Guidance

Submit a level 2 technical or level 2 non-technical occupational qualification for approval

Updated 10 January 2024

Applies to England

You need to submit all your level 2 qualifications in scope of cycle 2 between 23 September 2024 and 5pm on 4 October 2024.

Academic progression and technical progression qualifications

Cycle 2 is the first cycle where we will consider level 2 qualifications that support progression to level 3 study. These are split into academic progression and technical progression qualifications.

Level 2 qualifications include:

• progression qualifications (technical and academic)
• T Level foundation qualifications
• level 2 technical qualifications

At level 2 we are considering technical and non-technical qualifications which are aligned to the same occupational routes in a staggered way.

We are considering:

• qualifications leading to employment (technical qualifications) first
• qualifications supporting progression to higher levels of study in the same SSAs in the following cycle

In cycle 2 we will approve academic progression qualifications in the following areas:

• science
• engineering
• health and social care
• ICT practitioners or users
• medicine and dentistry
• nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine

Criteria and regulations

Level 2 progression qualifications (academic and non-technical) will be reviewed against the:

• common funding approval criteria
• qualification-type funding approval criteria for progression qualifications
• qualification offer-specific funding approval criteria

Ofqual will review submissions and provide feedback to the Department for Education (DfE). We will take this into account when making our approval decisions.

We will use Ofqual’s feedback and the application of the offer-specific funding approval criteria to decide whether the qualification will be approved for funding, and for which offer.

 Technical occupational qualifications

The submission window for level 2 technical occupational qualifications to be delivered from 1 August 2025 will open on 13 November 2023 and close on 24 November 2023.

Technical occupational qualifications deliver the knowledge, skills and behaviours students need to progress into or within skilled employment.

Qualifications are approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), regulated by Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and approved for funding by the DfE for the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) post-16 offers.

Technical occupational qualifications to be first taught from 1 August 2025

As part of the 2025 to 2026 funding approval cycle, we are considering 2 categories of technical qualifications:

• level 2 occupational entry – 16 to 19 and adults
• level 2 additional specialist – 16 to 19 and adults

We are considering level 2 occupational entry and additional specialist technical qualifications in the following routes:

• agriculture, environmental and animal care
• business administration
• care services
• catering and hospitality
• creative and design
• hair and beauty
• legal, finance and accounting
• protective services
• sales, marketing and procurement
• transport and logistics

In cycle 2 we will approve progression qualifications in the following areas:

• construction and the built environment
• digital
• education and early years
• engineering and manufacturing
• health and science

We have not included the digital route at level 2, as IfATE does not recognise any level 2 occupations.

T Level foundation qualifications

We will consider T Level foundation qualifications in the following occupational routes:

• agriculture, environmental and animal care
• business and administration
• catering and hospitality
• creative and design
• construction and the built environment
• digital
• education and early years
• engineering and manufacturing
• hair and beauty
• health and science
• legal, finance and accounting
• sales, marketing and procurement

The guideline size for T Level foundation qualifications is 120 to 150 guided learning hours.

Criteria and regulations

For a level 2 technical occupational qualification to be approved for funding, it needs to:

• be within your Ofqual scope of recognition
• meet IfATE approval criteria within the relevant qualification category
• have all the necessary information on Ofqual’s register of regulated qualifications completed by 14 June 2024
• meet the applicable Ofqual regulations, including the general conditions of recognition and technical qualifications level conditions, requirements and guidance
• meet DfE qualification funding approval criteria

T Level foundation qualifications will be reviewed against the:

• common funding approval criteria
• qualification-type funding approval criteria for T level foundation qualifications
• qualification offer-specific funding approval criteria

Ofqual will review submissions and provide feedback to DfE. We will take this into account when making our approval decisions.

We will use Ofqual’s feedback and the application of the offer-specific funding approval criteria to decide whether the qualification will be approved for funding, and for which offer.

Submitting your qualification

Information on how to submit a technical occupational qualification can be found on IfATE’s website.

Information submitted by you as part of this process will be shared by IfATE with Ofqual for regulation purposes and with DfE for funding approval decisions.

Before submitting the qualification to IfATE for approval, you must ensure the qualification falls within your current Ofqual scope of recognition. If not, you will need to apply to extend your scope of recognition to include level 2 qualifications in the associated sector subject area.

DfE will not begin the process of reviewing a qualification for funding approval until it receives confirmation from Ofqual that the qualification is within your scope of recognition.

Additional specialist technical qualifications

The window to submit a proposal for an additional specialism has now closed. If you have a query about these qualifications, contact IfATE.

Qualifications out of scope for this funding approval process

The following level 2 qualifications will continue to be automatically approved for funding where they meet the appropriate criteria:

• GCSEs
• Higher Project Qualifications
• Performing Arts Graded Examinations
• English and maths Functional Skills Qualifications (FSQs)