Table of contents

Approximate read time: 15 minutes

The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the following motion on 23 July 2026:

Baroness Keeley (Labour) to move that this House takes note of the role of the current level 3 qualifications for the creative industries, and of the potential impact of their replacement with T Levels and V Levels on the creative industries.

1. Key points

  • The creative industries are a government priority growth sector and rely on a skilled workforce.
  • The government is replacing the current range of level 3 vocational qualifications with new V-levels and an expanded range of T-levels. It plans to introduce additional creative T-levels for the 2029/30 academic year and creative V-levels from 2030/31.
  • The government argues the reforms will simplify qualifications and improve progression into work, apprenticeships and higher education. V-levels can be taken alongside A-levels.
  • Creative industry and education bodies have raised concerns that V-levels may have too few guided learning hours and provide insufficient practical experience compared with existing qualifications.
  • While T-levels have shown improving pass rates, students have reported varying experiences and challenges obtaining quality practical placements. The government has recently updated guidance to create more flexibility for placements.

2. Creative industries overview

The government has identified the creative industries as one of eight “growth-driving” sectors that it is prioritising.[1] In a consultation document published in October 2024, it explained the creative industries had been selected as a priority sector because this was an area in which the UK was already “world-leading” and because the sector was “expected to grow worldwide, creating further growth opportunities”.[2]

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) defines the creative industries as those in which individual creativity, skill and talent play a key role, specifically:[3]

  • advertising and marketing
  • architecture
  • crafts
  • design: product, graphic and fashion design
  • film, TV, video, radio and photography
  • IT, software and computer services
  • publishing
  • museums, galleries and libraries
  • music, performing and visual arts

The government has also emphasised the role of skills in growing the creative industries. Before entering office, the Labour Party said in its March 2024 creative industries sector plan that “making sure the UK can provide a workforce with the right skills and capabilities is key to capturing the growth potential of the creative industries”.[4]

As part of its industrial strategy, the government published a sector plan for the creative industries in June 2025.[5] This set out how the government planned to invest in and support the sector, with the aim of bolstering the UK’s position as a “global creative superpower” by 2035. It said forthcoming post-16 education changes would form part of its plans to support skills for the creative industries and other growth-driving sectors.[6]

The Labour government later produced a sector skills needs assessment for the creative industries in June 2026.[7] It assessed employment demand would rise “sharply”, with the 30 priority occupations within the creative industries projected to grow by 416,000 (27%) between 2025 and 2035.[8] Many of the occupations expected to experience a growth in demand require higher-level qualifications, of level 4 and above, and skills also in demand across other sectors, for example digital skills.

For background information on the sector, see: House of Lords Library, ‘Creative industries: Growth, jobs and productivity’ (30 January 2025).

3. Reforms to post-16 education

The government is changing post-16 education, introducing V-levels (new vocational qualifications) to sit alongside A-levels (academic qualifications) and T-levels (technical and occupational qualifications).[9] V-levels will replace the current range of level 3 vocational qualifications, with the first courses available from September 2027.[10] The first new qualifications will be in digital technology, accounting and finance, and child development, teaching, and learning support.[11]

The government’s intention is that it will be more straightforward to take V-levels alongside A-levels, so that young people can combine academic and vocational study.[12] V-levels are intended to be classroom based and taken over two years. Students could also do V-levels alongside GCSE English and maths retakes.

The government’s ‘Post-16 education and skills white paper’ published in October 2025 set out a plan to “educate and train the workforce of the future and give people the skills and knowledge they need to succeed”. The government said it aimed to reduce reliance on international recruitment and reduce the chances of young people becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training).

The government consulted on the design and implementation of V-level qualifications and set out the details and next steps in its response in May 2026.[13]

The first T-levels were launched in September 2020, with subjects added each year since.[14] Table 1 sets out how T-levels and V-levels work.

Table 1. What are the characteristics of V-levels and T-levels?
Qualification V-levels T-levels
Format Classroom based with 360 guided learning hours Classroom based for around 1,080 guided learning hours plus 45-day industry placement
Size Comparable in size to one A-level, V-levels can be studied alongside other qualifications such as A-levels A single, large qualification equivalent to three A-levels
Content Blend of applied learning with practical assessment: content will be linked to occupational standards set by Skills England, rather than decided by awarding bodies Based on occupational standards, core content is combined with a specialist component that develops threshold competence in an occupation
Next steps Enable progression to related higher education or an apprenticeship Enable progression to related higher education, apprenticeships, or skilled employment

(Department for Education, ‘Post-16 level 3 and below pathways: Government consultation response’, 10 March 2026, p 13.)

