Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Accelerate T Level content development and review with awarding organisations for evolving skills needs.
Conclusion
T Levels are intended to address skills gaps and meet employers’ needs, but they cannot quickly be adapted to meet this objective. T Levels have been developed and approved by employers to, for example, better meet their needs and improve students’ employment prospects. It will take time to develop course content – the Department and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) update qualification content each year, but it can take a minimum 18 months for an occupational standard, which provides the basis of a T Level, to be changed. T Levels will need to meet evolving skills gaps. For example, in February 2025, the government announced an increase in defence spending to create new jobs, skills and opportunities across the country, and in April 2025, £600 million to train up to 60,000 more construction workers. recommendation The Department should work with awarding organisations to consider options for developing and reviewing T Level content quickly to maximise the responsiveness of T Level qualifications to changing skills needs in the most efficient way.
Government Response Summary
The government states it already has agile processes for reviewing T Level content and is implementing changes where identified, such as the revised T Levels in health and science with a first teach in September 2026. It will continue to work with Skills England for regular content review and updates.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. and Skills England to review the content for each T Level in delivery and make any changes to content based on sectoral needs. This process is more agile than for other qualifications that are in the market, and the department will ensure that where changes are identified through this process, they are implemented as soon as it is practically possible. For example, the department has already reduced the Education and Early Years assessments from two core exams to one. Development work is ongoing for T Levels in health and science. These revised T Levels will have their first teach in September 2026. The department will consider further development work in future iterations of T Level contracts as the opportunities for re- procurement arise and where standards necessitate in-flight changes to content. As Skills England becomes increasingly embedded, the department will work with them to ensure that T Level content is reviewed regularly and updated where needed, to continue to ensure that they provide an excellent pathway to support entry into the government’s priority sectors.