Accredited official statistics
Vocational and other qualifications quarterly: January to March 2025
Statistics on certificates issued for vocational and other qualifications (excluding GCSEs, AS and A levels, Advanced Extension Awards, apprenticeship end-point assessments, Extended Project Qualifications and T Level Technical Qualifications).
Applies to England
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Key headlines for quarter 1 (January to March) 2025
- In quarter 1 2025 a total of 939,560 certificates were issued in 6,349 qualifications for vocational and other qualifications, a decrease in certificates of 0.4% from quarter 1 2024 (943,030 certificates for 6,360 qualifications). The number of certificates issued in the 12 months from April 2024 to March 2025 (5.2 million) increased by 2.4% from the previous 12 months from April 2023 to March 2024 (5.1 million).
- Among qualification types, the largest absolute increase in certificate numbers was seen for Other Vocational Qualifications (from 146,235 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 157,650 certificates in quarter 1 2025, an increase of 7.8%). Additionally, there was a 30.5% increase in certificates issued for Other Life Skills Qualifications (from 35,135 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 45,845 certificates in quarter 1 2025). The largest absolute decrease in certificate numbers was seen for Occupational Qualifications (from 154,115 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 141,430 certificates in quarter 1 2025, a decrease of 8.2%).
- Among qualification levels, the largest absolute increase in certificate numbers was seen for Level 3 qualifications (from 271,095 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 283,515 certificates in quarter 1 2025, an increase of 4.6%). Additionally, there was an 89.9% increase in certificates issued for Level 1/Level 2 qualifications (from 6,325 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 12,010 certificates in quarter 1 2025). The largest absolute decrease in certificate numbers was seen for Level 2 qualifications (from 294,540 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 275,550 certificates in quarter 1 2025, a decrease of 6.4%).
- Among sector subject areas, the largest increase in the number of certificates issued was seen for Preparation for Life and Work (from 159,155 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 165,930 certificates in quarter 1 2025, an increase of 4.3%). Additionally, there was a 17.7% increase in certificates issued for Education and Training (from 19,135 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 22,515 certificates in quarter 1 2025). The largest absolute decrease in the number of certificates issued for a sector subject area was seen for Arts, Media and Publishing (from 140,895 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 130,280 certificates in quarter 1 2025, a decrease of 7.5%). Additionally, there was a 17.6% decrease in certificates issued for Languages, Literature and Culture (from 42,175 certificates in quarter 1 2024 to 34,755 certificates in quarter 1 2025).
- The top 3 qualifications with the highest numbers of certificates issued in quarter 1 2025 were Qualsafe Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) with 34,710 certificates, followed by FAA Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work with 31,100 certificates and TCL Entry Level Certificate in ESOL International Speaking and Listening (Entry 3) (GESE Grade 5) (B1.1) with 27,110 certificates. The same qualifications were also the top 3 in quarter 1 2024.
- The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest numbers of certificates issued in quarter 1 2025 were City & Guilds with 100,725 certificates, followed by Highfield with 80,920 certificates and Trinity College London with 65,125 certificates. The same awarding organisations were also the top 3 in quarter 1 2024.
- The top 3 awarding organisations with the highest numbers of certificates issued in the 12 months from April 2024 to March 2025 were Pearson with 713,665 certificates, followed by City & Guilds with 554,310 certificates and NCFE with 351,565 certificates.
Datasets
The dataset used to produce this release is available separately, and can be explored visually via this interactive tool.
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Updates to this page
Published 12 June 2025