Measures to boost the quality and take-up of higher technical education at Levels 4 and 5 have been announced by the Department for Education.

A package of measures aims to establish a system of higher technical education to give students and employers confidence in high-quality courses that provide necessary skills, and “reverse the generational decline in higher technical education”. The package includes:

• The introduction of newly-approved higher technical qualifications from September 2022 supported by a government-backed brand and quality mark. Qualifications will only be approved where they provide the skills employers need, and provide an option for young people progressing from T Levels or apprenticeships. In the first year, the focus will be exclusively on digital qualifications, leading to jobs like network engineer, cyber-security technologist and software developer. The digital route will be followed with the construction route and the health and science route in September 2023.
• DfE working with Ofsted and the Office for Students to make sure the quality of courses is consistently high across HE and FE institutions.
• Launching a new public awareness campaign in partnership with employers and careers advisers to showcase the benefits of higher technical qualifications.

These announcements follow a DfE consultation last year which set out the Government’s plans to boost the higher technical skills.