BTEC Nationals (QCF) in Technical Baccalaureates (2018 completions)
An important notice for centres intending to use BTEC Nationals (QCF) as part of a Technical Baccalaureate (Tech Bacc).
In order to be eligible for use as the vocational component of a Technical Baccalaureate, qualifications must be included on the Department for Education’s list of Tech Level qualifications for the year in which students’ achievement are reported.
No BTEC Nationals (QCF) qualifications are eligible for the 2018 list, so if you are registering students on a two year programme from September 2016, for completion in 2018, you will not be able to claim the Tech Bacc as part of your centre’s Performance reporting.
Are other BTEC qualifications eligible for use in Technical Baccalaureates (2018 Results)?
DfE expects to publish the final list of Tech Level qualifications (2018 Results) by Easter. Two BTEC qualifications have already been confirmed as being included, and the final list will confirm the full availability of BTEC Tech Levels.
Can I still offer BTEC Nationals (QCF) to my students in combination with other qualifications?
Yes. The Tech Bacc combination of qualifications remains valuable for many students, even if it does not lead to an official Tech Bacc achievement for performance tables. You can still offer BTEC Nationals (QCF) alongside a Level 3 Maths qualification and an Extended Project as part of a balanced programme of learning. As the Tech Bacc is a performance measure rather than an actual award made to a student, the fact that the BTEC National (QCF) is not on the Tech Level list has no impact on an individual’s progression to Higher Education or employment
