Vocational qualifications are either work-related qualifications designed to enable students to gain the skills required to perform a particular job, or qualifications that may be taken as part of a wider study programme or an apprenticeship.
Schools and colleges may offer qualifications that are not included in the DfE performance tables, if approved for teaching to 16-19 year olds by the Secretary of State for Education in England under Section 96, where this is in the best interests of individual students.
EAL’s suite of qualifications in engineering technologies have been specifically designed for students undertaking a range of pathways in an advanced apprenticeship, or 16 – 19 year old students in full-time education who are interested in pursuing a career in the engineering sector.
The qualifications are relevant to a range of occupations and job roles such as maintenance engineer, mechanical engineer, welder and/or fabricator, and electrical and/or electronic engineer. They may also be suitable for other students, including adults, who are interested in engineering technology and/or are considering a career change, or progression to a higher education course.
EAL is the specialist skills partner and awarding body for industry, offering a large number of qualifications across a range of sectors, including, engineering, manufacturing and construction.
EAL has also developed a Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Engineering Technology, which meets the requirements for Tech level qualifications for inclusion in performance measures, with which these qualifications share the same unit content. UCAS has published a separate QIP for the EAL Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Engineering Technology.
Additionally these qualifications have advanced mathematics and science content, and advanced knowledge and understanding of the practices and processes of engineering technologies, which provide a platform for a student to progress to a higher education course.
Sub Diploma, Diploma and Extended Diploma: Pass, Merit, Distinction
Technical Extended Diploma: Pass, Merit, Distinction, Distinction*
Externally set and externally marked online examinations for:
- Engineering and environmental health and safety (40 minute examination sat in exam conditions)
- Students are assessed against four learning outcomes within the Engineering and environmental health and safety unit:
- Understand health and safety roles and responsibilities
- Understand the application of health and safety in the engineering environment
- Understand the safe moving and storing of materials
- Marks are allocated in accordance with the detailed externally set marking criteria.
- All examinations are subject to moderation.
All mandatory units in one of the pathways (Externally set and internally marked)
- Specific assessment time is given within each of the units that make up the optional pathway.
- Students are assessed against all of the learning outcomes within all of the units within the specified optional pathway.
- Marks are allocated in accordance with the detailed externally set marking criteria.
- All assessments are subject to moderation.
There are a number of key considerations for HEPs when reviewing vocational qualifications that are not listed on the DfE 16-19 performance tables for England:
- Some of these qualifications are occupational, and may not be designed specifically for progression to HE.
- Applicants holding these qualifications may be school or college leavers, however, some may be more mature students who are likely to have other relevant experience alongside these qualifications.
- These qualifications may have been taken as part of a wider study programme or an apprenticeship.
- If they are presented for admission to HE it is likely to be in conjunction with other qualifications.
The first cohort with the suite of EAL Level 3 Diplomas in Engineering Technologies completed their qualifications in June and July 2017, for application to higher education for September 2017 entry.
Students may combine the suite of EAL Level 3 Diplomas in Engineering Technologies with other qualifications, such as AS and A levels, BTECs or Cambridge Technicals.
Further information on the suite of EAL Level 3 Diplomas in Engineering Technologies can be found here:
http://eal.org.uk/record/2580-subsidiary-diploma-in-engineering-technologies
http://eal.org.uk/record/2579-engineering-technologies
http://eal.org.uk/record/2582-engineering-technologies
http://eal.org.uk/record/2618-level-3-technical-extended-diploma-in-engineering-technologies