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BBC News
08-08-2025
- Business
- BBC News
BTecs: What are they and how are they graded?
Hundreds of thousands of students will soon know what grades they achieved in their BTecs. Results day is approaching for lots of students, but some BTec results have already been published, depending on the course. The final BTec national results, which combine all unit grades, are often released at the same time as A-level results day - which this year is Thursday 14 three BTec qualifications are A-level equivalents, aimed at people interested in working in a particular industry, such as engineering, hospitality or childcare. What are BTec Firsts and BTec Nationals? A BTec, which stands for the Business and Technology Education Council, is a practical qualification. Courses are assessed through exams, regular coursework and projects, and sometimes Firsts are Level 2 qualifications, meaning they are equivalent to GCSEs. Students often take a mixture of the two. They can be helpful for people trying to get into further education Nationals are Level 3 qualifications, so can be taken alongside or instead of are studied over one or two suggests one in four students use them as a route into university, while others gain occupation-specific skills and go straight into employment. How are BTecs graded? BTecs are graded on a scale:Starred Distinction/Distinction Star (D*)Distinction (D)Merit (M)Pass (P)Some BTecs are worth two or three normally receive their results on the same days as A-level and GCSE students, but some receive them before this. Who takes BTecs? There are approximately 280,000 students studying at least one Level 3 applied general qualification, according to the Sixth Form College Association.A further 200,000 are estimated to be doing BTec Firsts and other BTec and social care and applied science are among the most popular BTecs. Other subjects include construction, electrical engineering and art and Nationals can be sat by any age group. In fact, most are taken by those over the age of 22 as they develop practical career are particularly popular among white working class students, according to research by the Social Market Foundation think vocational courses are available in the UK, including National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), TechBacs, Cambridge Technicals and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). How are BTecs changing? In 2020, there were more than 12,000 vocational qualifications at all levels, offered by more than 150 awarding bodies, according to Ofqual, which oversees qualifications in by former Conservative governments to streamline post-16 education had meant many BTecs and other Level 3 courses were due to lose their funding, to make way for the Labour government paused and reviewed the plans, and has since announced that 157 qualifications will no longer be scrapped as include "key courses" in "important sectors", the DfE said, such as agriculture, engineering, manufacturing and health and social have had funding confirmed until July 2026 and others until July government also confirmed that more than 200 qualifications with "with low or no enrolments" would still have funding withdrawn from 1 August Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said that "for A-levels and T-levels to be the only two qualification pathways post-16 would have failed to meet the needs and ambitions of many students".The government has confirmed the rollout of T-levels will the first three years, T-levels have faced delays, high dropout rates and an exam board being fined £300,000 over "major failings" with the are T-levels and what are the grades worth?What is an apprenticeship and how much are apprentices paid?
BBC News
18-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Myerscough College to close 'unique' campus building
A Lancashire college has confirmed plans to close one of its College said it had made the decision to shut its site at Witton Park in Blackburn at the end of July following a period of move has been condemned by the University and College Union (UCU) which said staff were "angry and devastated" by the decision, pointing out how it offered "unique" classes in animal care subjects.A college representative said both Myerscough and Blackburn with Darwen Council "remain committed to supporting resident learners affected through the transition". Founded in 1894 as the Lancashire County Institute of Agriculture, Myerscough College is one of the oldest further education institutions in the UCU said 12 permanent staff and several more on temporary contracts were at risk of redundancy unless they accept alternative jobs at the college's main campus in Bilsborrow, Preston. 'Transition plan' General secretary Jo Grady claimed the college had "rejected all the suggestions UCU made that would have enabled this much-loved centre to remain open".The college said it had explored all viable options."Our shared priority remains to minimise any disruption to their learning while seeking opportunities to support and enrich their overall experience," it said in a said a "transition plan" was in progress to ensure students can continue their studies either at the college's main campus or, depending on individual preferences, at another suitable location."We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated and passionate staff based at the Witton centre," it added."Throughout the consultation process, it has been abundantly clear how much the site means to students, staff, and the wider community." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
A moment that changed me: I stopped drinking – and realised what friendship really meant
