Cambridge Technicals are vocational qualifications, offered by

Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) is an examination board that sets examinations and awards qualifications (including GCSEs and A-levels). It is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards. OCR is based ...

(OCR) in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and

Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...

(CIE) internationally; both are part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment. These qualifications are intended for

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

students age 16 to 18 who want to study a practical, work-related curriculum. In the UK's ''Qualifications and Credit Framework'' ( QCF) a Tech Level 2 qualification is equivalent to a

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

, and a Level 3 is equivalent to an

A Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...

. The qualifications are designed with the workplace in mind and provide a high quality alternative to A Levels, supporting progression to higher education.

Regulation

All Tech Level qualifications must meet criteria set by the UK's

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

(DfE) for all 'Applied General' qualifications, including the endorsement of five employers registered at

Companies House Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are i ...

. Tech Level qualifications must have: * at least 300 guided learning hours * mandatory content must make up at least 40% * 30% external assessment * one opportunity to resit (retake) * three grading points or more, such as Distinction/Merit/Pass

Change

In 2014 the UK government announced it would reform all vocational qualifications. By 2021 it was ready to set out its plan for vocational qualifications in England. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, OCR announced a series of adjustments it would make to support learners taking Cambridge Technicals.

Subjects

The following subjects are offered: *Applied Science *Art and Design *Business *Digtal media *Engineering *Health and Social Care *Information Technology *Media *Performing Arts *Sport and Physical Activity

External references

OCR website

References

{{reflist Vocational education in the United Kingdom Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge Assessment Departments of the University of Cambridge