BTEC/T level/other vocational 25/26

[BTECnewbie]

Hello all. My DS will hopefully be starting a level 3 extended diploma in September (assuming he gets the grades). I know very little about BTECs having come through the A level route myself. So I’d love to have a support thread for parents of kids taking vocational qualifications this year.

Very similar here re: nasty comments

It’s a shame that there is such snobbery towards sixth form over college and A levels over vocational qualifications. There seem to be so many graduates out there struggling to find graduate level work whilst the country seems short of skilled people. My DS would be bored stiff doing A levels at 6th form and I’m not sure how getting a bunch of mediocre grades would be better than a decent BTEC in a field he is interested in. He’s hoping to get an apprenticeship afterwards as he isn’t interested in university.

@BTECnewbie
I agree. It's odd.
Dd initially went for A levels as thats what her school encouraged her to do, and it's what her sister did, and most of her friends have done.
It's quite amusing, really, the snobbery...
Dd got better gcse grades than many of her peers who are doing A levels 😃
I think dd convinced herself that the more local 6th form (still a bus ride away...) with a few people from school would be less scary/different.
But that was the problem...she wanted different.
She's 17 this month and was so done with her (very small) school.
She is very much enjoying not wearing uniform 😃

I've almost found myself caught up in the sixth form/college divide, wanting to say "DC got the grades for sixth form but chose college" so people wouldn't feel sorry for us.
It's so silly! He's already met some decent people at college and is way more relaxed and chilled than he was for the last two years at school.
Horses for courses.

I'd have much preferred an FE college at 16. My school was really rough and pretty rubbish (1980s!) but my parents could not have afforded transport out of area (I got a free bus to the school 6th form).
Living semi rurally really limited choices back then.

Omg.
The drama!
Dd is insisting dh take hundreds loads of photos for her annual transport pass! 🙄
She hasn't been happy with any of them so far...😃

Haha - this is us. Happily college took the ID photos at enrolment... but now we have the train photocard nightmare tomorrow.

Thoughts and prayers...

@OhCrumbsWhereNow
😫😃

Lovely email from college saying how well DD has,started on her Supported Internship (only 2 days in).
I had emailed concerns in advance due to home disruption (my DM now out of hospital and things have been fraught but extra care being organised and I can finally get home later today.)

She also took return bus yesterday which is planning for this year. Had only done it twice before at end of last term after 3 years due to stamina/anxiety.

A word from a teacher.

Those self study times are exactly that. In the first week or two you can think of them as a day off or a day to go shopping.

But when you start to get assignments you need that time to get the work done.

So DO NOT get your self a part time job on those days.

Good Luck to starters today!! 🤞💕🤞..

( sorry, I know / think, a few, but mad busy as DS19 leaving for Uni today so ….🙀😹!).

Thank you. Mine's got to do a work placement around her college days so the most she's looking at is getting a Saturday job!

Hope today goes well with DS19 - imagine it's going to be very emotional! x

Hi,

I am looking for some advice.

My dd is going to do a BTEC extended but is torn.

One is for performing arts at a place she is very unsure of, rather small group and not a school setting.

The other is a BTEC at her school but doing Creative Digital Media.

She is unsure about Creave digital media and wondered if anyone knew about this course. Her ultimate aim is Uni and then becoming a teacher..

My partner feels she will get more varied skills in Creaive digital Media but I am thinking she really enjoys being on a stage and is very confident performing.

My DD is struggling to decide and we have today.

I have tried to find out more about Digital Creative media production but wondered if anyone had thoughts on this.

@GianinaC
What does she want to teach?
If PA, then the PA btec would be a good choice (but I do understand the concern re: small groups/small provision)
If CM/media, then CM would be a good choice.
Does she like her current school?
Which subject is the best at?
Then, there is always the spectre of AI wrt CM future 😟

Best wishes ylto DS1! Edinburgh is a beautiful city 💙

@sashh
Dd has a pt job on a Saturday.
Luckily, she has always shown good self study in this subject so 🤞

@GianinaC As someone who has worked in the media and still has friends working in it, I wouldn't waste time studying creative digital media skills now – AI is replacing the need for humans to do digital media and killing off entry level jobs – by the time your DD graduates, her skills will be worthless. I would've thought a small group would be far better for her to hone her performing skills and really focus on what she loves. That's my 2p worth anyway!

Edited to add: I missed the bit about her wanting to teach. I think teaching a physical subject like performing arts will serve her better in the long run, because it's not something that can be easily done by AI!

(Yes, I am very AI focused. I think schools should be doing far more to steer students into subjects and careers that will still be AI-immune in five years, hence us being very happy our DD is studying animal care – AI can't muck out elephants or nurse baby sloths!)

DD did the L2 BTEC in Creative Media Production instead of a GCSE and really enjoyed it.

We also know a LOT of people doing L3 Extended BTECs in Performing Arts or Music as DD has been in the industry since she was 4.

Are you able to say which PA college it is? Also which pathway (MT/Theatre/General)?

Is your DD wanting to be a normal teacher (is normal the right word?) or a PA teacher?

Anyone on on this thread with a DD or DS studying ICT Level 3 extended certificate or similar? If so, do you think its a good route to a related career or uni? My son is only year 10 but am already hearing they might be replaced by T Levels.

I've not taught on the ICT BTEC but I think T levels will go the way of GNVQ and 'vocational A Levels'. Do you even remember them being a thing?

Employers and universities understand BTEC it has been around in one form or another since, well I think the 1950s.

@sashh haha, yes I remember GNVQs. Thanks for responding, understand its not that relevant to the thread.

I think it is extremely relevant to this thread! The Govt is preparing to publish the results of its in-depth look at the current education system and BTECs being replaced by T Levels are part of that review. The Tories were hellbent on scraping funding for BTECs so they could phase them out, because they wanted everyone to do T Levels instead. But Labour have paused it while the review is done, because T Levels simply aren't attainable for a lot of children. I'm optimistic they will stick with BTECHs but you never know.
https://feweek.co.uk/btec-survival-hope-after-level-3-policy-shift/

@SuperTrooper1111 thanks, that's actually good news. My son has a strong aptitude for I.T (predicted 9) but isnt great with revision cramming (will probably get 4 to 6s in other grades). He also would struggle with the subjects you'd typically pair with I.T at A Level such as physics and maths. So level 3 in ICT possibly alongside something else would suit him much better. Seemed like sods law that he's seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in 2 years only to be confronted with more limited options.

DS is doing an IT BTEC. His college has good onward courses/options so I am hopeful.
College also did a couple of T Levels, one of which which they stopped because they struggled to find the months of work experience needed for all the students.