Government prioritises important post-16 courses

Yesterday, (12th December), the government laid out their plans for post-16 qualifications, which will aim to both protect both students' choices while also streamlining the system. Minister for skills Jacqui Smith confirmed that over 200 qualifications that had either no or below 100 enrolments per year over the last three years will start to be defunded from 1st August 2025, while protecting other courses.

She also revealed that a new T Level in Marketing will be available from 2025, as the government continues to roll out more courses, such as T Levels in Animal Care and Management; Craft and Design; and Media, Broadcasting and Production. 

This follows the rapid review into vocational qualifications that were stripped of funding by the previous government, which will be key for subjects like engineering and manufacturing. Students of these subjects will be key in the government’s growth mission.

Around 70 per cent of courses that were defunded under the previous government have been pledged to no longer be so, prioritising young people to get the education they need, thus helping to boost the economy. 

Qualifications that overlap with T Levels will be able to run alongside them, improving qualifications so that they provide for the needs of learners, providers, and employers, and thus further supporting the transition to T Levels as the preferred recognised technical qualification.

Key courses that will stay include those schedule for funding, such as: agriculture, environmental and animal care, engineering, manufacturing, health and social care, legal, finance and accounting, business and administration, and creative and design. 

Moving away from blanket restrictions imposed by the previous government, the new approach is informed by more than 250 individual contributions from employers, colleagues, and awarding organisations.

These decisions were made following appeals, and a review considered 539 different post-16 qualifications, with 216 of these being defunded due to low or no enrolments for the past 3 years. 52 qualifications have already fallen out of funding in 2024-25, 42 qualifications have replacements as part of the previous government’s reforms, and 6 already were set to end by July 2025. Of the 223 remaining qualifications, 157 of them (around 70 per cent) have been retained.

Minister for skills, Jacqui Smith, said: “Vocational and technical qualifications are crucial to our Plan for Change and our number one mission to grow the economy.

“The government is committed to the long-term delivery of T Levels as the best quality technical education option for young people.

“Qualifications are not one-size-fits-all, and we recognise we must take a pragmatic approach. Our ambitious programme must meet the needs of employers and our public services if we are to see our economy flourish.

“We took decisive action as soon as we came into government to ensure the best outcomes for learners and I am thankful to all those who contributed to the pause and review.”