The future of post-16 qualifications: Government response to the Committee’s Third Report of Session 2022–23Fourth Special Report of Session 2022–23
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The future of post-16 qualifications: Government response to the
Committee’s Third Report of Session 2022–23 Fourth Special Report
of Session 2022–23 Author: Education Committee Related inquiry: The
future of post-16 qualifications Date Published: 5 July 2023
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The future of post-16 qualifications: Government response to the Committee’s Third Report of Session 2022–23 Fourth Special Report of Session 2022–23 Author: Education Committee Related inquiry: The future of post-16 qualifications Date Published: 5 July 2023 Download and Share Contents Fourth Special Report The Education Committee published its Third Report of Session 2022–23 The future of post-16 Qualifications (HC 55) on 28 April 2023. The Government’s response was received on 27 June 2023 and is appended below. Appendix: Government Response 1. The Education Select Committee launched its inquiry into the future of post-16 qualifications in November 2021 and published its report, ‘The future of post-16 Qualifications’ on 28 April 2023. This document sets out the Government’s response to that report. 2. The Committee has made a number of recommendations in its report. A broad summary of our response is provided under themed headings below. A response to each recommendation is provided after this summary. Introduction 3. The Government welcomes the Committee’s report into the future of post 16 qualifications and shares its views on the importance of post 16 education. 4. The Committee makes its recommendations at a time when the Government is implementing its vision for a reformed post 16 education system. Review of Post 16 Qualifications 5. Our overarching ambition is for an education system that rigorously prepares students to take their next step after school at 16, whether that be continued study or moving into work based training. 6. The rationale for reforming post-16 education is based on 3 principles – simplifying a complex system impossible for students and employers to navigate, improving progression outcomes and creating a new, world-class technical offer that meets the needs of employers. 7. We have already begun streamlining current qualifications with the removal of over 5,500 courses at Level 3 and below with very low, or no enrolments. While this was a ‘once and done’ exercise, we are still seeing, through the removal of funding from qualifications that overlap with T levels, more courses with no young people on them. 8. On the recently published provisional list of 92 qualifications that overlap with wave 3 T Levels, there were 36 such qualifications, with a further 24 having fewer than 100 enrolments in the 2020/21 academic year. These qualifications will have funding removed in 2024, where they overlap with waves 1 and 2 of T Levels, and 2025 where they overlap with wave 3 Levels. 9. Current Applied General Qualifications (AGQs) produce very mixed outcomes, and those outcomes are poorer compared to students taking A Levels, even after controlling for differences in background characteristics.1 Most recent progression data from 2018–19 shows that numerous AGQs had less than 5% progression to HE for courses in Engineering, Business, Media and Health & Social Care.2 That is why qualifications funded as alternative academic qualifications in future will need to demonstrate a clear and direct link to Higher Education (HE). 10. The data also shows a less than 20% progression rate into employment without further study for a range of AGQs, including those in Business Management, Engineering, Health and Social Care, ICT and Child Development. Some of these courses had over 4,000 enrolments. 11. Currently, achieving an AGQ in Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care or Construction, Planning and the Built Environment is more likely to result in employment in the retail sector than agriculture or construction.3 12. Our reforms will change this by ensuring that technical qualifications are based on occupational standards codesigned with employers, recognised by industry and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. T Levels 13. T Levels are at the centre of our reforms at Level 3. T Levels are high quality qualifications developed with over 250 leading businesses. They use the same employer-led standards as apprenticeships. The qualification includes a nine-week industry placement, giving students valuable exposure and experience in the world of work. This sets them apart from many existing vocational qualifications. 14. T Levels have been designed by employers from best practice internationally, including the course structure, employer-led design and industry placement component. There are now 16 T levels available, with 164 providers across all regions of the country delivering. They recruited over 10,000 new students to T Levels in 2022 – more than double the 2021 figure. Overall, over 16,000 students have studied all or part of a T Level since they were launched in 2020. 15. We welcome the Committee’s particular interest in T Levels and our detailed response to the committee’s recommendations on T Levels is set out further down in our response. 16. We note that the Committee is particularly interested in raising awareness of T Levels and ensuring their alignment with other programmes. We are working with a wide range of stakeholders and partners such as Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), IFATE, and the National Careers Service to raise awareness of T Levels among key audiences to ensure that they are fully understood. We are also ensuring that progression opportunities and alignment with other programmes, such as apprenticeships and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), are clear. 17. The Committee also has an interest in the T Level Transition Programme, which we are continuing to develop to support access to T Levels for young people. The Department wants to ensure that the T Level Transition Programme supports access to T Levels for those young people taking it as a progression pathway to a T Level. We will work with providers to better understand early progression outcomes and how more learners can be supported onto T Levels as the programme is rolled out more widely. The DfE is also taking forward work on recognising attainment for those students who do not complete the T Level for whatever reason. 18. Following the introduction of T Levels in 2020, feedback from both students and providers has been positive. Of the outcomes achieved by learners in receipt of results for a T Level in the academic year 2021/22, the percentage of learners achieving a ‘Pass’ or above for their overall T Level grade was 92.2%.4 Higher Technical Qualifications 19. The Committee will also be interested in the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). HTQs are approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education as providing the skills employers need and branded with a quality mark to make this clear to learners and employers. 20. They are an excellent progression option for young people who have completed Level 3 qualifications and are a particularly suitable progression option for T Level graduates who can continue to develop knowledge and skills in the same technical route. 21. We are supporting providers across the country to provide HTQs through our prestigious Institutes of Technology, in which we have invested up to £300m. 22. We are establishing 21 Institutes of Technology across the country—prestigious, high-quality education providers created through innovative collaborations between further education colleges, universities, and employers. They provide higher technical education and training in key STEM sectors such as digital, construction, advanced manufacturing, and engineering. Apprenticeships 23. The Government welcomes the value that the Committee places on apprenticeships. This value is recognised by Government through the increase of funding to £2.7 billion by 2024–25 to support more high-quality apprenticeship opportunities for people of all ages. 24. The Government is working to make apprenticeships more accessible for employers, raise the quality of training further and support as many apprentices as possible to achieve their aims. 25. We want more people to benefit from degree apprenticeships and we are providing £40 million over the next two years to support more of these opportunities. 