A new qualification for an ever-changing world

Well, I can genuinely say that they are all on target and we are, according to our ‘SMART’ targets, making good progress. These new qualifications are nationally recognised and in fact they will be world class qualifications supporting the land-based industries within the UK and around the world.

What also makes these qualifications outstanding is how they not only support vocational education, which is what industry requires, but they also support and nurture students to progress their academic abilities (knowledge and skills) in an applied manner.

So what does this mean? Well what it means that a student who has successfully completed a BTEC Higher National Diploma or Certificate can not only talk about the subject in hand, but can also demonstrate in an efficient and effective working practice.

The new BTEC Higher Nationals are classified higher educational qualifications at level 4 (Certificate) and level 5 (Diploma). According to LANTRA, land-based businesses, on average, only employ between zero to five employees, which is understandable as it is made up of small businesses (farms, equestrian centres, plant nurseries, and so on) and in fact 48 per cent of land-based businesses do not employ anyone at all, relying on self-employed people to conduct their work via short term contracts and seasonal work.

With these statistics you can understand that a person working within the land-based industry not only needs to be competent in practical operations but also effective in making management decision as in many cases they have to be able to put their hand to all aspects of the job.

What is a worry is that the research demonstrates by 2020 there is a need for a further 250,000 people working within the land-based Industry to have level 4 and level 5 qualifications to meet the identified demand.

You can see why it is vital that new fit-for-purpose qualifications are developed to make sure the industry has the right supply of well qualified people entering it if it is going to compete in the world market.

I would very much like to thank the many businesses, professional and membership organisations who have given up a lot of their time helping the development of these new qualifications. This vital work is necessary to make sure the qualifications correctly and sustainable support the land-based industries in this ever changing world.

If you would like to know more please go onto the BTEC qualification web site or email me.

Chris Jones is involved in land-based education, training and mentoring