We are facing a crisis in the number of young people who are falling out of education, training and work, and colleges are on the front line. Almost one million young people are not in education, employment or training. Nearly one in six 16 to 24-year-olds are unemployed. And with 900,000 more skilled workers needed in our priority sectors by 2030, the current system simply isn’t working for young people or for our economy.
I know how hard college staff work to help young people to succeed. I want to personally thank each and every one of you for what you do. But we need a system that works with you, not against you.
We’re doing our part by delivering landmark reforms to post-16 education – and today marks a significant milestone in that journey.
We have published our response to the level 3 and below pathways consultation, which received over 750 contributions from colleges, training providers, employers and young people themselves. I am grateful to everyone who took the time to engage. This is a reform built with the sector, not imposed upon it. And we want that collaboration to continue as we build out these qualifications.
It is also built on what we know parents want. The overwhelming preference of those we polled (nearly half at 45 per cent) told us that they would prefer their child to study a mix of academic and vocational qualifications after GCSEs to better prepare them for their future careers.
Our consultation response sets out a reformed system built around three pillars. V Levels will give young people who want to combine academic and vocational learning a genuinely prestigious route into work. T Levels will be expanded and will be the best option for students to undertake more specialised study where they know which broad career path they want to pursue.
And two new level 2 pathways will give students a clear onward route: one supporting students to progress to further study at level 3 and one supporting students into employment.
I know that colleges, sixth forms and other providers need certainty to plan, and we are committed to giving them exactly that.
We are taking a phased approach to transition – carefully balancing the introduction of new qualifications with the removal of funding approval from unreformed ones. No young person will be left without suitable options and there will never be a gap in subject availability.
You told us that the transition arrangements we originally proposed were too aggressive, putting providers’ ability to prepare for the reforms to come at risk. I appreciate that and so, to give providers space and certainty, we are setting out that large qualifications the size of three A Levels or bigger in T Level areas will have funding approval removed from 2027 instead of 2026, apart from health and social care qualifications, which will follow in 2028. Smaller legacy qualifications will retain funding approval until the relevant T Level and V Level is available in that subject area from 2027.
But make no mistake – change is coming. Every provider will be expected to have a clear transition plan in place, owned by a named, accountable leader. To support the sector as we move through this period, we are establishing a sector-led group of expert practitioners – our Pioneers – who are providers that will help shape those plans and ensure the support on offer is practical and grounded in real experience. Providers will also receive targeted support including workforce development, careers guidance and support from the FE commissioner.
A full implementation plan will be published by June 2026, setting out the detail providers need to plan confidently and build sustainable capacity for the years ahead.
By the end of this Parliament, we want our young people to take for granted that they can make clear choices, from a range of prestigious and robust courses, that will propel them to success, whatever that success looks like to them.
This is national renewal in action – a skills system that prepares every young person for the jobs of the future, reduces NEET rates, and drives the economic growth our country needs. It will be instrumental in achieving the prime minister’s target to get two-thirds of young people taking a gold standard apprenticeship, higher training or heading to university by age 25.
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