The conversation began with an apology. I'd rehearsed it many times, trying not to sound too defensive or pitiful. I'd walked through every potential rejection that might come as a result of letting my friend Gillian into a side of my life I'd tried hard to keep hidden. But she had just told me that she wanted to come to visit me in New Haven, so I was cornered. 'I'm sorry,' I said. 'I'm sober now.' I felt embarrassed. 'I have stopped drinking,' I added, to clarify. 'If you visit, I can't drink with you.' In the pause that followed, I imagined her politely trying to work her way out of coming to see me, now that our favourite thing to do together wasn't an option. 'Thank God,' she said. 'You were a nightmare when you drank.' That's the good thing about true friends: they're more likely to be honest than polite. I met Gillian in a pub in Glasgow in 2016, treating my hangover with a vodka and Diet Coke at 11am. We connected over the inevitable heartbreaks and uncertainty we were living through during our mid-20s and our plans to pursue further education in the US, and we got drunk together – often. Drinking had always been practical for me. Without effort, it dissolved the self-conscious, self-critical and awkward parts of myself. It was my support for social situations and making friends, something I had struggled with since secondary school. I'd heard about people who had this kind of relationship with alcohol and that, somewhere down the line, it becomes a problem. I thought I could delay that for as long as possible. I hid my emotional dependence on alcohol in plain sight. I made my drinking a performance, tidying up my sometimes bizarre, sometimes dangerous behaviour into fun anecdotes. I was the wildcard, the bohemian, the hedonist. My days were spent either hungover, drunk or looking to drink. There was a sense of community in that; I could always find someone in a similar headspace, recruit them to my cause and call them my friends. From centre stage, I didn't realise that the people closest to me were tired of The Lauren Show. With time, I started to realise that I drank even when I didn't want to, that I couldn't stop once I started, but I didn't think anyone else noticed. I still thought it was what made me interesting, creative, exciting – the reason people would want to be around me. In my last days of drinking, the anxiety that alcohol could no longer suppress turned to doom. I withdrew, watching the same episodes of BoJack Horseman on repeat in my bedroom. Early recovery was a lonely experience: I avoided most people for fear of what they would think of me as a sober person, someone to whom they could no longer relate. When I spent time with other sober people, I assumed they were just taking pity on me. When you stop drinking, you're confronted with the reasons you started. When Gillian arrived to see me in New Haven, I had to face the fact that I had long avoided emotional intimacy; I was uncomfortable being myself, even around those I loved. I felt vulnerable without alcohol as my armour and got my first taste of what actually goes into maintaining an adult friendship. Gillian and I filled our time together visiting libraries and museums, being present with each other, and talking about so much more than we did when we were busy piecing together nights out that I couldn't remember. To my surprise, we also laughed more during her visit than we ever had before. She wanted to spend time with me – and not a hologram of what I thought she wanted me to be. Alcohol wasn't the bonding agent I thought it was. In fact, it was the thing I was using to keep people at a distance. I realised that drinking was actually a barrier to making lasting connections, but sobriety wasn't – I just needed to get some practice. Friendship is an action and an experience, and trying to numb the parts I found uncomfortable meant I'd never truly experienced the benefits before. After Gillian returned home, I decided to approach my existing friendships with a bit more willingness and honesty. With new friends, whether they were sober or not, I could better get to know them, now that I was no longer obsessing about myself and how I was coming across. Entering my 30s, I have realised that friendship isn't something you can fall into and take for granted; it is a necessity. It's an age when many of us start families and take the next steps in our careers, while our parents often aren't as healthy as they used to be and you can't look for the adult in the room any more, because most of the time it's you. These realities require a support that alcohol can't offer, especially if it makes you unreliable, unpredictable or shut-down. Now when I tell friends – old and new – that I don't drink, I don't feel the need to apologise; I know we'll have a better time without the booze. No Lost Causes Club: An Honest Guide to Recovery, and How to Find Your Way Through It by Lauren McQuistin is published on 17 July by 4th Estate (£16.99). To support the Guardian, buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Further education lecturers in Northern Ireland strike pay deal
Unions have accepted a pay offer for further education lecturers, the Department for the Economy has Minister Caoimhe Archibald said the University College Union (UCU) and NASUWT, the teachers' union, had agreed to an offer of 5.5% for 2024/25.A 3% pay increase offer has been accepted for 2025/ this month, the UCU had said the offer of 5.5% "fell short" of pay parity with teachers. Archibald said she was pleased the offer had now been accepted."I commend the further education colleges and trade union representatives for their constructive engagement to bring about this multi-year pay deal," she said."This brings an end to industrial action, benefiting staff and students alike."
