Students in England currently have the opportunity to take applied general qualifications (AGQs) at Level 3. These qualifications combine practical and academic learning, offering an invaluable middle pathway for students post-16, alongside the existing A level and T level routes. They allow those who haven’t decided on a specific career the flexibility to choose between higher education and skilled employment. However, in a bid to ‘streamline’ the qualifications landscape, the Government’s latest review has decided to withdraw funding for a large number of AGQs that are deemed to overlap with T-Levels.
At Edge, we believe that this is a grave mistake that risks limiting the choices available to learners unable to commit to a highly specific T-Level course. That is why we are supporting the #ProtectStudentChoice campaign, coordinated by the Sixth Form College Alliance and a coalition of 30 education sector organisations, to remove 134 recently reformed and approved AGQs from the scope of the review. The campaign identified that of the 134 reformed AGQs currently available, 75 (56%) would not be funded from 2025. There is broad consensus and deep feeling across the sector on this issue and we hope that ministers will heed these concerns .
If you would like to get involved, please click here or email info@protectstudentchoice.org.
