Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers are involved in the design of technical and vocational training to ensure that provision reflects workforce needs.

The department is working closely with employers, providers, awarding organisations and higher education institutions to design high-quality technical and vocational qualifications that reflect workforce needs. These new qualifications will be based on occupational standards, developed by Skills England and co-created by employers, helping to define the content that students need to become competent in their chosen sector.

New V Levels and Foundation Certificates will be aligned with these occupational standards creating clear progression pathways into further study or work-based training, including apprenticeships.

T Levels and Occupational Certificates will be directly aligned to occupational standards and will support greater specialisation. They will enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for skilled employment in their chosen sector, and in the case of T Levels, progression to higher education.

Employers and sector experts are helping to shape nationally set qualification content through ongoing engagement as part of our subject stakeholder groups and responding to our content consultations.