Edge response to the defunding of post-16 Level 3 qualifications

Last week, the Department for Education (DfE) released a provisional list outlining the 160 level 3 qualifications (including 38 BTECs) that are set to be defunded by 2024. This list comes out in light of the DfE’s ambition to expand the T Levels programme with the introduction of 6 additional courses in September 2022 and 7 courses in September 2023. These qualifications have been chosen to be axed as they are deemed to overlap with the 10 existing T Levels on the market.

The scale of impact is significant

Out of the 662,000 students aged 16-19 who are currently enrolled on vocational and technical courses, 66,000 are enrolled on these 160 qualifications, meaning that 1 in 10 enrolments will be impacted by these decisions. Despite these qualifications making up only 8% of the total 2,000 courses currently available, the government’s proposals have significant consequences for young people and adults alike. This is particularly important considering that 27% of students on BTEC qualifications are considered the “most disadvantaged”[1] in the system.