26. We are encouraging flexible training models that work for employers in all sectors, and removing the limit to the number of apprentices that smaller employers can take on. We continue to pay 95% of training costs for smaller employers that do not pay the levy and we fund 100% of training costs for the smallest employers when they take on younger apprentices, including those aged 16–18. 27. We are removing unnecessary bureaucracy for employers and providers so they can focus on delivering high-quality training and providing additional guidance to them and their apprentices to boost achievements. 28. It is great that so many young people recognise the benefits of apprenticeships, with strong interest and demand from young people. Of the 750,000 accounts set up on the University Clearing Admissions Service (UCAS) last year, just under half said they were interested in apprenticeships. As the Committee highlights, we recognise the need to ensure that young people who are starting out in their careers can access apprenticeship opportunities more easily and we welcome the Committee’s input on how to achieve this. Maths to 18 29. The Prime Minister has set out that our future economic growth depends on combating poor numeracy and maximising the potential of all young people. Poor numeracy costs our economy tens of billions a year and can leave people twice as likely to be unemployed as those with competent numeracy. We need to fundamentally change our education system so that it gives our young people the knowledge and skills they need, and that our businesses need, to compete with the best in the world. 30. In the past decade we have gone up 10 places in the international maths league tables and maths has become the most popular of all A Levels. However, it is still the case that the UK is one of the least numerate countries in the developed world. More than 8 million adults have numeracy skills below those expected of a 9 year old. In addition, around a third of our young people do not pass maths GCSE. 31. We also know the benefits of maths for employability and earnings. Even just basic numeracy skills can increase earnings by around £1,600 a year. Without a solid foundation in maths, our children risk being left behind and shut out of the careers to which they aspire and the lives they want to lead. 32. The Prime Minister has therefore set a new mission for all young people to study maths to age 18, equipping them with the skills they need for the modern economy. Our driving principle is to ensure that all young people are equipped with the right maths knowledge and skills to thrive, whatever their chosen pathway. 33. We welcome the committee’s interest in this developing area, including recommending the establishment of an expert panel to underpin development. The Government has already convened an expert advisory group to advise on what the right maths content should look like, and how this should be reflected in a post-16 education system in which all young people study maths to age 18. 34. The Committee has also rightly highlighted the challenges of tackling recruitment and retention of specialist maths teachers. We know that teachers already work tirelessly to deliver high-quality maths education. We also recognise that rolling out maths to a substantially larger post-16 cohort will require a larger workforce trained and equipped to teach young people the maths skills they need for their future careers. We will work closely with schools and colleges to do this and as a first step, we will launch a new, fully funded mathematics National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for those leading maths teaching in primary schools. Baccalaureate Models 35. We note the Committee’s interest in Baccalaureate models. We continue to approve The International Baccalaureate Organisation products or subjects within (IB Diploma; and the IB Career Related Programme) for funding subject to meeting the relevant requirements. Post 16 we are already delivering reforms that ensure a number of high-quality options for 16–19 year olds Committee Recommendations 36. Our response to each of the Committee’s recommendations is below. Recommendation 2: The Department must set an ambitious target for at least three-quarters of young people to be qualified to level 3 by 2030. Within this target there should be a concentrated effort to ensure that skills for the future economy and the skillsets required to meet the net zero and nature gain challenges are prioritised. (Paragraph 24) The Department already has a key aim of ensuring as many people as possible have the opportunity to achieve a Level 3 qualification. This is through the Free Courses for Job offer, introduction of T Levels as a valuable Level 3 technical qualification and a legal entitlement to a first full Level 3 qualification for 19–23 year-olds through the Adult Education Budget. Launched in April 2021, the Free Courses for Jobs offer allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications (A-level equivalent) for free. Some of our highest levels of uptake have been seen in subject areas which are critical to supporting the green economy such as building and construction. We are keeping the qualifications lists under review for the offer in a bid to include any qualifications which could help achieve the Government’s Net Zero ambitions. Devolved authorities also have additional flexibility to fund qualifications via the offer. The cumulative number of enrolments on the offer, reported between April 2021 and January 2023, stands at 39,430 (with 4,780 having started in the 2020/21 academic year, 19,700 in 2021/22 and 14,960 reported so far for the first six months of 2022/23). This includes those taking up free courses for jobs under the extended offer from April 2022. This offer complements the Legal entitlement that those aged 19–24 have to a full first Level 3 Qualification. Together with T levels, we are providing a wide range of options for learners of all ages to achieve valuable and recognised Level 3 qualifications. In 2021/22, 62.9% of 19 year olds (379,346) were qualified to Level 3 which is the highest figure record. For the same period, 177,960 learners aged 19–24 participated at Level 3. Our skills system is working to support people into skilled, high paying occupations, including those in the green economy. In April 2022, DfE published a strategy for sustainability and climate change in the education system which sets out our action on green skills and careers. Across Free Courses for Jobs, Apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps, T Levels, and the whole skills ecosystem, the Government is investing in green skills to support people into jobs for net zero, environmental recovery and a sustainable future. An evaluation of Skills Bootcamps delivery in FY2021–22 shows 710 learners started a Skills Bootcamp in green or green engineering. Through our robust national procurement exercise, we have established around 45 separate Skills Bootcamps delivering new skills supporting greener construction, transport and green energy and industry sectors. DfE recognises workforce and skills challenges exist within the green economy, and we are working to ensure our skills programmes are designed to mitigate them. Recommendation 6: We have heard that some universities are requiring an A level alongside a T Level for entry onto degree programmes. Department guidance on whether an A level can feasibly be studied alongside a T Level appears inconsistent, and the Department must clearly set out its position on this. The Department must work with universities to ensure they fully appreciate the value of, and commitment required by T Levels and do not therefore specify unreasonable entry requirements such as specific A levels on top of a T level course. (Paragraph 41) The Department’s position on students taking an A Level alongside their T Level has not changed since the published consultation response in May 2018 (Implementation of T Level programmes: Government consultation response (publishing.service.gov.uk)). The Department remains supportive of students who want to take an A Level alongside their T Level, particularly where it supports progression options, and there is provision for this within the current T Level funding arrangements. A student who takes an A Level and gets a grade B or better, plus a Merit in their T Level would attract funding for this through the Large Programme Uplift (LPU). Where providers are expanding the number of students taking a Level 3 maths qualification then they will also attract additional funding through the Advanced Maths Premium (AMP). As well as the LPU and the AMP, T Level funding arrangements will include an average of 75 hours EEP (employability, enrichment and pastoral) per year, per student. As with existing study programmes, providers may choose to use EEP hours to help fund an A level. Individual T Levels differ in size depending on their industry and occupational specialism and they are substantially larger than many current technical qualifications—at least the size of a 3 A Level programme. Therefore, providers will need to consider the best way to support students that are considering taking an A Level alongside their programme and manage the impact on the student’s timetable. I have written to all universities to raise awareness of T Levels, encouraging them to be transparent and make a clear statement which sets out their approach to T Level entry requirements for 2022 and beyond. We will continue to work with the Higher Education (HE) sector to explain the overlap in content between T Levels, A levels and other qualifications used for entry to HE. We have developed mapping documentswhich show the maths content that is embedded within T Levels—and how this compares with A Level maths and further maths, and relevant BTEC units. Recommendation 7: The Department must work with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to clearly map and publish progression opportunities for T Level students. This will help reduce uncertainty among students, parents and employers, and will demonstrate how T Levels can provide a springboard to further study, training and work. (Paragraph 42) Progression from T Levels has been a focus of the programme, ensuring that students, parents and employers are clear about the range of progression opportunities available to T Level graduates. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has worked with employers, providers, and industry experts to develop progression profiles, which illustrate the range of progression options available following completion of a T Level. To develop progression profiles, IfATE have mapped content that is common to T Levels and apprenticeships, linking back to the occupational maps which show the skilled occupations that they can lead to. The profiles will evolve as T Levels and occupational standards are updated and as we and IfATE continue to engage with employers, providers and industry experts. It is important to note that while the profiles show some of the pathways that are available, many other opportunities will be available. The National Careers Service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. The Service helps customers make informed choices about their career options, with discussions tailored to meet the individual needs and circumstances of each customer. Young people aged 13 to 18 can access ongoing in-depth information, advice and guidance from the service via local telephone-based careers advisers or the webchat function on the National Careers Service website. This can include support relating to T Levels and its progression opportunities. Following receipt of their exam results, young people can access exam results careers advice from the National Careers Service, advising them on their next steps including information and advice relating to T Levels. The Get the Jump: Skills for Life campaign helps young people aged 14 to 19 to understand their education and training choices, how they compare and where they can lead including a link to a T Levels page which incorporates information on progression and careers related to the qualification. The ‘Helping young people make education and careers choices’ page on the Service website provides advice for how parents, carers and guardians can support their young person to take their next steps. Recommendation 8: The Department must work with the sector to align T Levels with level 4 apprenticeships, for example, developing a bridging course that enables T Level learners to move onto a level 4 apprenticeship. (Paragraph 43) As IfATE’s progression profiles illustrate, T Levels are an excellent preparation for a wide range of L4 apprenticeships, although some may have specific entry requirements such as a period in employment. Some apprenticeships may also be reduced in duration because of prior learning gained during the T Level. T Levels are based on the same occupational standards as apprenticeships and, as such, align with other technical education provision within the same occupational route. Recommendation 9: The Department must set out how it will incentivise progression from T Levels onto Higher Technical Qualifications, particularly given the key strategic role qualifications at level 4 and 5 play in meeting the nation’s skills needs. (Paragraph 44) The Government agrees that Level 4 and 5 qualifications are a key priority in meeting skills needs. We are delivering reforms to improve the profile, quality and perceived prestige of higher technical education (i.e. classroom-based technical education at Levels 4 and 5). This aims to ensure that higher technical education is seen as a high-quality option for young people and adults that provides the skills employers need. Central to these reforms is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). HTQs are approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education as providing the skills employers need and branded with a quality mark to make this clear to learners and employers. The first qualifications (Digital HTQs) started in September 2022. HTQs in Construction and Health and Science will be available from September 2023. Our reforms to higher technical education have been backed by substantial investment, including up to c.£117m to date of announced funding to help support the growth of provision across the country, on top of up to £300m to create a network of 21 Institutes of Technology. HTQs are an excellent progression option for young people who have completed Level 3 qualifications and are a particularly suitable progression option for T Level graduates who can continue to develop knowledge and skills in the same technical route. For example, a student with a T Level in Digital Production, Design and Development could progress to a related HTQ such as a Foundation Degree in Software Development. HTQs are being promoted (alongside T Levels) as part of the cross-Government communications and engagement campaigns for young people, which will help raise awareness of the various skills offers, help them decide which one is right for them (or their workforce) and drive take up. Further to our joint comms campaign, we are showcasing HTQs as a suitable progression option from T Levels through working with external partners to ensure career guidance and advice is linked, spotlighting HTQs during T Levels week, ensuring that progression routes are clear and concise on occupational maps. The Department will continue to scope activities that highlight progression from T Levels to HTQs. Recommendation 10: The Department must publish data on the education, apprenticeship, and employment destinations for the first cohort of T Level students at the earliest opportunity. While Department destination measures are usually published two years following the completion of 16–18 study, we recommend the Department fast-track this data, providing an interim picture ahead of the expected official publication in 2024. (Paragraph 45) The Department already makes destination data available at the earliest opportunity. It is not possible to fast-track the publication of destination data as it is matched with data from a range of other sources, and accelerating this process this would result in incomplete destination information. The Technical Education Learner