Vocational qualifications in Salford

The national context is one of increased flexibility at Key Stage 4 (ages 14 to 16) and increasing vocational options.

In Salford, many schools offer a variety of vocational courses at Key Stage 4:

GCSEs in vocational subjects - applied art and design; applied business; construction; health and social care; applied ICT; manufacturing; applied PE and sport; performing arts; applied science; leisure and tourism (engineering not yet available in Salford) - in some cases supported by colleges through the Increased Flexibility project
Many schools have introduced new qualifications from September 2005, such as BTEC Introductory and First Certificates/Diplomas, OCR Nationals, Diploma in Digital Applications (DIDA), careers and work related qualifications, Entry and level 1 qualifications
NVQs and other vocational options. Students have opportunities to take NVQ or equivalent qualifications, usually at level one, at a college or work based learning provider, vocational centre or with an employer or training provider (see MPower) on a one or two half days a week basis
From September 2008 creative and media Diplomas will be offered in nine schools and three colleges. Other diploma lines will follow in later years

In 2006/07 a summary of vocational courses attended by Key Stage 4 students was as follows:

Qualification	Male	Female	Total	Cohort
GCSE in vocational subjects year 10	312	485	797	32%
GCSE in vocational subjects year 11	307	496	803	32%
GNVQ school provision year 10	100	100	200	8%
GNVQ school provision year 1	382	357	739	29%
DiDA year 10	362	382	744	30%
DiDA year 11	324	286	610	24%
BTEC year 10	120	90	2210	8%
BTEC year 11	45	36	81	3%
Other vocational/personal development qualifications year 10	577	539	1116%	45%
Other vocational/personal development qualifications year 11	319	336	655	26%
Fourteenplus (college) provision year 10	41	113	154	6%
Fourteenplus (college) provision year 11	37	83	120	5%
GMPower participants year 10	50	33	97	2.7%
GMPower participants year 11	37	21	58	2.4%
Other external vocational qualifications year 10	2	5	7	0.28%
Other external vocational qualifications year 11	10	4	14	0.56%