T-Levels: Roll-out Timetable

Thursday 9th March 2023 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Education (Gillian Keegan)]

Today I am announcing some changes to the roll-out timetable of T-levels in England. We have decided to defer first delivery of three T-levels in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy; craft and design; and media, broadcast and production from 2023 to 2024. We have taken the decision to defer the catering T-level beyond 2024, to allow time to consult with employers and sector bodies to ensure that this T-level meets all the needs of the sector, and will provide an update on the roll-out timetable of this T-level in due course. The T-level in legal services will be introduced as planned in 2023, alongside the T-level in agriculture, land management and production which is subject to the usual approval process, and the animal care and management T-level remains on course for first teaching in 2024, and marketing in 2025.

We have a world-class and established academic pathway in A-levels, and we are introducing T-levels to provide an equally high-quality technical option for post-16 students that supports their progression and meets the needs of employers. Now more than ever, as we recover from the pandemic, we need students to finish education well equipped to progress to further training or to get a skilled job, allowing businesses to recover and thrive. As such, quality has been the priority and I am determined that we protect the quality of T-levels to ensure that they continue to lead to great outcomes for all students. T-level technical qualifications will only be approved for delivery where we are sure they are good enough and can be delivered to a high standard. As such, there is more work for awarding organisations to do before the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and Ofqual can be clear that these T-levels are capable of meeting the high quality bar required by both organisations to enable them to be taken into delivery, and that will not be possible in time for launch this September. This is a decision that has been taken jointly between IfATE and the Department for Education, in consultation with Ofqual and the relevant awarding organisations.

In September, 18 T-levels will be available, being delivered by hundreds of providers. The T-level action plan, which was published today, sets out that T-level starts doubled from around 5,000 to around 10,000 between 2021 and 2022. Most importantly, T-level students, teachers and employers continue to give us great feedback on the quality of T-level courses.

We have backed providers with significant additional revenue and capital funding so they are well prepared and have the resources to deliver T-levels to a high standard. We have made around £400 million available to improve buildings and buy state of the art equipment. We recently announced a short-term 10% uplift in T-level revenue funding to help providers as they transition from study programmes and scale up and a new £12 million employer support fund to help providers deliver quality industry placements. This comes alongside a range of practical support measures we have put in place to support providers to implement T-levels.

As part of the wider qualifications review, we have set out that there will be at least one year between the introduction of a T-level and the removal of funding approval for overlapping qualifications. Qualifications that overlap with the three T-levels moved back to 2024 were already due to have funding removed in 2025 and this will not change; there will still be dual running for one year. We will confirm implications for qualifications that overlap with the catering T-level when we provide an update on the timetable for introduction.

T-levels have been designed together with employers to ensure that they will give young people the skills and experience that businesses need. They remain brilliant qualifications that are transforming technical education in England, giving it the status it deserves, giving students qualifications that will lead to rewarding careers, and giving businesses access to young people with the skills that they need to grow and thrive. I would like to thank all T-level providers who continue to work so hard to make T-levels a success and we remain committed to working closely with schools and colleges as we roll out T-levels. The decision we have taken today will protect the quality of T-levels to ensure that every student taking a T-level knows they are taking a world-class technical course.

[HCWS619]