Announcing the spring budget on Wednesday 8 March (external link), the Chancellor Philip Hammond, launched T-Levels for 16-19 year olds. T-Levels are designed to raise the status of vocational and technical qualifications and eliminate the “lingering doubt about the parity of esteem attached to technical education pursued through the Further Education route”.
The new levels will be based around a “framework of 15 routes to skilled employment extending from level 2 and level 3 up to higher skill levels, with a streamlined set of valuable qualifications”. Each course will last two years – with the first year focusing on core skills and the second on specialisation. As part of the course, students will be expected to achieve a Maths and English qualification.
In launching these T-levels, teh Chancellor announced that the number of training hours would be doubled for 16-19 year olds, with an average of 900 hours per year of training per course. This will require an additional £500 million of funding per year once the scheme is rolled out in 2019-20.
Finally, to encourage students to train in high quality institutions (such as the National Colleges or Institutes of Technology), the government will be offering maintenance grants similar to those offered to University undergraduates.
For governors and trustees, particularly in secondary schools, understanding the options available to school leavers is vital to ensuring that the school offers impartial and informed careers advice. Where appropriate, those governing may want to consider gaining assurances from executive leaders that young people are aware of all post-16 routes and opportunities, including the new T-levels.