The government is announcing new 'V Level' vocational qualifications as an alternative for students after their GCSEs today (October 20).

The Department for Education (DfE) says the aim of the new qualifications is to give young people "new vocational qualifications tied to rigorous and real-world job standards", as reported by Sky.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said vocational education has been "an afterthought for too long".

Details of the V Levels will be unveiled in a new white paper on post-16 education and skills.

V Levels will replace the 900 vocational qualifications currently available for 16 to 19-year-olds, and are "designed to strengthen skills across industry, including in the government's priority industries".

They will sit alongside A Levels and T Levels, and students will be able to combine new V Level courses with existing A Levels. So, a student could do one A Level and two V Levels or three V Levels, to help them onto their chose career path.

V Levels will be broader than existing qualifications, giving young people "more choice and flexibility" in their future study or career paths.

The reforms will be supported by an extra £800m of funding for 16-19 education in 2026/27, and 14 new Technical Excellence Colleges in sectors key to the government's Industrial Strategy.

Ms Phillipson said 'technical and vocational education is central to breaking the link between background and success'.

The plans have been endorsed by Daniel Kebede, the general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), who described them as "a significant step forward for vocational education".

He said students following academic routes have benefited from 'a clear and structured pathway', but students following a vocational path have often been faced with 'a confusing and under-resourced system'.

He added that the reforms will deliver consistency, quality and fairness for all learners.

But he said the government needs to address the low pay among post-16 teachers and lecturers for the reforms to succeed.

In addition to V Levels, the government is also announcing a new qualification for students who don't achieve a pass in GCSE English and maths as a 'stepping stone' to resitting the exams.