Simplifying post-16 study options by introducing V Levels will involve cutting funding for hundreds of qualifications with hardly any enrolments, data shows.
During a consultation into the new vocational qualifications, officials said having almost 900 level 3 vocational courses available to 16 to 19-year-olds was “confusing”.
But until now it was not known how unpopular some of these courses were.
In response to a freedom of information request, the Department for Education revealed to FE Week that 409 level 3 courses from a total of 872 attracted fewer than 10 students.
A further 321 courses attracted between 10 and 999 students during the 2022-23 academic year.
And just 96 of the 872 attracted between 1,000 and 40,000 enrolments each, which accounted for 85 per cent of the total.
The DfE also listed 46 qualifications that had no students, though 26 were alternative academic qualifications (AAQs) and technical occupation qualifications (TOQs), which had no enrolments because they were approved in the last two years.
AAQs and TOQs will also be defunded when V Levels are rolled out – despite their recent introduction.
Simplify the system
Reacting to the data, college leaders said they were doubtful that students were confused by the existence of 872 level 3 courses because each college only offers a “relatively small number” of qualifications.
And they added that the government’s plan to scrap “hugely popular” level 3 courses was more concerning.
In a consultation launched in October, ministers said they would simplify the system by removing funding for all existing diploma and extended diploma-sized qualifications of 720 guided learning hours and over in T Level subject areas during this year and 2027.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith has said the government’s consultation response, due in the coming weeks, would include a “plan about how we transition to an end state”.
She told FE Week: “We know that the number of post-16 qualifications on offer means lots of the available courses are not being widely taken up by students.
“The structure of the current system and limited comparability between qualifications also contributes to poorer outcomes for students and confusion for learners, parents and employers.
“As we announced in the skills white paper, we are committed to reforming the entire system to improve outcomes for young people, and drive quality and standards in post-16 education.”
The bigger picture
Concerns about the level 3 reforms have focused on a small group of 14 “popular, well-respected” qualifications studied by nearly 70,000 young people each year, which are due to be defunded by 2027 due to a T Level overlap.
St Charles Sixth Form principal Martin Twist told FE Week that the DfE’s apparent concern about the nearly 900 courses available “doesn’t reflect how the system actually operates”.
He said: “Colleges are not offering hundreds of courses to students. In practice, each college runs a relatively small number of vocational programmes with significant enrolments.
“The risk the government ought to be addressing is not how confusing the vocational curriculum is, it is how they will avoid creating a significant gap in provision whilst working to sensibly reform vocational provision.”
James Kewin, deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association which leads the Protect Student Choice campaign, accepted there was a need to “rationalise” the qualifications landscape.
However, he said it was “vital” to maintain funding for popular courses ahead of the launch of V Levels in 2027.
He added: “In practice, the choices that young people make are based on the qualifications offered by colleges and schools in their local area rather than the much bigger list of funded qualifications on the DfE website.”
‘Rich and varied’ options
Qualifications on the DfE’s list range from popular business and criminology courses to more niche certificates for skills such as equine management, food safety and cybersecurity.
WJEC’s applied diploma in criminology had the highest uptake, at 40,000 enrolments, while fewer than nine people signed up to any of the three yoga teaching qualifications available from awarding bodies YMCA, VTCT Skills and Focus Awards.
Awarding organisations told FE Week that some of the qualifications attracting only low enrolments had been designed in response to regional needs or specific industries such as maritime or logistics.
Heather Akehurst, chief executive of Open Awards, said the qualification market’s responsiveness meant the landscape is “rich and varied” but courses can fall out of favour.
She added: “Some qualifications are developed for very specific needs and that will mean they have low numbers but still add value.”
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