No tuition fees are charged for BTEC qualifications; instead of paying to take an exam at the end, the fee is charged at the beginning for the external certification built over three years and awarded to students at the end, according to an Edexcel statement yesterday.
The statement aimed to clarify any confusion people may have since the issue of the pilot research by the Ministry for Education to bring vocational courses to Maltese schools, how the qualifications work and the fees charged arose.
Edexcel, the UK’s largest awarding body, offers academic and vocational qualifications and testing to schools, colleges, employers and other places of learning in the UK and internationally.
The continuous assessment, the relevant and practical experience and the fact that BTEC qualifications are made up of units, are three factors that make BTEC popular with teachers, parents and students alike, according to the statement.
Although exams are a solution for some students, in some cases continuous assessment is more encouraging. In BTEC qualifications, the progress is measured throughout the course and students have the chance to gauge their own performance, which often means they are more engaged and motivated, as they can see the progress being made.
They combine a more practical, real-world approach to learning with a theoretical background, the statement said.
They are also ideal for students with a clear vision of their career path, who want a head start in gaining significant experience. At the same time, they suit students who are still unsure of where they want to go.
Employers value BTEC’s so much, the statement said, that recent UK figures showed those who gained a Level 2 BTEC benefited from one of the highest average wage returns of any Level 2 vocational qualifications.
Furthermore, each BTEC qualification is made up of units, the number depending on the level and size of BTEC being studied. This means that a student can take a BTEC Level 2 qualification alongside O levels, mixing traditional academic qualifications with more vocational ones.
The statement said that Edexcel is proud of its 20-year history of working with Malta, both in the provision of academic examinations and vocational qualifications to Maltese learners through schools and MCAST.
The statement said that in the last year alone, more than a million students enrolled on a BTEC course to help them achieve their goals, including over 320,000 from secondary schools across Europe on the Level 2 (MQF Level 3) BTEC qualifications.
Edexcel said it wants to continue working with Malta’s schools and places of learning and offer its qualifications. It is unanimous that better vocational education would be a good thing for young people in Malta and for schools and Edexcel is looking forward to working with the Maltese ministry on this pilot research to make that a possibility.
PL for introduction of
vocational subjects, but against fees
The need to introduce vocational subjects is something the Labour Party has been insisting on for years, but it doesn’t agree that this should be against payment, Labour Party spokesperson for Education, Evarist Bartolo said.
Mr Bartolo, addressing a press conference yesterday, said the PL is in favour of the introduction of BTEC courses but since these are going to be introduced at an obligatory level of education there should be no obstacles, such as fees.
More so when the National Commission for Higher Education confirmed that 40 per cent of students are not continuing their studies after secondary school. It does not make sense that fees are charged, as this won’t be an exam fee, but a fee for BTEC’s work.
The Labour Party was taking a clear stand on this issue, he said, as it disagreed with the government that fees should be imposed for these vocational subjects in state schools. If one looks at the UK, he said, the state is financing the BTEC courses to avoid burdening students, but the Maltese government wants to do the opposite.
The fact that the government went ahead with the decision to introduce these courses in secondary schools in 2011/2012 without consulting teachers or parents was also criticised by Mr Bartolo.
Not only is it important that teachers are trained properly, he said, but the PL also believes that these vocational courses must have the necessary resources.