UCU update on BTECs

Background

For years, learners in England have been able to choose between three different types of Level 3 qualifications: academic qualifications (usually 'A' Levels), technical qualifications that lead to specific occupations, and applied general qualifications (AGQ) such as BTECs, which combine practical and academic skills.

In July 2021, the Department for Education announced plans to withdraw funding from qualifications that overlapped with 'A' Levels and the new 'T' Levels. This would effectively withdraw funding for most BTECs and so, reduce the current post-16 education model from three routes to two i.e. to only 'A' Levels and 'T' Levels. 

Why is it important to retain BTECs?

BTECs combines academic study with practical skills. They can be a route into employment or higher education. Some learners, who may be uncertain about which path to take after GCSEs, chose BTECs as it keeps their options open about entering higher education. The options that this pathway offers, particularly to enter higher education, benefits disadvantaged students the most.

The 'Protect Student Choice' campaign estimates that around 30 per cent of 16-18-year olds are studying an applied general qualification at Level 3, with more than 250,000 young people studying BTECs. If BTECs are de-funded and withdrawn, learners risk enrolling on courses that do not meet their needs or dropping out of education altogether - and it is disadvantaged students who risk being hit the hardest. 

Success for the 'Protect Student Choice' campaign

The 'Protect Student Choice' campaign was formed to campaign against the defunding of BTECs and to protect student choice of qualifications. The campaign was a coalition of 30 education-related organisations, including UCU, led by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA). The campaign started a petition to protect funding for applied general qualifications, such as BTECs, and met the 100,000-signature threshold required for a debate in Parliament. A cross-party of over a 100 MPs and Lords joined the campaign, calling the government's plan to scrap BTECs 'disastrous'. The signatories included three former education secretaries (Lord Baker of Dorking, Baroness Morris of Yardley and Lord Blunkett).

The campaign secured a one-year delay to the DfE reform timetable, from 2023 to August 2024 and a commitment to only defund a 'small proportion' of applied general qualifications. Only 160 courses are now planned to be de-funded, from a possible 2000 courses. The success of the campaign will also protect staff jobs. The DfE has recently (October 2022) published a list of Level 3 qualifications that overlap with Wave 1 and Wave 2 of 'T' Levels and so, will not continue to be funded beyond August 2024. These qualifications are listed here.

What next?

The work of the campaign remains far from over. It is possible to appeal for any of the 160 qualifications to remain and even if an appeal is successful, the qualification will still, along with all other Level 3 qualifications in scope, have to go through the reapproval process.

We expect to have more information about the reapproval process over the next few weeks, which we will share with UCU members. However, challenges are expected to come through the reapproval process and the campaign will need to be ready to show that students, employers and higher education institutions value these qualifications and crucially, that they will be required even with the 'T' levels up and running. In addition, there will be a second list of qualifications to be 'retired' published next year in relation to the next Waves of 'T' Levels, which UCU, as part of the campaign, will scrutinise.