For more about the background to the introduction of T- and V-levels and the previous government’s policies, see: House of Commons Library, ‘V-levels’, 20 March 2026; and ‘Technical education in England: T-levels’, 22 January 2025.

4. Rollout of new qualifications for the creative sector

There are existing T-levels in ‘craft and design’ and ‘media, broadcast and production’.[15] The government anticipates expanding this offer for the 2029/30 academic year.[16]

While some of the courses in the first rounds of V-levels could be applicable to some roles in the creative sector (including digital and finance), more explicitly creative-skills-focused courses are planned for later in the rollout. In the 2030/31 academic year, the government intends to introduce V-levels in ‘art and performing arts’ and ‘creative media and design’, as well as a further T-level in ‘art and performing arts’. The government has confirmed that it will consult on the content of these new courses before they are introduced.[17]

On 24 June 2026, in response to a written question on the impact of the new qualifications, the Department for Education said it was working on their development:

Working with DCMS, we are engaging with employers and providers in the creative sectors, who will be invited to contribute to the design and development of these qualifications and all content will be consulted on before it is confirmed.

The department is conducting exploratory work on content for potential creative T-levels, with extensive engagement with employers, providers and higher education institutions, including specialist performing arts providers, as well as testing delivery models to support the sector.

The reforms will have a positive impact on disadvantaged students, as these qualifications will better support progression into relevant work and study, and make the qualification landscape simpler to navigate.[18]

5. Views from the creative sector and educators

5.1 V-levels

While the goal of simplifying the system has been broadly popular, stakeholders have questioned whether centrally designed qualifications with fewer teaching hours than most current vocational qualifications can adequately prepare students for creative sector careers.

A key concern from the creative industries represented in the government’s consultation feedback summary was about the number of guided learning hours in V-levels.[19] Industry and higher education stakeholders said that the planned 360 hours of classroom time for a V-level was not enough for employers or higher education institutions to be confident students had enough applied experience and practical competence.[20] Some respondents proposed larger qualifications which would have similar guided learning time to some current qualifications like BTECs.

There are also arguments that the current qualifications work well and are understood by recruiters and higher education institutions, and that reforms need to be handled carefully. For example, the University of the Arts London (UAL) Awarding Body has encouraged the government to slow the pace of reforms and collaborate with the sector to design new qualifications.[21]

The body praised the government for reviewing its initial proposal to stop funding current qualifications before V-levels were in place.[22] The majority are intended to retain funding in the interim, avoiding a gap in qualification availability.

UK Music, representing the UK music industry, has also highlighted the effectiveness of some current qualifications, and wrote to the government arguing that national occupational standards are not appropriate for creative careers:

Music careers are portfolio-based, with practitioners moving fluidly across creative, technical and entrepreneurial work. Forcing qualifications to align with standards that do not exist risks making them irrelevant to real industry practice. Employers are clear that what they need are transferable creative skills, including the creative process, collaboration, problem-solving and applied critical thinking.[23]

The UAL Awarding Body also called for the government to allow flexibility of content rather than tying them to “narrow occupational standards” to reflect the breadth of creative careers, as well as innovation, technological change, and the needs of learners with special educational needs (SEND).[24]

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has also called attention to the characteristics of learners taking qualifications other than A-levels and T-levels.[25] It said a higher proportion have SEND and are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and a lower proportion have achieved maths and English GCSE grade 4.

The ASCL said V-levels represent “a genuine opportunity to simplify a complex system and ensure that vocational education is given the parity of esteem it deserves”. It was positive about the alignment to professional standards, stating this “enhances the credibility of vocational education and helps students see clear pathways to employment, without requiring them to commit to a narrowly defined T-level”. However, it added “care must be taken to ensure that this focus on job readiness does not come at the expense of broader educational goals, such as developing transferable skills and supporting progression to higher education”.

5.2 T-levels

There are also concerns about whether T-levels are adequately preparing students for their next steps.

In a 2024 study sponsored by an educational charity, learners reported variable experiences of taking T-levels. Some found that it was hard to secure industry placements, depending on local labour markets, and reported the expectation in some placements to do solely entry-level tasks provided them with little experience.[26] Evidence suggests finding placements in the creative industries may be particularly challenging as the sector is characterised by freelancers and small and medium-sized enterprises potentially working on time-limited projects.[27]

Other students reported variable teaching quality and said they had received insufficient information about T-levels before starting them, but were being actively channelled towards them.[28]

However, the government has recently made changes to the delivery of T-levels, including through new guidance for industry placements published on 15 June 2026.[29] The guidance allows for more flexible delivery of placements, including students spending placement time with more than one provider and working remotely. The ASCL said the limited availability of full, in-person industry placements had been a “major barrier, particularly in rural areas, and introducing greater flexibility should make it easier for colleges to deliver these qualifications”, but they should be carefully managed so that learners get meaningful experience.[30]

In 2025, T-level pass rates were higher than in the previous year: 91.4% in 2025 compared to 88.7% in 2024.[31] Dropout rates decreased to 27% (from 29% in 2024). Commenting at the time of the results’ publication, Ofqual Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham said:

Britain’s economic future depends on a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. All types of qualifications open doors of opportunity to students to contribute towards Britain’s economy.[32]

6. Read more

Image by Caleb Oquendo on Pexels.

