The new V Level qualification and the government’s latest reforms of post-16 pathways explained
The first V Levels will be introduced from September 2027, representing one of the most significant shifts in England’s post‑16 education landscape for more than a decade.
12 March 2026
As the sector prepares for the introduction of this new qualification, City & Guilds remains firmly committed to helping shape vocational pathways for learners, providers and employers. Our response to the Post‑16 Education and Skills White Paper emphasised the need for flexible vocational and technical qualifications which address labour‑market requirements.
Government has confirmed that Education and Early Years, Finance and Accounting and Digital will be the first subjects available, with the wider intention behind V Levels being a longer‑term transformation which simplifies routes and creates clearer choices for young people.
We are now looking at the potential of V Levels to open up new learning opportunities and create parity of esteem across academic and vocational routes to fulfilling careers. We are supportive of the choice these new pathways offer and are ready to lend strong leadership, insight and support to centres as they prepare to deliver this new qualification route. The V Levels unlock a route to much needed subjects for today’s workforce, with important areas such as the Digital V Level for example being available for learners. At City & Guilds we are mindful of our role in supporting excellence and high-quality learning opportunities that we can support providers to rollout, which ultimately lead to better outcomes for the future workforce and industries with a trust that technical and practical skills have been assessed in valid ways.
Government is aiming for a clear and more coherent post‑16 system
V Levels are being introduced to offer a new, nationally consistent vocational option at level 3, designed around employer‑defined occupational standards. At ATC 2026, Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, Chief Regulator for Ofqual, stressed the importance of Awarding Organisations’ expertise and capacity to deliver what’s needed, and he continued:
“At level 3, the new V Level qualification will sit alongside A levels and T Levels and will be built on nationally set content. It will reference occupational standards and will have a national approach to both grading and standard setting. And the new V Levels will... be distinctive in purpose, in design and in approach to assessment.”
His comments underline the government’s intention to create a more balanced landscape with coherent study programmes - one that allows students to take three V Levels, or combine V Levels with A Levels where appropriate.
The qualification aims to bring rigour, national consistency and high‑quality assessment to vocational routes, aiming to provide employers with confidence in learners’ competence.
City & Guilds, together with other Awarding Organisations, will play a critical role in realising this, through developing V Levels, aligning them with occupational standards, and working closely with providers to ensure smooth implementation.
Responding to employer needs
A core goal of the reforms to vocational and technical education is to ensure young people develop the skills that employers need. At ATC, leaders highlighted the importance of employer involvement in shaping and designing the curriculum and assessment.
V Level subject curricula will be linked to occupational standards, aiming to ensure that learners acquire skills applicable to existing roles in sectors experiencing growth, digitalisation and transformation. It will also ensure that fit for purpose assessment methodology is used to give industry confidence in the accredited outcomes.
Further changes announced to the technical and vocational landscape
The announcements on post-16 reform introduce qualifications and options at level 2 and below, helping ensure that more young people at 16 have a pathway toward technical, academic or employment‑focused progression.
These changes at level 2 and below will strengthen the programme through new pathways:
Further study pathways and occupation pathways: Learners will be supported to progress through a strengthened set of pathways at level 2. The Foundation Certificate allows for further study before progressing onto higher levels while occupational pathways will provide a structured route into employment with an Occupational Certificate. For students working below a GCSE grade 4 profile, these programmes create clearer progression options.
English and maths consultation: Government will open a new consultation on level 1 for English and maths qualifications, to be delivered alongside the new level 2 pathways as an alternative to GCSE retakes.
T Levels will continue to grow: Government has confirmed that T Levels will continue to grow, with new subjects being added across several years. Industry placements remain a core component of every T Level, but the government has acknowledged the ongoing challenges around securing high quality placements, especially in specialist sectors or rural areas.
Government has committed to introducing greater flexibility in how T Level placements can be delivered, with the aim of creating more realistic pathways for learners while maintaining the essential workplace element.
| Academic year |
T Level |
| 2028/29 |
Care Services, Sports, Fitness & Exercise Science |
| 2029/30 |
Catering & Hospitality, Creative & Design (expanded), Hair & Beauty, Protective Services |
| 2030/31 |
Art & Performing Arts, Travel & Tourism |
There will also be further support with targeted CPD for teachers and leaders delivering the new qualifications and access to specialist capital funding, with £11 million allocated to help eligible providers purchase industry‑standard equipment for T Levels launching from September 2026.
Funding implications: To maintain stability during the transition, the government has confirmed that no qualifications will lose funding in 2026–27, including those overlapping with T Levels. Funding for learners aged 19+ will not be affected.
From 2027–28, funding approval will be removed for:
- Level 3 qualifications over 1080 guided learning hours which overlap with T Level sector subjects – see the government defunding list;
- Level 3 qualifications under 1080 guided learning hours and are in the same sector subject area as new V Levels; and
- Level 2 qualifications in the same sector subjects as the new pathways (with some exceptions).
Redesigning vocational pathways for long-term change
Although implementation will take time, with the first qualifications announced starting in 2027 with a phased implementation until 2030 with subjects introduced in tranches, V Levels are intended to become a long‑term feature of the post‑16 system. This represents a significant development, which will need to be monitored closely.
City & Guilds has previously highlighted the risks of taking a one‑size‑fits‑all approach to standardising guided learning hours across sectors - which may fail to deliver the breadth of skills the economy requires. V Levels must offer appropriate flexibility in size and structure to ensure high‑quality progression routes across industries, and be designed to support learners needs and success.
We have also highlighted the need for absolute clarity of purpose: vocational pathways are not academic routes, but industry‑led programmes that must reflect occupational standards and support learners moving directly into employment.
At the same time, a successful V Level system must support positive learner progression at every stage, allowing young people to change direction without penalty, recognising prior achievement, and ensuring that step‑off points into work or further training remain open and accessible.
Embedding strong wraparound provision, employer‑linked experiences, and opportunities to build durable digital and employability skills will also prove critical in supporting young people at risk of disengagement. At the heart of all of this is the learner and their needs. At City & Guilds we are actively listening to learners, employers and providers and will be shaping our offer and standards around those needs.
As the implementation process progresses, City & Guilds will work collaboratively with government, employers and providers to ensure V Levels fulfil their promise: to become credible, future‑focused vocational qualifications that widen opportunity, meet genuine labour‑market needs, and play a central role in building a stronger skills ecosystem for the decades ahead.
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