GovWire

Key headlines for quarter 3 2024 (July to September)

1. In quarter 3 2024 a total of 2.2 million certificates were issued for vocational and other qualifications, a decrease of 0.6% from quarter 3 2023 (2.2 million). The number of certificates issued in the 12 months from October 2023 to September 2024 (5.2 million) increased by 2.5% from the previous 12 months from October 2022 to September 2023 (5.1 million).
2. Among qualification types, the largest absolute increase in certificate numbers was seen for Other Vocational Qualifications (from 143,100 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 290,025 certificates in quarter 3 2024, an increase of 102.7%). The largest absolute decrease in certificate numbers was seen for Vocationally-Related Qualifications (from 953,475 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 780,095 certificates in quarter 3 2024, a decrease of 18.2%).
3. Among qualification levels, the largest absolute increase in certificate numbers was seen for Entry Level qualifications (from 314,185 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 320,925 certificates in quarter 3 2024, an increase of 2.1%). The largest absolute decrease in certificate numbers was seen for Level 2 qualifications (from 510,250 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 488,075 certificates in quarter 3 2024, a decrease of 4.3%). Additionally, there was a 17.2% decrease of certificates issued for Level 5 qualifications (from 18,515 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 15,335 certificates in quarter 3 2024).
4. Among sector subject areas, the largest increase in the number of certificates issued was seen for Construction, Planning and the Built Environment (from 120,655 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 131,465 certificates in quarter 3 2024, an increase of 9%). The largest absolute decrease in the number of certificates issued for a sector subject area was seen for Business, Administration and Law (from 170,095 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 157,845 certificates in quarter 3 2024, a decrease of 7.2%). Additionally, there was a 18% increase of certificates issued for History, Philosophy and Theology (from 6,795 certificates in quarter 3 2023 to 8,020 certificates in quarter 3 2024).
5. The top 3 qualifications with the highest numbers of certificates issued in quarter 3 2024 were AQA Level 2 Certificate in Further Maths with 34,350 certificates, followed by Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Health and Social Care with 33,020 certificates and OCR Level 1/Level 2 Cambridge National in Creative iMedia with 30,365 certificates.
6. The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest numbers of certificates issued in quarter 3 2024 were Pearson with 449,275 certificates, followed by City and Guilds with 234,400 certificates and OCR with 173,865 certificates.
7. The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest numbers of certificates issued in the 12 months from October 2023 to September 2024 were Pearson with 712,415 certificates, followed by City and Guilds with 557,645 certificates and Highfield with 320,640 certificates.

Context

From 2023, the number of certificates issued in each quarter may follow a different pattern than in previous years. This is due to the implementation of the Action Plan for VTQ results in 2023 and continued measures from 2024 onwards to ensure that students receive results in sufficient time. This was actioned in response to the issues with VTQ results delivery in 2022.

Datasets

The dataset used to produce this release is available separately, and can be explored visually via this interactive tool.

Statistics collection

All our published vocational and other qualifications publications are available as part of the collection for vocational qualifications statistics.