We have responded to the Department for Education’s (DfE) consultation on Post-16 level 3 and below pathways.
Background
The consultation on the new pathways for 16 to 19-year-olds announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy includes:
A third, vocational pathway at level 3: creating V level qualifications, sitting alongside A levels and T levels as a vocational alternative to these academic and technical routes.
Two new pathways at level 2: simplifying the current offer and providing a clear line of sight to both further study at level 3 and skilled employment through the Further Study pathway and Occupational pathway.
Summary of our response
When considering this reform overall, key issues for the higher education sector are:
Engagement with universities: To embed V levels (and further embed T levels) into the complex process of universities admissions as well as the hiring process for employers, it is essential that universities and employers are engaged from the outset in content design to ensure that they have confidence in their quality and these qualifications deliver the necessary skills for meaningful progression. Ongoing engagement will be needed to ensure that V levels have currency for universities and employers who are able to recognise the achievement that these qualifications represent.
Supporting progression: We recognise the rationale for introducing a third level 3 pathway that blends applied learning, broader sector content and practical assessment. However, we are concerned that 360 guided learning hours (GLH) may not always adequately enable the depth and learning to support progression in every subject area. We think that the Department for Education (DfE) should avoid a blanket approach, specific subjects merit having a large size V level and DfE should work with experts where 360 GLH may create issues. It is crucial that V levels are designed in a manner that demonstrably supports progression to higher education (HE) and employment.
Information, advice and guidance: Information, advice and guidance will be a core part of ensuring the success of a new approach to the 16-19 qualification landscape, ensuring that learners understand the possible progression routes from their post-16 choices as well as ensuring that universities are supported to admit students with new qualifications.
Transition: While we welcome the intention to simplify the current complicated landscape of vocational and technical qualifications at level 3, transition interim arrangements, although necessary, to new V levels will be challenging for learners and admissions teams to navigate. It is important that care is taken to avoid disadvantaging cohorts of legacy qualifications and/or new qualifications. The existing BTEC pathway currently supports strong progression to HE, the overall design of V levels must take these design lessons into account. This is particularly important due to the role BTECs have in supporting underrepresented groups in higher education.
Ongoing reform: After a disruptive period of recent qualifications reform, it is important that this reform represents part of a longer-term strategy to level 3 as set out in the Curriculum and Assessment review, allowing time for changes to bed in for schools, learners, universities and employers.
