Navigating the post-16 education maze
For so many people, Level 3 qualifications represent a vital step towards their future career – but the array of options available, in both vocational and academic routes, can be baffling. With the government’s review of a proposed overhaul of these courses now complete, has the path become any clearer?
For students and parents alike the sheer breadth of options available in post-16 education can be both exciting and a little overwhelming.
The previous government, in a bid to improve skills and employability while streamlining the system, began a wide-ranging reform of Level 3 qualifications which looked at everything from BTECs and T Levels, to A levels and apprenticeships.
The stated aim, to create “clearly defined academic and technical routes” for post-16 progression, was admirable. But the shake-up also carried real risks, not least through the proposed ending of hundreds of courses, including many BTECs; with the worry being that some learners could be left with nowhere to go.
So the current government’s decision to hold a review of the reform process, to end some of that uncertainty, was welcome. Now we have the outcomes of that review, what is the outlook for colleges like ours and prospective students?
The headline result is that no fewer than 157 of those originally under-threat qualifications will continue, at least for the next year or two. We also have assurances that the defunding of certain qualifications will be done in phases, to minimise disruption and allow for a more managed change.
Of equal importance is the government’s decision to leave the question of what combinations of qualifications education providers can offer to them. Its report, The outcomes of the Review of Qualifications Reform at Level 3 in England, states: “It should be for colleges and sixth forms to work with students to devise the best mix for each individual.”
That makes perfect sense as each area’s college is much better-placed than the Department for Education to know what skills-blend is actually needed by its local economy, and therefore its learners. Many colleges have spent decades building up strong working relationships with their region’s businesses and organisations, and sometimes formalised this process – as we have through Harrogate College Employers’ Network – to increase its effectiveness.
Doing so reaps all kinds of tangible benefits. For our students, for example, it has led to collaboration and work experience with respected organisations like RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Rudding Park and Techbuyer, to name a few. Our partnership with Harrogate District Hospital, meanwhile, has secured T Level placements, supported internships and a variety of apprenticeship opportunities.
And our business links also ensure a steady stream of fact-finding trips for our learners to places like Energy Oasis, Transdev Blazefield, top tier local restaurants and West Yorkshire Police’s training centre at Carr Gate Complex, while local businesses regularly visit our campus to share their expertise.
These kinds of experiences, the result of hard-won grassroots knowledge and years of networking, are mirrored in colleges across the country. So it is pleasing to see the government, in its findings, acknowledge the value of that.
The review report notes that: ‘Students and employers need a simpler range of high-quality qualifications, which provide them with the skills they need’. With funding set to be removed from more than 200 less popular courses, the simplification part of that ambition seems to have been at least partially accomplished.
The challenge has been to ‘trim away the fat’ while ensuring the courses that remain offer a valuable and accessible pathway for students of all kinds of ability levels.
That appears to have been achieved, as learners still have a rich and layered range of routes into their chosen career or next educational stage, outside of the traditional academic route of A levels-then-university.
T Levels, which blend classroom learning with substantial industry placements, are the high-level technical option that the government is particularly keen to promote. It is easy to see their appeal: not only do they give learners a ‘head start’ and experience in their chosen field, but also – with each T Level being worth the equivalent of three A levels – offer an alternative path to university.
Alongside these exist a wide range of BTEC and other applied general technical qualifications which also support progression into work or higher education. These qualifications cover subjects ranging from electrical engineering, bricklaying and childcare to business and marketing, creative media and uniformed protective services. And then there are all the apprenticeship and internship options, which can provide direct routes into so many different kinds of jobs.
So, there’s still plenty to consider for those mulling over their next steps. The important thing for prospective students to remember is that teachers, careers advisers and colleges, across Yorkshire and the UK, are here to help them decide what will work best for them: the door is open.
Danny Wild is Principal of Harrogate College, which is a member of Luminate Education Group.
