Teenagers in England to be offered new vocational GCSEs

Teenagers in England will be able to study new vocational GCSEs as part of the government's plans to tackle youth unemployment.

The qualifications will sit alongside traditional GCSEs - including English, maths and science - and will be available to 14-year-olds in some subjects from September 2029.

The government has also set a new national target for employers to help provide an additional 200,000 work experience opportunities for those aged between 14 and 16.

It comes following Andy Burnham's pledge to put technical training on a par with academic classes, with the prime minister previously saying he wants the UK to "value the hard hat as much as the graduation cap".

Mr Burnham has repeatedly vowed to tackle the number of young people not in education, employment or training - known as NEETs - which is believed to have exceeded one million.

The prime minister 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.

"I want to give all young people across Britain the hope that their future will be brighter - whether it starts at university or not."

Earlier this year, the government announced that new V-level qualifications - which will sit alongside A-levels and T-levels as a third pathway for 16 to 19-year-olds - will be available for students from 2027.

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'Rich and ambitious' education

The new vocational GCSEs will be nationally set, and the assessment and grading will be regulated by Ofqual. They will eventually replace existing Technical Awards.

A consultation will be launched later this year to shape the new qualifications, which could include subjects such as business management and finance, creative media production, building and construction, and child development, the Department for Education has said.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the new qualifications will give young people "a stronger connection to the careers and industries shaping our economy", and will help pupils "discover and develop their talents".

Ms Powell added: "This is not about creating different routes for different children. It is about ensuring every child has access to a rich and ambitious education that opens doors, creates opportunity and prepares them for life beyond the classroom."

Earlier this week, exam board OCR indicated that vocational education reforms were not necessary.

Interim findings from a report chaired by former education secretary Charles Clarke suggest that educators, students and parents value the existing vocational qualifications available to 14 to 16-year-olds, but that there are structural and reputational barriers to their wider adoption.

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di'Iasio said the government's plans were "well-intentioned" but would "not in itself address the barriers to more young people taking these subjects".

Mr Di'lasio insisted measures were needed to ensure schools have the "staffing and resources" to deliver the new qualifications, as well as a campaign to "raise public awareness of vocational and technical routes".

He added: "Without this wider action, revamping qualifications will simply mean more upheaval and workload for hard-pressed schools, without actually achieving the objective of boosting vocational and technical pathways."

(c) Sky News 2026: Teenagers in England to be offered new vocational GCSEs