In 2020, there were more than 12,000 vocational qualifications at all levels, offered by more than 150 awarding bodies, according to Ofqual, which oversees qualifications in England. Plans by former Conservative governments to streamline post-16 education had meant many BTecs and other Level 3 courses were due to lose their funding, to make way for the new T-levels qualification. However, the Labour government paused and reviewed the plans, and has since announced that 157 qualifications will no longer be scrapped as planned. They include “key courses” in “important sectors”, such as agriculture, engineering, manufacturing and health and social care. Some have had funding confirmed until July 2026 and others until July 2027. The government also confirmed that more than 200 qualifications with “with low or no enrolments” would still have funding withdrawn from 1 August 2025. Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said the announcement provided “much-needed clarity” for schools and colleges. The ambition of the previous government for A-levels and T-levels to be the only two qualification pathways post-16 would have failed to meet the needs and ambitions of many students, she added. The government has confirmed the rollout of T-levels will continue. In the first three years, T-levels have faced delays, high dropout rates and an exam board being fined £300,000 over “major failings” with the papers.
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