“'V' is for Vocational: Unpacking the Post-16 Skills White Paper and the New Qualifications Landscape

Date | 24th October 2025

The Post-16 Shake-Up: V Levels, Funding, and a Focus on the Workforce

The UK further education sector for 16–18-year-olds has been handed a roadmap for its future this week with the publication of the government's comprehensive Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper. The document sets out a significant overhaul of qualifications, an injection of investment, and a renewed strategy for supporting young people into skilled employment.

Introducing the New 'V Levels'

Perhaps the most impactful important announcement for 16-18 providers is the confirmation of V Levels as a key vocational pathway. These new qualifications will sit alongside A Levels and T Levels, aiming to streamline the current often ‘confusing' landscape of approximately 900 Level 3 courses. The DfE proposes that V Levels will be available to 'mix and match' with A Levels, offering students greater flexibility and a clear alternative to the more industry-placement-heavy T Level route.

While the Association of Colleges (AoC) welcomed the new focus on a more joined-up skills system, they also rightly highlighted the complexity of qualification reforms and the need for a phased approach. The key challenge for colleges will be navigating the transition away from existing, popular qualifications like BTECs while V Levels are being developed and implemented.

Funding and Investment: A Commitment to Parity?

On the financial front, the White Paper includes a welcome commitment to maintain real-terms per-student funding for 16-19 provision. While the FE sector often struggles with long-term underfunding, this pledge is seen as a positive step towards stabilising provision in the face of increasing demographic numbers.

Beyond maintenance funding, the government also confirmed a substantial £1.2 billion additional annual investment by 2028-29 to support 1.3 million learners per year. Crucially for skills delivery, there’s an announced package of dedicated funding for key sectors, including construction, digital, and engineering, which supports the expansion of high-value courses and new Technical Excellence Colleges (TECs).

Tackling the NEET Challenge and Staffing

Two other major threads run through the new strategy: tackling the Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) challenge and supporting the FE workforce. The government is introducing a Youth Guarantee, which aims to provide an automatic guaranteed college place for all 16-year-olds without a post-16 plan. This, alongside the new Foundation Apprenticeships designed to support young people furthest from the labour market, signals a concerted effort to boost youth engagement and skill levels.