New V-level courses to be brought in for students after GCSEs

New vocational courses called V levels are to be opened for 16-year-olds as part of the government’s plans to simplify the “confusing qualifications landscape” in England.

These are set to replace Level 3 BTecs and other post-16 technical qualifications.

Ministers also plan to reduce the number of young people taking maths and English GCSE exams by introducing an alternative qualification.

The Association of Sixth Form Colleges has warned that V levels may not fill the gap left by BTecs.

Ministers are expected to prepare proposals on higher education funding, including university tuition fees, on Monday afternoon.

The government has launched a consultation on its V level plans, which form part of the post-16 education and skills white paper.

They are coming after you Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasizes the importance of vocational trainingannounced a target of two-thirds of young people going to university or studying for a technical qualification.

Lola Marshall, 17, hopes to pursue an apprenticeship after extending her health and social care degree at Leeds City College and said there was not enough discussion about vocational pathways at school.

“Everyone was always talking about college and no one really helped me decide whether I wanted to go to college or an apprenticeship,” he said.

It is not yet clear when V levels will be introduced, how they will be rolled out, or what topics will be offered; but the Department for Education (DfE) gave crafts and design and media, broadcasting and production as examples.

Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said V levels aim to simplify options for students.

“There are currently over 900 courses for young people to choose from and it is confusing,” he said.

“[V-levels] “It will build on the good aspects of BTecs and other alternative qualifications – the ability to work practically, the concentration on things that will lead to employment.”

After GCSE, students will be able to continue their A-level or T-level education or start an apprenticeship.

Ministers think many people will want to mix and match A-levels and V-levels.

T-levels, introduced in 2020, already offer a technical pathway for students, but early findings of a government-commissioned review said they should not be the only option, partly due to high entry requirements.

Students can study three A levels in different subjects, while studying one T level for a specific profession.

Baroness Smith said T levels were therefore suitable for students who “really know what they are doing”. [they] I want to do it”, whereas V-levels would be better for the less confident.

Plans to scrap BTecs have been underway for several years, and campaigners have stressed the importance of students having an alternative to A levels and T levels.

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said students should be able to enroll in BTecs and other courses over the next two years.

“Although the details have not yet been determined, there is a risk that the new V levels will not come close to filling the gap that will be created by the removal of the general qualifications that apply,” he said.

David Hughes, chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said V levels could bring greater “clarity and certainty” to further education.

“We have made many previous attempts to raise the profile of vocational and technical education; we must hope that this time, as a nation, we get it right,” he said.

Baroness Smith also said a new qualification would be introduced as an alternative to GCSE exams and would help students “who are in a demoralizing cycle of frequently taking and failing exams”.

In England, students who do not achieve at least grade 4 in GCSE English and mathematics must attend these courses as well as their next course and are expected to retake them.

However, the resit pass rate is low and the policy has proven controversial.

The government said offering an alternative would “remove barriers to opportunity” because white working-class students were twice as likely to need to attend class as their better-off classmates.

The white paper will also propose giving young people a choice of two “pathways” (one focused on education, the other on work) that determine what qualifications they will need to achieve their goals.

Ministers will also draw up plans for funding higher education in England, including setting university tuition fees.

As universities express growing concern about funding pressures after years of tuition fee freezes, four in 10 universities in England are believed to be running financial deficits.

They say revenue from fees is failing to cover rising costs, and international students paying higher rates are declining to help plug the financial gap.

Prof Shearer West, vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds, welcomed the increase in domestic tuition fees in England and Wales to £9,535 this year but hopes to see further changes.

“We are being asked to do more research for less money and teach more students with fewer resources,” he told the BBC.

“The only way we can deal with a situation like this is to reduce our costs. often means we have to lose staff “And you can see that happening across the industry.”

Additional reporting by Branwen Jeffreys and Hope Rhodes