Government Publishes Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper
The Government has released its new Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, setting out a major reform programme designed to equip young people with “the skills needed to thrive in tomorrow’s job market.” Central to this vision is a new national target: by the age of 25, two-thirds of young people should be engaged in higher-level learning, with at least 10% progressing through higher technical education or apprenticeships.
Lifelong Learning and New Qualification Pathways
To help achieve this ambition, the Government will introduce the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) in September 2026. The LLE will create a single, flexible funding system for post-18 education, enabling people to access learning in a way that fits their personal and career development needs.
Alongside the funding reforms, the Government is consulting on a major overhaul of qualification pathways:
V Levels (Level 3)
- These new qualifications will provide a vocational pathway for learners and will replace all existing Level 3 vocational qualifications that currently sit alongside A Levels and T Levels.
- A Levels will remain the academic route
- T Levels will continue as the technical route with an industry placement
- V Levels will become the vocational route
- The consultation also proposes two structured options at Level 2:
- An occupational pathway, preparing learners directly for work, and
- A further study pathway, preparing learners to progress to Level 3.
The consultation on the design and implementation of these pathways is open until Monday 12 January 2026, and members are encouraged to respond and share their views or to contact [email protected] with any thoughts on what we should add to our response. .
Reform of the National Curriculum for 5–16 Year Olds
Following publication of the Skills White Paper, the Government has also outlined plans to reform the national curriculum for 5–16 year olds. The aim is to ensure every young person has a “cast-iron grip” on foundational knowledge in reading, science, and maths, giving them the strongest possible platform to progress to higher-level study by age 25.
The new national curriculum is expected to be published by spring 2027 and implemented in full from September 2028. These reforms form a key part of the Government’s broader strategy to raise educational attainment and strengthen the talent pipeline for critical sectors such as construction.