Regulatory approach for Level 3 qualifications proposed
24 February 2022
Following the outcomes of the Department for Education’s review of post-16 qualifications at Level 3, Ofqual has published its proposals for regulating academic and technical qualifications which it describes as serving as alternatives to A Levels and T Levels.
The proposals cover the regulation of the purpose, content, assessment and grading of academic and technical qualifications.
The DfE will confirm in due course what these qualifications will be known as and how they may be categorised but for the purposes of the consultation, Ofqual defines these two types of qualifications as:
- Alternative academic qualifications: the primary purpose is to evidence students’ attainment in relation to their course of study, with a view to supporting informed decisions and choices about further study
- Alternative technical qualifications: the primary purpose is to identify students that have attained the knowledge, skills and behaviours linked to competence in a given occupation.
Ofqual says that the proposed regulatory approach seeks to meet the needs of students, employers, education institutions and awarding organisations by ensuring high-quality qualifications that can be held in the same regard as A levels and T Levels. It seeks to balance this with the need to ensure these qualifications also provide valuable options for those students for whom A Levels alone or a T Level is not the most appropriate choice.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) will be responsible for the approval of alternative technical qualifications and will consult on criteria later in the year. Ofqual’s proposed approach for regulating alternative technical qualifications is designed to work alongside the requirements IfATE intends to put in place.
The new regulatory approach is intended to be in place “later this year”.