Engineering news
Education and skills policy lead Lydia Amarquaye congratulated students yesterday (15 August) as they received A-level, T-level and BTEC results. Nationwide, the number of top A-level grades increased, with A* and A grades up 0.6%.
“It is especially encouraging to see STEM subjects featuring prominently among the top 10 most popular A-level subjects this year,” said Amarquaye. “This reflects a growing interest and recognition of the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in shaping our future. The skills and knowledge gained from studying these subjects are critical to driving innovation and solving the complex challenges of tomorrow.
“The increased participation in maths, further maths, and physics is particularly encouraging as these are the subjects most recognised for pursuing engineering courses at university. In maths, there was a 10.2% increase in student participation from last year, with physics seeing a 19.9% increase in participation.”
Overall, maths remained the most popular A-level, with more than 100,000 entries.
Increases in the number of female students taking A-levels relevant to engineering was welcome, said Becca Gooch, head of research at education and careers-focused EngineeringUK. “We are particularly pleased to see a slight uptick in the numbers of girls sitting A-levels in computing (17%, up from 15% in 2023) and D&T (32%, up from 30% in 2023) with maths and physics remaining much the same at 37% and 23% respectively.
“Our research earlier this year indicated that girls in years seven to nine are switching off from science. It’s therefore important to redouble efforts to consolidate and increase girls’ interest in the key STEM subjects, something we’ll be working on with educators, industry and policymakers.”
Introduced in 2020, T-levels are growing in popularity and diversity of subjects. 7,380 students received results yesterday – twice as many as last year – with 89% receiving a pass.
This year is the first in which students on engineering and manufacturing T-levels completed their qualifications. Some learners will have received offers of apprenticeships following their course placements, others will have applied for new apprenticeships, and some will go on to higher education programmes.
“We still have work to do in supporting T-level graduates as they transition into technical roles or further courses. This begins with enhancing the understanding of the T-level qualification and the depth of learning these students have achieved,” said Amarquaye.
More work is needed to expand the pathway and promote student retention, said Mark Gray, UK & Ireland manager at Universal Robots, helping young people recognise the value of technical qualifications as a viable route to a successful career. “How educators, policymakers and business leaders work together to prepare the younger generation today for the jobs of tomorrow will inform the future success of our economy,” he said.
“If industries want to tackle the UK’s digital skills crisis head on, there’s still work to be done by engaging with secondary school leavers who aren’t planning on attending university, to demonstrate the wider routes into the technology industry.”
BTEC qualifications also play a “crucial role” providing the technical foundation for further development within apprenticeships and other technical qualifications, said Amarquaye. “The breadth of options available reflects the breadth of the skills gaps within engineering. We must continue to ensure that both the number and diversity of young people studying STEM-related subjects is increased to meet the needs of industry.”
Engineering jobs will grow faster than any other occupation between now and 2030, Gooch added. “We really hope today’s results encourage more young people, and especially girls, to consider an exciting and rewarding STEM career.”
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