This summer, the Department for Education consulted on proposals to make higher technical education (at levels 4 and 5) a more prestigious and high-quality choice for those completing A levels and T levels, as well as for people of all ages looking to upskill and retrain. 

DfE now want to talk to a range of students and employers to understand their needs and help to establish which type of higher technical education would appeal to them. In particular, they are looking to speak with students completing level 4/5 qualifications and degrees in technical subjects to understand what factors drove their decision making.

This will take the form of 1:1 interviews with a user researcher from the department’s User Centred Design Lab. They can arrange to visit your institution for a day to conduct interviews. Please get in contact with David Harding [email protected] from the team if this is something you are interested in being involved in. They are happy to provide more information about the process if you have any questions. We would encourage as much involvement as possible while the national policy on qualifications at Levels 4 and 5 is being openly discussed and decided. This research links into the leading work of our HE-AO Vocational Qualifications Committee.