Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills (): As part of our delivery of
wave 4 T Levels and our assessment of overlap between T Levels
and Technical Qualifications we have been consulting with
employers and representatives from many sectors.
After discussions with representatives of the hair and beauty
sector, we have decided to separate our plans for a combined T
Level in Hair and Beauty. The beauty sector has fed back that a
good quality level 3 classroom-based progression route is
desirable. Therefore, this government will explore introducing a
T Level which focuses on the beauty sector, with the expectation
that this could be introduced after 2025.
This differs from feedback we have had from representatives in
the hair sector which has led us to conclude that the best route
is for learners to progress into their industry through
completion of an existing level 2 or level 3 apprenticeship or a
level 2 classroom-based qualification. As such, we will no longer
be introducing a combined T Level.
To support apprenticeships in the hair sector, we have increased
funding for apprenticeships in these industries and funding
uplifts of 57% for the Level 2 Hairdressing Professional standard
and 28% for the Level 2 Barbering apprenticeship.
T Levels remain our flagship technical qualification for 16-19
year olds, with tens of thousands of students studying or having
studied T Levels, and they will form the backbone of the Advanced
British Standard. The Secretary of State made a statement on 9
March 2023 (Statement UIN HCWS619) on the future T Level roll
out. I am pleased to announce that we are on track to deliver the
T Levels in Media, Broadcast and Production and Craft and Design
for September 2024, alongside the Animal Care and Management T
Level, as well as the Marketing T Level from September 2025. This
will bring our portfolio of T Levels to 21 from September 2024,
and 22 from September 2025.
With today’s announcement we are alsopublishing the provisional
list of 71 technical qualifications that have been assessed to
overlap with Wave 4 T Levels rolled out in or before 2024, which
can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wave-4-t-levels-overlapping-qualifications.
These are Agriculture, Land Management and Production; Animal
Care and Management; Craft and Design; Legal Services; and Media,
Broadcast and Production. Subject to the outcomes of an appeal
process which gives awarding organisations the opportunity to
contest a qualification’s placement on the list, we will withdraw
16-19 public funding for new starts on these qualifications from
1 August 2025. 16-19 year-olds enrolled on these 71
qualifications accounted for around 1% of all total enrolments
for 16-19 year olds. 11 of the qualifications had no enrolments
and a further 23 had fewer than 100 enrolments in the 2021/22
academic year, highlighting the need to streamline the
qualifications system. Removing funding from technical
qualifications which overlap with T Levels will ensure young
people can feel confident that they are studying technical
qualifications which will prepare them for jobs in their chosen
occupation.
This is the final part of phase 2 of our reforms removing
qualifications that overlap with waves 1-4 T Levels.
