As well as the horrendous phrase “parity of esteem”, the over-used cliché lobbed around by politicians talking about FE that makes my eyes glaze over is “snobbery”.

From Lord Baker to Damian Hinds, education secretaries have long waxed lyrical about the need to eradicate parental prejudice and student ignorance when it comes to technical education. 

Don’t get me wrong. Is there an age-old imbalance that has led to FE being regarded as a second-rate alternative to A levels and university? Of course there is. 

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The future of technical education

But ministers seem to think that bemoaning this so-called “snobbery” in society, and saying nice things about FE – whether we’re talking T levels, apprenticeships or (for the older people in the room) diplomas – amounts to actually tackling the centuries-old attitudes behind it. Heaven forbid they actually put their money where their mouths are and fund colleges on a fair basis compared to schools or universities.

However, this is one of the rare occasions where I think “snobbery” is the only word that will do. And it concerns plans to get rid of qualifications. 

GCSEs: out of date?

In recent weeks, there have been plenty of high-profile calls for GCSEs to be eradicated from the educational landscape. First, by Commons Education Select Committee chair Robert Halfon, who called for them to be replaced with a wide-ranging baccalaureate qualification, incorporating both academic and vocational learning. 

Second, Lord Baker – the former education secretary who introduced GCSEs – said they were now “redundant”, as there was no longer a need for a school-leaving certificate at 16.

Third, even business lobby organisation CBI weighed in, describing GCSEs as “incredibly archaic” and a “hangover” of a system that no longer exists. Pretty damning.

BTECs: fair game?

So is the Department for Education taking up the baton? Not a bit of it. GCSEs are well understood by parents and employers alike; scrapping them would be far too controversial.

BTECs, on the other hand, are fair game, it would seem. In its eagerness to clear the ground for its flagship new T-levels qualifications, the DfE is consulting on whether to stop funding applied general qualifications, such as BTECs and Cambridge Technicals.

Let me be honest: I find it very hard to envisage there being a blanket decision to stop funding any applied generals whatsoever. In areas where there is a qualification which overlaps with a T level, I can see why it would be culled, from the DfE’s perspective. But even when fully rolled out, T levels by no means cover all sectors and industries.

'Snobbery, pure and simple'

Would the government really consider completely removing all BTECs – taken by 200,000 young people a year, understood by parents and respected by employers – to protect its pet project? Let’s not forget that the introduction of T levels hasn’t gone entirely smoothly thus far.

That’s not to say that BTECs, in particular, are perfect: the decision to allow two versions of the qualification – one significantly more robust than the other – was simply baffling. But there’s no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

There are many who desperately hope this doesn’t come to pass. But the fact that it is being considered at all comes down to how BTECs are viewed by society at large in relation to GCSEs and A levels – and, by extension, how technical education, despite the warms words of ministers, is still seen by many as second-rate. And there’s only word that explains it: snobbery. Pure and simple.

Stephen Exley is FE editor at Tes