Technical pathways must tackle the ‘missing middle’

This blog was kindly authored by Professor Rosa Wells, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Further Education, Apprenticeships and STEM), University College Birmingham.

The timing could hardly have been more appropriate. As educators, employers and policymakers gathered at Warwick Manufacturing Group for the inaugural forum of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Engineering Educators Community, the Government announced plans to introduce new technical pathways for young people from the age of 14.

From September 2028, pupils would be able to combine core academic subjects with technical education connected to local industries, workplace experience and employers. Discussions throughout the forum suggested that the direction of travel was widely welcomed for those seeking careers in engineering.

However, introducing technical pathways at 14 will not, by itself, create a coherent technical education system. The policy must also address what happens next.

The missing middle

Too often, progression is presented as a choice between an apprenticeship and a three-year degree. Both are valuable, but this binary choice overlooks Higher Technical Education at Levels 4 and 5, including Higher National Certificates, Higher National Diplomas and Foundation Degrees already offered by many providers.

This is the ‘missing middle’ in England’s skills system. The Government’s own Post-16 education and skills white paper acknowledges that too few people choose to study at Levels 4 and 5, despite positive economic returns and growing employer demand for these skills. The latest Skills England assessment similarly concludes that the UK compares well internationally at degree level but ranks sixth among G7 countries for the proportion of adults whose highest qualification is at Level 4 or 5.

Awareness is part of the problem. Young people and their parents are generally familiar with degrees and increasingly understand degree apprenticeships. Higher Technical Education has a much weaker public identity. Unless the new school pathways make the full range of progression opportunities visible, they could increase engagement in technical education at 14 without increasing access to higher levels of learning.

The pathways should therefore be designed backwards from the skilled occupations the economy needs. Pupils should be able to see how technical study at school can lead to college, an apprenticeship, Higher Technical Education and, where appropriate, a degree and professional recognition. These should not be separate routes with difficult transition points, but connected stages through which people can enter, leave and return to learning.

Build on existing networks

Schools have already made significant progress in careers education and employer engagement through the Gatsby Benchmarks. However, they cannot be expected to create specialist technical provision, communicate every progression route and develop deep relationships across complex industries alone.

Nor should each school have to negotiate separately with employers that already face numerous requests for engagement. This is particularly difficult for smaller engineering businesses, which may have valuable expertise but limited capacity to offer apprenticeships or sustain relationships with multiple institutions.

The Government should use established regional partnerships to coordinate this activity. Unless Careers Hubs and Regional Access Partnerships can prioritise technical education pathways, it will fall to providers themselves to co-ordinate activity. Further education colleges, universities, University Technical Colleges, Institutes of Technology, Technical Excellence Colleges and employer groups already hold much of the necessary expertise, equipment and industry relationships.

Institutes of Technology illustrate what this can look like. They bring together further and higher education with employers to develop higher-level technical skills through specialist facilities and industry-informed provision.

Collaborative projects have also allowed further education college learners to work alongside undergraduates on Industry 4.0 challenges. Elsewhere, specialist Higher National Certificate programmes enable employees from different parts of the electrical power sector, for example, to study and learn from one another.

The purpose of highlighting these examples is not to argue for a single institutional model. It is to show that the foundations for connected technical pathways already exist. Policy should make better use of them rather than create another layer of structures.

Three priorities for implementation

First, progression to Levels 4 and 5 should be built explicitly into the design of the new pathways. Information about Higher Technical Qualifications should be included in careers guidance, teacher development and communications with parents, alongside degrees and apprenticeships.

Second, schools should be connected systematically to regional technical education networks. These could coordinate access to specialist facilities, employer projects, workplace experiences and professional development for teachers and careers advisers. This would reduce duplication and make employer participation more manageable, particularly for smaller businesses.

Third, success should be measured through progression as well as participation. Evaluation should examine whether learners continue into relevant further education, apprenticeships and Higher Technical Education and not simply how many pupils take a technical option at 14. Destinations at Levels 4 and 5 should be visible within the policy’s accountability measures.

The Government’s proposals offer an important opportunity to give technical education greater status and visibility. But starting earlier will achieve little if young people still encounter fragmented routes and limited information as they progress.

The goal should not simply be more technical education in schools. It should be a connected system in which young people can see and move through the full pathway from initial interest to higher technical skills and professional careers.