Vocational and other qualifications quarterly: April to June 2023
Statistics on vocational and other qualifications (excluding GCSEs, AS levels and A levels).
Applies to England
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Details
Key headlines for quarter 2 2023 (April to June)
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The number of certificates issued in quarter 2 2023 was 1.1 million, an increase of about 14% from quarter 2 2022. Despite this increase, the number of certificates issued is still below pre-pandemic levels, with 284,120 fewer certificates issued than in quarter 2 2019 (1.4 million). The number of certificates issued in the 12 months from July 2022 to June 2023 (5.1 million) increased by 5% from the previous 12 months from July 2021 to June 2022 (4.9 million).
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Most qualification types saw an increase in numbers of certificates issued in quarter 2 2023 compared to quarter 2 2022. The largest absolute increase in the number of certificates issued was seen for Vocationally-Related Qualifications (from 348,175 certificates in quarter 2 2022 to 407,015 certificates in quarter 2 2023, an increase of 17%).
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Most qualification levels saw an increase in the numbers of certificates issued in quarter 2 2023 compared to quarter 2 2022. The largest absolute increase in certificates issued was seen for Level 3 qualifications (from 273,125 certificates in quarter 2 2022 to 313,770 certificates in quarter 2 2023, an increase of 15%). The largest relative increase in certificates issued was seen for Level 1/Level 2 qualifications (from 3,545 certificates in quarter 2 2022 to 30,725 certificates in quarter 2 2023, an increase of 767%).
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Most sector subject areas saw an increase in the number of certificates issued in quarter 2 2023 compared to quarter 2 2022. The largest absolute increase in certificates issued was seen in Leisure, Travel and Tourism (from 35,230 certificates in quarter 2 2022 to 69,575 certificates in quarter 2 2023, an increase of 98%). The largest relative increase in certificates issued was seen for Science and Mathematics (from 930 certificates in quarter 2 2022 to 5,500 certificates in quarter 2 2023, an increase of 493%). The only decrease in certificates issued was seen for Retail and Commercial Enterprise (from 62,495 certificates in quarter 2 2022 to 58,585 certificates in quarter 2 2023, a decrease of 6%).
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The top 3 qualifications with the highest number of certificates issued in quarter 2 2023 were the Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) with 27,300 certificates, followed by the FAA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work with 23,805 certificates and the TCL Entry Level Certificate in ESOL International Speaking and Listening (Entry 3) (GESE Grade 5) (B1.1) with 23,435 certificates. These 3 qualifications also had the highest number of certificates issued in quarter 2 2022.
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The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest number of certificates issued in quarter 2 2023 were Pearson with 142,920 certificates, followed by City & Guilds with 129,300 certificates and NCFE with 80,165 certificates.
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The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest number of certificates issued in the 12 months from July 2022 to June 2023 were Pearson with 809,670 certificates, followed by City & Guilds with 571,120 certificates and NCFE with 353,665 certificates. These 3 awarding organisations also had the highest number of certificates issued in the previous 12 months from July 2021 to June 2022.
Context
For assessments taken in quarter 2 2023 (April to June), specific adaptations put in place to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic were no longer permitted. Certificates issued during this period may use results from adapted assessments taken before September 2022 (see the background notes for more information). The trends seen in this quarter may have been affected as a result.
In 2023, there was an increased emphasis across the vocational and technical qualification system to ensure that students received results in sufficient time to inform decisions about future progression. As a result, the number of certificates issued in each quarter may follow a different trend than in previous years.
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.
User feedback
We welcome your feedback on our publications. Should you have any comments on this statistical release and how to improve it to meet your needs please contact us at data.analytics@ofqual.gov.uk.