The government has announced the establishment of new Vocational GCSEs and access to work experience in a major shake-up of the education system for 14-16 year-olds to realistically prepare them for the world of work.

The new national qualifications will be created to sit alongside traditional GCSEs and will replace the current Technical Awards.

The shake-up builds on reforms including new V Levels, Occupational and Foundation Certificates and expanded T Levels – giving young people more routes to a brighter future, ensuring they have a clear line of sight to employment, and helping to tackle the crisis of the 1 million young people who are out of education, employment or training.  

The government is launching a National Mission on Work Experience, working alongside the Good Growth Business Forum and other businesses, to boost opportunities outside the classroom. It wants to provide an additional 200,000 work experience placements to ensure all young people have vital exposure to the workplace between 14 and 16, with Mayors and local authorities helping to make links between schools and employers. This could include spending time in key sectors including accountancy firms, digital media companies and construction companies. Employers can contact their local Careers Hub to pledge new work experience placements.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "We’ve all heard someone say ‘school wasn’t really for me’ because they were not given the chance to study vocational courses as well as traditional subjects.

"That one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working, so we’re building an education system that values both academic and technical paths."

The same size as GCSEs, these new qualifications will be nationally set, with subject content based on subject expert advice. Assessment and grading will be regulated by Ofqual to ensure full parity with traditional GCSEs. They will eventually replace existing Technical Awards, which currently vary by provider with no nationally set content, and do not consistently support progression to further study.

They are set to be available in some subjects from as early as September 2029, as part of broader new technical pathways starting in September 2028. Subject options could include Business Management and Finance, Creative Media Production, Digital Tech, Child Development, and Building and Construction, supporting progression into further study through T Levels and V Levels in these subjects, or through A Levels.