Survey (commissioned by DfE) is tracking the destinations of the first 2 T Level cohorts and we will be publishing the findings from the first cohort (1 year after completion) in late 2023 / early 2024. Recommendation 13: The Department must consider the case for micro-accreditation for T Level learners who for whatever reason do not complete their full programme of study. Allowing some form of credentialling for partially completed T Levels would encourage more learners to take them up and allow those who do drop out to gain recognised value from their experience. (Paragraph 57) If a student leaves their course early or does not pass all elements of their T Level, we want to make sure that they are recognised for the elements of a T Level they have achieved. Therefore, there are already arrangements in the programme which enable students to be recognised for their attainment. Statements of Achievement are issued to students which officially confirm which of the requirements a student has met. These Statements have value for students looking to enter employment or continue their studies. Additionally, for higher education, we have agreed with UCAS a tariff allocation for separate elements of the Technical Qualification: an allocation for students that have passed the Core and completed the Industry Placement, and an allocation for students that have passed the Occupational Specialism and completed the Industry Placement. This will be applicable to all students for confirmation and clearing from Summer 2023 onwards. This change will support students to access HE courses if they did not achieve the full programme. Recommendation 15: The Department must work with providers to review the Transition Programme to determine why so few learners progress onto the full T Level. We would expect an effectively functioning Transition Programme to support at least half of learners to progress to the full T Level, with virtually all Transition Programme learners able to move onto a level 3 qualification by the end of the year. (Paragraph 64) T Levels and the T Level Transition Programme are still relatively new programmes, and providers are still learning what works in supporting progression to T Levels. We have strengthened the programme informed by evidence from the first year and developed national technical content for greater consistency from September 2022. The Department wants to ensure that the T Level Transition Programme supports access to T Levels for those young people taking it as a progression pathway to a T Level, so we will work with providers to better understand early progression outcomes and how more learners can be supported onto T Levels as the programme is rolled out more widely. We have committed to use data on progression from the T Level Transition Programme from the early years of delivery, to support the development of accountability measures that will be published following national rollout of the programme. 16. The Department must publish annual statistics on the conversion rate from the Transition Programme onto the full T Level, providing a breakdown of what level of study learners move onto, and whether any drop out of education altogether. (Paragraph 65) The Department has already published early MI data on progression outcomes for cohort 1 in the T Level Action Plan and intends to publish data for cohort 2 in the same way. We have also committed to developing accountability measures for the T Level Transition Programme that will be published following national rollout, and will publish proposals for specific measures as soon as we are able to do so. We are internally monitoring data on delivery of the programme to inform such measures and, where necessary, will adjust our policies accordingly. 17. The Department must publish data on the Transition Programme and T Level drop-out rate, broken down by key student characteristics. This should track whether students who took the Transition Programme have increased likelihood of dropping out of the T Level. (Paragraph 66) Our provisional analysis of data for the first cohort indicates that a total of 49% of TLTP students progressed to Level 3 outcomes. That is significantly higher than the provisional estimate of 37% progression to Level 3 for the wider level 2 cohort of 16 year olds. We are internally monitoring data on enrolment, completion and destinations, to ensure that young people are enrolled on the programme in line with its intended target group, and that it is meeting its policy aim of supporting progression to T Levels. Where necessary, we will make further changes in light of this monitoring. We are also internally monitoring information on the characteristics of young people enrolled on the programme, to monitor access to the programme and the impacts on them, to inform future development of the programme. 20. The Department must improve recognition of T Levels among students, parents and employers through a T Level awareness campaign that raises the profile of the new qualification at both a national and local level. (Paragraph 74) T Levels are promoted nationally through the Get the Jump campaign, where young people have, for the first time and in one place, information on all of the education and training choices they can make post-16 and post-18. The Department also launched the Join the Skills Revolution campaign, aimed at employers. These two Skills for Life campaigns use a range of media channels and spotlight T Levels to drive awareness and understanding amongst young people aged 14–19 and employers respectively. The campaigns are monitored closely in line with robust Key Performance Indicators to track engagement and awareness, and are supported through local and regional media outreach, to showcase the benefits of T Levels to employers, young people and their parents. The Department is also raising awareness with schools through its Apprenticeship, Support and Knowledge Programme and its work with the Careers and Enterprise Company. This is supported by a suite of resources to help teachers and careers leaders explain T Levels to their students. This is in addition to the ongoing awareness raising activity by T Level providers, where the Department amplifies case studies and positive stories across social channels and in both national and regional media. The Department also creates bigger key communications moments during the year, such as T Level results day in August and T Levels Week in October, to boost interest and engagement. The Department will continue to look for and maximise opportunities to raise awareness of T Levels, ensuring more young people can benefit from them. There is nothing more powerful than students sharing their positive T Level experiences with their peers, parents and employers. The T Level Ambassador Network raises the profile of T Levels with employers, parents and students. There are currently 18 students signed up as ambassadors, and the Department aims to increase this number over time. 21. The Department must monitor the success of its T Level marketing and communications strategy through the publication of annual statistics—at both national and regional level—on T Level awareness among young people and employers. (Paragraph 75) The Department’s omnibus surveys track pupil, teacher and parent awareness of T Levels. The survey on pupil and parent awareness asks pupils in years 9, 10 and 11 whether they are aware of T Levels and how likely they are to take them. In June 2022, 33% of pupils were aware of T Levels. Of those who were aware of them, 26% of pupils in years 9 and 10 said they were likely to consider them. 34% of parents were aware of T Levels. The School and College Panel survey found that in June 2022 68% of key stage 4 and 5 teachers were aware of T Levels. Awareness by employers is tracked as part of the Employer Skills Survey series, the most recent report is from 2021 and showed that 24% of establishments surveyed had heard of T Levels. Both of the Department’s Skills for Life campaigns are closely monitored in line with robust Key Performance Indicators and success measures. The resulting data are used internally to inform policy making and next steps as part of a comprehensive strategy with the aim of raising awareness and understanding of T Levels among key audiences, and ultimately driving up the number of student registrations. The Department engages regularly with T Level providers to monitor and track their recruitment and support their communications and marketing to young people. The Department published figures on student recruitment for the first time this year, through the T Level Action Plan. These figures showed a positive increase in student recruitment—with providers recruiting around 10,200 new students to T Levels in September 2022—more than double the 2021 figure. Updated figures will be published in the same way through the annual Action Plans. 