The government has announced plans to cut the value of over 3,000 vocational qualifications.

From 2014, the government has announced that only 70 “equivalent” courses will count in the GCSE tables and will count on a like-for-like basis with GCSEs.  The move is expected to lead to less schools continuing to offer such qualifications, with the government instructing them to wait until its final list of changes before changing their timetables for September 2012.

Figures from the Department of Education show that the number of teenagers undertaking such courses has risen dramatically in recent years, from 15,000 in 2004 to 575,000 in 2010. Education Secretary Michael Gove stated that the current system “has been devalued by attempts to pretend that all qualifications are intrinsically the same, [and as such] young people have taken courses that have led nowhere.”

Paul Davis, managing director of Perspective, commented: “Although this shake up may lead to the devaluation of less valuable vocational courses, it is hoped that these moves won’t undervalue vocational qualifications as a whole and have a negative impact on young people looking to pursue such courses. 

“At a time when youth unemployment is continuing to rise, it’s important young people remember that apprenticeships and vocational courses still play an important role in increasing the possibility of finding work and entering the jobs market.”