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Health and Science: T-levels

Answer

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is reforming the Level 3 qualifications system to ensure all qualifications approved for funding alongside A levels and T Levels are high-quality, have a clear purpose and deliver great outcomes. T Levels have been developed with over 250 leading employers, have significantly longer teaching hours and include a meaningful nine-week industry placement that sets them apart from many current vocational qualifications.

The Health and Science T Levels provide young people with an in-depth overview of the occupational choices within the health and care sectors. They will provide a pipeline of young talent into occupations such as Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA) and Assistant Health Practitioner roles, later progressing to the registered occupations.

In addition to T Levels, the department will also fund small alternative academic qualifications, equivalent to one A level in priority areas such as health and social care, as well as funding large technical qualifications for adults who are not able to take T Levels. In January 2023 the department published its funding approval criteria for alternative academic and technical qualifications approved from 2025, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualifications-funding-approval-manual-2025-to-2026/common-funding-approval-criteria.

In October 2022 the department published the final list of qualifications which overlap with waves 1 and 2 T Levels, which will have 16-to-19 funding offers removed in August 2024. This excluded qualifications that may overlap with the Health and Science T Levels, as these were under review by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. The department will publish the final list of qualifications which overlap with the Health and Science T Levels, and which will have funding removed in 2024 in due course. The department has published an impact assessment for qualifications that will have 16-to-19 study programme funding removed because they overlap with a waves 1 or 2 T Levels, excluding Health and Science, and this will be updated when the final list is published.

The earliest point we will remove funding approval for qualifications that overlap with T Levels will be August 2024, four years after T Levels were first taught. The department has responded to feedback from the sector by delaying the withdrawal of funding by a year, ensuring awarding organisations and providers have longer to prepare. All providers will have the opportunity to deliver T Levels for a minimum of one year before overlapping qualifications are removed.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

123944

Session

2022-23

Subjects

Health Finance Science T-levels

Link

View this Written question on www.parliament.uk