Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Post-16 Vocational Qualifications

Monday 1 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions addressed Post-16 Vocational Qualifications on 2025-12-01
  • Gareth Snell raised concerns about the funding of V-level qualifications compared to T-levels
  • Wera Hobhouse inquired about enhancing the apprenticeship system to meet employer needs in Bath

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gareth Snell Labour (Co-op) Stoke-on-Trent Central
Education
Context

The further education sector welcomes V-levels to fill the gap between T-levels and A-levels, but concerns have been raised that defunding of existing BTECs could mean young people are denied opportunities for appropriate courses before V-levels become available.

Question

I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests as a governor of the City of Stoke-on-Trent sixth-form college. The Minister will know that the further education sector welcomes V-levels to fill the gap between T-levels and A-levels, but he will also know that the Department is continuing with a programme of defunding some existing BTECs before the V-levels come online, meaning that some young people will be denied the opportunity of the right course for them during their FE career. Will he seriously consider freezing the defunding programme until V-levels are online, so that we protect student choice for students now and in the future?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue, and I will be happy to ask my noble Friend in the other place to meet him. The qualifications that we are defunding are large qualifications that directly overlap with T-levels. The Government’s policy is very clearly to back T-levels as a good choice for students in colleges.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Freezing the defunding programme of existing BTECs until V-levels are available was not addressed specifically.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Education Economy Employment
Context

The current apprenticeship system in Bath is criticised for not delivering the pipeline of highly skilled workers needed in engineering, creative industries, and digital sector.

Question

In Bath, our economy depends on highly skilled workers in engineering, the creative industries and the digital sector. Employers tell me time and again that the current apprenticeship system simply does not deliver the pipeline they need. Will the Government be serious about growth by replacing the broken apprenticeship system with a more flexible skills and training levy, as well as guaranteeing apprentices at least the national minimum wage?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Josh MacAlister)

I thank the hon. Member for this timely question, following the Budget last week, when the Government made the welcome decision to change the apprenticeship system by fully funding apprenticeships for small and medium-sized enterprises, which will open up opportunities for many more. The latest data shows that under this Government, apprenticeship starts, progression and completion are up, up, up.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Replacing the existing apprenticeship system with a more flexible skills and training levy was not addressed specifically.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email