22. The Department must work with small and medium-sized businesses as well as with the network of careers hubs supported by the Careers and Enterprise Company to promote T Levels to a wider audience. (Paragraph 76) To aid employers in delivering industry placements, the Department has in place an extensive programme of focused support, offering guidance, workshops and webinars, as well as tailored advice and direct hands-on support, to build their confidence, capability and capacity. The Department engages directly with employers to develop a pipeline of industry placements and is working with key intermediaries to develop innovative ways to stimulate the SME market. The T Level Ambassador Network alongside the Apprenticeship Ambassadors network is also enabling employers to engage with others in their industries on T Levels and placements, via events and webinars. This network comprises 296 employers and other members and will continue to grow and amplify the peer-to-peer voice of employers. The Department is providing grant funding of up to £29.7 million to The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) in 2023–24. We have agreed with CEC that their strategic priorities this year will include ‘amplifying technical and vocational pathways’. The CEC will embed apprenticeships and technical education (ATE) into all Careers Leader training and resources. We are continuing to fund the national rollout of the CEC’s network of Careers Hubs and over 90% of secondary schools and colleges in England are now part of a hub. Careers Hubs play a leading role in promoting T Levels to a wider audience, including by:
25. The Department must publish forecasts on potential industry placement demands and shortfalls as soon as possible, at both national and regional level. (Paragraph 90) The Department will consider whether to publish projections for T Level enrolment numbers, and therefore potential industry placement demand. We will need to be careful that in doing so we appear to be setting targets. We want students to enrol on T Level courses because they are the right choice for them to make for the career progression they want. The quality of the qualification and the value to the student’s future career are what will drive take-up of T Levels. 26. Scaling up T Level placements could have inadvertent negative consequences for other parts of the skills agenda by reducing employers’ willingness to continue with existing programmes such as apprenticeships, and supported internships which also require placements. The Department must convene an employer-led industry placement taskforce, with particular emphasis on incorporating the views of small and medium-sized enterprises and careers hubs, to draw up a strategic plan for tackling this issue. (Paragraph 91) As part of our employer engagement strategy, designed to develop a pipeline of employers ready to offer placement opportunities, our conversations show there is no evidence to suggest that employers who offer industry placements do so to the detriment of other parts of the skills agenda. Many large levy paying employers see industry placements as a conduit to their apprenticeship programmes. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that many SMEs are more likely to engage with the programme where they see tangible progression outcomes for the students they work with such as an apprenticeship opportunity. To build awareness and understanding of T Levels, and therefore industry placements, we have set up the T Level Ambassador Network. Its members are advocates for technical education and the benefits of hosting industry placements and have a key role in bringing industry and education together. The Ambassador Network represents a wide range of sectors but also sizes of employers, with both SMEs and large business representation. In line with broader Government objectives we have adopted a ‘digital first’ approach to our engagement strategy and recently launched the ‘Connect with employers interested in T Levels ’ service, to help providers to connect and build relationships with employers about T Levels and industry placements. The service allows employers to express an interest in offering placements, and providers can access this data and initiate contact. Careers Hubs are already working with over 400 Cornerstone Employer groups that represent a range of business sizes and of sectors. They drive leadership and strategic support within their communities to bring together business effort and engagement with local schools and colleges. The Cornerstone Employer group can provide an efficient way to assemble a representative range of business interests quickly on areas including T levels. 29. The Department must closely monitor how learner satisfaction, attainment and progression for those undertaking hybrid T Level placements compares with those undertaking fully in-person placements. Evaluations on this should be published annually. (Paragraph 103). We have included questions around T Levels and industry placements in the Technical Education Learner Survey. This is a large-scale representative survey covering the first two T Level cohorts, a Level 3 comparison cohort, the first three Transition Programme cohorts, and Level 4/5 technical learners. The results of the 2021 survey are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technical-education-learner-survey. We also plan to evaluate all placement delivery approaches (including hybrid/remote working) to understand how the models are used and the quality to placements these bring. We are continually monitoring all allowable delivery models to ensure the needs of the programme are met. 30. Up until July 2022, employers could claim £1,000 for every T Level industry placement. The Department must reinstate this incentive for small and medium enterprises, and microbusinesses, in order to facilitate their participation with T Levels. (Paragraph 104) The employer incentive fund was launched as part of our response to the Covid-19 pandemic and was always intended to be a short-term fund. We have no intention to continue or reinstate the incentive fund as this is not a sustainable, long-term model. However, earlier this year we launched a £12m employer support fund. This fund will compensate employers for costs incurred when delivering an industry placement. It is hoped that providing compensation for these costs will enable providers to build relationships with employers and for them to realise the long-term benefits of the programme. 36. The ability of businesses to offer sufficient, high-quality industry placements, and a clear track record of T Level success as well as evidenced improvement in equalities outcomes, should be prerequisites to scrapping further Applied General Qualifications on the basis of ‘overlap’. (Paragraph 140) To support the roll out of T Levels, we are removing funding from qualifications which overlap with T Levels to allow T Levels the space to thrive and allow as many young people as possible to benefit from the breadth and depth they provide. The Government is putting A levels and T Levels at the heart of most young people’s study programmes because these qualifications offer the best progression for students. Ensuring that all students, regardless of background are best equipped to progress to skilled employment or higher education. Feedback from T Level students and providers has been highly positive. The first cohort on T Levels achieved an overall pass rate of 92.2% in summer 2022 and have progressed onto the next stage of their careers. The Government recognises the challenges that come with change, including timing. For this reason, the reforms are happening in a gradual, phased way and with significant levels of investment and support, including regular discussions with stakeholders to listen to their concerns. The earliest point the Government will remove funding approval for qualifications that overlap with T Levels will be August 2024—four years after T Levels were first taught (and eight years after they were first proposed in the Sainsbury Report). Level 2 and below reforms are being phased over three years instead of two, with first reform recently delayed by a year to allow more time to prepare. We have also provided extensive support to colleges to facilitate the transition to T Levels, such as online guidance materials, workshops, and webinars for employers to attend, as well as offering direct, hands-on support. We continue to do so. This includes a significant support on the provision of industry placements:
