Underestimating Qualifications// BTECS aren't 'easy'
There's been loads of snobbery recently about BTECS and the academic abilities of the children and students who take them as an option. They're deemed as "the easy way out" and for "underachieved children". I can confirm, as a current and future BTEC student, these qualifications are not easy. They have way too much negative speculation.
If you sign on to any BTEC it will tell you either in the prospectus or on the website for the college/school you are applying for that a BTEC is equivalent to doing 3 A levels. And A levels aren't easy. So there we go, us BTEC students are in the same boat as you.
BTECs are also accepted widely by pretty much every university you can think of, as long as you put in the work and effort in order to meet the requirements of the university. You can gain 420 UCAS points from these qualifications so they are not inferior when it comes to being accepted by your desired university. You can even go straight into work as you have a specialized course for the field of work you'd like to go into. For example, I have signed on to Lvl 3 BTEC in Childcare and Education, which means after I have completed this course I can go and be a nanny, nursery nurse, child minder, any position that involves me not having to be supervised when I work with children. I can go into higher education with this course too, which is what I am planning as I am using this course as a specialised gateway to becoming a primary school teacher. I will become a nursery nurse while I am at Uni so I can pay my fees. See, I'm not lazy and I'm not using it as an 'easy way out'.
There are courses in particular that are associated with school 'bum outs' who never tried and failed their GCSE's. The stereotypical view on hair and beauty students really gets me down as you have to learn the biological aspects of skin care, the anatomy of the body if you go in to learning massage theory. Theatre make up, which looks amazing and I have seen so much talent from these students. I've photographed a theatrical makeup student's work and I was astounded at what she produced. She spent 3 hours doing this make-up with all the technical knowledge, research and development from inspiration. All these students were far from 'lazy' to produce stuff like this...
People studying child care don't just learn how to read 'The Gruffalo' to young children either. You have to learn biological developments, a load of legislations, work 520 hours with children throughout your first year in three different child care settings.
A levels are hard, but imagine working an equivalent of 3 different subjects, but just one, with more coursework and no exams plus a demanding placement which you are also assessed on. You can't just associate a BTEC student as thick and taking 'the easy way out' , because some people really do want to be there. Yes, there are a minority group that mess about and ruin it for everyone else reputation wise, but you get those people in A level groups as well.
So when you see a girl studying Hair and Beauty, don't just think she's going to work in a crappy nail boutique, she might have aspirations of doing theatrical makeup for high profile fashion magazines, theatre performances or even films. If someone is doing an art BTEC, they may go in to graphic design and be designing adverts for major businesses. Child care students may become the best primary school teachers out there, as the education system gets more advanced and we begin to raise a generation of children with multiple skills.
If you sign on to any BTEC it will tell you either in the prospectus or on the website for the college/school you are applying for that a BTEC is equivalent to doing 3 A levels. And A levels aren't easy. So there we go, us BTEC students are in the same boat as you.
BTECs are also accepted widely by pretty much every university you can think of, as long as you put in the work and effort in order to meet the requirements of the university. You can gain 420 UCAS points from these qualifications so they are not inferior when it comes to being accepted by your desired university. You can even go straight into work as you have a specialized course for the field of work you'd like to go into. For example, I have signed on to Lvl 3 BTEC in Childcare and Education, which means after I have completed this course I can go and be a nanny, nursery nurse, child minder, any position that involves me not having to be supervised when I work with children. I can go into higher education with this course too, which is what I am planning as I am using this course as a specialised gateway to becoming a primary school teacher. I will become a nursery nurse while I am at Uni so I can pay my fees. See, I'm not lazy and I'm not using it as an 'easy way out'.
There are courses in particular that are associated with school 'bum outs' who never tried and failed their GCSE's. The stereotypical view on hair and beauty students really gets me down as you have to learn the biological aspects of skin care, the anatomy of the body if you go in to learning massage theory. Theatre make up, which looks amazing and I have seen so much talent from these students. I've photographed a theatrical makeup student's work and I was astounded at what she produced. She spent 3 hours doing this make-up with all the technical knowledge, research and development from inspiration. All these students were far from 'lazy' to produce stuff like this...
People studying child care don't just learn how to read 'The Gruffalo' to young children either. You have to learn biological developments, a load of legislations, work 520 hours with children throughout your first year in three different child care settings.
A levels are hard, but imagine working an equivalent of 3 different subjects, but just one, with more coursework and no exams plus a demanding placement which you are also assessed on. You can't just associate a BTEC student as thick and taking 'the easy way out' , because some people really do want to be there. Yes, there are a minority group that mess about and ruin it for everyone else reputation wise, but you get those people in A level groups as well.
So when you see a girl studying Hair and Beauty, don't just think she's going to work in a crappy nail boutique, she might have aspirations of doing theatrical makeup for high profile fashion magazines, theatre performances or even films. If someone is doing an art BTEC, they may go in to graphic design and be designing adverts for major businesses. Child care students may become the best primary school teachers out there, as the education system gets more advanced and we begin to raise a generation of children with multiple skills.
Comments
Post a Comment