Alice Barnard, Chief Executive of Edge, wrote an interesting article for fenews.co.uk which references Nick Hillman, HEPI Director who is quoted as saying: “It is a good thing that these people [BTEC students] are going into higher education. But they do have clearly a slightly different background to people who have done A-levels.”
There has been a historic snobbery in this country, one where the A-Level is perceived as the course for the ‘bright kids’, one could argue that is euphemism for ‘privileged kids’. However, the establishment, another euphemism for universities, has often viewed the BTEC with suspicion, its something ‘poor people’ undertake. That said, in light of Government aims to further embed employability into higher education a vocational education at college may be the ideal start for the modern learner. Certainly, A-levels are hard and so they should be as they are the elite L3, post compulsory qualification in this country. On the other hand, we have employability based BTECs and it is true that entry criteria is not as high, candidates still need 4 good GCSEs to be enrolled but the qualification is highly embedded with employability skills relevant to the sector. These two different qualifications are aimed at two very different audiences.
For example, the fundamental difference between an A Level in Media, for example, and BTEC in Media is actually very simple… the A Level student can write you an excellent essay comparing the opening sequence from Baz Lurhman’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Franco Zeffirelli‘s Romeo and Juliet (1968) where as the BTEC Media student can put you together a multi-camera live broadcast using industry standard professional equipment. At best, the A-Level Media student might be able to put together something via a handheld camera and Microsoft movie maker but work in TV they won’t.
Now, as Alice points out, HEPI consistently make the case for widening access to Higher Education – and yet comments such as those by Nick Hillman simply perpetuate the unhelpfully simplistic stereotype that the clever kids take A levels while ‘these people’ from a ‘slightly different background’, study BTECs or other vocational qualifications.
Interestingly, according to UCAS, the number of university applicants with BTECs has been increasing in recent years, by 6,300 (18 per cent proportionally) from 2014, and by 13,970 (50 per cent proportionally) since 2011. That is significant numbers and it indicates that opportunities for widening participation are working in UK Universities and those who might not normally aspire to higher education, such as BTEC learners, are getting the opportunity.
However, Nick Hillman goes on to suggest that Further Education colleges should be providing better support for BTEC students, such as extra essay writing classes to bring them up to speed with their A-Level counterparts.
“I haven’t met an employer yet who has said that the ability to write an essay is top of their recruitment criteria.” Well said Alice.
If learners need more support then why are Universities not putting on additional study workshops? If learners need more support why are Universities allowing them onto these courses that they may fail without further support? Is it because of the money? Are ‘bums on seats’ more important to them?
The Further Education sector is very good at supporting learners something that the higher education sector could learn from, as indicated recently by the Universities Minister.
For balance, Nick Hillman has subsequently clarified his position on BTECs “I think BTECs can provide a good preparation for higher education and I think universities should do all they can to support BTEC students once they are in.”
Take a look at Alice’s article via the link below?
JD
The Equality Blog 