Other approval principles: 16 to 19
Criteria that qualifications in the 16 to 19 offer need to meet.
These qualifications must also meet the common funding approval criteria.
If a qualification at level 3 or above only focuses on personal development or transferable personal skills, we will not approve it for funding for students aged 16 to 19. This includes qualifications that only aim to develop skills such as:
- career planning
- employment and work skills
- learning and thinking skills
- personal or general skills development
- character or citizenship
Providers should teach transferable personal skills as part of a student’s study programme, without the requirement to recognise those skills as a standalone qualification.
We may approve some qualifications for funding in the 16 to 19 offer where they are linked to occupational regulation or a licence to practice.
This includes qualifications in a sector or occupational area where:
- it is a legal requirement for all practitioners to obtain a licence from the relevant state recognised regulatory body and the qualification supports this
- practitioners are required to register and be recognised by a professional body and the qualification supports this
- there is a requirement to demonstrate competence against a code of practice and the qualification supports this
- there are mandatory requirements for an occupation (or for specific activities within that occupation) and the qualification supports this
To be approved for funding, qualifications linked to occupational regulation or licence to practice must:
- involve training and not just assessment
- should not be in an area where it is the employer’s responsibility to meet the requirement
Public funding will not cover the costs of the acquisition or renewal of any licence, except for the cost of the first purchase of a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card:
- which is permitted to be funded through the 16 to 19 high value courses premium (HVCP) for construction offer
- the cost of renewing CSCS cards is not permitted to be funded at all
Access to Higher Education Diplomas are designed to prepare adults to study in higher education. We only approve these qualifications for funding for young people aged 16 to 19 by exception.
From 10 September 2026 new access to Higher Education Diplomas will only be funded for those 18 years and over.
We will automatically approve technical qualifications for T Levels in the 16 to 19 offer if they are approved by DfE and accredited by Ofqual.
We will not approve technical qualifications for standalone delivery. Providers of education and training must not deliver these technical qualifications to students outside a T Level programme.
We will also automatically approve qualifications for funding where they are mandatory additional requirements of T Levels.
The 16 to 19 condition of funding includes certain modular qualifications (also known as stepping stone qualifications) at entry level and level 1. These modular qualifications focus on aspects of English and maths, which a student may need to address to progress to GCSE or Functional Skills at level 2.
You can ask us to replace an existing stepping stone qualification that we have approved as part of the condition of funding for English and maths with an updated version of the qualification. Learn more about updated English and maths stepping stone qualifications.
We will approve new level 4 and above qualifications in the 16 to 19 offer at 18 plus only. If you wish a qualification at level 4 and above to be considered for the 16 to 19 offer at 18 plus only, you must ask us to consider adding a qualification to the offer.
To do this, you must complete the level 4 to 6 notification form on QFAST. In it you must clearly set out the reason and rationale for wanting the qualification to be approved for 18 plus only. In the rationale you should consider that many 18 year old students will be on full-time study programmes. As a result they may not achieve a level 3 qualification until they complete their programme. You must consider the circumstances under which they may be able to undertake a level 4 or above qualification.
We will not approve Higher Technical Qualifications for the 16 to 19 offer. This is because we expect these qualifications to be funded either in Advanced Learner Loans or through Higher Education Student Finance. Therefore, you must also confirm you are not submitting the qualification for approval as a Higher Technical Qualification.
Adult skills fund local flexibility offer at level 2 and below, funded by DfE: approval criteria
Criteria that qualifications in the DfE-funded adult skills fund (ASF) local flexibility offer must meet.
These qualifications must also meet the common funding approval criteria.
We may approve qualifications linked to occupational regulation and practice. This includes qualifications in a sector or occupational area where:
-
it is a legal requirement for all practitioners to obtain a licence from the relevant state recognised regulatory body and the qualification supports this
-
practitioners are required to register and be recognised by a professional body and the qualification supports this
-
there is a requirement to demonstrate competence against a code of practice and the qualification supports this
-
there are mandatory requirements for an occupation (or for specific activities within that occupation) and the qualification supports this
To be approved for funding qualifications linked to occupational regulation or licence to practice it must:
-
involve training and not just assessment
-
should not be in an area where it is the employer’s responsibility to meet the requirement
Public funding will not cover the costs of the acquisition or renewal of any licence.
The qualification must not link to UK visa requirements, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
This does not apply to English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) skills for life qualifications. We know that ESOL qualifications support students, whose first language is not English, to progress onto other qualifications.
We will only approve ESOL skills for life qualifications for funding if they are modular, and if their titles include the term ‘ESOL skills for life’ in Ofqual’s register of regulated qualifications. We will not approve any other ESOL qualifications for funding, such as ESOL International qualifications.
At level 2 and below, the qualification must not be used to recognise any activity that might already be part of a student’s experience, or that is better delivered as a non-qualification activity. For example, we will not approve qualifications that are records of completing activities such as:
-
work experience or placements
-
induction for college, or for other learning and training
-
CV writing
-
job search activities
-
participating in interviews
-
parenting skills
-
study skills
At level 2, qualifications in the DWP funded ASF local flexibility offer must support the student to acquire subject specific or occupational skills to help them progress into employment and further education.
We will not approve a qualification for funding at level 2 if:
-
it focuses on independent living, personal well-being, personal finance, personal or social development, or other related areas
-
less than half of the qualification’s content focuses on occupational or technical skills or learning – we will measure this by reviewing the content of the qualification, and the learning and assessment outcomes
We will approve these qualifications at entry level and level 1. We expect these to focus on progression in further education and training and into employment.