ASCL’s response to the government’s announcement on the next stage of the post-16 qualifications overhaul

Commenting on the government’s announcement on the next stage of the overhaul of post-16 qualifications, Kevin Gilmartin, Post-16 and Colleges Specialist from the Association of School and College Leaders, said:

“ASCL welcomes the government’s intention to place more value on vocational and technical education. However, this must not be at the cost of taking away funding from qualifications that are extremely popular and successful, such as the BTEC Level 3. We will therefore be looking closely at the detail in today’s announcement and will be seeking our members’ views on the second stage of the consultation. Whatever is being proposed, will only be successful with the right level of funding to support its implementation. To this end, the forthcoming Spending Review and FE White Paper must rectify the years of underfunding in post-16 education so that the new proposals can truly succeed.”