“We fully support T-levels and agree with the committee’s call for a campaign to raise awareness of these qualifications among students and employers. One of the biggest barriers to provision is the difficulty in securing the extensive industry placements required as part of these qualifications. We need to see much more support from the government and from industry to fulfil this expectation.
“It is also vital that the forthcoming curriculum and assessment review’s final report provides badly needed clarity on the routes that are available to post-16 students. For far too long colleges and sixth forms have lived with the confusion caused by the previous government’s aim of removing applied general qualifications, such as BTECs, to clear the way for T-levels. We have never felt that jettisoning perfectly good qualifications which provide excellent pathways for many young people is a sensible thing to do and we are pleased the current government has paused this process pending the outcome of the curriculum and assessment review.
“It is essential that applied qualifications are preserved in the new landscape alongside T-levels and A-levels. We need a variety of great pathways for young people to help them achieve their ambitions and go on to fulfilling careers, apprenticeships and higher education courses.”