Eleven education bodies have joined forces to urge the government to rethink plans to defund Btecs.
A review of post-16 qualifications is currently underway, and the government is considering cutting the number of alternative qualifications at level 3, including Btecs, and putting more focus on the new T levels.
But the education bodies, including the Sixth Form Colleges Association, the NEU teaching union and the Association of School and College Leaders, say removing funding for Btecs will leave many students without a viable pathway at the age of 16.
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Removing Btecs will ‘hamper progress to higher education or skilled employment’
A statement published today says: “We are concerned that moving to a binary system of T levels and A levels will lead to many of the newly-reformed, high quality, applied general qualifications (AGQs) being defunded.
“For many young people, AGQs (taken alongside A levels or as part of a standalone study programme) will be a more appropriate route to support progression to higher levels of study or a meaningful job than an A-level or T-level-only study programme.
“Although AGQs are often available in similar subjects, they are a different type of qualification that provide a different type of educational experience - one that combines the development of skills with academic learning.
“Defunding AGQs will leave many students without a viable pathway at the age of 16 and will hamper progress to higher education or skilled employment. The Department for Education’s own impact assessment concludes that students from disadvantaged backgrounds have the most to lose if AGQs are defunded.
“The present implementation timeline is not feasible, particularly given the unfolding impact of the Covid pandemic. Funding should not be removed for any applied general qualification unless an impartial, evidence-based assessment has concluded that it is not valued by students or employers.”
Btecs: ‘Ministers must protect student choice’
Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association said: “The government’s plan to sweep away the majority of applied general qualifications like Btecs will make it harder for many young people to access higher education and harder for many employers to access the skills they need. Ministers must protect student choice and guarantee that applied general qualifications have a major role to play in the future”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Scrapping applied generals will pull the rug from under the feet of the 200,000 young people who benefit each year from taking these proven and established qualifications which provide a great pathway to university courses, training and careers. It is a hugely unnecessary risk which will hit disadvantaged youngsters hardest.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our reforms to technical education are more crucial now as we recover from the pandemic. For too long we have allowed too many young people to leave education without the skills employers need - it’s critical we act now to address these skills shortages.
“We are putting employers at the heart of the skills system and boosting the quality of qualifications on offer so that all students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can be confident that whatever option they take post-16 it will be high quality and will lead to good outcomes. We have always been clear we want to phase these reforms in so that they are manageable.”
Defunding Btecs: the full list of organisations who have signed the statement
Association of School and College Leaders
Collab Group
Grammar School Heads Association
NASUWT: The Teachers Union
National Education Union
NEON: The National Education Opportunities Network
National Union of Students
SSAT: the schools students and teachers network
Sixth Form Colleges Association
Unison
University Alliance
