AoC responds to T Level announcement

Catherine Sezen, Director of Education Policy, Association of Colleges, said:

“Today’s announcement that the T Level in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy will no longer be taken forward for delivery in September 2024 comes as a huge shock to colleges who have been enrolling students on to this study programme. While we can see that it is logical for a Level 2 hair qualification to lead to an apprenticeship, we have to question why it has taken so long to reach this decision. It also raises questions about other T Level routes which predominantly require Level 2 qualifications for entry to work such as onsite construction.

“This announcement comes alongside a provisional list of qualifications set to be defunded in creative industries and land-based subjects because they overlap with T Levels, and creates greater uncertainty for students, staff and college leaders.

“We once again urge the government to pause defunding and undertake a review of the decisions made on qualifications for the future. The Department for Education must address the sector’s valid concerns about the impact on students and deliverability of T levels at scale."