Quality concerns delay hair & beauty T-level launch
The launch of the new T-level qualification in Hair, Beauty and Aesthetics, which was due for this September, is set to be delayed.
It is understood that the qualification, which is being designed by NCFE, will now launch in September 2024. It will be available to post-16 students in selected schools and colleges in England.
The delay is said to be due to concerns over the quality of the qualification, with the decision made by IfATE (Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education) and the Department for Education in consultation with Ofqual and awarding organisations.
Technical levels (T-levels) will offer students a more vocational educational route as an alternative to A-levels. Developed alongside employers with 80% class-based learning and 20% industry placement, the two-year courses will be accepted by higher education establishments as equivalent to three A-levels.
In a Ministerial Statement, Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education, said:
“T Level technical qualifications will only be approved for delivery where we are sure they are good enough and can be delivered to a high standard. As such, there is more work for awarding organisations to do before IfATE and Ofqual can be clear that these T Levels are capable of meeting the high quality bar required by both organisations to enable them to be taken into delivery, and that will not be possible in time for launch this September.”
T-qualifications in Media Broadcast and Production, and Craft and Design will also be delayed until September 2024, and will launch alongside T-levels in Legal Services, and Agriculture, Land Management and Production. The T-level qualification in Animal Care and Management is set commence in 2024 with students due to start the T-level in Marketing in September 2025. In total, there will be 20 different subject areas available for study.
The announcement has been welcomed by the National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF), who met with Sue Lovelock, Director at the Department of Education, prior to the decision being made. Caroline Larissey, Director of Quality and Standards at the NHBF, says:
“I am delighted that the Department of Education have taken on our concerns regarding the launch of T levels. We need more time as a sector to introduce the T Levels to employers so that they understand that T Levels will provide a broad education offering across the sector, not a replacement for the NVQ. We need time to educate salon owners on T levels, the breadth of education that will be covered and the opportunity of taking a student on a work placement. We look forward to working closely with the Department of Education over the next year to ensure the successful launch of T-Levels in 2024.”
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