Are T-levels the right answer, and if so, what was the question?

In terms of name recognition in our education system, two brands are hard to beat:

• A-levels, which were created back in 1951, and
• apprenticeships, which have been around for quite literally hundreds of years. 

However, the question of what should sit between A-levels and apprenticeships has been debated and contested for a long time, and not in a good way.

The two most recent attempts to fill the gap between A-levels and apprenticeships – first, GNVQs and NVQs in the early 1990s; and then ‘Diplomas’ in 2007 – both failed despite considerable political and financial investment.

If one were to add Applied A-levels, Vocational A-levels, AVCEs, the TVEI, YTS and CPVEs to the list of failures then the history of vocational and technical qualifications quickly turns into an acronym graveyard.  

Now, the Government appears to be insisting that in future 16-year-olds in England should only really have three options:

1. A-levels for those who want to attend university,
2. apprenticeships for those who want to move into employment, or
3. a new ‘T-level’ if a student wants to train towards a specific occupation. 

• So are T-levels the right answer, and if so, what was the question?
• Will T-levels succeed where so many others have failed?
• And why is the government so keen to remove huge swathes of existing qualifications as they roll out these new T-levels across the country? 

To share their views on the introduction of T-levels and what it means for the rest of the qualification landscape, we are joined by two guests who have been following T-levels from the very beginning:

Dr Fiona Aldridge is Head of Skills Insight at the West Midlands Combined Authority, and

Neil Thomas is the Chief Executive & Principal of Dudley College of Technology.

EDSK are delighted to announce the launch of their new podcast called ‘Inside Your Ed’, which will look inside the latest stories from across the education system in England including schools, colleges, apprenticeships and universities.

If you enjoy listening then please do leave a positive review on your podcast provider, and you can send us your views on each episode using the hashtag #insideyoured.