37. The Department must place a moratorium on defunding Applied General Qualifications. Tried and tested Applied General Qualifications should only be withdrawn as and when there is a robust evidence base proving that T Levels are demonstrably more effective in preparing students for progression, meeting industry needs and promoting social mobility. (Paragraph 141) The Government is reforming qualifications at Level 3 because too many qualifications have low and no enrolments, are not sufficiently based on IfATE’s employer led occupational standards, and do not progress young people to related occupations. For example, on the recently published provisional list of 92 qualifications that overlap with wave 3 T levels, we know there were 36 qualifications which had no enrolments and a further 24 had fewer than 100 enrolments in 2020/21 academic year. All too often, young people who have taken a qualification in a particular subject end up in an unrelated field. For achievers of qualifications in 2018/195 there is no clear relationship between most sector subject areas of qualifications and employment in specific industry sectors. For many qualifications, the retail sector is the most likely destination for those in sustained employment. On average, for example learners achieving Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care qualifications are more likely to be employed in the retail sector (28%) than in the Agriculture sector (10%). For Construction, Planning and the Built Environment sector qualifications, learners achieving them are also more likely on average to be employed in the retail sector (21%) than in the construction sector (10%). Our reforms are designed to change this. They will ensure that young people study technical education options that have been designed against IfATE’s employer led occupational standards and that give them the skills they need to enter their chosen occupation. We will also be asking for evidence the qualification is valued by employers. Where young people need support to progress to T Levels, they will be able to access the T Level or other Level 3 provision, transition programme, or other reformed Level 2 provision more clearly designed to help them progress. There is evidence that current AGQs are less effective than A Levels when it comes to university outcomes. For example6, research for The Nuffield Foundation found that BTECs provide a route into university for one in four young student entrants from England, and BTEC entrants are more likely to be from disadvantaged backgrounds than their peers with A Levels. However, students who take A Levels are less likely to drop out of university and more likely to graduate with a 2:1 or a first than those with BTECs. Students who entered with just BTECs are almost twice as likely to drop out before their second year compared to similar students who have just A Levels, around 1.7 times more likely to repeat their first year and around 1.4 times more likely to graduate below a 2:1. We are confident, therefore, that our reforms will increase outcomes for learners and build a strong pipeline of skills for the future. 38. The 19% increase in apprenticeship starts among under-19s between 2020/21 and 2021/22 is a positive step forward. However, all too often older, more highly qualified workers are being prioritised for apprenticeships at the expense of young people trying to get their foot on the first rung of the careers ladder. For apprenticeships to play their full part in the ladder of opportunity, they need to reach both groups. (Paragraph 155) 39. The Department must set out how it will address the long-term decline in apprenticeship starts among young people, and ensure apprenticeships are the gold-standard ‘earn and learn’ option for school and college leavers. The Department must commission an independent review to examine possible mechanisms to achieve this, for example, considering ways in which levy reform could effectively incentivise an increase in apprenticeship starts among younger and lower-skilled learners. (Paragraph 156) The Government shares the Committee’s view on the value of apprenticeships as a high-quality career pathway for young people. In the 2021/22 academic year, 53% of apprenticeship starts were by those under 25. We want to support more young people to start and achieve apprenticeships which offer good earnings potential and career progression. The Government is raising awareness of apprenticeships and making it easier for young people to find and secure the right option for them. We continue to promote apprenticeships in schools and colleges through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme, which was supported by £3.2 million of funding last academic year. During the 2021/22 academic year, the ASK programme engaged with over 2,500 schools and FE colleges, reaching over 685,000 students, and over 58,000 parents. Our Career Starter Apprenticeships campaign is highlighting Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships which offer great opportunities to those leaving full-time education and looking to embark on a career in a specific sector. In addition, our Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, a voluntary network made up of employers and current or former apprentices, continues to inspire and motivate the apprentices of tomorrow. As the Committee highlights, the changes to allow individuals to search and apply for apprenticeships on UCAS will support parity of esteem between vocational and academic routes and support young people to consider a fuller range of options. We are working with UCAS and from this autumn, they will expand their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including apprenticeships. From 2024, students will be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees. Although Government has no plans at present to reform the apprenticeship levy, we keep all policies under review, and we continue to take action to encourage more apprenticeship opportunities for young people. We have recently removed the limit on the number of apprentices that small and medium-sized employers can take on, as we know they are more likely to employ younger apprentices and apprentices from disadvantaged areas. We already provide financial assistance to support young people to access apprenticeships through the £1,000 payments to employers when they take on 16- to 18-year-olds and through the care leavers bursary which is increasing from £1,000 to £3,000 from August. In addtion, we continue to make it easier for employers to take on apprentices by improving our systems and removing unnecessary rules and bureaucracy. 40. Subject to positive evaluation, the Department must expand the flexi-job apprenticeship scheme with an ambition to support 5,000 apprentices on the scheme by 2025. The Department must maintain a particular focus on supporting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to share apprentices. This will help ease pressure on SMEs by removing the requirement for a full 12-month training commitment. The Department must continue to work closely with trade unions, employers and other stakeholders to ensure fair pay and just terms and conditions for apprenticeships.