More than a quarter of T-level students in England quit their course during their studies, figures suggest.
Around 10,253 students began two-year T-levels in 2022 – but only 7,262 completed their course and were assessed, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE) on Thursday.
Nearly three out of four (71%) completed the technical qualifications, which is higher than last year when 66% finished their T-level courses, the provisional Government figures show.
Pupils in England have received their T-level results in the third year that the qualification has been awarded.
Overall, 7,380 students were awarded results on Thursday for the Government’s technical qualification – which was introduced to be broadly equivalent to three A-levels.
Among the third cohort of T-level students, 88.7% achieved at least a pass.
The results cover 16 individual T-levels, six of which are being awarded for the first time.
Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith of Malvern suggested that T-levels may not have been “developed as effectively” as hoped.
She told PA news agency: “We’re at a relatively early stage in terms of T-levels. What we do know is that if you don’t complete a T-level, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve sort of dropped out.
“It may well be, for example, that you’ve gone and done an occupational placement and you’ve been offered a job by the person that you’ve been doing it with, or you found another route into a career that is also a very good option for you.
“But of course, we need to make sure that T-levels – which I think you could argue probably haven’t been developed as effectively as we would have hoped they would have been – that we are taking the time and doing the work necessary to make sure that they are the high-quality options for students that they’re designed to be and that for many they already are.”
The Department for Education (DfE) said a small minority of learners in the results data for this summer will not have been identified as entrants to the T-level courses for a number of reasons – including starting the qualification earlier or later than September 2022.
Around 250,000 results were also issued to students who took level 3 vocational and technical qualifications (VTQs) this year – which include BTecs.
Last month, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the Government would be pausing planned funding cuts for a number of applied general qualifications (AGQs), such as BTecs.
The DfE under the previous government had planned to remove funding for a number of post-16 qualifications that “overlap” with T-levels in England.
Baroness Smith told PA: “I think we do need to get to a position where we have a bit more clarity and a bit more simplicity about what the range of qualifications are.”
She added: “I think T-levels are here to stay and we need to see them develop effectively, but there will also be students who will take a route that will involve another sort of vocational qualification.
“That will remain but we need to make sure that those qualifications, that we don’t have the thousands and thousands of options where we’re not quite sure about the quality, that we focus on the high-quality vocational qualifications and improving T-levels to ensure that whatever option you choose as a student you know what you’re getting is something that is quality and hopefully is here to stay as well.”
Ucas said 1,680 18-year-olds who had taken T-levels in England had been accepted onto higher education courses.
The admissions service said 74% of all 18-year-old T-level students had gained a place at a university or college this year.
On Thursday, the Education Secretary said she was “really surprised” to hear that students with T-levels are not being accepted by some universities.
Ms Phillipson told BBC Breakfast: “I think T-levels are an important part of our system. I think they provide really high-quality options for young people around technical and vocational education.
“What we’re doing at the moment is looking at the other options that sit alongside T-levels to make sure that we’ve got a good mix, so that all of our young people are able to study for a really high-quality qualification.”
Suzanne Straw, research director at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), said: “Although the drop-out rate is lower than that of the previous cohort, it remains high at 29%.
“Further investigation is needed to establish what actions are required to address this. It will also be important to continue to track the study and employment outcomes of T-level students, as well as their experiences and satisfaction rates, as part of the Technical Education Learner Surveys.”
