This summer students have received more than 390,300 certificates for 131 Technical Award and Technical Certificate qualifications used in DfE performance tables. 33,700 (8.6%) of these results were at the top grade available for that qualification.
Just over 378,300 Technical Award results were issued to students. Covering subjects such as construction and health and social care, these qualifications are typically taken alongside GCSEs and support progression to post-16 education. The number of students taking Technical Awards increased in the years leading up to the pandemic. This coincided with changes in the range of qualifications which were available to students at key stage 4 at the time. Accordingly, it is not meaningful to compare the pattern of results with previous years.
More than 12,000 Technical Certificate results were also issued to students. These are Level 2 qualifications that cover a range of subjects such as beauty therapy and accounting, taken by post-16 students. They equip students with specialist knowledge and skills, enabling entry to an apprenticeship, employment or progression to a higher level vocational or technical qualification. In some cases, they provide a ‘licence to practise’ or exemption from professional exams.
