Next Gen update
It’s been a while since I posted an update about Next Gen. Regular readers will know that Next Gen is an initiative to modernise Higher National Qualifications (HNQs) that has been on-going since 2020.
Computing has figured prominently in Next Gen. Five HNQs were developed during the first phase:
- HNC Computing.
- HND Computer Science.
- HND Data Science.
- HND Networking & Cloud Infrastructure.
- HND Software Development.
One of the features of Next Gen is that qualifications are piloted, and there were volunteers to pilot HNC Computing, HND Networking, and HND Software Development. These pilots are still on-going. For example, three colleges are currently piloting HNC Computing. There were no volunteers to pilot HND Computer Science or HND Data Science. These pilots will continue next session (session 2025/26) and a decision will then be made about making them available to all centres from session 2026/27. Please note that no new pilot centres will be added next year.
We’re also developing HNC Esports, which adheres to the Next Gen design rules (larger units, qualification grading, etc.) but is not formally part of the Next Gen programme. This qualification will be available to all centres from August 2025.
Please contact Emma if you want to know more about Next Gen or contact Helen if you want to know more about HNC Esports.
