The first three V-level qualifications to be offered from September next year have been revealed.
The government’s new vocational qualifications, part of wider reforms to the curriculum and post-16 system to simplify access to vocational and technical education, will be in education, finance and digital.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer set a new target to see two-thirds of young people in higher education, technical or vocational training, or doing a “gold standard” apprenticeship by the age of 25.
V-levels will sit alongside A-levels and T-levels, and are equivalent to one A-level. Students will be able to combine A-levels and V-levels. Current Year 9 pupils will be the first cohort eligible.
While visiting Nottingham College, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said V-levels will make accessing vocational and technical education less complicated for young people and parents.
“For example, if you’re studying a V-level in finance, you might also want to study A-level maths if you’re thinking about a career as an accountant,” she said.
“The good thing about V-levels is they will allow young people to pursue really high-quality technical and vocational routes, but they don’t have to specialise if they’re not completely sure exactly where they want to head to.”
From September 2028, further V-levels could be rolled out in business, care services, construction, engineering, health, legal, sales, and sports, fitness and exercise science, though these are subject to confirmation when the Department for Education (DfE) publishes a full rollout plan by June 2026.
T-levels, which focus more on technical training for a specific sector and are equivalent to three A-levels, will also be expanded to include more subjects such as sport, fitness and exercise science, and care services.
In its response to a consultation on the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, the Government is also introducing new qualifications for students who have lower attainment and are not yet ready to progress beyond GCSE-equivalent learning.
There will be two pathways. For students who want to progress on to A, V or T-levels, there will be one-year Foundation Certificate qualifications available in education and early years, and digital.
For those who are hoping to progress to an apprenticeship or into the workplace, there will be two-year Occupational Certificate qualifications from next year in catering and hospitality, and education and early years.
The Government has also launched a consultation on stepping stone qualifications at level one for pupils who are preparing to resit English and maths GCSEs.
A survey for the DfE of 1,124 parents of 14 to 18-year-olds in England found one in four said they were not confident their child understood the options available after GCSEs.
Almost half (49 per cent) said their child finding stable and secure employment was their biggest concern.
The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics reported the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) hit 957,000 in the three months from October to December, up from 946,000.
Ms Phillipson said: “It’s really important that young people and parents have access to really high-quality advice, know what’s out there, and know where to come for help.
“Often speaking to their local college or provider is a really good way to do that, but also the changes that we’re making here around the qualifications that are on offer will make it easier.”
She also said the department is keen to work with businesses to get more young people starting apprenticeships and doing placements as part of T-levels.
“Anything more businesses can do to support young people, particularly given the numbers of young people we see who are not in education, employment or training, it’s really important,” she added.
From 2027, legacy qualifications including BTecs will be defunded when there are T or V-levels that overlap.
Nottingham College chief executive and principal Janet Smith told PA that reforms to the post-16 system will help improve accessibility to qualifications and provide students clear pathways to their next steps towards employment or further study.
