In last weeks budget Philip Hammond made the following statement We’re introducing T-levels. And today I provide a further £20m to support FE colleges to prepare for them. Whilst this was hardly a detailed statement, it did indicate a sense of immediacy, at least in terms of the preparation for this new set of qualifications. However the small print that lies behind this announcement is a bit less inspiring. Back in July 2016 the then skills minister, Nick Boles claimed that the first T level ‘pathfinder’ routes would be taught from September 2019 and that all 15 routes will be rolled-out for teaching by September 2022 with four of the 15 routes “primarily delivered through apprenticeships.” He stated that “we accept and will implement all of the Sainsbury panel’s proposals, unequivocally where that it is possible within current budget constraints.”

Many of the Further Education institutions had experienced something similar when Labour introduced 14-19 Diplomas via a white paper in 2005, launched them in 2008 and then experienced the ‘not invented here’ reason for them to be scrapped by the coalition Government in 2010. However Nick Boles claimed the T levels will be different. He claimed that that the diplomas failed “because they lacked real commitment, with governments changing plans before they could have real impact” which seems a bit rich coming from someone who was a minister in the coalition government which ended the diplomas!

The 15 routes listed within the Skills Plan are:

• Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care
• Business and Administrative
• Catering and Hospitality
• Childcare and Education
• Construction
• Creative and Design
• Digital
• Engineering and Manufacturing
• Hair and Beauty
• Health and Science
• Legal, Finance and Accounting
• Protective Services*
• Sales, Marketing and Procurement*
• Social Care*
• Transport and Logistics*

* primarily delivered through apprenticeships.

At the time when Boles made his announcement there were plans for an Institute for Apprenticeships to be formed and begin operating from April 2017. As I wrote yesterday the plans for apprenticeships has fallen into a bit of a mess so far, but there is no evidence that such a body has been formed. However his expectations where that:

Post-16 Skills Plan Timeline

• October 2018 : Procurement begins for new technical qualifications
• February 2019 : Technical qualifications approved for ‘pathfinder’ routes
• September 2019: First teaching of ‘pathfinder’ routes
• September 2020 – September 2022 – Phased teaching of other routes

At the end of July this year, just before MPs vacated Westminster for the recess, Anne Milton was asked a Parliamentary Question by Labour MP Rebecca Pow. Her answer revealed that the plans outlined a year earlier by Nick Boles had slipped by a year, but that all 15 subjects were still on the table. The reason for the delay was caused in part by responses from a number of examination bodies who claimed that there was not sufficient time to achieve the objectives that Boles had set out. However the delay was also caused because the Government had at that stage not appointed anyone to participate on the T-level advisory development panels that was originally due to have met for first time in March and which is due to be instrumental in the development of the new qualifications.

Then a month ago Justine Greening the Education Secretary and boss of Anne Milton who had taken over from Nick Boles, announced that the T levels in digital, childcare and education, and construction will be taught by a small number of providers from 2020.  She stated “We are transforming technical education in this country, developing our home grown talent so that our young people have the world class skills and knowledge that employers need,” The timetable for the complete roll out has now slipped further in the sense that whilst the first three subjects are currently due to begin in 2020 as Anne Milton had stated. The complete roll out by 2022 as indicated by Boles is now not due until 2024. In addition one of the subjects, Hair and Beauty has disappeared from the list of 15 areas. The good news is that the panels that should have begun meeting in March, do now have chair people appointed, but the details regarding the consultation on these proposals which should have taken place over the Summer are still unclear as they are embedded in a DfE action plan which is yet to be published.

The final question is whether the £20m promised by Philip Hammond in the November budget is in addition to, or replaces the money he promised in the March budget!