There seems to be some kind of BTEC bashing going on here, to be honest you could relate the BTEC National Diploma being better than an A Level in the subject as you don't study two years of four or five different subjects, but one subject for two years in an in-depth study.
A levels are academically and wordlwidely accepted and respected, BTECs have become much more respected over the past few years and people I know have gotten jobs with BTECs over people with AAA at A Levels in respected and related subjects simply because BTECs generally force you to use practical applications which you would encounter in the workforce.
About universities, most univserities now accept BTEC National Diplomas (at least in IT) and the grades can be quite low in some of the more 'unrespected' universities, so DDD is not needed as a grade to go to university. You can also get a place at a well respected university with a BTEC National Diploma, so what jismith1989 said was complete and utter rubbish. Sure Oxbridge and Imperial may not accept BTECs, but the majority of other universities do.
Also jismith1989 most jobs don't specify between BTECs, NVQs or A Levels, as long as you have a suitable qualification or experience for the job. Sure highly specialised jobs may, but they would generally want a degree, and wouldn't care too much if you didn't have A Levels.