Third Report - The future of post-16 qualifications

The government acknowledges the importance of Level 3 qualifications and details several existing initiatives, such as the Free Courses for Jobs offer, T Levels, and the legal entitlement to a first full Level 3 qualification for 19–23 year-olds, aimed at increasing access and addressing skills shortages.

The government's response describes existing work by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the National Careers Service to provide information and guidance on T-Level progression opportunities. It does not address the recommendation to set an ambitious target for Level 3 qualifications by 2030.

The government acknowledges the committee's positive assessment of T Levels, affirming they are central to Level 3 reforms, high-quality, employer-led, and include valuable industry placements.

The government notes the committee's interest in T Levels and outlines ongoing work with stakeholders to raise awareness and ensure clarity on progression opportunities. It confirms the agreed UCAS tariff allocation for T Levels, which will support student access to higher education.

The government states that progression from T Levels has been a focus, highlighting existing work by IfATE on progression profiles and the promotion of HTQs as a suitable route. It also mentions ongoing work with partners and cross-government campaigns to raise awareness and clarify progression routes.

The government clarified its unchanged position on A Levels being taken alongside T Levels, stating it supports students doing so. It has written to universities to raise awareness of T Levels and encourage transparent entry requirements, and will continue to work with the HE sector to explain qualification overlap, but did not commit to ensuring universities do not specify unreasonable entry requirements.

The government's response explains that it is not possible to fast-track the publication of T-Level destination data due to the process of matching with other data sources. It confirms findings from the first cohort's destinations will be published in late 2023/early 2024. It does not address the recommendation to map and publish progression opportunities for T-Level students.

The government states that T Levels already align well with Level 4 apprenticeships, being based on the same occupational standards. It notes they provide excellent preparation, and prior learning from a T Level can reduce apprenticeship duration, without committing to new alignment efforts like bridging courses.

The government agrees on the importance of Level 4 and 5 qualifications and is incentivising progression through the introduction and promotion of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) via cross-government campaigns, working with external partners for career guidance, and ensuring clear progression routes on occupational maps. They will continue to scope further activities.

The government rejects fast-tracking destination data for T Level students, stating it is not possible due to the complex data matching process required, which would result in incomplete information. They confirm that data is already made available at the earliest opportunity, with the first cohort's survey findings due in late 2023/early 2024.

The government highlights its ongoing development of the T Level Transition Programme to support access for young people and notes positive outcomes, with over 92% of T Level learners achieving a 'Pass' or above.

The government acknowledges the concern about T Level students who do not complete the full programme and states existing Statements of Achievement recognise partial attainment. Furthermore, they have agreed with UCAS on tariff allocations for separate elements of the Technical Qualification, enabling students with partial achievement to access Higher Education courses from summer 2023.

The government's response outlines ongoing awareness campaigns for T-Levels, efforts to develop industry placements, and funding provided to the Careers & Enterprise Company. It does not address the recommendation to consider micro-accreditation or credentialing for partially completed T-Levels.

The government acknowledges the T Level Transition Programme is new and states it is working with providers to better understand early progression outcomes and support more learners. They plan to review progression expectations as the programme matures and are reviewing options for recognising attainment for those who do not progress to a full T Level.

The government states it is working with providers to better understand early progression outcomes and support learners onto T Levels. They will review expectations and expect the Transition Programme to evolve, and are currently reviewing options to recognise attainment for students who do not progress to a full T Level.

The government intends to publish data on the destinations of T Level Transition Programme students, including progression rates and drop-out data. They plan to publish early headline data for the 2021/22 academic year by the end of 2023, with more in-depth analysis in 2024, and will continue to track longer-term outcomes.

The government currently publishes T Level achievement and retention data by student characteristics. It intends to publish drop-out rates for the T Level Transition Programme, including breakdowns by student characteristics, and will analyze whether Transition Programme students have an increased likelihood of dropping out of T Levels as the programme matures.

The government defends its existing robust marketing and communications strategy for T Levels, stating it continuously reviews and adapts campaigns with increasing investment. They provide details of multi-channel advertising, digital content, and direct communications, citing research that shows increased awareness among young people, parents, and employers as a result of their current efforts.

The government states it has a robust, continually reviewed marketing and communications strategy in place, has increased investment, and campaign research shows increased T Level awareness. It commits to continue working with partners, focusing on regional variances.

The government outlines its existing robust, multi-channel marketing and communications strategy already in place to raise T Level awareness, citing increased awareness metrics from its 2022 campaign. It states it will continue these efforts, focusing on regional variances.

The government states it continually evaluates its marketing campaigns and its 2022 research showed increased T Level awareness among target groups. It will continue to monitor impact and inform future activity, with a focus on regional variances, without explicitly committing to annual publication of national and regional statistics.

The government details its existing multi-channel communications strategy targeting employers, schools, colleges, and careers advisors, including direct emails and resources provided through the Careers and Enterprise Company. It also mentions the Employer Engagement Programme to help providers work with employers.

The government aims for equitable access to T Levels, stating they are available in every region and will be rolled out across the country by 2025. It monitors regional uptake and will ensure marketing strategies address specific regional challenges and promote T Levels in rural, coastal, and disadvantaged areas.

The government states it has previously published industry placement demand estimates and is committed to ensuring sufficient high-quality placements, citing £181 million in capital funding, the Employer Support Fund, and the Employer Engagement Programme. It also continually monitors supply and demand and has commissioned a learner survey.

