Exam certificates to start going digital from summer

Exam certificates are to be modernised and made digital from this summer onwards, the government has announced.

Exam certificates will now be stored in an Education Record app so that they are all in once place and can be easily accessed when applying for further education, apprenticeships, or employment.

More than 95,000 young people in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands will receive their GCSE certificates in the app this summer, ahead of a national roll out.

The government estimates that this move could save schools and colleges up to £30 million each year once the full roll out is complete.

The Education Record app is part of a wider government initiative to overhaul how the public sector uses technology.

Education minister Stephen Morgan said: “It is high time exam records were brought into the 21st century, and this pilot will allow schools and colleges to focus on what they do best: teaching the next generation rather than being bogged down in bureaucracy.

“This government is slashing red tape through our Plan for Change to drive growth, cut admin for teachers and give tens of thousands of young people more opportunities to get on in skilled careers.”