The government’s Action Plan for the implementation of T-Level qualifications created as many, if not more, questions than it has answered. With deadlines looming, the information is still somewhat lacking.
Considering the weight of expectation on T-levels in the education system, and the government’s desire to phase them in from 2020, the details on what the T-Levels comprise are sparse. We’ve taken a look at what we know so far and some of the more salient points that we’ve identified as potentially problematic.
What a T-Level will look like
The 15 routes into skilled employment that have been identified will be led by panel members who will have overall responsibilities for co-designing, developing and approving the final T-Level programmes.
Example of a route
The government has clarified that the T-level programme will be a large package of qualifications, which we have graphically represented below, and other content at Level 3. This will include maths & English (if applicable), a compulsory element of work placement, and any other provision approved by the route panel for that particular T-Level.
The package has given pause for thought for the following:
Transition year
For learners who aren’t quite ready for the T-level programme, there will be a transition year (detailed below); programmes of learning for those learners who have been unable to meet the GCSE grade C requirements in English and maths. This will be trialled with providers, prior to the overarching consultation into T-level content this year. We can’t underestimate the importance of this provision, and hope that the Department for Education aren’t going to throw out existing good practice in provision at level 2 and below which is already being delivered
UCAS points
Conversations with civil servants have highlighted that the T-Level programme may not carry UCAS points. This is a huge oversight, if the idea of these programmes is to empower learners to progress to higher levels of technical education, and be a technical alternative to A levels, then they need to have the same range of progression available as their academic counterparts. We hope that this decision will be revisited soon.
Quality assurance – Ofqual
We’ve also learned from the Action Plan that the regulation and quality assurance of T-level qualifications will be different to any other qualification types, therefore, will not be overseen by Ofqual. Again, this could be hugely problematic as the thread of consistency is removed and comparability between technical and academic qualifications becomes near impossible. This move had already been made in relation to apprenticeship reforms, leading to a confused quality assurance landscape.
We will feed these into the consultation that is promised for the autumn, and we encourage you to do the same. It is important to ensure that our voice is heard to make sure that T-levels are the best that they can be.
