Technical pathways in schools 'not deliverable' by 2028

The government’s flagship plan to expand vocational education will not be deliverable in all schools from 2028, the Liberal Democrats have asserted.

Speaking to Tes at the party’s annual conference in Brighton, education spokesperson Munira Wilson cast doubt on the proposed timeframe and said it was not “properly thought through”.

Ms Wilson also criticised education secretary Lucy Powell for claiming new qualifications equivalent to GCSEs may be needed, without announcing this to Parliament in the first instance.

New technical education routes

One week after his appointment, prime minister Andy Burnham announced that vocational pathways for 14- to 16-year-olds would be made available in all schools from 2028.

For Ms Wilson, the one-week time period between Mr Burnham’s appointment and the announcement suggests the plans were “not thought through”.

“I’m amazed that such a fundamental shift to start funnelling children into two channels at the age of 14 can be announced as quickly as he did”, she told Tes.

Just weeks after the initial announcement, Mr Burnham claimed that the government had “changed the education system” by allowing students to access “proper technical education, with real skills, real work experience and real links to employers where they live”.

However, questions were raised on the role of Ofsted, how the plans would be funded, whether - and how - they would be assessed, and how they would be staffed.

Technical pathways ‘genuinely’ not deliverable

“I think the fact that there was so little detail either at the start of the summer, or indeed when Lucy Powell came to the House of Commons to make a statement, suggests to me that we haven’t yet thought it through, because frankly, in practical terms, I don’t understand how they can deliver on it,” Ms Wilson said.

She said technical pathways would require adaptations to school buildings, new equipment and new specialist teachers, which is “just not possible” amid a teacher retention “crisis”.

She “genuinely” did not think the plans were achievable on top of existing commitments such as the expansion of free school meals, free breakfast clubs, enrichment entitlements and “massive” reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system, which she said lacked adequate funding.

Ms Wilson added: “Yes, there’s money going into [SEND], but once you spread it across each school in England, actually, it’s not very much money to make every school properly inclusive, not to mention all the upheaval involved.”

“So I genuinely don’t think what they’ve announced [on technical education] is deliverable, and it’s not funded, and they don’t have the people to do it,” she said.

Consultation needed for new qualifications

A day on from the announcement of 14-16 pathways, Lucy Powell wrote to the Commons Education Select Committee suggesting that “new or reformed” national qualifications equivalent to GCSEs may be required.

For Ms Wilson, this “absolutely” should have been announced in Parliament rather than in a letter to the committee, and a public consultation with teachers and leaders should be launched to ensure this is “sensitive”.

“It’s our job to set the vision and the direction and a broad framework for the experts to be able to show us how it’s best deliverable,” Ms Wilson said.

When Ms Powell’s letter was published, leaders demanded “absolute clarity” on the proposals “as soon as possible”, with Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, saying that introducing new qualifications was “not necessarily a simple process and can cause problems if not done carefully”.

‘Tension’ over schools posting pupil pictures

Ms Wilson has been a vocal supporter of age-related restrictions for social media, saying the “time for half measures is over” after the government initially voted against imposing age limits.

After the government changed its stance and supported an under-16 ban, the National Crime Agency issued guidance to parents advising against posting pictures of their children on social media, citing the growing concern of AI-manipulated images.

There is no legislation preventing schools from posting pictures of under-16 pupils online or on social media - something that more than half of primary schools in England are doing, according to a Teacher Tapp survey commissioned by Tes.

Ms Wilson said: “The irony has not escaped me in the past when you get advice from schools about use of social media for young people and then they’re putting stuff out on Instagram all the time.

“I think there is a bit of tension there, and I think we should just go back to old-fashioned weekly news messages from schools.”

Post-16 baccalaureate

Other education policy announcements made at the conference included the Liberal Democrats’ plan to “make this the last generation where we ever have to talk about a Neet [not in education, employment or training] crisis”.

During her speech, Ms Wilson said the party aimed to “broaden education” through the introduction of a post-16 baccalaureate.

The qualification would sit alongside V levels and T levels, and encourage “pursuits of academic, creative and technical disciplines”.

Work experience guarantee

The Liberal Democrats would also ensure students are guaranteed 100 hours of work experience and professional enrichment before their 18th birthday, as part of the qualification.

Ms Wilson said that jobs coaching would be “overhauled” under the Lib Democrats and that this would be inspired by practices seen in Germany and the Netherlands.

As part of the proposal, students would develop five-year plans for life after education, and have access to “bespoke support multiple times per year, helping them discover what they want to be and how they can best make that happen”.

A DfE spokesperson said: “We’re determined to break down these structural barriers so that every child has the opportunity to reach their chosen career, no matter what path they take to get there, and vocational qualifications will be a vital part of that.

“We’re backing schools with record investment, including a £2.3 billion increase to the core schools budget in 2026-27, alongside £400 million to create tens of thousands of nursery places and £3.7 billion for new SEND provision.”