(Paragraph 157) The Government is committed to supporting employers in sectors with short-term, project based work to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer. We awarded £5 million of grant funding to support the creation of new Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies which are available across a range of sectors, including creative, construction, digital and engineering. As the pilot period comes to a close this Autumn, we will evaluate the progress that has been made and explore how best to support more employers and apprentices in these sectors. As with all apprenticeships, levels of starts are determined by the recruitment and skills development choices that employers make. In the meantime, we continue to take steps to support more employers and apprentices to benefit from flexi-job apprenticeships. We are working with Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies to develop a comprehensive ‘Guide to Flexi-Job Apprenticeships’ to promote the benefits to potential host employers and apprentices. We also recently invited applications for new organisations to join the Register of Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies. Successful applicants will join the Register at the beginning of October, supporting more employers and individuals to benefit from high-quality apprenticeships. In addition, we are piloting Portable Flexi-Job Apprenticeships. These put apprentices in the driving seat by allowing them to move between shorter-term (minimum 3-month) employment contracts made directly with different employers, and with pauses between placements where appropriate. There are now 37 standards available as part of the pilot across the creative, digital, construction and healthcare sectors, with 16 providers currently involved. A key success measure of flexi-job apprenticeships is the proportion of apprentices who successfully achieve their apprenticeship. We want to ensure that more apprentices complete their programmes and have a high-quality experience, and in support of this aim we recognise the need to ensure that apprentices are properly supported by their employer and training provider, and that they receive fair pay and conditions. Apprenticeship Pay We will continue to work closely with stakeholders to ensure fair pay and just terms and conditions for apprentices. We increased the apprentice minimum wage by 9.7% in April. Many employers choose to pay their apprentices more than the national minimum wage rates, recognising the value that apprentices bring to their workplaces. Our data shows that average hourly pay for apprentices’ ranges between £8.23 for level 2 apprentices and £14.02 for those at level 6. We also recently launched our new Apprentice Support Centre, bringing together essential information and resources in one place to help apprentices get the support they need. 42. The Department must revisit its decision to withdraw funding for the IB Careers Programme. It should continue to fund this rigorous and accessible qualification, or provide evidence that any replacement will generate improved outcomes. (Paragraph 166) The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) offer two main products in England: the IB Diploma; and the IB Career Related Programme (CRP). The individual subjects are also available for study as standalone qualifications. The Government will continue to approve the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma for funding. It will continue to be subject to regulation by Ofqual. The Government has not said that it will withdraw funding for the IB Careers Programme. The Career Related Programme (CRP) is comprised of three parts:
We will approve the individual subjects for funding separately from the diploma if IBO choose to submit them for approval and they meet our published criteria for alternative academic qualifications. The components of the Career Programme Core will also need to meet the new criteria for approval as Applied Academic Qualifications for example, but if they do meet all the published requirements, they would be funded. The Department does not make decisions on which qualifications IBO wishes to approve for inclusion in the Career-related studies element of the CRP. 44. A baccalaureate model offers a broad and ambitious curriculum, enabling students to develop skills and knowledge across a wide range of disciplines. It also places important emphasis on holistic, extracurricular learning. Whilst there is little appetite for a major system change in this space, there needs to be proper research into the benefits of a broader approach. The Department must establish an independent expert panel, reflecting a wide range of educational perspectives, to conduct a full and considered review into the possibility of adopting a baccalaureate model in England. To prevent a further narrowing of 16–19 education, the Committee urges the Government to undertake a wholesale review of 16–19 funding, including offering more targeted support for disadvantaged students. (Paragraph 179) The Department is already delivering reforms that will ensure a breadth of high-quality options for 16–19 year-olds. We are clear that young people should be able to access a broad and balanced, academically focused curriculum up until the age of 16. This broad grounding ensures that all pupils, regardless of background, are prepared to fulfil their aspirations post-16. At 16 pupils are able to specialise, choosing from the range of high quality academic and technical pathways that become open to them. A Levels are gold standard academic qualifications which allow in depth study of a wide choice of subjects. Between 2015 and 2018, we introduced a series of reforms to A Levels to address concerns from higher and further education institutions and employers that the previous qualifications did not adequately prepare young people for the demands of higher study and the workplace. The latest Perceptions of General Qualifications survey7 from Ofqual shows that more than 80% of survey respondents say A Levels are trusted qualifications. 80% also felt that A Levels are good preparation for further study. We are also reforming technical qualifications at Level 3 to support young people to consistently progress to related employment. In the future, technical qualifications will be based on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE’s) occupational standards which have been designed by employers and which set out the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that employers need. A streamlined qualification landscape will ensure young people can feel confident that they are studying technical qualifications which will prepare them for jobs in their chosen occupation. The breadth and depth of T Levels is unmatched, giving students a thorough understanding of the sector and the skills needed to work in specific occupations, as well as an industry placement which gives them valuable experience. T Levels are large qualifications, which involve substantial commitment from the students studying them. However, the Department recognises that some students want to take an A level alongside their T Level, particularly where it supports progression options and there is provision for this within the current T Level funding arrangements. High-quality apprenticeships are also available in all sectors of the economy, supporting young people to gain the knowledge, skills, behaviours they need to be successful in their chosen occupation. This has been underpinned by investment at Spending Review 2021, which set out an additional £1.6 billion by 2024–25 for 16–19 year olds’ education in England, including helping to fund 40 additional hours of learning per student per year. In financial year 2023–24 we will invest £125 million in increasing funding rates for 16–19 education, including a 2.2% increase in the national funding rate for academic year 23/24 to £4,642 and an increase in funding for specific high value subject areas in engineering, construction and digital to help institutions with the additional costs of recruiting and retaining teachers in these vocational areas. The current 16–19 national funding formula was introduced in academic year 2013/2014. Under this system, institutions attract a standard rate of funding for each student, modified by a number of factors, such as course costs, retention and disadvantage. While institutions are required to act in line with funding rules, they may use their 16–19 funding allocation flexibly to ensure value for money and achieve the best outcomes for their students. In the 