Former Tory education secretary criticises ‘streamlining’ of vocational and technical qualifications in England
The former Conservative education secretary Kenneth Baker has described the government’s overhaul of vocational and technical qualifications at schools and colleges in England as “an act of vandalism”.
Lord Baker, who initiated controversial school changes under Margaret Thatcher, said he opposed the Department for Education’s (DfE) plans to scrap most applied general qualifications such as BTecs in favour of its new T-levels, which will leave students aged 16 with few alternatives to A-levels. The qualification is designed to be a single two-year course focused on a specific career such as accounting, building services or hair and beauty.
