Funding to be Continued for Level Three Vocational Qualifications

The skills crisis continues to impact our Members at every level of the supply chain and now is not the time to make education less accessible.  

NFRC was glad to share its views with the Minister of Skills, the Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern Jacqui Smith, who incorporated our insights into the review.  

There are 57 qualifications in construction, digital, health, and science that will now be funded until July 2026. A further 100 qualifications in engineering, agriculture, business and creative will retain funding until July 2027. 

The proposal was to disestablish courses which were deemed to overlap with wave three T-level qualifications. However, we heard from our Members, other associations, and education providers that the T-level qualifications often do not adequately encompass the specific skills offered in many of the Level 3 courses. 

These courses also provide an avenue to qualification for students who might otherwise struggle to enter vocational education. Construction is an interconnected sector with an incredibly diverse range of skills that must continue to be taught. 

As evidenced in our latest State of the Industry Report, the balance of companies reporting an increase in the difficulty of recruiting skilled labour was at 44 per cent in quarter three.  

While Skills England continues to develop its overall strategy, there must be as much access to construction skills education as possible.  

NFRC was pleased to work with Skills East Sussex on this matter.