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<p>The aim of the department’s Post-16 Qualifications reform at level 3 and below
is to streamline the qualifications landscape, simplify choices for students, and
only fund qualifications that are high-quality and lead to good progression outcomes.
By ensuring that approved qualifications meet new, more rigorous criteria, young people
can be confident that they will be able to progress to university and higher technical
education, and directly into apprenticeships and skilled employment. It will place
world class A levels and T Levels at the heart of level 3 study programmes for 16
to 19 year olds, and link other technical qualifications directly with occupational
standards which have been designed by employers. Students studying these qualifications
can be confident that they are gaining the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed
for future jobs.</p><p> </p><p>In the new post-16 qualification landscape, students
will continue to have a range of options available to them at level 3, in addition
to A levels and T Levels, there will be new technical occupational qualifications
(TOQs) and Alternative Academic Qualifications (AAQs).</p><p> </p><p>Where occupational
standards are not covered by a T Level, the department is allowing TOQs to be developed,
where students can continue to study areas currently covered by applied general qualifications
(AGQs), such as travel consultant, highways electrician, and personal trainer, to
list a few. The key distinction here is that they will be based on employer led occupational
standards, unlike current AGQs.</p><p> </p><p>On the academic side, current AGQs will
be replaced by AAQs. There will be new small AAQs in a range of strategically important
subjects such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and those
supporting entry into NHS careers. These qualifications are an important part of how
the department will support diverse student needs and deliver skills required by the
economy. Small AAQs can be studied alongside A levels as part of mixed academic programme.
The department will also fund large AAQs in areas that A levels and T Levels cover
less well such as performing arts and sport. AAQs must demonstrate a clear link to
related higher education (HE) courses and will be assessed by the department against
the new funding approval criteria.</p><p> </p><p>The department knows that students
who take A levels have better outcomes overall in terms of progressing into, and staying
in, HE than those who study AGQs. This is supported by the evidence, which shows that
students progressing to HE with alternatives to A levels, such as AGQs, generally
experience worse outcomes than their peers taking A levels, even after controlling
for differences in background characteristics. Current AGQs also provide very mixed
outcomes for students.</p><p> </p><p>The qualification reforms also include reforming
level 2 qualifications to ensure they are high-quality, have clear purposes, and lead
to better outcomes, either supporting progression to reformed level 3 study, for example
via the T Level Foundation Year, or directly into skilled employment in occupations
at level 2 or via apprenticeships. This means that studying a reformed level 2 qualification
will lead to better long-term outcomes than studying a poor-quality level 3 qualification.</p>
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