Pause to Level 3 defunding in England

The Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson has announced a short review of the post-16 qualification reforms at Level 3 and below. To allow space for this review, they have placed a one-year pause on the removal of 16 to 19 funding from qualifications assessed as overlapping with T Levels in: 

• construction and the built environment
• digital
• education and early years
• health and science

You can watch the full announcement at Parliamentlive.tv - House of Commons.

The EAL qualifications listed below are in scope for extending funding approval for the 16 to 19 offer into the academic year 2024/25.  

Qualification number	Title
501/1605/8	EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Installing Electrotechnical Systems and Equipment (Buildings, Structures and the Environment)
600/0577/4	EAL Level 3 Diploma in Gas Utilisation: Core Skills and Knowledge
600/8595/2	EAL Level 3 Diploma in Plumbing and Heating
601/4563/8	EAL Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Electrical Installation
601/4567/5	EAL Level 3 Advanced Diploma in Plumbing
603/6194/3	EAL Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Providing Electronic Fire and Security Systems

These qualifications were originally scheduled to have their funding approval removed in the 16 to 19 offer after 31 July 2024. Due to the announcement, they will extend these qualifications until 31 July 2025. 

EAL will continue to support our customers through these changes and any future changes stemming from the new government’s skills review or other policy changes. To keep updated with changes and their impact on our qualification portfolio, we recommend subscribing to EAL’s newsletter, Spotlight.