There are thousands of vocational qualifications which have served as alternatives to gcses but as the article below indicates they are being taken off the gcse league tables.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/31/vocational-qualifications-stripped-league-tables?intcmp=239
As an adviser I am pleasantly surprised but happy about this decision. The amount of young people I worked with who were not pushed into doing more gcses and lead to believe the equivalent courses would add to the applications utterly confused them!! What I mean by this is that some young people didn't understand that the value of the vocational qualification just wasn't the same as an alternative gcse course. However what would annoy me is that they were led to believe it was of the same value.
Please see link for levels on the direct gov website(link below) to understand why I have only included the levels up to gcse as this post is mainly focusing on this area.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039017
Employers are looking for GCSE Maths, and English generally. The equivalent of a course like a btec level 2 which is the same level as a gcse just doesn't have the same value to a potential employer. The skills learned from a gcse which is a standard academic qualification and a level 2 qualification which is vocational and practical just isn't the same!! I am surprised the govt have let it go on for as long as it did. I am not devaluing the btec courses the level 3 childcare is an essential part of training for someone who wants to go into childcare. Institutions like City and Islington have a broad range of level 3 courses which help prepare students for the working world as well as university. However young people are not always explained why English and maths gcse are essential part of them getting through anywhere. Whether this be university, workplace etc.
Most degree and Alevel course require you to have a English and maths gcse grade C and above. Anyone who has been through the current education system will know this.
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