BTEC Higher Nationals

Recent articles

  • Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) Consent Grid

    When to speak to us about your HTQ submission

    Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are new qualifications which require approval from the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE). Pearson, as well as other institutions in England, submit qualifications to IfATE in cycles: the first focused on digital subjects and our HND in Computing (2022) was awarded HTQ status in that round.  

    Higher education providers with and without validating powers can be involved in the approval and delivery of Higher Technical Qualifications. We’ve outlined some of the ways institutions can engage with us in this article, and the consent grid document.

  • What are Higher Technical Qualifications?

    Higher Technical Qualifications, or HTQs, are technical qualifications that are at the higher education level. The BTEC Higher Nationals qualifications (HNs), which are already developed in collaboration with industry, are submitted to be recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) as Higher Technical Qualifications.

  • Sustainability is education. Education is sustainability.

    Sustainability. It shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s one of the biggest buzzwords in today’s society. But it shouldn’t just be a buzzword, it should be a movement driven by individuals, organisations, governments and charities. There has been plenty written and presented about why sustainability is important - a plethora of resources can be found at the click of a button. So instead, let’s focus on what needs to be done to educate the workforce of today and tomorrow, and embed sustainable thinking into all corners of life. 

  • Six benefits of professional body membership

    There are various professional bodies and organisations around the world that are vital to upskilling individuals and preparing them for the world of work. In fact, a report from 2015 refers to them as the “unsung heroes in contributing to society. 

  • Pearson Higher Technical Qualification in Computing boosts digital workforce needs

    IfATE approval for our BTEC Higher National Diploma helps address skills gap.

    At Pearson we have long understood the need for high quality vocational and technical education and our BTEC Higher Nationals qualifications have led the way both in the UK and internationally for many years. To that end we have followed with interest the recommendations from the DfE Review for qualifications at Levels 4 and 5.

  • Thoughts on blended learning after lockdown

    Whilst we all navigate through a world that has gone through monumental shift due to the pandemic, it would be remiss to say that many sectors in our world have not been wildly affected. In fact, some countries are still dealing with current and past reverberations of the impact COVID-19 has left on their industries and sectors, and as a collective, we will all be dealing with these reverberations for a while to come.