30th January 2022
Coalition of Former Education Ministers Attack “Disastrous” plan to Scrap Vocational Qualifications
UK government plans to scrap dozens of vocational qualifications and push students into taking new T-levels.
A group of former education ministers,led by David Blunkett has criticised the UK government’s “disastrous” plan to scrap dozens of popular vocational qualifications.In an interview with the Guardian, said he feared that widespread scrapping of qualifications such as BTecs from 2025 could backfire and lead to more 17 and 18-year-olds opting to take A-levels rather than the vital vocational qualifications the country needs. He commented “At this moment in time, every high quality route to employment and filling the vast vacancies which exist should be encouraged rather than abolished, and clear commitments given in parliament should be honoured.”
Joint Letter
A joint letter from the coalition has been sent to the education secretary, Gillian Keegan. It accuses the Department for Education (DfE) of breaking earlier pledges that only a small percentage of the applied qualifications would have their funding cut off and replaced by T-levels.
The signatories include Lord David Blunkett, Ken Baker, David Willetts, Jo Johnson, and Sue Garden, the Liberal Democrat peer and deputy speaker of the House of Lords. The letter states: “These qualifications are popular with students, respected by employers and valued by universities. Removing them will have a disastrous impact on social mobility, economic growth and our public services."
T-Levels
The government wants more students in England to take its T-level qualification, introduced in 2020 but so far only available in seven vocational areas, including education and childcare, construction and health and science. More subjects will be added later this year but colleges remain reluctant to teach them, because of lack of demand and extra expense as well as the substantial work placements they require. Critics also say T-levels are too narrowly focused, with each T-level the equivalent of three A-level or BTec subjects, meaning students can take only a single course after they finish GCSEs.
Protect BTEC
The government had previously promised that the funding of BTecs and similar qualifications would be protected while T-levels were being introduced. In April last year, Nadhim Zahawi, the then education secretary, and Diana Barran, the education minister in the Lords, said during that only “a small proportion of applied general qualifications would be removed”. However, in January 2023, a DfE guide included a list of subjects where ministers had made a “conscious choice” to remove funding, which would mean cutting 75 out of 134 relevant qualifications.
DfE Comment
A spokesperson or the DfE said: “Our reforms will simplify the system for young people, with popular BTecs continuing to be available alongside A-levels and T levels. The BTecs that will no longer be available are only those with low take-up, poor outcomes, or which overlap with T-levels. We have also introduced a transition year to support students who may have taken BTecs, into T-level qualifications. We are committed to creating a world-class education system that provides a ladder up for all and gives young people the skills and knowledge to prepare them for higher education and the world of work.”