Dudley, K: BTEC Early Years Assessment and the Vocational Cu

Changes within vocational education have been consistent within England and are currently increasing within the education of 16-19 year-old-students. Included in those changes was a recent reform to BTEC. Stemming from this reform was the introduction of assessment changes. More specifically, an increase in controlled assessments and exams, especially within the Early Years sector, which forms the focus of this book. The introduction of such assessment methods offers a conflicting argument to the notion of creating Early Years practitioners with vocational and industry skills (Nutbrown, 2012). Within current education, students on Early Years vocational courses have voiced concerns that examined assessments do not provide them with the skill set they need for industry employment. This book explores how assessment changes to the BTEC Early Years level 3 course is influencing the vocational nature of learning. Findings draw on the BTEC course objectives, student‘s experiences and teachers‘ perspectives to examine their experiences of vocational learning.