Higher Nationals - Digital Technologies for England - Specification - Issue 3 changes

Oct 20, 2026

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Specification for Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas in Digital Technologies for England, including first teaching and certification dates. Defines qualification levels, learner and employability objectives, and how the programmes can support progression to university and employment pathways. Covers centre support, planning and delivery, entry requirements, assessment arrangements, and quality assurance processes, including internal assessment principles, decision-making, records, and monitoring through annual programme reporting.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages390

Reading Time16 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Student Voice

Why choose Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals?

HN Global

Qualification titles

Qualification codes

Awarding institution

Key features

Collaborative development

Programme purpose and objectives

Purpose of the Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals

Objectives of the Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals

Aims of the Pearson BTEC Level 4 HNC in Digital Technologies for England

Aims of the Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Digital Technologies for England

Developing students’ employability skills and academic study skills

Preparing Students for employment

Designing with employers, for employers

Centre support

Support for setting up your course and preparing to teach

Planning your programme

Delivering the Higher Nationals

Entry requirements and admissions

Programme structure

Units, credits and total qualification time (TQT)

Programme structures

Assessment

Principles of internal assessment

Making valid assessment decisions

Quality Assurance

The approval process

Centre and qualification approval

Independent review of assessments

Higher Nationals Digital Technologies for England Specification For use with the Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma in Digital Technologies for England First teaching from September 2023 First Certification from September 2024 Higher National Certificate Lvl 4 Higher National Diploma Lvl 5 Undergraduate Level Qualifications About Pearson We are the world’s leading learning company operating in countries all around the world. We provide content, assessment and digital services to learners, educational institutions, employers, governments and other partners globally. We are committed to helping equip learners with the skills they need to enhance their employability prospects and to succeed in the changing world of work. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people. References to third party materials made in this specification are made in good faith. Pearson does not endorse, approve or accept responsibility for the content of materials, which may be subject to change, or any opinions expressed therein. (Materials may include textbooks, journals, magazines and other publications and websites.) All information in this specification is correct at time of publication. Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals in Digital Technologies for England – Original image by © Deepadesigns/Shutterstock ISBN 978 1 292 42509 2 All the material in this publication is copyright © Pearson Education Limited 2026 Summary of Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals in Digital Technologies for England specification Issue 3 changes | Summary of changes made between previous issue and this current issue | Page
number(s) | | --- | --- | | Removed references to learning styles | 4 | | Replaced references to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) with Department for Education (DfE) | 20, 70 | | Revised English language text in Section 5.2.1 | 27 | | Minor amendments made to spellings to provide consistency. | 95 – 275 | | Updates to Unit 23: Applied Security in the Cloud Essential Content LO1 and LO2 in line with the Network Engineering occupational standard | 239, 240 | If you need further information on these changes or what they mean, contact us via our website at: [qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/contact-us.html](qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/contact-us.html). Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 The Student Voice 1 1.2 Why choose Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals? 1 1.3 HN Global 2 1.4 Qualification titles 3 1.5 Qualification codes 4 1.6 Awarding institution 4 1.7 Key features 4 1.8 Collaborative development 5 2 Programme purpose and objectives 7 2.1 Purpose of the Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals 7 2.2 Objectives of the Pearson BTEC Higher Nationals 7 2.3 Aims of the Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Digital Technologies for England 8 2.4 Aims of the Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Digital Technologies for England 8 2.5 Developing students’ employability skills and academic study skills 9 2.5.1 Use of maths and English within the curriculum 10 2.6 What could these qualifications lead to? 11 2.6.1 Progression to university 11 3 Preparing Students for employment 12 3.1 Designing with employers, for employers 12 3.1.1 Employability skills and competencies for student career success 13 3.1.2 Developing competencies for the workplace 14 3.1.3 Professional body recognition and exemption 19 3.1.4 Alignment to Occupational Standards and Higher Apprenticeships 20 3.1.5 Vendor accreditation 21 4 Centre support 23 Support for setting up your course and preparing to teach 23 4.1 This document 23 4.2 HN Global 23 4.3 Authorised Assignment Briefs 24 4.4 Assignment checking service 24 4.5 Pearson English 24 5 Planning your programme 25 5.1 Delivering the Higher Nationals 25 5.1.1 Centre approval 25 5.1.2 Tutor knowledge 25 5.1.3 Resources 26 5.1.4 Delivering learning 26 5.1.5

FAQs

When do teaching and first certification start for these Higher Nationals qualifications?

First teaching is from September 2023, and first certification is from September 2024.

What are the stated qualification levels and titles covered in the specification?

It covers the Higher National Certificate at Level 4 and the Higher National Diploma at Level 5 in Digital Technologies for England.

What key areas does the specification address for programme delivery and quality?

It sets out programme purpose and objectives, centre support, planning and delivery, assessment principles and decision-making, and quality assurance including monitoring and annual programme reporting.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by McGucket