The government has announced the first subjects that students will be able to study for the new V Level qualifications after Year 11.

The new subjects are part of planned changes to post-16 (after secondary school) education in England. The government says the reforms will give more young people a “clear, high-quality” route and help them to build a secure career.

After their GCSEs, students can already choose to study A Levels, which focus on academic subjects, or T Levels, which combine classroom learning with work experience.

V Levels will be equivalent to A Levels and will cover subjects that A Levels and T Levels don’t. They’ll eventually replace BTECs and other technical qualifications taken after GCSEs. Ministers say that they’ll simplify post-16 education and help reduce the number of young people not in education, work or training.

The first V Levels, launching in September 2027, will be in digital; education and early years; and finance and accounting. More subjects are planned, including construction; agriculture, environmental and animal care; and travel and tourism. Ken Merry, principal of York College, told the BBC that he’s “really excited” to offer the courses, saying they could be “a real game-changer in education.”