GovWire

For 2026 to 2027, we will consider technical and academic progression qualifications at level 2 in the subject areas listed below for funding.

These areas have been selected to support progression to the level 3 occupational entry qualifications and level 3 alternative academic qualifications (AAQs) available from September 2025.

We will not approve qualifications for funding if:

• they are not in the subject areas listed
• their content does not align to the route or subject area

If you think your qualification does not fit any of the subject areas listed, consider it for future submission cycles. There is more information about this in the guide to post-16 qualifications at level 3 and below in England.

Technical progression qualifications

Level 2 technical progression qualifications must be at route level, supporting progression to a range of level 3 qualifications within the designated route.

These qualifications must include broad, route-level content. They may also contain options. For example, you could include options at the pathway or occupational level to reflect the different level 3 occupational qualifications that students can progress to.

You must select the most appropriate sector subject area (SSA) for the qualification. These have been mapped to the occupational routes as follows.

Construction and the built environment

• building and construction
• urban, rural and regional planning

Digital

• ICT for users
• ICT practitioners

Education and early years

• child development and well being
• teaching and lecturing
• direct learning support

Engineering and manufacturing

• engineering
• manufacturing technologies
• transportation and maintenance

Health and science

• medicine and dentistry
• nursing and subjects and vocations allied to medicine
• science
• sports leisure and recreation
• health and social care

Academic progression qualifications

Level 2 academic progression qualifications submitted for approval in cycle 2 should be aligned to the same subject areas as alternative academic qualifications at level 3 that were approved in cycle 1.

You must select from the following SSAs:

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

We expect an academic progression qualification to support entry to both small and large AAQs, where both have been approved for funding.

We will not approve qualifications by the same awarding organisation where the majority of the content overlaps with another academic progression qualification in the same subject area.

We will consider academic progression qualifications in the following SSAs, by exception, where a small AAQ has also been approved as an exception:

• building and construction
• child development and well being
• teaching and lecturing
• direct learning and support

The size of a qualification must relate to its purpose and objectives.

The size characteristic relates to its value in terms of hours of guided learning. Ofqual has published guidance onactivities that contribute to guided learning hours.

We expect progression qualifications to be around 120 to 240 guided learning hours.

We will only consider qualifications that are smaller or larger if the awarding organisation has clearly demonstrated why the qualification has been designed this way, taking account of the typical non-qualification content of a 16 to 19 study programme.

We will contact you if we have any questions about theguided learning hours valueassigned to a qualification.

Progression qualifications should:

• be broad
• add subject specific context and focus to a study programme
• support students progression to reformed level 3 qualifications in either an academic or technical pathway

We will only approve progression qualifications where they support progression to reformed level 3 qualifications.

You will need to demonstrate which pathways your qualification supports progression to, and how it achieves this. This includes a clear purpose statement, with an explicit explanation of how the qualification supports progression to level 3 study.

Qualifications referenced as potential destinations must be Ofqual regulated qualifications which have been approved for funding from 2025.

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