The future of post-16 level 3 vocational qualifications in England
Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper - what it means for you
On 20 October, the government published its Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, setting out significant reforms to vocational education in England.
We know you'll have questions about what this means for you and your students, and we want to provide you with clear information and reassurance.
You can continue to teach BTECs with confidence
You should continue to register students and deliver your programmes as planned in 2025/26. There are no immediate changes to your current provision, and BTECs continue to provide excellent outcomes for the thousands of students who choose vocational pathways each year.
Defunding of certain BTEC Level 3 qualifications will still continue as planned, but our new BTEC Level 3 Nationals (AAQs) are fully approved and ready for registration. These new qualifications will remain in place until the introduction of V Levels, ensuring continuity for you and your students.
As soon as we have full details about the funding arrangements for 2026/27, we’ll share them with you straight away, so you can plan with confidence.
What does the White Paper propose?
The government has announced plans to introduce "V Levels" as a new vocational qualification pathway at level 3, sitting alongside A levels and T Levels. These qualifications aim to simplify the current vocational landscape and will be designed to be similar in size to A levels, allowing students to combine vocational and academic study more flexibly.
The government has opened the consultation to test the key design principles of V Levels, and new qualifications at level 2 that sit alongside GCSEs. It invites views on size and subject areas, information advice and guidance, new T Levels, level 2 qualifications and pathways, non qualification activities, the transition plan, the co-design approach to setting content, and qualification branding.
The deadline for responses in 12 January 2026.
