Statistical data set

Vocational qualifications dataset

Certificates awarded for all vocational qualifications (excluding GCSEs, AS levels and A levels).

This dataset covers vocational qualifications starting 2012 to present for England.

It is updated every quarter.

In the dataset, the number of certificates issued are rounded to the nearest 5 and values less than 5 appear as ‘Fewer than 5’ to preserve confidentiality (and a 0 represents no certificates).

Where a qualification has been owned by more than one awarding organisation at different points in time, a separate row is given for each organisation.

Background information as well as commentary accompanying this dataset is available separately.

For any queries contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.

Published 4 December 2014
Last updated 14 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added the October to December 2023 release to the collection.

  2. Added the July to September 2023 release to the collection.

  3. Added the April to June 2023 release to the collection.

  4. Added the January to March 2023 release to the collection.

  5. Added the October to December 2022 release to the collection.

  6. Updated the quarter 3 2022 values after an awarding organisation noticed an error in their data and resubmitted figures. A total of 179,285 (rounded) certifications were added.

  7. Added the July to September 2022 release to the collection.

  8. Added the April to June 2022 release to the collection.

  9. Added the January to March 2022 release to the collection.

  10. Latest dataset (Q4 - October to December 2021) uploaded

  11. Latest dataset (Q3 - July to September 2021) uploaded

  12. Latest dataset (Q2 - April to June 2021) uploaded

  13. Latest dataset (Q1 - January to March 2021) uploaded

  14. Latest dataset (Q4 - October to December 2020) uploaded

  15. Latest dataset (Q3 - July to September 2020) uploaded

  16. Latest dataset (Q2 - April to June 2020) uploaded

  17. Latest dataset (Q1 - January to March 2020) uploaded

  18. Latest dataset (Q4 - October to December 2019) uploaded

  19. Latest dataset (Q3 - July to September 2019) uploaded

  20. Republished the dataset because one of the awarding organisations (Pearson) has resubmitted their data which has increased the number of certificates awarded by them in Q2 2019 by nearly 150K.

  21. Added a user note on resubmission of data by Pearson.

  22. Latest dataset (Q2 - April to June 2019) uploaded

  23. Latest dataset (Q1 - January to March 2019) uploaded

  24. Latest dataset (Q4 - October to December 2018) uploaded

  25. Latest dataset (Q3 - July to September 2018) uploaded

  26. Latest dataset (Q2 - April to June 2018) uploaded

  27. Latest dataset (Q1 - January to March 2018) uploaded

  28. Latest dataset (Q4 - October to December 2017) uploaded. Removed datasets for Wales and Northern Ireland following an agreement with Qualification Wales and CCEA.

  29. Updated with data for July to September 2017.

  30. Latest datasets (Q2 - April to June 2017) uploaded

  31. Latest datasets (Q1 - January to March 2017) uploaded

  32. Latest datasets (Q4 2016 - October to December 2016) uploaded

  33. Latest datasets (Q3 - July to September 2016) uploaded

  34. Corrected data supplied by one awarding organisation.

  35. Latest (Q2 2016) data released

  36. Latest data (Q1 2016) uploaded

  37. All files were replaced because some data from Gateway Qualifications as well as a few other awarding organisations were missing.

  38. Latest datasets for October to December 2015 uploaded.

  39. After data quality checks, it was decided that the separate datasets for England, Wales and Northern Ireland would only go back to 2012 as this is when the data started being collected by country and that the dataset for all 3 countries would cover 10 years.

  40. Updated to include data for Q2 2015.

  41. The latest dataset includes data from the latest published quarter (January to March 2015)

  42. The previous version was missing data from a number of qualifications

  43. The following 3 files were revised as they contained errors: Dataset 1988 to present - England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Dataset 1988 to present - England only; and Dataset 2009 to present - England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  44. Added the latest version of the data files for quarter 4 2014.

  45. First published.