Department for Education (DfE) funding approval for EAL's new Engineering and BSE qualifications in England for 2025

We are delighted to announce that, as part of the ongoing educational reforms in England, we have achieved Department for Education (DfE) funding approval for our next-generation Technical Qualifications (TQs), which will be first taught from September 2025 (England only).

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will only fund students to undertake qualifications through a funded offer if those qualifications are approved for public funding.

We have engaged with sector employers and centres to develop high-quality qualifications that meet ifATE’s approval criteria. The table below lists these qualifications. 

Qualification title	Category	GLH	L3 legal entitlement offer	L3 advanced learner loans offer	L3 free courses for jobs offer
Building Services Engineering
EAL Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Electrical Installation and Maintenance (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	440	Yes	Yes	Yes
EAL Level 3 Occupational Entry in Plumbing and Domestic Heating (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	540	Yes	Yes	Yes
EAL Level 3 Technical Specialist in the Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment (Award)	Additional specialist	10	Yes		Yes
Engineering
EAL Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Electrical Engineering Principles (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	540	Yes	Yes	Yes
EAL Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Machining (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	600	Yes	Yes	Yes
EAL Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Mechanical Engineering Principles (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	540	Yes	Yes	Yes
EAL Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Mechatronics (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	545	Yes	Yes	Yes
EAL Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry in Metal Fabrication (Diploma)	Occupational entry - adult only	545	Yes	Yes	Yes

These qualifications will provide funded options for learners who wish to train in the engineering or building services engineering sectors as part of an ‘occupational entry category’ or further specialise in their chosen trade with our funded electric vehicle charging equipment award – which is for electricians and will follow the Electrician Plus industry model.

More information about these exciting new qualifications will be available over the next academic year as we help prepare centres for their delivery. You can also visit our dedicated webpage for further details. 

Find out more about qualification reform in England

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If you require further information, please reach out to our dedicated Technical Advisor Team:

Engineering

• Samantha Ashman Samantha.Ashman@eal.org.uk
• Jonathan Porter Jonathan.Porter@eal.org.uk

Building Services Engineering (BSE)

• Alex Robinson Alex.Robinson@eal.org.uk
• Andrew Beresford Andrew.Beresford@eal.org.uk