Recommendation 20

The Department said that as T Levels reflect a major change to the technical qualification landscape, it will take time to develop course content.58 We challenged the Department on how quickly T Level content could be adapted to ensure students were taught the skills needed within the economy both now and in the future.59 For example, in early 2025 the government announced defence spending increasing to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, supporting highly skilled jobs, and a £600 million investment in training 60,000 more skilled construction workers.60 In December 2024, the Department announced it was stopping the Onsite Construction T Level.61 In response to emerging skills needs, the Department described looking across all skills routes and opportunities. It was also investing in Skills Bootcamps, 12-week training programmes, 56 C&AG’s Report, paras 1.4, 1.6, 2.9 57 ITL0002 58 C&AG’s Report, para 2.7 59 Qq 9-10 60 HMG, Prime Minister sets out biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War; 25 February 2025; HM Treasury, Government unleashes next generation of construction workers to build 1.5m homes, 23 March 2025 61 DfE, The outcomes of the Review of Qualifications Reform at Level 3 in England, 12 December 2024 14 to quickly prepare people for work.62 The Department and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) also set out how, each year, they review and update the content of T Levels and will continue to do so. However, it could take a minimum of 18 months to make substantive changes to occupational standards.63 Pearson and City and Guilds, organisations that develop and award T Levels, also highlighted the excessive content within T Levels, and inability to respond quickly to market changes as difficulties for the Department in scaling up T Levels.64 Tracking and understanding progress