MPs are calling for a moratorium on the withdrawal of funding for applied general qualifications (AGQs), such as BTECs, until more is known about how the new T levels are performing.
There is concern at the Department for Education’s rush to “defund” a number of well-established qualifications, which critics say will place some colleges at risk financially and leave some students without viable post-16 pathways.
A report from the Education Select Committee into the post-16 qualification landscape has urged ministers to hold fire.
T levels began life in in 2019/20. They are two-year, Level 3 courses – broadly equivalent to three A levels –which include a nine-week industry placement.
Currently 16 of the 24 planned T level courses are live, operating in fields including agriculture, business and management, craft and design, and legal services.
