The BTEC First Diploma is a vocational

Vocational education

Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...

 qualification taken in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 by young people aged 16 and over and by adults. The qualification is organised and awarded by the Edexcel

Edexcel

Edexcel, a UK company, is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards, and is wholly owned by the private-sector Pearson PLC, a UK-based media and publishing conglomerate. Its name is a portmanteau word derived from the words "educational" and "excellence"...

 Foundation within the BTEC

Business And Technology Education Council (BTEC)

The Business and Technology Education Council is the British body which awards vocational qualifications. Such qualifications are commonly referred to as "BTECs"....

 brand.

Qualification Overview

The BTEC First Diploma is a vocational qualification at Level 2. It is the equivalent of 4 GCSE grades A*-C.

The course is available from Edexcel

Edexcel

Edexcel, a UK company, is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards, and is wholly owned by the private-sector Pearson PLC, a UK-based media and publishing conglomerate. Its name is a portmanteau word derived from the words "educational" and "excellence"...

 and is in many different subjects. This qualification is mainly studied at further education colleges. The course is designed to give students a good grounding to progress onto the BTEC National Diploma in a related subject.

As BTEC stands for Business & Technology Education Council, the best known subjects for a the Diplomas are business

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

 and Information Technology

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

.

The course is assessed in units of which 6 consist in total. Students are graded on their understanding of the unit by the grading of either a pass, merit or distinction (highest achievable). Students who wish to progress onto a BTEC National Diploma will usually need to attain merit grades or above in order to meet the entry requirements, however, this can vary depending on the college.

Level

The First Diploma is regarded as equivalent in level to the GCSE. However some students who may have three grade Cs could progress onto a degree in a university providing that they have gained a distinction or a merit profile.

The usual entry requirements consist of a mix of GCSE

General Certificate of Secondary Education

The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...

 subject passes at grades D-G or better. Equivalent entry qualifications are also commonly accepted, including an appropriate BTEC Introductory Diploma with a merit grade or higher.

Subjects available

Animal Care

Art and Design

Business

Construction

Engineering

Health and Care

IT and Computing

Land-based

Media, Music & Performing Arts

Vehicle Technology

Science

Sport

Public Services

Travel and Tourism

Progression

Possible outcomes include:

• progression to a BTEC National Diploma course at a further education college
• progression into employment