The government describes existing initiatives to promote apprenticeships and support young people and SMEs, but does not commit to convening the recommended employer-led industry placement taskforce or developing a strategic plan for T Level placements.

The government plans to evaluate all placement delivery approaches, including hybrid/remote working, to understand their usage and placement quality. It also commits to continually monitoring all delivery models to ensure program needs are met.

The government highlights positive T-Level feedback and ongoing efforts, including developing a T-Level Transition Programme for access, implementing partial attainment recognition for non-completers from Summer 2023, and existing disadvantage funding for supporting disadvantaged students and those with SEND.

The government states its Technical Education Learner Survey is tracking T Level cohorts and will publish findings from the first cohort in late 2023/early 2024. It also plans to evaluate all placement delivery approaches, including hybrid models, and continually monitors them, but does not explicitly commit to annual comparative publication.

The government explicitly rejects reinstating the employer incentive fund, stating it was a short-term COVID-19 response and not a sustainable model. Instead, it highlights the recently launched £12m Employer Support Fund designed to compensate employers for placement costs.

The government explains the rationale behind its post-16 education reforms, stating it has already streamlined qualifications and removed funding from courses overlapping with T Levels. It expresses confidence that these reforms will increase outcomes and provide necessary skills, thus rejecting the concern that they risk narrowing opportunities.

The government defends its Level 3 qualification reforms by highlighting issues with existing qualifications, such as low enrolments, lack of employer standards alignment, and poor progression to related occupations or university outcomes, particularly for BTEC students. It does not directly address the committee's specific concerns regarding the inadequacy of its equalities impact assessment.

The government justified its reforms to Level 3 qualifications, citing low enrolments in existing programs and better university outcomes for A Levels compared to BTECs. It did not address the committee's concern about the unclear number of students who might be disadvantaged by the reforms or the specific equality impact.

The government rejected the committee's view on the distinct purpose and social mobility role of Applied General Qualifications. It stated that many existing qualifications have low enrolments, are not employer-led, and are less effective than A Levels for university progression, reiterating its commitment to reforms.

The government acknowledged concerns about T Level placements and outlined several initiatives to address this, including a £12m employer support fund for the 2023/24 financial year, a dedicated employer support website, and a service launched in November 2022 to connect providers with interested employers.

The government rejected the idea of making employer placement success and improved equality outcomes prerequisites for scrapping further Applied General Qualifications. It instead detailed ongoing initiatives, including a £12m employer support fund and new services, aimed at strengthening T Level placements and ensuring their success.

The government rejected the recommendation to place a moratorium on defunding Applied General Qualifications. It reiterated its rationale for reforming Level 3 qualifications, stating that many existing programs have low enrolments, are not employer-led, and are less effective than A Levels for university progression.

The government accepted the importance of apprenticeships for young people and detailed several ongoing and new initiatives to increase their access. These include the £3.2m Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) programme, a Career Starter Apprenticeships campaign, allowing students to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees from 2024, removing limits for SME apprentices, and increasing the care leavers bursary from £1,000 to £3,000.

The government outlined its plan to address the decline in young people's apprenticeship starts through existing and new initiatives, but rejected the call for an independent review into levy reform, stating it currently has no plans to reform the apprenticeship levy.

The government committed to evaluating the Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies pilot this Autumn to explore future support for the scheme, but did not commit to the ambition of 5,000 apprentices by 2025. It accepted the recommendation to continue working closely with stakeholders to ensure fair pay and conditions, citing an increased apprentice minimum wage and a new Apprentice Support Centre.

The government rejects the committee's assertion, stating it has not said it will withdraw funding for the IB Career Related Programme (CRP). It clarifies that it will continue to fund the IB Diploma and explains how different components of the CRP could still be approved for funding if they meet published criteria.

The government rejected the premise of the recommendation by stating it has not decided to withdraw funding for the IB Careers Programme. It clarified that components of the programme could continue to be funded if they meet new qualification criteria for alternative academic qualifications.

The government rejects the premise of narrow post-16 education, stating it is already delivering reforms for a breadth of high-quality options, including A Levels, T Levels (with scope for an additional A level), and apprenticeships. It also highlights the Prime Minister's mission for all young people to study maths to age 18.

The government rejected the recommendation to establish an independent expert panel to review a baccalaureate model, stating it is already delivering reforms to ensure high-quality options and defending its current post-16 specialisation approach. It also rejected a wholesale review of 16-19 funding, stating it would continue to keep funding under review and highlighted existing support for disadvantaged students.

The government reiterates the Prime Minister's mission for all young people to study maths to age 18 to boost numeracy skills. It confirms it has already convened an expert advisory group to advise on the appropriate maths content and implementation within the post-16 education system.

The government will convene an expert advisory group, review maths content in apprenticeships, and commission international research to define the essential mathematical skills young people need for the modern world, including financial literacy.

The government is convening an expert advisory group and commissioning research to advise on essential maths knowledge and skills for young people, including financial literacy, as part of a broader 'Maths to 18' mission.

The government states it has already convened an expert advisory group, including individuals from education and business, to advise on post-16 maths content and qualifications for all young people studying maths to age 18.

The government outlines plans to address maths teacher recruitment and retention, including a new fully funded National Professional Qualification for primary maths leaders, an updated Targeted Support Fund, and expanding the Taking Teaching Further programme and Maths Hubs.

The government is convening an expert advisory group as part of its Maths to 18 mission to advise on essential maths knowledge and skills, with its scope including consideration of financial literacy for young people.