects
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Graphic Design
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Fashion and Textiles
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Journalism
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Web Design
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Sound Media
- Pearson BTEC Higher National in Film and Television
These qualifications will be available for first teach from September 2023. The existing Creative Media and Art and Design Higher Nationals have been extended to August 2024. Training will be available from March 20223 and will be announced alongside the new specifications. The new specifications will be available on our website.
Please note the new Higher Nationals in Game/Games Design will be announced shortly.
Computing Pearson-Set assignment guidance
The Pearson-Set assignment guidance for Unit 6 – Planning a Computing Project has been updated to further reflect the delivery of the Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Criteria of the HN in Computing / Computing for England qualifications.
HN Global updates
New Agriculture Resources
We’ve expanded our Agriculture Resources Library with new resources covering Land-based Machinery and Technology, Automation, Robotics, Programmable Logic Controllers, and more.
New Engineering Support
We have created new tutor delivery pages and student subject pages to support the new Engineering Higher Nationals (first teach 2022) across Automation and Control Engineering, Computer Systems Engineering, Electrical Systems Engineering, Electronic Systems Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Systems Engineering and Space Technologies. We will continue to build these pages to support successful delivery.
Update for Music, Performing Arts, Sport and Sport & Exercise Sciences
Please note that our Music, Performing Arts, Sport and Sport and Exercise Sciences qualifications are being extended to August 2024 while we review any potential new developments for qualifications in these areas, taking into account new and potential HTQ’s in these areas.
Share your students successes
Do you know any Higher National graduates who have taken on new roles? If so, we’d love to hear from you to find out more and to share their story on our website. Get in touch with us and celebrate student success!
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