Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle gender imbalances in pre and post-16 academic and vocational pathways into engineering and technology careers.

It is compulsory for all pupils to study science at key stage 4 and, since the 2024/25 academic year, it has been compulsory for all pupils to study science at GCSE. Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government is ensuring science is made accessible to all pupils pre and post-16, giving them the best opportunity to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Technical Awards at key stage 4 allow pupils to engage with a sector and build foundational knowledge and practical skills relevant to engineering and technology pathways. We will review the current suite of Technical Awards from 2027, focusing on attainment and other relevant data, progression to post-16 pathways and overall purpose.

Post-16 technical and vocational pathways are being reformed to provide clearer choices for all students looking to pursue careers in engineering and technology, with the introduction of V Levels alongside existing T Levels in a range of subjects including Digital and Engineering and Manufacturing.

The National Centre for Computing Education delivers the ‘I Belong’ programme, which supports schools to address the barriers to girls’ participation in computing and increase uptake of computing qualifications.

From September 2025, the Advanced Maths Support Programme introduced a new programme to increase girls’ progression to A Level mathematics.