Rewriting the Rules: What V Levels can learn from T Levels

The future of England’s technical qualifications was the focus of the first episode in FE News’ new live series with NCFE, Rewriting the rules: The future of qualifications, which streamed on Wednesday 6 May.

The series explores how the qualifications and skills system can better support opportunity, progression and employment, and what reform should mean in practice for learners, providers and employers. Episode one, What V Levels can learn from T Levels, brought together policy and delivery perspectives to examine where V Levels sit in the reform agenda and what the rollout of T Levels can teach the sector as the next wave of technical qualifications takes shape.

Gavin O’Meara, CEO of FE News, opened the conversation with Michael Lemin, Head of Policy at NCFE, on the policy context driving qualification reform and how V Levels are intended to fit alongside T Levels and apprenticeships in a more joined up skills system. They were then joined by David Rowley, Product Manager for Technical Education at NCFE, and Ella Tsui Lau, Assistant Principal at Manchester College, for a 20 minute panel discussion.

The panel reflected on what has worked well in T Level delivery so far and where the challenges have sat, how V Levels can apply those lessons, and how assessment and progression should be approached for the new qualifications. The discussion also explored how V Levels can be embedded into the wider skills system alongside apprenticeships and other technical routes, and what success should look like for V Levels, the broader qualifications landscape, and the learners, employers and providers who depend on it.

The session closed with each guest sharing the single most important lesson they believe V Levels should take from how T Levels have been designed and delivered to date.

Watch the recording

The full episode is available to watch above.