CBI responds to A level and T level results day - 2023

Robert West, CBI Head of Education & Skills, said: 

“Congratulations to all those receiving their A level and T level results today, and to those receiving their vocational and technical qualification results. The disruption to students’ education due to Covid-19 should not be underestimated. These have been difficult years and both students and teachers alike have overcome unprecedented challenges. They should all be proud of their achievements."

On A levels, Robert said: 

"Top grades at A level have been harder to achieve due to the return to pre-pandemic grading. It was good to see the continuing popularity of maths as an A level subject as well as a growth in take up of the social sciences. The UK needs a broad range of skills including transferable essential skills such as communication, problem solving and teamwork. Firms across the UK, and the CBI’s Trade Association members, including the Engineering and Machine Alliance, no doubt value those skills highly."   

On regional differences, Robert said: 

“In 2022, the gap between the performance of students in the North of England and students in the South widened, and it is disappointing to see this trend continuing. The challenges facing schools and colleges in the North of England have been well documented, and it is something our regional teams based in Newcastle, Leeds and Cheshire regularly talk to me about. But we are still awaiting significant policy changes that address the root causes of the problems. The Government needs to turn words into action when it comes to levelling up and regional growth to tackle these challenges.  

On T levels, Robert said: 

“Raising understanding of T levels amongst young people, their parents and firms remains essential. The CBI’s latest Education and Skills Survey showed that 65% of our member respondents had only a little awareness or no awareness at all of this ‘flagship’ programme. Making sure that students and firms alike know about T levels is crucial, particularly given concerns about drop-out rates and the availability of meaningful work placements.”