We’ve developed a new Technical Award in Food and Catering that allows young learners to develop the skills and knowledge required to prepare high quality food within a home or commercial catering setting. The new qualification will be available for first teaching in September 2017. It sits alongside the new Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE and replaces our outgoing GCSE in Food Technology.
Technical Awards are practical, vocational qualifications available to 14-16 year olds to take alongside GCSEs. If approved by the Department for Education, a single award will be equivalent to a GCSE qualification and will count towards performance tables. They could then be included in Progress 8 as part of the non-Ebacc open group of subjects.
We have worked with experts in industry and education to identify 12 core skills in food production. Learners will get the chance to develop, practice and demonstrate these skills, making a variety of food products. They’ll need to consider how to scale up production to produce larger quantities suitable for a commercial setting.
Our new qualification allows learners to:
All learners will be taught and assessed in the same way, and there is no need to split your class into Level 1 and Level 2.
There are two internally-assessed units, and a third unit that is externally assessed.
Learners will produce a portfolio of products to demonstrate core skills outlined in the specification.
These skills include:
Learners will undertake an extended project that showcases the skills they have developed in unit 1.
Learners must:
Example briefs learners might receive:
The project will be marked against the following criteria:
Learners will be assessed on the following topics:
Insight from teachers:
I like the focus on practical skills.
Louise Smith, Food teacher, Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy, Walsall
It covers a comprehensive range of knowledge and skills. It is all connected and relevant and fits together well.
Jane Burns, Teacher, Food Technology, Huntington School
This Technical Award is designed to equip learners with the practical skills in Food and Catering that they need to progress to further general or vocational study. They’ll develop a broad understanding of the sector, so they can make informed decisions about their career opportunities.
Learners will also develop valuable transferable skills including communication and collaboration.
We’ve worked with post-16 education providers to ensure that Technical Awards count equally alongside GCSEs when applying to do further study in either general or vocational qualifications.
We’ll be submitting our draft qualification to the Department for Education in September 2016, when we’ll share the draft specification with you. We’re also planning a series of free support events throughout the autumn term, alongside a full set of resources.
We have developed a suite of four Technical Awards in the following subjects:
These qualifications complement our GCSE in Design and Technology and Food Preparation and Nutrition.
Our subject team is here to help. Sign up for updates on our new Technical Awards, or contact Amanda Luby and the customer support team on 0161 957 3334 or by email at dandt@aqa.org.uk