Review of Post-16 Qualifications at Level 3 and Below in England
In 2019, the Government launched a Review of Post-16 Qualifications at Level 3 and Below. The review set out an ambition for a coherent technical education system with clear pathways to progress to specific occupations. The Government wants clear, high-quality progression routes to prestigious higher technical education that leads to skilled occupations with good economic outcomes. As part of this, every qualification will be high-quality, forming an effective system that will help students to make good choices. This moves away from the complexities and variable quality within the current system, with over 12,000 qualifications approved for funding for 16 to 19-year-olds at entry level to level 3 and over 4,000 approved at level 3 alone.
	The Government is consulting extensively throughout the review. The first-stage consultation focused on the principles that post-16 qualifications should adhere to in order to receive public funding – this consultation closed in June 2019. A second-stage consultation on level 3 closed in January 2021. It asked for views on which qualifications at level 3 should be considered for funding approval in England, alongside T Levels and A levels, for students aged 16 and over.
	In November 2020, the Government held a call for evidence, seeking views on qualifications and study at level 2 and below, for students aged 16 and above. The call for evidence closed in February 2021.
	In July 2021, the Government published a response to the second-stage consultation on level 3. This set out the types of qualifications that will be considered for funding in the reformed level 3 landscape alongside A levels and T Levels.
	In November 2021, the Government announced an extra year before reforms to level 3 qualifications are introduced. The extra year allows more time for the growth of T Levels and for providers and awarding organisations to prepare and adapt. The new timetable will commence with the withdrawal of public funding approval for qualifications that overlap with wave 1 and 2 T Levels from 2024–25 and reformed qualifications aligned to these routes taught from 2025–26. Qualifications that overlap with wave 3 and 4 T levels will have funding approval withdrawn from 2025–26, with reformed qualifications taught from 2026–27.
	In March 2022, the Government launched the third consultation of this review, setting out the proposals for qualifications and study at level 2 and below. This includes which groups of qualifications at level 2, level 1 and entry level – with the exception of GCSEs, Functional Skills and Essential Digital Skills – should be considered for funding approval in England for students aged 16 and over. The consultation closed on 27 April 2022 and a response will be published later in 2022.
	The Government’s intention is that the Institute takes a leading role in approving level 3 and level 2 technical qualifications that: meet new quality criteria, are based on employer-led standards and have evidence of employer demand. These criteria are being developed and will be published in later in 2022.