Ministers have confirmed plans to axe scores of level 3 courses taken by over 17,000 students that compete with the latest batch of “gold-standard” T Levels. In May, the government published a provisional list of 92 courses, including popular BTECs, that would be defunded from 2025 where they “overlap” with wave three of T Levels, which includes business and administration, legal, finance and accounting and engineering and manufacturing qualifications. Awarding bodies were given the opportunity to appeal the decisions, but the Department for Education revealed today that none were successful. The final list, published today, names 85 qualifications that will now be defunded (see list below). This is lower than the provisional list because officials had mistakenly included seven courses that already had their public funding removed due to low or no enrolments. Another 134 qualifications taken by almost 40,000 students are set to be defunded from 2024 where they overlap with courses in wave one and two of the T Levels rollout, as confirmed in March 2023. Ministers are pushing forward with their defunding plans despite prime minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement earlier this month that he wants to replace both T Levels and A-levels with one qualification: the Advanced British Standard. James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said the DfE’s level 3 reforms have “no credibility left”. “Despite being forced by Downing Street to reverse the plan for a twin track system of A-levels and T Levels, ministers are continuing to scrap successful qualifications like the BTEC diplomas in engineering.” The final list shows 46 engineering courses will be scrapped, the majority of which are BTECs delivered by Pearson. Its level 3 national foundation diploma in engineering is the most popular course on the scrap list, with 3,790 enrolments in 2020/21. Pearson didn’t appeal to save any of its qualifications facing the axe, however. Kewin said engineering employers have been “very clear” that these qualifications are valuable and removing them will create a “serious gap in the talent pipeline”. Defending the defunding plans, skills minister Robert Halfon said: “As recently outlined by our prime minister, our goal is to future-proof education, and T Levels support just that. They are a robust qualification, which give young people the skills and real work experience which employers need, and they will be the backbone of the new Advanced British Standard alongside A-levels. “On the final list of 85 qualifications, 30 of the qualifications had no enrolments and a further 23 had fewer than 100 enrolments in the 2020/21 academic year. Removing funding from the list of qualifications published today streamlines further education and ensures that anyone taking a technical course can be confident that they are getting a qualification respected by employers.” Labour and the Liberal Democrats have backed the Protect Student Choice campaign’s call to pause and review the defunding of BTECs. Kewin said: “The government should now do the same, particularly given the uncertainty created by its plans to replace A-levels and T Levels with the Advanced British Standard.” Final list of qualifications overlapping with wave 3 T Levels Qualification nameSector subject area16-19 enrolments 2020/21Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma in EngineeringEngineering3790Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in EngineeringEngineering3370Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in EngineeringEngineering1300IMI Level 3 Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies1120Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)Engineering1090City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Engineering640OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Engineering Engineering620EAL Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Engineering TechnologiesEngineering580Pearson BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)Engineering550EAL Level 3 Diploma In Engineering TechnologiesEngineering540Pearson BTEC Level 3 Award in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)Engineering440EAL Level 3 Technical Extended Diploma in Engineering TechnologiesEngineering410OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma in EngineeringEngineering290EAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering TechnologiesEngineering280Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Aeronautical EngineeringEngineering280Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)Engineering250Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Electrical and Electronic EngineeringEngineering240City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Certificate In EngineeringEngineering180Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Mechanical EngineeringEngineering180EAL Level 3 Certificate in Engineering TechnologiesEngineering150NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Skills for Business: Sales and MarketingBusiness management150EAL Level 3 Diploma in Engineering TechnologyEngineering140Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Manufacturing EngineeringEngineering140Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Manufacturing EngineeringEngineering140City & Guilds Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Engineering (720)Engineering130Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Aeronautical EngineeringEngineering120NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Skills for Business: EnterpriseBusiness management80OCR Level 3 Diploma in Administration (Business Professional)Administration70Pearson BTEC Level 3 Foundation Award in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Technical Knowledge)Engineering50EAL Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Engineering TechnologyEngineering40Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Mechanical EngineeringEngineering40IMI Level 3 Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies30City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Marine Engineering (Advanced)Engineering30OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Foundation Diploma in Engineering Engineering30Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Electrical and Electronic EngineeringEngineering30IMI Level 3 Diploma in Auto Electrical and Mobile Electrical Principles (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies20IMI Level 3 Extended Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies10EAL Level 3 Diploma in Fabrication and Welding Engineering TechnologyEngineering10Skillsfirst Level 3 Diploma in Computerised Accounting for Business (RQF)Accounting and finance10ACCA Diploma in Financial and Management Accounting (RQF Level 3)Accounting and finance<10City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Boatbuilding (Advanced)Engineering<10EAL Level 3 Diploma in Machining (Development knowledge)Engineering<10SEG Awards ABC Level 3 Diploma in Fabrication and Welding Techniques and SkillsEngineering<10IMI Level 3 Award in Automotive Refrigerant Handling (EC842-2006) (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies<10IMI Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Accident Repair – Body (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies<10IMI Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Accident Repair – Multi-Skilled (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies<10IMI Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Accident Repair – Paint (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies<10NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration Administration<10NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Skills for Business: Human ResourcesBusiness management<10ATHE Level 3 Diploma in Accounting Accounting and finance0ATHE Level 3 Diploma in Business and ManagementBusiness management0BIIAB Level 3 Diploma in Business AdministrationAdministration0CISI Level 3 Award for Introduction to InvestmentAccounting and finance0FDQ Level 3 Diploma in Food & Drink OperationsManufacturing technologies0Focus Awards Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration (RQF)Administration0IMI Level 3 Diploma in Auto-Electrical and Mobile Electrical Operations (VRQ)Manufacturing technologies0NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Skills for Business: Customer Service Business management0NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Skills for Business: RetailBusiness management0OCN NI Level 3 Award In Business Development SkillsBusiness management0OCN NI Level 3 Certificate in Quality ImprovementBusiness management0Open College Network West Midlands Level 3 Award in Business AdministrationAdministration0Open College Network West Midlands Level 3 Certificate in Business AdministrationAdministration0OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in AccountancyAccounting and finance0OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in AccountancyAccounting and finance0Pearson BTEC Level 3 Certificate for Business AdministratorsAdministration0City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Knowledge)Engineering0City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Maritime Defence (Development Competence)Engineering0City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Maritime Defence (Development Knowledge)Engineering0City & Guilds Level 3 Extended Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Development Knowledge)Engineering0EAL Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering – Fabricator (Development Competence)Engineering0ECITB Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Construction Maintenance (RQF)Engineering0ECITB Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Design and Draughting (RQF)Engineering0ECITB Level 3 Diploma in Installing Engineering Construction Plant and Systems (RQF)Engineering0Pearson BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Machining (Development Knowledge)Engineering0SEG Awards ABC Level 3 Certificate in Fabrication and Welding Techniques and SkillsEngineering0SEG Awards ABC Level 3 Certificate in Welding Techniques and SkillsEngineering0SEG Awards ABC Level 3 Diploma in Welding Techniques and Skills Engineering0Skillsfirst Level 3 Diploma in Administrative Operations (RQF)Administration0TQUK Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration (RQF)Administration0AAT Level 3 Diploma in AccountingAccounting and financeNot availableCity & Guilds Level 3 Award in Component Removal and Replacement in Electric and Hybrid VehiclesManufacturing technologiesNot availableCity & Guilds Level 3 Award in Component Removal and Replacement in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric VehiclesManufacturing technologiesNot availableCity & Guilds Level 3 Award in Diagnosis, Repair and Recalibration of Advanced Driver Assist SystemsManufacturing technologiesNot availableCity & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles Manufacturing technologiesNot availableSkills and Education Group Awards Level 3 Award in the Diagnosis and Rectification of Faults on Electric and Hybrid/Electric Light VehiclesManufacturing technologiesNot availableSource: Department for Education