The new HR T Level qualification has been scrapped because the government has been unable to find an awarding body to develop it.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) confirmed that it had pulled the HR T Level from the list of qualifications that would launch in 2023 because it was unable to award a contract for its development in its latest procurement exercise.
This meant that development work on the HR T Level had ceased this month. The ESFA said it was unable to commit to a date when work in the qualification might resume.
T Levels are being rolled out as an alternative to A Levels, apprenticeships and other courses aimed at 16 to 19 year olds. They are equivalent to three A Levels, focus on vocational skills, and include a work placement lasting at least 45 days.
The first T Levels launched in September 2020 in three subjects: design, surveying and planning for construction; digital production, design and development; and education and childcare. A further seven are set to be offered this autumn.
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The HR T Level was originally set to be introduced in September 2022, but was pushed back to 2023 alongside a legal T Level.
Victoria Winkler, professional development director at the CIPD, said it shared the government’s disappointment that it was not able to award a contract for the qualification’s delivery.
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“We have been supportive of the development of the T Level and will continue to work with government to support technical education pathways. In the meantime, the HR apprenticeships at Levels 3 and 5 continue to be popular routes for practitioners entering the profession,” said Winkler.
