Education

Thursday 22nd October 2020 Ministerial Corrections

Lifetime Skills Guarantee and Post-16 Education

The following is an extract from proceedings on the statement by the Secretary of State for Education on 1 October 2020:

[Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)]

The lifetime skills guarantee is extremely welcome, as it should help to boost the covid recovery. In order that those adults who will take up the guarantee can realise their full potential, can my right hon. Friend confirm that the new gold standard of T-levels will be available to them?

[Gavin Williamson]

I can absolutely guarantee that. I had the great opportunity to see many youngsters in colleges taking on T-levels. These qualifications have been incredibly warmly welcomed. The real difference compared with so many past attempts at reform of qualifications in this sector is that this has very much been based on the needs of employers. T-levels have been developed to ensure that they actually take young people into work, further education or apprenticeships.

[Official Report, 1 October 2020, Vol. 681, c. 548.]

Letter of correction from the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for South Staffordshire (Gavin Williamson): 

An error has been identified in the response given to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous).

The correct response should have been:

[Gavin Williamson]

I can absolutely guarantee that in due course T-Levels will be available to adults. I had the great opportunity to see many youngsters in colleges taking on T-levels. These qualifications have been incredibly warmly welcomed. The real difference compared with so many past attempts at reform of qualifications in this sector is that this has very much been based on the needs of employers. T-levels have been developed to ensure that they actually take young people into work, further education or apprenticeships.