Protect student choice: do not withdraw funding for BTEC qualifications
This petition gathered 108,348 signatures between 23 July 2021 and 23 January 2022, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 17 August 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 18 July 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Protect student choice: do not withdraw funding for BTEC qualifications
Reverse the plan to withdraw funding for most applied general qualifications such as BTECs and guarantee they will continue to play a major role in the qualifications landscape. Students should not be forced to choose between studying A levels or T levels from the age of 16.
For many young people, studying BTECs will continue to be the most effective way of accessing higher education or skilled employment. These well-established, high quality qualifications are popular with students and respected by employers and universities. They can be studied alongside, or instead of, A levels and provide an important alternative to T levels. Removing BTECs will leave many students without a viable pathway after their GCSEs, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 17 August 2021; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
The Government is streamlining and improving the quality of post-16 qualifications. We will fund a range of qualifications in addition to T Levels and A levels, which may include some BTECs.
The opening 248 words of the 516-word response:
The Government will fund a range of qualifications to be taken alongside or as alternatives to T Levels and A levels in future. This may include some Pearson BTECs provided they meet new criteria for funding approval. Final plans setting out the groups of qualifications that will be available alongside T Levels and A levels in future were published on 14 July. This followed a consultation on level 3 qualifications that ran from 23 October to 31 January.
The case for change is strong. For too long we have allowed too many young people to leave education without the skills employers need. The Wolf Review (2011) found that the content of many technical qualifications was not valued by employers and provided little value to students. Similarly, the Sainsbury Review (2016) found that employers continue to report that many individuals who have successfully completed qualifications remain poorly equipped to enter skilled work. Now more than ever as we recover from the pandemic, we need students to finish education well equipped to progress to further training or to get a skilled job, allowing businesses to recover and thrive.
Our reforms to level 3 qualifications will strengthen pathways to progression, creating clearly defined academic and technical routes centred around A levels and T Levels with qualifications leading to further study, and/or skilled employment. This clarity of purpose will provide students with a range of good options and allow them to see more easily how their study will help them to progress.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 825, came from Rochdale.
108,028 of the signatures were from the UK and 320 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Rochdale | 825 |
| Bexhill and Battle | 785 |
| Hastings and Rye | 780 |
| Oldham West and Royton | 775 |
| Cheadle | 721 |
| West Bromwich East | 710 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 692 |
| Taunton Deane | 669 |
| Hazel Grove | 641 |
| Stockport | 639 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| North West | 21,348 |
| South East | 19,877 |
| West Midlands | 13,287 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 11,413 |
| East of England | 9,704 |
| London | 9,430 |
| South West | 8,448 |
| East Midlands | 5,969 |
| North East | 3,402 |
| Wales | 1,585 |
| Northern Ireland | 583 |
| Scotland | 453 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 18 July 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/592642.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
163b1ac6f296d70b… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.