Speaking about Qualifications Wales’ decision to create new Vocational Secondary Certificate in Education (VCSEs), Emma Forrest, NEU's Assistant General Secretary with responsibility for Wales, said:
“NEU Cymru will be looking carefully at the proposals for VCSEs, which need to help to create parity of esteem between vocational and academic qualifications. Everyone in the sector wants high-quality technical and vocational courses for students.
“It is key that there needs to be real opportunities for progression for students within and after the VCSEs, to ensure that they are a gateway to opportunity in the world of work or further learning. We need to learn the lessons from T levels in England. Everyone deserves the opportunity to show what they can do when they leave school or college.
“We would be very cautious about anything which undermines GCSEs as a general qualification – created to capture the range of abilities across the student cohort. It is important that both VCSEs and GCSEs are assessed in a range of ways, which capture and reward what young people can do, without adding to teacher workload.
"We will be looking at the detail with interest, and sharing our members' feedback with Qualifications Wales."