NCFE Level 3 Performance Skills suite

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.

These qualifications provide students with a structured and challenging individualised learning programme that supports their development and progression in line with their future career plans.

They are the substantial qualification component of the study programme and enable progression into further training and education or employment in the performance industry. 

They aim to:

• develop students’ understanding of a variety of approaches to performance
• provide students with a chance to give and receive feedback on aspects of their own and others’ performance skills
• develop students’ understanding of the performance industry

The objectives are to help students to:

• develop their specialist knowledge and skills in a chosen area of performance
• pursue further training or employment in the performance industry

Students will develop generic, transferable skills, such as planning, health and safety, giving and receiving feedback.

In addition, the requirement to complete optional units means that students are able to develop more specialist knowledge and skills in a chosen area of performance. 

For those who wish to study at a higher level, the qualifications will enable them to develop higher level learning skills such as independent working, research, self-reflection and collaborative learning.