We want to end the snobbery around post-16 vocational routes

You will have heard a lot about new V Levels vocational qualifications recently and how we want to remove the snobbery from post 16 education.

This is more than a catchy headline; it’s a chance at a future for young people who otherwise couldn’t see themselves thriving in the existing system. And our reforms are much more than V Levels alone. We’re also bringing in new level 2 qualifications that will provide support to lower attainers to help prevent them from dropping out of the system and becoming one of the almost one million people who are NEET.

These reforms will go a long way in putting vocational learning on par with academic and breaking down crucial barriers for young people to get rewarding, well paid jobs. It is central to the prime minister’s ambition to ensure two thirds of young people are in a gold standard apprenticeship, higher training or university by the age of 25, boosting priority sectors in the industrial strategy, and driving economic growth as part of national renewal.

Currently, thousands of vocational courses sit within a system which is incredibly difficult to navigate and does not reflect the skills employers tell us they need.

You already work incredibly hard to support young people and we want to make sure the system matches that effort with the right tools.

The implementation plan

That’s why we have published an implementation plan setting out how we intend to deliver a clearer system of V Levels, T Levels, and A Levels, along with the new foundation certificates and occupational certificates, over the next four years. Crucially, it makes clear how we will support you through the transition because none of this works unless you are supported to deliver it.

We are listening and improving. Change of this scale needs to be pragmatic not dogmatic. For example, the availability of industry placements has proven a barrier to growing T Level numbers in the past. We have worked with the sector to make substantial changes, including scrapping the limits on the percentage of remote hours a student can do and how many employers they work with. This gives providers the scope to deliver placements at scale while making clear our ongoing expectations for quality. We have published that new guidance alongside our implementation plan to give providers time to make those changes ready for the year ahead.

Reform of this scale doesn’t stand still, and neither will our implementation plan. We will keep it updated as decisions are made, informed by conversations with you, so you always have a clear picture of where things stand and what’s coming next.

We are already consulting on the content of the first eight new vocational qualifications. By the end of the year, we aim to have draft content for consultation for over 30 more qualifications from routes such as construction and engineering, social care, sports and health.

Qualification pioneers

To support these reforms, we will work with 16-19 providers to create robust transition plans with a clear timeline and strategy for supporting staff, students and employers through the change. We have set up a new sector-led group known as Qualification Pioneers, a mix of 16-19 providers from across England, reflecting different regions, provider types, sizes and levels of readiness, to help shape what strong provider transition plans look like in practice. They will support engagement between the Department for Education and providers during the transition period, and will help to develop guidance, tools and approaches to help with delivery.

We have also set-up a stakeholder steering group that will also help to shape the delivery of these important changes, giving the sector insight on curriculum planning and what works for your students.

Thank you to those of you who continue to be generous with your time and experience in contributing to subject content development and the consultations we are running. It’s incredibly important that we continue to harness the expertise in the sector and we welcome further contributions by getting in touch with the Department for Education.

You already do extraordinary work with these young people. We want to support you by putting in a qualifications architecture that matches that ambition and is fit for the future. We’re building one, we’re delivering it and we are determined to work with you to get it right.