Bridget Phillipson announces pause and review of Level 3’s – Sector Reaction

Today (24th July 2024), Education Secretary, Bridgette Phillipson said: “I am pleased to announce that the department will undertake a short pause and review of post 16 qualification reform at level 3 and below, concluding before the end of the year. This means that the defunding scheduled for next week will be paused.”

Sector Reaction to the Pause and Review of Post 16 Qualifications announcement

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said: 

“I am very pleased that the new Education Secretary has shown that she is listening and carefully examining the evidence in this and other announcements since the election. That bodes well for all of the reforms that the new government has committed to, with a more open, evidence-based, engaging approach to designing a more coherent tertiary education system which works for all people at all stages of their work and lives.

“This was an important decision needing urgent attention in the best interests of students and the colleges wanting to meet their needs. Our position was always that T Levels are here to stay and will increasingly become vital qualifications alongside others, but the implementation plans had gone awry. So it is great to hear the clear and unambiguous support for the future of T Levels as well.

“Pausing defunding and undertaking a rapid review of the implementation is exactly what we asked for and this announcement will come as a great relief to college staff up and down the country. It means that students wanting to attain qualifications in, for instance, social care and electrical will be able to do that and help meet the enormous skills shortages in those two sectors, and there are other subjects like that which will need to be carefully examined in the coming weeks.

“Alongside the rapid review there is good work which needs to continue in the Department of Education on reviewing the content and assessment of T Levels and how to scale up the availability of placements to ensure their success for students and for progression into jobs and further learning.”

Robert West, Head of Education & Skills, CBI said: 

“While there are signs that the pressures in the labour market are starting to cool, firms are still struggling to find the staff to power their ambitions – putting a dampener on investment and growth when we need them most. With a rising number of young people not in employment, education or training, it is right that politicians bring such an important issue to the floor of the House.   

“It is critical that Government now partner with further education, independent training providers and businesses to understand how young people can be supported into work and to stay in the labour market. This will help address labour shortages holding back growth and deliver the skilled workforce we need to boost productivity.  

“As a first step, the Government should pause current Level 3 qualifications reform and commit to a review, with a view to maintaining courses with a strong track record of helping learners progress their careers. This will help protect quality courses and drive forward the Government’s National Youth Guarantee, positively transforming the lives of young people and businesses across the economy.” 

Simon Ashworth, AELP Deputy CEO and Director of Policy, said:

“We welcome the decision to pause and then review plans to defund qualifications at Level 3 and below, collectively called for by AELP and the other main sector representatives bodies. There is a degree of urgency over this – concluding this review by the end of the year is ambitious but necessary so that learners and providers understand where they stand. The proposals to remove the majority of Applied General and BTEC qualifications to ‘clear the decks’ for T Levels was completely arbitrary, would reduce learner choice, leave large gaps in provision and significantly impact the most disadvantaged learners.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders said:

“It is hugely welcome that the new government has listened to the concerns of the profession and announced this pause and review. Applied general qualifications, such as BTECs, are a really important qualification for so many young people, and help them progress to further study or employment. “However, while the confirmation that the review will be concluded by the end of the year is very encouraging, there is not yet detail on how long the pause will be in place. School and college leaders, and their students, need certainty about the courses that can be run for the next two years. We therefore urge the government to extend the pause until 2027 for all of the current applied general qualifications.”

NUS UK Vice President, Qasim Hussain, said: 

“We are so pleased to that the government has decided to pause and review the plan to scrap BTECs. 

“Reforming vocational qualifications shouldn’t mean reducing choices. The development of T-levels does not necessitate the scrapping of BTECs; they fulfil the various learning needs of different students. 

“Students who choose vocational education should have the same amount of choice as students who choose academic education. For this reason, we believe BTECs are an important part of our further education landscape. 

“We’re looking forward to working with our members in further education to shape the review and protect student choice” 

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

“We are delighted Labour has heeded our call to keep BTECs, putting on hold Tory plans to close off this key route into higher education for working-class students. This decision means students will not have their post-16 options needlessly restricted. BTECs are especially important for widening participation, as Black and Asian students are more likely to use them to get to university. Educators will now be able to contribute fully to the review, which we hope will recommend that colleges keep their existing BTEC provision and build upon it, rather than scrapping these crucial qualifications.”

Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“We welcome the education secretary’s announcement of a review of the reform of post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below, and the pause on plans to cut funding for applied general qualifications such as BTECs.

“T levels are a welcome addition to the post 16 landscape and their roll-out should continue – but current plans would significantly narrow the options available to students, leaving them with a blunt choice of A levels or T levels post 16.

“Ultimately we need a system of qualifications which supports access, choice, success and progression for students.” 

Kirstie Donnelly MBE, CEO at City & Guilds said

“Thank you SoS – the pause on reforms to post-16 qualifications demonstrates that the government has been listening to our calls along with the sector. With the review now set to conclude before the end of the year, the next months are critical to ensuring we get skills right for the future. However,  the point is this time we have to get it right!

“High quality education and skills change lives – we want to see a skills system that can deliver for all and to greater impact. Particularly looking at the right outcomes from any qualifications reform and how the current delivery design challenges of T-Levels can be addressed moving forward,  in parallel to broader quals and curriculum reform.

“These outcomes should aim to enhance and build upon existing systems to better serve learners and industry. Skills can be at the centre of solutions to the country’s challenges, and it is vital that the government and industry collaborate to ensure success.

“This pause is one step in the right direction, and we are keen to see how skills planning will be directed to deliver against the wider policy agenda this Government has started to set out.”

Clare Howard OBE, Chief Executive of Natspec, has reacted by welcoming the pause and review of the defunding of BTECs:

“We are delighted – and relieved – that the Secretary of State has announced a pause and review of qualification reform at level 3 and below. While we see a place for T levels, we have consistently pointed out to government that, given their size, assessment methodology and lack of flexibility, they are unlikely to provide as successful a platform for progression to HE for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as BTECs currently do. We mustn’t remove these vital stepping stones unless or until there is evidence that any replacement qualifications are serving this purpose equally or more effectively.

“We hope that the Secretary of State will also use this period of review to reconsider the proposals for national standards and associated qualifications at level 1 and Entry level in personal, social and employability skills. The draft standards fall woefully short of the mark in terms of relevance and sufficiency while the proposed qualification rules are unnecessarily restrictive. The decision to deny public funding for Entry level qualifications was nothing short of discriminatory. Natspec would be very happy to work with the Department for Education to come up with a more fit-for-purpose solution.”

Dame Julie Mellor, Chair of The Skills Federation (also known as the Federation for Industry Sector Skills & Standards (FISSS)) said:

“As Chair of the Skills Federation I welcome the announcement from the Secretary of State for Education to pause the defunding of applied general qualifications and carry out a review. Employers are concerned that defunding qualifications before alternatives are embedded risks leaving a high volume of students without viable options and breaking well-established progression routes to work that are understood and valued by employers. If T Levels are to work well they need to equip young people for their next steps including apprenticeships. We agree that the review should take place at pace to bring stability for post-16 providers, and would urge that employers are involved in the review to ensure that the outcomes support individuals to enter employment with the skills they need to thrive.”

John McNamara, Interim CEO of the Federation of Awarding Bodies said:

“The Federation welcomes the new government’s urgent pause and review of post-16 qualification reform at level 3 and below, as called for in our Manifesto’s Five Key Requests.

“This review of the reform process is vital to protecting the prospects and opportunities of learners, and as the collective voice of the qualifications and assessments industry we look forward to being involved in the next steps.”