References

  1. Department for Business and Trade, ‘The UK’s modern industrial strategy’, updated 9 June 2026. The other sectors are advanced manufacturing; clean energy industries; defence; digital and technologies; financial services; life sciences; and professional and business services. Return to text
  2. Department for Business and Trade, ‘Invest 2035: The UK’s modern industrial strategy’, 8 May 2026. Return to text
  3. Department for Culture, Media and Sport, ‘DCMS sectors economic estimates definitions’, 21 October 2025; and ‘Creative industries economic estimates methodology’, 2016, p 13. Return to text
  4. Labour Party, ‘Creating growth: Labour’s plan for the arts, culture and creative industries’, March 2024, p 14. Return to text
  5. UK Government, ‘The UK's modern industrial strategy: Creative industries—sector plan’, June 2025. Return to text
  6. As above, p 24. Return to text
  7. Skills England, ‘Sector skills needs assessment: Creative industries’, 1 June 2026. This assessment and assessments for other sectors are available from: Department for Work and Pensions and Skills England, ‘Skills England annual skills report and sectoral skills needs assessments 2026’, updated 6 July 2026. Return to text
  8. Skills England, ‘Sector skills needs assessment: Creative industries’, 1 June 2026, p 3. Return to text
  9. Department for Education, ‘New V-levels and post-16 qualifications explained’, 10 March 2026. Return to text
  10. Department for Education, ‘What qualifications mean’, accessed 13 July 2026. Return to text
  11. Department for Education, ‘New V-levels and post-16 qualifications explained’, 10 March 2026. Return to text
  12. As above. Return to text
  13. Department for Education, ‘Post-16 level 3 and below pathways’, 20 May 2026. Return to text
  14. House of Commons Library, ‘Technical education in England: T-levels’, 22 January 2025. Return to text
  15. HM Government, ‘T-levels’, accessed 13 July 2026. Return to text
  16. Department for Education, ‘Post-16 level 3 and below pathways: Government consultation response’, 10 March 2026, p 45. Return to text
  17. House of Lords, ‘Written question: Arts: Education (HL1141)’, 8 July 2026. Return to text
  18. House of Commons, ‘Written question: Arts: Further education (10439)’, 24 June 2026. Return to text
  19. Department for Education, ‘Post-16 level 3 and below pathways: Government consultation response’, 10 March 2026, p 16. Return to text
  20. As above, p 17. Return to text
  21. University of the Arts London Awarding Body, ‘Post-16 education and skills consultation—have your say!’, 27 November 2025; and ‘Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways reforms’, 13 March 2026. Return to text
  22. University of the Arts London Awarding Body, ‘Post-16 Level 3 and below pathways reforms’, 13 March 2026. Return to text
  23. UK Music, ‘UK Music urges government to review how new V-levels work for creative subjects’, 20 January 2026. Return to text
  24. University of the Arts London Awarding Body, ‘Post-16 education and skills consultation—have your say!’, 27 November 2025. Return to text
  25. Association of School and College Leaders, ‘Why V-levels are not just BTECs in disguise’, 10 November 2025. Return to text
  26. Edge Foundation, ‘Student voices: What are students saying about their experiences of T-levels?’, December 2024; and Josh Mellor, ‘Students ‘blamed’ for not finding T-level industry placements, research finds’, Further Education Week, 3 December 2024. Return to text
  27. UK Music, ‘UK Music urges government to review how new V-levels work for creative subjects’, 20 January 2026. Return to text
  28. Edge Foundation, ‘Student voices: What are students saying about their experiences of T-levels?’, December 2024; and Josh Mellor, ‘Students ‘blamed’ for not finding T-level industry placements, research finds’, Further Education Week, 3 December 2024. Return to text
  29. Department for Education, ‘T-level industry placements: Guidance for education providers’, updated 15 June 2026. Return to text
  30. Billy Camden, ‘T-levels go fully remote as ministers scrap work placement limits’, Further Education Week, 20 May 2026. Return to text
  31. Billy Camden, ‘T-level results 2025: Pass rate up and dropouts down’, Further Education Week, 14 August 2025. Return to text
  32. As above. Return to text