Key Facts

• Clause 6 ensures overall coherence of the system of technical education and training.
• The institute will consider the impact of its activity on the range and sufficiency of technical education and training.
• Other technical education and training, such as traineeships and skills bootcamps, are brought into the Institute's remit to support alignment with employer-led standards.
• Amendment 48 would require expert determination of high-quality qualifications.
• Concerns exist about the regulation and parity between academic and technical qualifications under the Bill.
• The speaker's son successfully transitioned from BTECs to university, highlighting the qualification's value.
• The government initially trashed BTEC qualifications without specifying which were good or bad.
• 86% of respondents in a consultation said getting rid of BTECs was a huge mistake.
• Employers generally support BTECs despite the government's review over three to four years.
• The government aims to reduce the number of people doing university degrees they consider to have low value.
• A disproportionately high number of learners from deprived communities are doing BTECs rather than A-levels.
• BTECs and further education in general cater to a higher proportion of black and ethnic minority students compared to mainstream schools.
• The statement discusses the transition from BTECs to T-level qualifications.
• Andrew Gwynne supports an amendment that would require a detailed assessment before making changes to existing qualification frameworks.
• College principals are concerned that moving away from BTECs will be detrimental to students' educational opportunities.
• BTECs were included in the Bill through an amendment by Lord Watson.
• The original drafting of the Bill did not include BTECs.
• There was cross-party agreement in the House of Lords to include BTECs.
• Amendment 47 would require an alternative body to determine qualification approval withdrawal.
• Amendment 48 includes publishing criteria defining 'high quality', appointing an independent panel, and publishing a proposed defunding list within three months after Royal Assent.
• The Department for Education published high-level criteria in the summer alongside consultation responses.
• Amendment 18 removes an amendment seeking to delay the withdrawal of public funding from level 3 qualifications until 2026.
• An extra year before withdrawing public funding is announced, to help providers and stakeholders prepare for reforms.
• T-levels are co-designed with over 250 leading employers and based on international examples of technical education.
• By 2023, all T-levels will be available to thousands of young people across the country, with over 400 providers signed up so far.
• Amendments aim to simplify the qualifications landscape and provide quality and clarity of choice for students.
• Lord Baker supported the approach but was absent from the vote.
• Level 3 qualifications will not be defunded during this Parliament due to an additional one-year moratorium.
• Last year, 230,000 students took a level 3 BTEC qualification.
• The Government aims for 100,000 students doing T-levels in four years.
• Only three of the qualifications were actually started about 15 months ago.
• More than 9 million jobs are currently excluded from the lifetime skills guarantee.
• The Wolf report states BTECs are valuable in the labour market.
• The Sainsbury report did not consider BTECs or A-levels as part of its remit.
• The Sixth Form Colleges Association flags up issues regarding BTEC availability.
• The speaker highlights the importance of day release for people already in employment to pursue qualifications.
• BTECs are recognized by universities including Oxford and Cambridge.
• Some colleges require GCSEs in English and maths for T-level qualifications.
• Gwynne highlights the importance of not limiting students to two BTEC, AGQ, diploma or extended diplomas.
• Great Grimsby has a significant fish processing industry employing around 5,000 to 6,000 people directly.
• Lia Nici has worked in further education for 22 years and taught secondary school students as well as lectured at higher education level.
• The MP is working with the fishmongers’ association Seafish and local colleges to look at new apprenticeships and T-levels.
• Lord Sainsbury designed T-levels based on employer needs with nine weeks of work experience.
• Most young people who started their T-level course in September 2020 have found a work placement during the pandemic.
• There are 10,000 students in T-level pilots and nearly 250,000 studying for level 3 BTECs.
• T-levels started being introduced in September 2020.
• There is no cap on the number of people who can do T-levels.
• Universities are already recognising T-level qualifications.
• The Government began defunding non-T-level qualifications from 2011 and will continue this process for T-levels starting in 2024.
• Clause 7 introduces powers to enable the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education to approve a broader range of technical qualifications.
• The current approach leads to over 12,000 qualifications at level 3 or below, creating confusion for learners and employers.
• From 2024, statistics on T-level attainment and employment outcomes will be published.
• The current cohort of pupils taking T-levels is small due to implementation challenges.
• There are concerns about the availability of relevant and meaningful work experience placements.
• The Government's stance on the outcome destination for T-level students seems to have shifted from focusing on employment to university entry without substantial evidence.
• Derby College reports that five times more students do Cache level 3 qualifications compared to T-levels due to industry recognition, exam-based approach, and full-time commitment.
• Initial requirements of maths and English GCSE at grade C before entry for the first cohort are changing; future cohorts may not require these grades.
• There was no entry requirement for T-levels; only an exit requirement of passing English and maths GCSEs previously existed.
• The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has not collaborated with bodies outside England prior to this clause.
• Clause 8 allows the institute to engage with regulators or education authorities in other nations to consider arrangements for offering T-levels.
• The clause aims to clarify roles between Ofqual and the Institute in technical education oversight.
• Clause 9 reinforces co-operation requirements, ensuring mutual regard for advice and reducing potential drift.
• A single approval gateway is created through Clause 10 to remove duplication.
• The clause enables Ofqual to share information with other bodies to support their functions.
• It aims to avoid duplication of data-gathering exercises and improve administrative efficiency.
• Minor and consequential amendments are made to the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009.
• Further consideration ordered to adjourn until Tuesday 7 December at twenty-five minutes past Nine o’clock.
• Universities UK, Pearson UK, and Course Hero are mentioned.