16–19 funding formula, disadvantage funding is made up of 2 blocks: one to account for students’ economic deprivation, and one to account for low prior attainment in English and maths, which is also a proxy for support needed by students with low to moderate levels of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Currently, like the rest of the formula driven allocation, this may be used flexibly; that is, providers are free to choose the best ways to use this additional funding to attract, retain and support disadvantaged students and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. We also support young people who couldn’t otherwise afford the costs of education to participate, via the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund. In academic year 2022/2023 almost £152 million of 16–19 Bursary funding has been allocated to providers to help disadvantaged 16–19-year-olds with costs such as travel, books, equipment and trips, an increase of over 12% on the previous year. We will continue to keep 16–19 funding under review, and appreciate it needs to remain fair, transparent and appropriate for the level of funding being allocated. Finally, the Prime Minister has set a new mission for all young people to study maths to age 18, equipping them with the skills they need for the modern economy. Our ambition is to boost mathematical literacy and skills for every learner, regardless of their chosen education pathway or career. 48. As part of the introduction of compulsory maths up to 18, the Department must convene an independent expert advisory panel to undertake an evidence-based assessment of any changes required to ensure curricula for post-16 maths delivers the practical and applied mathematical skills needed by students, employers and the economy. This needs to take into account a realistic assessment of the proportion of students who might struggle to achieve a grade 4 in GCSE mathematics, and a route for them to continue appropriate studies. (Paragraph 189) The Government has already convened an expert advisory group to advise the Government on what the right maths content should look like, and how this should be reflected in a post-16 education system in which all young people study maths to age 18. The group includes those with experience of teaching and working in schools and FE colleges, as well as individuals from academia and business. The group will advise the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Education on the maths content that will enable young people to thrive in a modern economy and the right mix of qualifications and programmes to deliver it. 49. There are a number of challenges to be addressed prior to the delivery of this important reform. These include tackling recruitment and retention of specialist maths teachers, and building a stronger foundation of numeracy and mathematical skills and knowledge at GCSE and below. Addressing these issues is a pre-requisite to ensuring the success of compulsory maths up to 18, and the Department must work with the sector to clearly set out how it plans to do so. (Paragraph 190) We know that teachers already work tirelessly to deliver high-quality maths education. Rolling out maths to a substantially larger post-16 cohort will require a larger workforce trained and equipped to teach young people the maths skills they need for their future careers. We will work closely with schools and colleges to do this. As a first step, we will launch a new, fully funded mathematics National Professional Qualification (NPQ) for those leading maths teaching in primary schools, teaching participants how to train other teachers to embed mastery pedagogy throughout their schools. We expect to make this available to all primary schools from February 2024. We will offer an updated Targeted Support Fund for the 2023–24 academic year, providing additional funding to incentivise primary school teacher and leaders, including in the smallest schools. We are also launching an expansion of the Taking Teaching Further programme, delivering funding for Further Education (FE) colleges to recruit and offer early career support to those with relevant knowledge and industry experience to retrain as FE teachers. We will launch a financial incentive pilot this year for up to 355 teachers, targeted at some of the most hard-to-fill subjects, including maths. We already provide significant incentives to boost the recruitment and retention of maths teachers:
Since 2010, we have made significant progress in ensuring pupils have a strong grasp of the basics by transforming the way maths is taught in schools. We have also seen a marked improvement in our position on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) league table. To ensure the curriculum is taught effectively, we introduced the mastery pedagogy used by top performing East Asian countries. Mastery aims to ensure that pupils secure a deep knowledge and understanding of mathematics. To support teachers to deliver this approach, we introduced the Maths Hubs programme coordinated by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) which is now working with a network of 40 maths hubs to help local schools improve the quality of their teaching based on mastery approaches. On 17th April, the Secretary of State for Education set out plans to expand Maths Hubs. The £100 million Teaching for Mastery programme exemplifies mastery pedagogy supporting high quality maths teaching. In 2021, we introduced the Mastering Number programme as part of Maths Hubs, through Accelerator Fund budgets. This programme provides professional development to participating teachers, enabling them to help all children in Reception and Key Stage 1 to develop their understanding of number through short, daily teaching sessions. The programme has proved universally popular: over 5,000 primary schools were involved in its first year. 50. Consideration should be given to how focused qualifications in practical numeracy and financial skills could be used to broaden the reach of this initiative and ensure that a wide variety of students can benefit from further study of mathematical skills in context. (Paragraph 191) On 17 April, the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education set out how we will take the next steps towards delivering our Maths to 18 mission. This includes convening an expert advisory group to advise on the essential maths knowledge and skills young people need to study to the age of 18. Alongside this, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education will work with employers to review the maths content in apprenticeships. The UK is one of the only countries in the OECD where we do not routinely see most young people studying some form of maths until they are 18. Our assessment of the right maths content and qualifications should also be informed by how our international competitors teach maths to young people. We will therefore commission research on post-16 maths provision around the world, ensuring the curriculum in this country rivals that of the highest performing countries. The Expert Advisory Group will collate evidence and provide advice to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education on what maths knowledge and skills are needed for jobs in the modern economy, and therefore what ‘best in class’ modern maths content should look like. The scope of the group, as set out in its terms of reference, includes considering what maths knowledge do young people need by age 18 to manage their own finances. Footnotes 1 Students with BTECs are successful across a range of university outcomes - Nuffield Foundation 2 Detailed destinations of 16 to 18 year olds in Further Education, Academic year 2018/19 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk) 3 Please see our response to recommendation 37 for full details. 4 Provisional T Level results, Academic year 2021/22 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk 5 Detailed destinations of 16 to 18 year olds in Further Education, Academic year 2018/19 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk) 6 Students with BTECs are successful across a range of university outcomes - Nuffield Foundation 7 Ofqual_Perceptions_General_Qualifications_Survey_Wave_21_report.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) |